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• Does The Game Steward offer Free Shipping?
• Yes, see details here   📦 Shipping
• Does TheGameSteward sell games in languages other than English?
• No, currently TheGameSteward sells games only in English.
• What is a pre-order vs a regular or in-stock order?
• A pre-order is when you order your game prior to the publisher releasing the game.  A pre-order will be fulfilled and shipped once the game publisher has shipped the game to us, TheGameSteward.  Then we will ship game to you.  A regular order is a game already physically in-stock at TheGameSteward.
• Why purchase a pre-order?  Why not wait until the game is in-stock.
• Purchasing a game on pre-order is useful if the game is popular and likely to sell out prior to arriving in-stock.  (This happens quite frequently.)  At TheGameSteward, we often have customers looking to purchase a game after it is in stock only to find out there are none available for sale.  When you purchase a game pre-order , TheGameSteward reserves units in your name that no one else can buy.
• How does TheGameSteward 'ship for value'?
• To save you money, if you order multiple games where some or all of the items are pre-order , TheGameSteward will bundle your items until they are all available in-stock and ship them together.  This saves you money on shipping.
• If, however, you wish to receive some or all your items individually as they arrive in-stock, simply fill out separate orders/checkout payments for each - or let us know where you'd like to have an order broken up and pay for separate shipping.  In this way, each will have its own computed shipping and will be shipped as soon as it arrives.
• Are TheGameSteward prices discounted?
• All pre-order games on TheGameSteward are  early bird special  discount prices.  TheGameSteward does not mark games at regular price until they arrive in-stock .
• TheGameSteward also has items on-sale  or discounted off manufacturer's suggested retail price ( MSRP ) where MSRP is available.  Note: MSRP is not always available, such as on the Kickstarter versions of games.
• What are Kickstarter board games vs retail board games?
• Kickstarter is a funding site where people post projects for crowds to fund (aka 'to back') the creation of a new item or project.  Asking the public to fund/back projects in this way is known as crowdfunding.  One subcategory of Kickstarter is the crowdfunding of board games.  These board games are referred to as Kickstarter Board Games .  
• The Kickstarter version of board games often include extra game items to thank and incentivize people to fund/back a Kickstarter project and help it become a completed physical game.  These extras include:  Stretch Goals -  additional items for the board games' backers, and sometimes  Kickstarter Exclusives -  additional items  for  the board games' backers that will not go into the standard retail board games.  
• TheGameSteward is a very different kind of game store.  TheGameSteward helps actually bring games to market that might not otherwise get funded.  TheGameSteward pays/funds/backs Kickstarter Board Game projects months and/or years before the actual game exists physically and ships for sale in-stock.  (In comparison, many other game shops standard model is not to pay for games until a month after they already receive the game in-stock.)  In this way and with your help as customers, TheGameSteward has helped insure the successful funding of hundreds of Kickstarter Games coming to market and will continue to do so.
• What are responsibilities during and after delivery?
• The Game Steward is responsible for delivery of your order at your requested delivery address.  Games sold by The Game Steward are typically limited edition items that are non-replaceable.  Once delivery of your order at your shipping address is documented / completed by the shipping company employed by The Game Steward, you accept full responsibility for securing your order. 
• Ding&Dent
• Games in our store identified as Ding&Dent, unless otherwise noted on the game listing, have visible, cosmetic damage to the game box. This may include dinged corners and/or edges, scratches, scuffs, or other significant visible imperfections, as well as split corners and/or minor tears. Although The Game Steward cannot open every game to verify the condition of all game contents, we have made reasonable efforts to ensure that game components are complete and unaffected. All Ding&Dent items are sold ‘as is’ and all sales are final. No refunds or exchanges.

The Game Steward makes every effort to provide the best quality of shipping to you and all customers.  As part of that effort, we provided (below) a list of helpful answers to many shipping questions.

