VPRO Beagle
Sketch of Salvador
I made this quick sketch of Salvador from the bow of the Stad Amsterdam as we approached the city.
When Darwin visited the city in 1832, just outside the 'Old City' was all virgin tropical forest, and Darwin was absolutely thrilled to visit this naturalist's paradise...
"The day has past delightfully. Delight itself, however, is a weak term to express the feelings of a naturalist who, for the first time, has been wandering by himself in a
Brazilian forest. Among the multitude of striking objects, the general luxuuriance of the vegetation bears away the victory. The elegance of the grasses, the novelty of the
parasitical plants, the beauty of the flowers, the glossy green of the foliage, all tend to this end. A most paradoxical mixture of sound and silence pervades the shady parts of
the wood. The noise from the insects is so loud, that it may be heard even in a vessel anchored several hundred yards from the shore; yet within the recesses of the forest a
universal silence appears to reign. To a person fond of natural history, such a day as this, brings with it a deeper pleasure than he ever can hope again to experience." -
Darwin's Beagle Diary
Sadly, today, vast areas of this forest have been cleared, for plantations and housing (Salvador is now a city of 3 million souls).
Sketch of Salvador
I made this quick sketch of Salvador from the bow of the Stad Amsterdam as we approached the city.
When Darwin visited the city in 1832, just outside the 'Old City' was all virgin tropical forest, and Darwin was absolutely thrilled to visit this naturalist's paradise...
"The day has past delightfully. Delight itself, however, is a weak term to express the feelings of a naturalist who, for the first time, has been wandering by himself in a
Brazilian forest. Among the multitude of striking objects, the general luxuuriance of the vegetation bears away the victory. The elegance of the grasses, the novelty of the
parasitical plants, the beauty of the flowers, the glossy green of the foliage, all tend to this end. A most paradoxical mixture of sound and silence pervades the shady parts of
the wood. The noise from the insects is so loud, that it may be heard even in a vessel anchored several hundred yards from the shore; yet within the recesses of the forest a
universal silence appears to reign. To a person fond of natural history, such a day as this, brings with it a deeper pleasure than he ever can hope again to experience." -
Darwin's Beagle Diary
Sadly, today, vast areas of this forest have been cleared, for plantations and housing (Salvador is now a city of 3 million souls).