第85章

类别:其他 作者:Charles Darwin字数:6162更新时间:18/12/21 17:23:57
Sincehisvoyageahemispherehasbeenaddedtothecivilizedworld。 Ifapersonsuffermuchfromsea-sickness,lethimweighitheavilyinthebalance。Ispeakfromexperience:itisnotriflingevil,curedinaweek。If,ontheotherhand,hetakepleasureinnavaltactics,hewillassuredlyhavefullscopeforhistaste。Butitmustbeborneinmind,howlargeaproportionofthetime,duringalongvoyage,isspentonthewater,ascomparedwiththedaysinharbour。Andwhataretheboastedgloriesoftheillimitableocean。Atediouswaste,adesertofwater,astheArabiancallsit。Nodoubttherearesomedelightfulscenes。Amoonlightnight,withtheclearheavensandthedarkglitteringsea,andthewhitesailsfilledbythesoftairofagentlyblowingtrade-wind,adeadcalm,withtheheavingsurfacepolishedlikeamirror,andallstillexcepttheoccasionalflappingofthecanvas。Itiswelloncetobeholdasquallwithitsrisingarchandcomingfury,ortheheavygaleofwindandmountainouswaves。 Iconfess,however,myimaginationhadpaintedsomethingmoregrand,moreterrificinthefull-grownstorm。Itisanincomparablyfinerspectaclewhenbeheldonshore,wherethewavingtrees,thewildflightofthebirds,thedarkshadowsandbrightlights,therushingofthetorrentsallproclaimthestrifeoftheunloosedelements。Atseathealbatrossandlittlepetrelflyasifthestormweretheirpropersphere,thewaterrisesandsinksasiffulfillingitsusualtask,theshipaloneanditsinhabitantsseemtheobjectsofwrath。Onaforlornandweather-beatencoast,thesceneisindeeddifferent,butthefeelingspartakemoreofhorrorthanofwilddelight。 Letusnowlookatthebrightersideofthepasttime。Thepleasurederivedfrombeholdingthesceneryandthegeneralaspectofthevariouscountrieswehavevisited,hasdecidedlybeenthemostconstantandhighestsourceofenjoyment。ItisprobablethatthepicturesquebeautyofmanypartsofEuropeexceedsanythingwhichwebeheld。Butthereisagrowingpleasureincomparingthecharacterofthesceneryindifferentcountries,whichtoacertaindegreeisdistinctfrommerelyadmiringitsbeauty。 Itdependschieflyonanacquaintancewiththeindividualpartsofeachview。Iamstronglyinducedtobelievethatasinmusic,thepersonwhounderstandseverynotewill,ifhealsopossessesapropertaste,morethoroughlyenjoythewhole,sohewhoexamineseachpartofafineview,mayalsothoroughlycomprehendthefullandcombinedeffect。Hence,atravellershouldbeabotanist,forinallviewsplantsformthechiefembellishment。 Groupmassesofnakedrock,eveninthewildestforms,andtheymayforatimeaffordasublimespectacle,buttheywillsoongrowmonotonous。 Paintthemwithbrightandvariedcolours,asinNorthernChile,theywillbecomefantastic;clothethemwithvegetation,theymustformadecent,ifnotabeautifulpicture。 WhenIsaythatthesceneryofpartsofEuropeisprobablysuperiortoanythingwhichwebeheld,Iexcept,asaclassbyitself,thatoftheintertropicalzones。Thetwoclassescannotbecomparedtogether;butI havealreadyoftenenlargedonthegrandeurofthoseregions。Astheforceofimpressionsgenerallydependsonpreconceivedideas,Imayadd,thatmineweretakenfromthevividdescriptionsinthePersonalNarrativeofHumboldt,whichfarexceedinmeritanythingelsewhichIhaveread。Yetwiththesehigh-wroughtideas,myfeelingswerefarfrompartakingofatingeofdisappointmentonmyfirstandfinallandingontheshoresofBrazil。 Amongthesceneswhicharedeeplyimpressedonmymind,noneexceedinsublimitytheprimevalforestsundefacedbythehandofman;whetherthoseofBrazil,wherethepowersofLifearepredominant,orthoseofTierradelFuego,whereDeathanddecayprevail。BotharetemplesfilledwiththevariedproductionsoftheGodofNature:——noonecanstandinthesesolitudesunmoved,andnotfeelthatthereismoreinmanthanthemerebreathofhisbody。Incallingupimagesofthepast,IfindthattheplainsofPatagoniafrequentlycrossbeforemyeyes;yettheseplainsarepronouncedbyallwretchedanduseless。Theycanbedescribedonlybynegativecharacters;withouthabitations,withoutwater,withouttrees,withoutmountains,theysupportmerelyafewdwarfplants。Why,then,andthecaseisnotpeculiartomyself,havethesearidwastestakensofirmaholdonmymemory?Whyhavenotthestillmorelevel,thegreenerandmorefertilePampas,whichareserviceabletomankind,producedanequalimpression?Icanscarcelyanalyzethesefeelings:butitmustbepartlyowingtothefreescopegiventotheimagination。