• Free Shipping   means The Game Steward will offer to ship your order to you for free.  This offer is generally for orders over $99 US Dollars within the 48 contiguous United States. Free shipping will use US Priority Mail, Fedex Ground, Fedex Smartpost, UPS Ground, or other major courier services.  We can not guarantee your order will arrive in 5 days or less, but most packages arrive in 5 business days or less.  If time is a factor for you, please consider selecting an expedited shipping option at checkout.
• Orders which include multiple items will be shipped in a single box where possible.  If the order is too large to fit in a single box, we will ship your order in multiple boxes (at our discretion), at no additional charge.
• When an order includes   pre-orde r   items and   in-stock   items, the   in-stock   items will be held in reserve until all items are present in our warehouse, and can be shipped together.  This may result in your   in-stock   games being held for several months.  
• If a combined order of   in-stock   items and   pre-order   items is expected to be delayed by more than 1 month, The Game Steward may (at our discretion) offer customers the option to have   in-stock   items shipped right away for an additional shipping fee.
• Order responsibility after delivery.  The Game Steward is responsible for delivery of your order to your requested delivery address.  The games we sell are typically limited edition items that are non-replaceable.  By placing your order   you agree to accept responsibility for the care and storage of your order after delivery is completed to your shipping address . In other words, once the package is documented as delivered by the shipping service, your contract for products and services with The Game Steward is complete.
• If you have any concerns that your package may be stolen after it is delivered, we highly recommend that you request special handling instructions  at the time you place your order , such as a signature requirement, a hold at the local courier facility, or have the package delivered to your office address.  These services may incur an additional charge to you.  Finally, we cannot guarantee that changes to the delivery instructions will be possible after we've receive your order and tendered it to the shipping service.
• On rare occasions, the publisher of a Kickstarter game will split fulfillment of a game, resulting in multiple shipping   waves .  This often results in the delay of delivery for a portion of the Kickstarter contents offered for sale.  When this occurs, The Game Steward will hold your order until all items are shipped to us by the publisher.  The Game Steward, at its discretion, may offer you the option to have each   wave   of contents shipped to you as they arrive for an additional fee.
• If a Kickstarter game arrives to our warehouse 30 days or more after you place your   pre-order , The Game Steward will require confirmation of your current mailing address.    We will not ship an order more than 30 days old without affirmative confirmation of your current mailing address.   Please make sure to notify us when you move, so that we can update your address in our records, and avoid any delays in shipping your game.  We will attempt to contact you by e-mail and/or phone at least three times.  If we do not receive a confirmation within 72 hours of our third attempt, we reserve the right to cancel your order and release the item(s) to make them available on our store for sale again. If the pre-order is less than 180 days old, we will issue a full refund via the same payment method used to place the order (i.e. credit card, PayPal, Amazon Pay, etc.). For orders placed 180 days or more prior to cancellation, we will issue store credit. Customers, with pre-orders cancelled in this manner, may still receive a full refund in lieu of store credit upon written request and confirmation that the payment method on record is still valid.
• The Game Steward affirms that it will only ship an order to the address we have on record for your order.  If the address provided by you is old, incomplete, or incorrect, The Game Steward will not accept responsibility for lost package(s).  If the package is returned to us, you will be responsible for any additional shipping charges.
• The Game Steward takes great care to ship each package with appropriate packing material to avoid damage while in transit.  However, accidents do happen, and packages can receive rough treatment.  if you receive an item that has been damaged in any way, please contact us right away.  We may ask for photos of the damage to help determine the appropriate course of action.  At our discretion, this may include (but is not limited to) accepting returns for a full refund, offering a partial refund if you decide to keep the game, or offering a replacement copy.  
• For International orders,  buyers are responsible for all taxes, fees, customs, and/or tariffs that may apply.   The Game Steward is a small business, and we have no knowledge or expertise of taxes or fees imposed by (or in) other countries.  It is the buyer's responsibility to understand the appropriate laws and shipper policies that may apply, and what taxes or fees may be incurred by purchasing an item from The Game Steward.
• For International orders, The Game Steward will fill out the customs form with accurate information regarding the sale price of game(s) sold.   No deviations from the accurate amount and no exceptions.    
• The Game Steward ships all orders with online tracking numbers.  Our e-commerce system automatically sends an e-mail with tracking information when a package ships as a courtesy to you.  However, The Game Steward takes no responsibility if you do not receive a tracking #.  If you don't receive a tracking #, and you are concerned about when your package will be delivered, it is your responsibility to contact us and request one.  This is especially true for International Orders.  If a package is returned to us because you do not pick it up at your local post office/customs office/etc., we will charge the actual cost of postage to ship it again.
• The Game Steward makes every effort to ship a game in a timely manner.  Our commitment to you is to ship an   in-stock   game within three business days of receiving your order.    However , there may be occasions when we are unable to meet this goal due to heavy workload or other circumstances.  We do not accept any liability for a delay in shipping your order.  For orders in which the customer selects an expedited shipping option at checkout, we will make every effort to ship the game the same day, or within one business day.
• The Game Steward makes every effort to fulfill pre-ordered Kickstarter games as timely as possible.  However, we   cannot   control when a publisher will fulfill our order.  As a matter of experience, we have learned that our orders tend to ship toward the end of the Kickstarter fulfillment period.  If the knowledge that your friends who backed a Kickstarter campaign may receive their game several days or weeks before you do, you may want to reconsider ordering from The Game Steward.
• Once a game arrives in our warehouse, it takes some time for us to process the order and prepare   pre-orders   to ship out.  This may take anywhere from 1 business day to 2 weeks, depending on the size of our order, the number of components needed to be shipped, and the number of   pre-orders   to fulfill.   Accordingly, we cannot make any guarantees about how soon your order will ship once a game arrives in our warehouse.

