Robert Fitzroy |
I found the book of this title
by Harry Thompson (2005) captivating. Until now I'd been familiar
with the history of Fitzroy's voyages from many sources including
Alan Moorehead's Darwin and the Beagle. This had given a clear
account of the second voyage, with Darwin, and good pictorial
evidence, but its text and characters remained somewhat dry and fixed
in the past, as I suppose befits a serious work of non-fiction.
Thompson's is a historical novel and the frontispiece reads, 'This
novel is closely based upon real events that took place between 1828
and 1865.' A warning that he is affording himself some artistic
license.
Darwin |
The result, however, has brought
me closer to Darwin and Fitzroy than anything I have read. Thompson
is a fine storyteller and weaves a page-turner of a yarn. It's not
Patrick O'Brian but at times it comes pretty close, particularly
through the dialogue and the naval routines. Anyone versed in O'Brian
will find them gratifyingly familiar. Just as with Aubrey and
Maturin, the brilliantly depicted
relationship between Fitzroy and Darwin provides much of the
pleasure. Their shared passions and unquenchable appetites for
discovery are common ground for a deep affection, though the
conclusions that each draws from the discoveries made during the
Beagle's five year circumnavigation eventually decimate
their friendship. But this is only part of the tragedy.
Fitzroy is the hero of Thompson's
novel and he is painted as great man and a product of his age.
Darwin's character could conceivably be
extrapolated to the present, a passionate amateur
naturalist on the brink of a cohesive theory. But Fitzroy,
chivalrous to a fault, driven by high morals, unswerving Christian
faith and duty to his king and country surely belongs to the 19th
century. Though historically his values found their most horrendous
expression in WWI.
Although Fitzroy
is treated dreadfully by his country his intent is always to serve
and when his orders contravene his faith he strives to maintain his
Christian integrity, thus leading to disfavour with those in power.
His is a crummy lot. Fitzroy was a manic depressive, though the
condition was yet to be described and recognised, which must have
made facing his dilemmas all the more
difficult. It is no surprise that he ended his own life, that he
survived until he was 59 is testament to his determination in the
face of continual let down.
Many of the questions raised in
the book feel contemporary. Darwin travels with the gauchos in
Argentina. When he meets General Rosas—who is engaged in a
genocidal war with the native indians—Darwin finds that despite the
brutal reality of the war the General's discourse is convincing.
Thompson based Rosas' arguments on speeches made by Tony Blair and
G.W Bush to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Themes of western
expansionism are just as valid today as they were in the 1830's.
Fitzroy
actions helped to further understanding and knowledge of the world
but he considered that what he and Darwin had set in motion brought
civilization not only forward but
beyond him, to a godless society where men questioned God's works
without having witnessed their full might as he had around the Horn
and in Tierra del Fuego.
Does the world improve through
progress? Fitzroy asks. A question that we
could well pose today. More people are better fed than ever before, we have
hot water, flushing toilets, the Wikipedia, I myself have been
successfully treated for a life threatening disease. But we also have
extreme inequality, horrendous poverty and exploitation, slavery
even. Technologically we advance but the human condition, the greed,
the short-sightedness and the corrupt system that so distressed
Fitzroy, exist
just as they did 180 years ago.