[Darwin, Charles] Fitzroy, Robert, and King, Philip Barker
Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure and Beagle, between the Years 1826 and 1836, Describing their Examination of the Southern Shores of the South America, and the Beagle's Circumnavigation of the Globe. Vols I+II with Appendix to II. Henry Colburn, 1839. 8vo (3 vols). Full blue calf, sometime rebacked preserving original spines, boards ruled in gilt with blind roll-tooled border, red speckled edges; I: 11 plates; II: 30 plates; Appendix: 1 folding map, 6 plates; lacking all loosely inserted maps. First edition.
Whilst lacking the more famous Darwin contribution, the two journals of the voyages prepared by Fitzroy (and the appendix of more in-depth study) remain an important text in the history of science. With the suicide of Stokes (whose journal is a major element of the first volume) and the retirement of Captain King, Fitzroy found himself the guardian of the vast array of documentation the voyages had produced - far more than would fit in a single volume. In the end, an agreement was reached with Darwin. Fitzroy would present the material for which he was responsible, whilst Darwin provided a third volume made up of his account of the voyage.

Fitzroy's work may be overshadowed in the popular imagination by his more controversial partner, but his contributions were on less important - his surveys of South American waters were so accurate they are still the foundation for many charts of the area. Fitzroy was deservedly awarded the gold medal of the Royal Geographic Society on his return and his two volumes are a major source on the route traversed by the expedition. Fitzroy would undergo a seeming religious conversion by the time of his account of the voyage, repudiating his doubts in the literal truth of Creation, being particularly dismayed by Origin. His scientific work continued though, ultimately leading him to the creation of the Meteorological Office, in which role he invented the weather forecast in an effort to reduce loss of life at sea.

Whilst Fitzroy is mostly remembered today as Darwin's Captain, he is much more than this. A principled man who devoted himself to duty - to the point of leaving only his debts for his family - he was a scientific officer who recognised the importance of Darwin's work, even if he later disagreed with the ultimate direction such work would lead. His work is still a hugely important source of scientific, maritime, ethnographical and historical information and remains a landmark in science.