Other Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Yes (see above)
• No, currently TheGameSteward sells games only in English.
• A   pre-order   is when you order your game prior to the publisher releasing the game.  A pre-order will be fulfilled and shipped once the game publisher has shipped the game to us, TheGameSteward.  Then we will ship game to you.  A regular order is a game already physically   in-stock   at TheGameSteward.
• Why purchase a pre-order?  Why not wait until the game is in-stock.
• Purchasing a game on   pre-order   is useful if the game is popular and likely to sell out prior to arriving in-stock.  (This happens quite frequently.)  At TheGameSteward, we often have customers looking to purchase a game after it is in stock only to find out there are none available for sale.  When you purchase a game   pre-order , TheGameSteward reserves units in your name that no one else can buy.
• To save you money, if you order multiple games where some or all of the items are   pre-order , TheGameSteward will bundle your items until they are all available   in-stock   and ship them together.  This saves you money on shipping.
• If, however, you wish to receive some or all your items individually as they arrive in-stock, simply fill out separate orders/checkout payments for each - or let us know where you'd like to have and order broken up and pay for separate shipping.  In this way, each  will have its own computed shipping and will be shipped as soon as it arrives.
• All   pre-order   games on TheGameSteward are  early bird special  discount prices.  TheGameSteward does not mark games at   regular price   until they arrive   in-stock .
• TheGameSteward also has items   on-sale  or discounted off manufacturer's suggested retail price ( MSRP ) where MSRP is available.  Note: MSRP is not always available, such as on the Kickstarter versions of games.
• What are   Kickstarter   board games vs retail board games?
• Kickstarter is a funding site where people post projects for crowds to fund (aka 'to back') the creation of a new item or project.  Asking the public to fund/back projects in this way is known as crowdfunding.  One subcategory of Kickstarter is the crowdfunding of board games.  These board games are referred to as   Kickstarter Board Games .  
• The Kickstarter version of board games often include extra game items to thank and incentivize people to fund/back a Kickstarter project and help it become a completed physical game.  These extras include:  Stretch Goals -  additional items for the board games' backers, and sometimes  Kickstarter Exclusives   -  additional items  for  the board games' backers that will not go into the standard retail board games.  
• TheGameSteward is a very different kind of game store.  TheGameSteward helps actually bring games to market that might not otherwise get funded.  TheGameSteward pays/funds/backs Kickstarter Board Game projects months and/or years before the actual game exists physically and ships for sale in-stock.  (In comparison, many other game shops standard model is not to pay for games until a month after they already receive the game in-stock.)  In this way and with your help as customers, TheGameSteward has helped insure the successful funding of hundreds of Kickstarter Games coming to market and will continue to do so.
• Order responsibility after delivery. 
• The Game Steward is responsible for delivery of your order at your requested delivery address.  Games sold by The Game Steward are typically limited edition items that are non-replaceable.    Once delivery of your order at your shipping address is documented / completed by the shipping company employed by The Game Steward, you accept full responsibility for securing your order. 

