- Farzeen Heesambee
Darwin and mauritius
Updated: Feb 19, 2021
We were lucky to have had the opportunity to wander around Charles Darwin's Home who visited Mauritius in 1836. Part of his research about The Origin of Species is based on his field work and observations of Mauritius' fauna and flora as well as ground-breaking research on the coral reefs.
He is noted to have written in his diary, 'miserable quarrels between French & English'. On the next page he noted 'Hindoo convicts, most extraordinary white beards black as negros plenty of intellect' and he judged the English parts of the island better than the French island of Bourbon.
. Rumour has it that he was the first English scientist to have climbed Le Pouce mountain which is highly doubtful.
Darwin also happened to know the Mauritian Charles Edouard Brown-Sequard. Please find an extract of a letter below.
FH 18/2/2021

Bibliography:
http://darwin-online.org.uk/EditorialIntroductions/Chancellor_fieldNotebooks1.3.html
http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?pageseq=497&itemID=F14&viewtype=side