Evolution's Captain: The Story of the Kidnapping That Led to Charles Darwin's Voyage Aboard the Beagle Book

Captain Robert FitzRoy is the "missing link" in the story of Charles Darwin's theory of Evolution. It can be argued that he was the man indirectly responsible for Darwin's theories (and there is evidence to show that he thought himself as such). The only problem is that he was an evangelical champion of Creationism, and despised the role he inadvertently played in helping Darwin with his "godless" theory.

FitzRoy was a wealthy Aristocrat with a Scientific mind, and an extraordinary talent for navigation. He took an outdated ship designed for the Napoleonic Wars (the Beagle) and refitted it (at his own expense) into the greatest scientific vessel of the day. His orders were to map the coastlines of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego (the most treacherous and remote coastline in the world), and upon successful completion of this task he was to circumnavigate the globe (at a time when Captains who had done so were so rare they were treated like Astronautic heroes returning from the moon).

Later, he was named Governor of New Zealand during a time of crisis with the Maori natives. Instead of wiping them out, (as was common practice by every empire including the United States) he sought a peaceful solution (which included giving back land unjustly taken from the Maoris). For his actions, he was recalled to England in disgrace. There's much more to the story, but as the book reads like fiction you'd be mad if I gave away the ending.

Nichols' book does a wonderful job showing that FitzRoy was a man who strove to "ennoble" the human race. He firmly believed (as did many scientists of the day) that Science's main task was to use it's technology and knowledge to reveal every aspect of God's designs upon the Earth. He could find (he would write to Darwin) nothing "ennobling" in man being descended from Apes.

FitzRoy was an idealist (perhaps even more so than Darwin), and Nichols' book does a lovely job bringing out the humanity (good and bad) in a man whose remarkable story has been made a footnote of history.

As a footnote to that, I will mention that this very story is the basis for Timberlake Wertenbaker's remarkable play, "After Darwin".

They are both great reads!