TheGameSteward is here to make you happy and we back that commitment with our Return and Refund policy.

After Purchase and Before Shipping

• We offer a full money back guarantee on all orders prior to the date of shipment.   
• We can only issue refunds to active accounts used to pay for the purchase in question.  If that account is subsequently closed for any reason, then a refund cannot be issued.  In that event, we will offer store credit instead.

Special Note Re: Pre-Orders More Than 6 Months Old:

• Due to PayPal policies, refunds on pre-orders more than 180 days old must be issued manually.  This requires that customers verify the correct e-mail address linked to their PayPal account.  Without customer verification, we cannot issue a refund for pre-orders more than 180 days old.

Special Note Re: Orders Paid From a PayPal Business Account

• Due to Changes in PayPal Policies, if you pay for an order with a PayPal Business Account, orders cancelled more than 180 days after the purchase date will have standard PayPal fees applied to the refund, thus reducing the total amount refunded.   Please note that we have no control over this.  This ONLY applies to refunds for pre-orders more than 180 days old.  Nevertheless, if you wish to ensure that you receive a full refund under all circumstances, we highly recommend making your purchase from a personal account, or use another payment option, such as a credit card or Amazon Pay.

After Purchase and After Delivery

• Damaged Goods   - If a game arrives damaged, just contact us within 30 days from date of receipt of items.  At a minimum, we will offer a full refund if you decide to return the game.  At our discretion, we may also  offer a partial refund if you decide to keep the game, or offer a replacement copy in exchange for the damaged copy.   We will pay for return shipping and send you a return shipping label to use if you choose to return the game, or we agree to exchange the game with a replacement copy.
• Defective Parts  - If your game has a production defect   just contact us within 30 days from date of receipt of item , we'll send you replacement pieces/parts if available.  If not available in our inventory, we'll work with the manufacturer on your behalf to obtain replacement pieces/parts which we will ship at our expense.
• Incorrect Goods   - If you receive a wrong order,  just contact us within 30 days from date of receipt of items to receive a full refund on the price of the item or replacement if available.  We will pay for  return shipping and send you a return shipping label to use.
• Changed your mind  - If you simply decide you no longer want the game, just contact us within 30 days from date of receipt of items to receive a refund on the price of the game for unopened and undamaged merchandise.  We will deduct the cost of the return shipping label from the refund amount and send you a return shipping label.
• Products Returned After the Prescribed Period   - we do not guarantee refunds or shipping on returns after the 30 days of receipt of the items.  We will, however, work with customers on a case by case basis.

Please note

• By placing your order you accept responsibility to receive delivery of your order at your designated shipping address.
• For any Return or Refund requests, please email us at  [email protected] .

Our goal is to make you happy. If you are unhappy for any reason with your order, please email us at  TheGameSteward  and let us know what we can do.

Final Note: this policy applies to all returns in all countries, including (and we had to add all these country names for google certification): 

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bonaire, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Bouvet Island, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of the (Zaire), Congo, Republic of, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe (French), Guam (USA), Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast (Cote D`Ivoire), Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique (French), Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia (French), New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, North Korea, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn Island, Poland, Polynesia (French), Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sint Maarten, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, South Korea, South Sudan, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Wallis and Futuna Islands, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

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Darwin’s Journey: Fireland

Looking back at our exploration of Tierra del Fuego, time became hazy as we discovered the bountiful wilderness of the archipelago. The days of our new adventure felt infinitely long, arduous, and sometimes surreal, but time was slipping through our fingers faster than we realized.