TheplainsofPatagoniaareboundless,fortheyarescarcelypassable,andhenceunknown:theybearthestampofhavinglasted,astheyarenow,forages,andthereappearsnolimittotheirdurationthroughfuturetime。If,astheancientssupposed,theflatearthwassurroundedbyanimpassablebreadthofwater,orbydesertsheatedtoanintolerableexcess,whowouldnotlookattheselastboundariestoman’sknowledgewithdeepbutill-definedsensations? Lastly,ofnaturalscenery,theviewsfromloftymountains,throughcertainlyinonesensenotbeautiful,areverymemorable。WhenlookingdownfromthehighestcrestoftheCordillera,themind,undisturbedbyminutedetails,wasfilledwiththestupendousdimensionsofthesurroundingmasses。 Ofindividualobjects,perhapsnothingismorecertaintocreateastonishmentthanthefirstsightinhisnativehauntofabarbarian——ofmaninhislowestandmostsavagestate。One’smindhurriesbackoverpastcenturies,andthenasks,couldourprogenitorshavebeenmenlikethese?——men,whoseverysignsandexpressionsarelessintelligibletousthanthoseofthedomesticatedanimals;men,whodonotpossesstheinstinctofthoseanimals,noryetappeartoboastofhumanreason,oratleastofartsconsequentonthatreason。Idonotbelieveitispossibletodescribeorpaintthedifferencebetweensavageandcivilizedman。Itisthedifferencebetweenawildandtameanimal:andpartoftheinterestinbeholdingasavage,isthesamewhichwouldleadeveryonetodesiretoseethelioninhisdesert,thetigertearinghispreyinthejungle,ortherhinoceroswanderingoverthewildplainsofAfrica。 Amongtheothermostremarkablespectacleswhichwehavebeheld,mayberanked,theSouthernCross,thecloudofMagellan,andtheotherconstellationsofthesouthernhemisphere——thewater-spout——theglacierleadingitsbluestreamofice,over-hangingtheseainaboldprecipice——alagoon-islandraisedbythereef-buildingcorals——anactivevolcano——andtheoverwhelmingeffectsofaviolentearthquake。Theselatterphenomena,perhaps,possessformeapeculiarinterest,fromtheirintimateconnectionwiththegeologicalstructureoftheworld。Theearthquake,however,mustbetoeveryoneamostimpressiveevent:theearth,consideredfromourearliestchildhoodasthetypeofsolidity,hasoscillatedlikeathincrustbeneathourfeet; andinseeingthelabouredworksofmaninamomentoverthrown,wefeeltheinsignificanceofhisboastedpower。 Ithasbeensaid,thattheloveofthechaseisaninherentdelightinman——arelicofaninstinctivepassion。Ifso,Iamsurethepleasureoflivingintheopenair,withtheskyforaroofandthegroundforatable,ispartofthesamefeeling,itisthesavagereturningtohiswildandnativehabits。Ialwayslookbacktoourboatcruises,andmylandjourneys,whenthroughunfrequentedcountries,withanextremedelight,whichnoscenesofcivilizationcouldhavecreated。Idonotdoubtthateverytravellermustremembertheglowingsenseofhappinesswhichheexperienced,whenhefirstbreathedinaforeignclime,wherethecivilizedmanhadseldomornevertrod。 Thereareseveralothersourcesofenjoymentinalongvoyage,whichareofamorereasonablenature。Themapoftheworldceasestobeablank; itbecomesapicturefullofthemostvariedandanimatedfigures。Eachpartassumesitsproperdimensions:continentsarenotlookedatinthelightofislands,orislandsconsideredasmerespecks,whichare,intruth,largerthanmanykingdomsofEurope。Africa,orNorthandSouthAmerica,arewell-soundingnames,andeasilypronounced;butitisnotuntilhavingsailedforweeksalongsmallportionsoftheirshores,thatoneisthoroughlyconvincedwhatvastspacesonourimmenseworldthesenamesimply。 Fromseeingthepresentstate,itisimpossiblenottolookforwardwithhighexpectationstothefutureprogressofnearlyanentirehemisphere。 Themarchofimprovement,consequentontheintroductionofChristianitythroughouttheSouthSea,probablystandsbyitselfintherecordsofhistory。 Itisthemorestrikingwhenwerememberthatonlysixtyyearssince,Cook,whoseexcellentjudgmentnonewilldispute,couldforeseenoprospectofachange。YetthesechangeshavenowbeeneffectedbythephilanthropicspiritoftheBritishnation。 InthesamequarteroftheglobeAustraliaisrising,orindeedmaybesaidtohaverisen,intoagrandcentreofcivilization,which,atsomenotveryremoteperiod,willruleasempressoverthesouthernhemisphere。 ItisimpossibleforanEnglishmantobeholdthesedistantcolonies,withoutahighprideandsatisfaction。TohoisttheBritishflag,seemstodrawwithitasacertainconsequence,wealth,prosperity,andcivilization。 