62 pages • 2 hours read
The Voyage of the Beagle
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Chapters 13-15Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 13 Summary
The Beagle continues south from Valparaiso to the island of Chiloe (i.e., Chiloé) and the Chonos Archipelago. This region is characterized by an abundance of rain and an impenetrable evergreen forest. Because of the climate and the density of the forest, the ground is damp and many types of vegetables and fruit cannot grow. Darwin notes that the climate that allows the evergreens to thrive prohibits the growth of other species.
Darwin encounters a number of Indigenous people on Chiloe, which he classifies into groups of “three-fourths” or “pure Indian.” He observes many physical similarities between the Indigenous people of Chiloe and those of the Argentinian Pampas, despite their cultural differences. Darwin notes that although the people of Chiloe are all Christians, many retain their Indigenous traditions despite the threat of prosecution by the Spanish government. The people of the island of Lemuy are more welcoming, although they are suspicious of Darwin’s activities. The tribe offers the crew a duck, cotton handkerchiefs, three sheep, and a bunch of onions in exchange for tobacco, indigo, and gunpowder.
At Cape Tres Montes, Darwin spends a day summitting a 1,600-foot-tall hill that resembles a perfect cone. Darwin is delighted by the climb despite the difficulty and suggests that everyone should spend time climbing to excite the mind and create a sense of pride. As he climbs, he looks for signs of life and wonders if he is the first person to climb this hill. He finds evidence of a fire and campsite, which is curious because no humans live on this island. Shortly after leaving Cape Tres Montes, the crew of the Beagle rescues six sailors who abandoned their whaling ship, and Darwin assumes that the campsite he found belonged to one of their party, now lost.
A few days later, Darwin and Captain FitzRoy briefly leave the Beagle to explore a tributary river. On this expedition, they observe many seals lying closely together on the rocks in the harbor. Darwin notes that the fresh water at the mouth of the river attracts fish, which attract sea birds and otters in addition to the seals. He also observes turkey buzzards circling the seals, waiting to scoop up the remnants of their prey. The curious seals follow Darwin’s boat as he and Captain FitzRoy return to the Beagle, prompting Darwin to reflect on their playful nature.
Chapter 14 Summary
The volcano of Osorno erupts on January 19. Darwin observes the eruption into the early hours of January 20 with the aid of a telescope. He is surprised to learn later of two simultaneous eruptions at Aconcagua (480 miles north) and Coseguina (3,180 miles north), along with earthquakes felt for over 1,000 miles. He suggests that the concurrence of these natural disasters is evidence of the geological connections between these mountains.
Darwin once again leaves the crew of the Beagle, traveling inland with horses and a guide to explore the country more thoroughly. The group is soon joined by an Indigenous woman and two boys; Darwin is impressed by her riding skills but critical of the way she and the two boys “shame” him into feeding them. Darwin rejoins the crew of the Beagle at San Carlos, and they depart from the island of Chiloe in early February.
Darwin is in the countryside near Valdivia, Chile, on February 20, 1835, when an earthquake strikes. For two minutes, the ground undulates in a manner that reminds Darwin of a boat in choppy water or skating over thin ice. The Beagle soon sails to the island of Quiriquina, where the earthquake has caused massive destruction. Darwin observes the ruins of two towns, Talcahuano and Concepcion, and reflects on the devastating losses that would occur if a similar earthquake were to hit London.
Darwin records the natural phenomena that follow earthquakes, such as smaller aftershocks and tsunami waves. He describes how the tsunami waves quickly retreat before pummeling the shoreline and suggests that these waves are related to the geological causes of the earthquake. The more remarkable effect of the earthquake is dramatic changes in elevation across the island. Captain FitzRoy discovers a rotting bed of mussels stuck to rocks 10 feet above the shoreline, suggesting displacement as a result of the earthquake. Darwin speculates as to the cause of the earthquake and concludes that the forces that caused the volcano to erupt are responsible.