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About the product

In the Fireland expansion of Darwin’s Journey, players retrace Charles Darwin’s expedition across the territories of Tierra del Fuego. Fireland introduces time management and an exciting new map. Players can go on adventures to gain fruitful rewards, but they must be careful to spend their limited time wisely!

Components • 1 Time track board • 1 Fireland map board • 8 time penalty tokens • 6 viewpoint tokens • 12 land adventure tokens • 10 ocean adventure tokens • 12 land adventure cards • 10 ocean adventure cards • 4 Wooden cubes (I per player color) • 8 Wooden Ships (2 per player color) • 8 Wooden Explorers (2 perplayer color) • 8 Time Wax Seals • 4 Scenario cards • 9 Special Action tiles • 12 Objective tiles (6 silver, 6 golden) • 4 Elude time tokens • 4 Crew cards • 3 Beagle Goal tiles • 2 Correspondence tiles • 4 Adventure token endgame scoring aids

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Shrink Wrapped. Still in the original factory shrink wrap, with condition visible through shrink noted. For example, "SW (NM)" means shrink wrapped in near-mint condition.

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Near Mint. Like new with only the slightest wear, many times indistinguishable from a Mint item. Close to perfect, very collectible. Board & war games in this condition will show very little to no wear and are considered to be punched unless the condition note says unpunched.

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Very Good. Used. May have medium-sized creases, corner dings, minor tears or scuff marks, small stains, etc. Complete and very useable.

Very well used, but complete and useable. May have flaws such as tears, pen marks or highlighting, large creases, stains, marks, etc.

• Boxed items are listed as "code/code" where the first code represents the box, and the second code describes the contents. When only one condition is listed, then the box and contents are in the same condition.
• A "plus" sign indicates that an item is close to the next highest condition. Example, EX+ is an item between Excellent and Near Mint condition. A "minus" sign indicates the opposite.
• Major defects and/or missing components are noted separately.
• Boardgame counters are punched, unless noted. Due to the nature of loose counters, if a game is unplayable it may be returned for a refund of the purchase price.
• In most cases, boxed games and box sets do not come with dice.
• The cardboard backing of miniature packs is not graded. If excessively worn, they will be marked as "card worn."
• Flat trays for SPI games are not graded, and have the usual problems. If excessively worn, they will be marked as "tray worn."
• Remainder Mark - A remainder mark is usually a small black line or dot written with a felt tip pen or Sharpie on the top, bottom, side page edges and sometimes on the UPC symbol on the back of the book. Publishers use these marks when books are returned to them.

If you have any questions or comments regarding grading or anything else, please send e-mail to [email protected] .

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Exploration Travel

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When all you can identify in the horizon for many long days is the line that detaches the sea from the sky, the glimpse of a distant shore appearing before you will make you shiver at the understanding that the adventure is about to begin. You find yourself astonished, landing on the shore that will be the origin of an extensive exploration through the Galapagos, a magic place of inconceivable beauty and endless biodiversity. There, you will gather repertoires and expand your knowledge of the natural sciences. Your eyes will learn how to detect the hidden species in the tropical forest, gazing at the countless colors and textures of nature. After inspiring hours spent studying and getting to enlightening conclusions, you will rest under a sparkling sky, admiring the stunning complexity of the animal realm. Darwin's Journey is a worker-placement Eurogame in which players recall Charles Darwin's memories of his adventure through the Galapagos islands, which contributed to the development of his theory of evolution. With the game's innovative worker progression system, each worker will have to study the disciplines that are a prerequisite to perform several actions in the game, such as exploration, correspondence, gathering, and dispatch of repertoires found on the island to museums in order to contribute to the human knowledge of biology. The game lasts five rounds, and thanks to several short- and long-term objectives, every action you take will grant victory points in different ways.

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Integrates with, # of players, player ages, visit our store, my cart (0), your next adventure awaits roll the dice safely with our 30 day return policy, free click and collect from clayton or brunswick, get your order as early as 23 april*.