Inconclusion,itappearstomethatnothingcanbemoreimprovingtoayoungnaturalist,thanajourneyindistantcountries。Itbothsharpens,andpartlyallaysthatwantandcraving,which,asSirJ。Herschelremarks,amanexperiencesalthougheverycorporealsensebefullysatisfied。Theexcitementfromthenoveltyofobjects,andthechanceofsuccess,stimulatehimtoincreasedactivity。Moreover,asanumberofisolatedfactssoonbecomeuninteresting,thehabitofcomparisonleadstogeneralization。 Ontheotherhand,asthetravellerstaysbutashorttimeineachplace,hisdescriptionsmustgenerallyconsistofmeresketches,insteadofdetailedobservations。Hencearises,asIhavefoundtomycost,aconstanttendencytofillupthewidegapsofknowledge,byinaccurateandsuperficialhypotheses。 ButIhavetoodeeplyenjoyedthevoyage,nottorecommendanynaturalist,althoughhemustnotexpecttobesofortunateinhiscompanionsasIhavebeen,totakeallchances,andtostart,ontravelsbylandifpossible,ifotherwise,onalongvoyage。Hemayfeelassured,hewillmeetwithnodifficultiesordangers,exceptinginrarecases,nearlysobadashebeforehandanticipates。Inamoralpointofview,theeffectoughttobe,toteachhimgood-humouredpatience,freedomfromselfishness,thehabitofactingforhimself,andofmakingthebestofeveryoccurrence。Inshort,heoughttopartakeofthecharacteristicqualitiesofmostsailors。Travellingoughtalsototeachhimdistrust;butatthesametimehewilldiscover,howmanytrulykind-heartedpeoplethereare,withwhomheneverbeforehad,oreveragainwillhaveanyfurthercommunication,whoyetarereadytoofferhimthemostdisinterestedassistance。End[1]Afterthevolumesofeloquencewhichhavepouredforthonthissubject,itisdangerouseventomentionthetomb。Amoderntraveller,intwelvelines,burdensthepoorlittleislandwiththefollowingtitles,——itisagrave,tomb,pyramid,cemetery,sepulchre,catacomb,sarcophagus,minaret,andmausoleum! [2]Itdeservesnotice,thatallthemanyspecimensofthisshellfoundbymeinonespot,differasamarkedvariety,fromanothersetofspecimensprocuredfromadifferentspot。 [3]Beatson’sSt。Helena。Introductorychapter,p。4。 [4]Amongthesefewinsects,IwassurprisedtofindasmallAphodius(nov。spec。)andanOryctes,bothextremelynumerousunderdung。Whentheislandwasdiscovereditcertainlypossessednoquadruped,exceptingperhapsamouse:itbecomes,therefore,adifficultpointtoascertain,whetherthesestercovorousinsectshavesincebeenimportedbyaccident,orifaborigines,onwhatfoodtheyformerlysubsisted。OnthebanksofthePlata,where,fromthevastnumberofcattleandhorses,thefineplainsofturfarerichlymanured,itisvaintoseekthemanykindsofdung-feedingbeetles,whichoccursoabundantlyinEurope。IobservedonlyanOryctes(theinsectsofthisgenusinEuropegenerallyfeedondecayedvegetablematter)andtwospeciesofPhanaeus,commoninsuchsituations。 OntheoppositesideoftheCordillerainChiloe,anotherspeciesofPhanaeusisexceedinglyabundant,anditburiesthedungofthecattleinlargeearthenballsbeneaththeground。ThereisreasontobelievethatthegenusPhanaeus,beforetheintroductionofcattle,actedasscavengerstoman。 InEurope,beetles,whichfindsupportinthematterwhichhasalreadycontributedtowardsthelifeofotherandlargeranimals,aresonumerousthattheremustbeconsiderablymorethanonehundreddifferentspecies。 Consideringthis,andobservingwhataquantityoffoodofthiskindislostontheplainsofLaPlata,IimaginedIsawaninstancewheremanhaddisturbedthatchain,bywhichsomanyanimalsarelinkedtogetherintheirnativecountry。InVanDiemen’sLand,however,IfoundfourspeciesofOnthophagus,twoofAphodius,andoneofathirdgenus,veryabundantlyunderthedungofcows;yettheselatteranimalshadbeenthenintroducedonlythirty-threeyears。Previoustothattimethekangarooandsomeothersmallanimalsweretheonlyquadrupeds;andtheirdungisofaverydifferentqualityfromthatoftheirsuccessorsintroducedbyman。InEnglandthegreaternumberofstercovorousbeetlesareconfinedintheirappetites; thatis,theydonotdependindifferentlyonanyquadrupedforthemeansofsubsistence。Thechange,therefore,inhabitswhichmusthavetakenplaceinVanDiemen’sLandishighlyremarkable。IamindebtedtotheRev。 F。W。Hope,who,Ihope,willpermitmetocallhimmymasterinEntomology,forgivingmethenamesoftheforegoinginsects。 Monats。derKonig。Akad。d。Wiss。zuBerlin。 VomApril,1845。 IhavedescribedthisBarindetail,intheLond。andEdin。Phil。Mag。,vol