Chapter 15 Summary
The Beagle returns to Valparaiso on March 11, 1835, and Darwin departs a few days later to cross the Andes mountain range. Darwin and his guides take the southern Portillo route across the Andes, a higher and more dangerous passage than the northern route.
Darwin records the practices of the ranchers working in this area, one of whom accompanies Darwin on his trek across the Andes. In addition to his mules, each muleteer (mule rancher) travels with an old mare called the godmother, who wears a bell around her neck and to whom the mules are drawn. When the muleteers want to gather their flock, they simply ring the godmother’s bell, and the mules come to her. Darwin notes the mules’ importance as pack animals and acknowledges their role in his own journey.
This hiking expedition offers Darwin the opportunity to develop a new theory about the origin of the Andes. His observation of the fossil record leads him to speculate that the Andes were once at the bottom of the ocean and have been slowly pushed up over time. He also notes that water erosion is now wearing down the same peaks. This contrast leads him to wonder about the vastness of geological time and the natural forces that alternately lift and wear away the ancient stones.
Darwin reflects on the difference between the eastern and western slopes of the Andes. He is surprised to find that the specimens he collects on the Atlantic and Pacific shores are markedly different and suggests that the Andes present a natural barrier for species in this region. The flora and fauna of the Atlantic coast developed to suit their specific environment, as did the flora and fauna west of the Andes.
Chapters 13-15 Analysis
This section sees Darwin’s most explicit exploration of the impact of colonization on the genetic makeup of the people of South America. Darwin borrows the language of scientific taxonomy to discuss variations in “Indian blood,” but his attempts to distinguish Indigenous people of “pure Indian extraction” from those “of mixed blood” ultimately fail (257, 258): Even those without Indigenous names and claiming Spanish blood appear to be Indigenous. The section unintentionally demonstrates the limits of taxonomy in describing humans while further exploring Human Diversity and the Challenges of Cultural Exchange. At Lemuy, for example, Darwin again encounters resistance to his projects: An Indigenous person jokes that the parrots have been fleeing before Darwin and “[have] not cried ‘beware’ for nothing” (260). Darwin’s narration quickly turns to a sarcastic account of the tribes’ enthusiasm for tobacco, but the anecdote is a reminder of the agency and resistance of the people Darwin encounters.
The new year presents an opportunity for Christian and literary prose. Darwin writes that the stormy weather of January 1 “lays out no false hopes” for 1835 and prays that the Beagle will be somewhere more pleasant by December 31 (265). He looks forward to a future in the warmer waters of the Pacific, “where a blue sky tells one there is a heaven, a something beyond the clouds above our heads” (265). The beleaguered tone of the first part of this passage suggests Darwin’s weariness with the extreme nature of his surroundings, while the hopeful nature of the latter demonstrates the importance of Christian beliefs in sustaining his spirits throughout the journey.
The earthquake at Quiriquina offers Darwin the opportunity to reflect on the power of the natural world. He writes that “a bad earthquake at once destroys our oldest associations” of the Earth with safety and stability (282). Although his personal experience of the earthquake is quick and nonviolent, the devastation he sees at Talcahuano and Concepcion illustrates the “overwhelming power” of nature over human societies. Darwin laments the destruction of the beautiful city of Concepcion as a “bitter and humiliating thing” (288). In the Andes, Darwin encounters a different but equally humbling form of natural power as he again ponders Uniformitarianism and the Gradual Process of Geological Change. He concludes that the Andes were once on the sea floor based on the “plainest evidence” but nevertheless struggles to “believe” his interpretation. That such changes were “recent” in the grand scheme of Earth’s history compounds the sense of awe and impossibility.
Darwin’s trip across the Andes also offers the clearest evidence yet for his arguments about the Adaptation of Species to Their Environment. He suggests that the mountains represent a barrier for species that cannot fly and argues that “we ought not to expect any closer similarity between the organic beings on the opposite sides of the Andes than on the opposite shores of the ocean” (304). This is an important departure for Darwin, whose arguments previously relied on the differences between European and South American environments. The existence of natural barriers within the continent strengthens Darwin’s arguments about the development of adaptations for individual habitats.
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