CNH Tours is pleased to mark Charles Darwin's 203^rd birthday on February 12th.  We don't intend on getting into the details, but in brief, if you're reading this, you should know that his very short time in Galapagos (5 weeks in 1835 out of a nearly 5 year journey on the Beagle) contributed significantly to advancing his thoughts on how different species came about, in different places.   It was his time in Galapagos that inspired his famous, goose-bump inducing line, which took him to the gaping precipice of a radical revelation:

"Hence, both in space and time, we seem to be brought somewhat near to that great fact - that mystery of mysteries - the first appearance of new beings on this earth." (Voyage of the Beagle, 1839)

We are also titillated to report that a CNH Tours ancestor, William Blenkiron Junior (Heather's Great-great-great- grandfather) corresponded with Mr. Darwin.  William's father, William Sr, was a famous breeder of race horses in Eltham (formerly in Kent, but now a London Borough).   William Jr. informs Mr. Darwin in a letter dated 1868:

"From what little experience I have had amongst horses I should say the mane of the stallion is as a rule thicker & stronger than that of the mare, when both are allowed to live in as near a state of nature as is possible- In the case of horses fighting, they invariably endeavour to seize one another by the neck, & I do not fancy the mane is there to act as a sort of protection any more than the forelock."

In Mr. Darwin's book "The Decent of Man" (1874), Chapter 17 entitled:  Secondary Sexual Characters of Mammals, Mr. Darwin writes:

"In regard to horses, Mr. Blenkiron, the greatest breeder of race-horses in the world, informs me that stallions are so frequently capricious in their choice, rejecting one mare and without any apparent cause taking to another, that various artifices have to be habitually used."

CNH Tours notes that for an unknown reason, this branch of the family is no longer associated with globally recognized race horse breeding outfits, and that we now have to make a living selling Galapagos cruises.   We may come across fewer members of the royalty, but we certainly can still feel the passion in those with whom we do business!

 

Happy birthday Mr. Darwin!