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Darwin's Journey

When all you can identify in the horizon for many long days is the line that detaches the sea from the sky, the glimpse of a distant shore appearing before you will make you shiver at the understanding that the adventure is about to begin. You find yourself astonished, landing on the shore that will be the origin of an extensive exploration through the Galapagos, a magic place of inconceivable beauty and endless biodiversity. There, you will gather repertoires and expand your knowledge of the natural sciences. Your eyes will learn how to detect the hidden species in the tropical forest, gazing at the countless colors and textures of nature. After inspiring hours spent studying and getting to enlightening conclusions, you will rest under a sparkling sky, admiring the stunning complexity of the animal realm. Darwin's Journey is a worker-placement Eurogame in which players recall Charles Darwin's memories of his adventure through the Galapagos islands, which contributed to the development of his theory of evolution. With the game's innovative worker progression system, each worker will have to study the disciplines that are a prerequisite to perform several actions in the game, such as exploration, correspondence, gathering, and dispatch of repertoires found on the island to museums in order to contribute to the human knowledge of biology. The game lasts five rounds, and thanks to several short- and long-term objectives, every action you take will grant victory points in different ways.

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h i s t o r i c a l  n o t e k a  t i m i r i a z e v

Note: Last year, Leon Bell, the distinguished plant physiologist whose autobiographical writings appeared in our most recent issue, sent us two typescripts, published below, and a book about Darwin’s house by the English Heritage Society. Kliment Arkadievich Timiriazev (or Timiryazev) (1843-1920) was the renowned founder of Russian studies in plant physiology and genetics and an ardent Darwinist. Near the end of his life, he welcomed Lenin’s accession to power. We don’t pretend to have more than a passing acquaintance with the complex scientific and ideological battles within early Soviet biological sciences and would welcome informed comment; but we thought the freshness of Timiriazev’s memory of Darwin, written by a strong-minded researcher in pursuit of knowledge, yet candid about his belief in the affinity of science and Liberal politics based in reason and liberation, would interest our readers. N.B.: Down House is located in Downe, Kent, and is an English Heritage museum. -KM

October 30, 1983

P. Titheradge Custodian of Down House Downe, Kent

Dear Mr. Titheradge:

You may recall that at the beginning of September there was a visitor from Moscow. That was me and I asked you if you had any material in the museum about the Russian plant physiologist K. A. Timiriazev visiting Darwin at Down. You said that there did not seem to be any and asked me if I could send some. This is what I can now report.

In 1939 the works of Timiriazev were published by the Selkhozgiz (which deciphered means Agricultural Publishing House) in ten volumes. The title of the VII volume is called “Charles Darwin and his Teaching”. Part 1 of the volume consists of four papers:

1.  “Darwin as a model of a scientist”. This was a public lecture at Moscow University in 1878 and contains 34 pages.

2.  “An outline of Darwin’s theory” (140 pp, 1865)

3.  “Charles Darwin and the semi-centennial of Darwinism” (1909, 27 pp).

4.  “The significance of the revolution made by Darwin in modern natural science” (1896, 15 pp).

Part 2 of the volume is called “A rebuke to the anti-Darwinists”. It consists of various polemical papers in defense of Darwinism, some of them written in very strong terms.

Finally the volume contains a number of articles written by Timiriazev which were not included in earlier editions of his work. They are:

1.  “A short outline of the life of Charles Darwin” (1910; 9 pp).

2.  “A visit to Darwin at Downe” (1909; 17 pp).

3.  “The first jubilee of Darwinism” (1908, 10 pp).

4.  “Cambridge and Darwin” (1909, 61 pp).

5.  “Darwin” (a short biography for a Russian encyclopedia, 1912, 12 pp).

The paper which I think would be of greatest interest to you is “A visit of Darwin at Downe”; I also found the “Cambridge and Darwin” paper to be very interesting, particularly since I had been in Cambridge 3 times during my visit to England.

I will try to get a translation of “A visit…”, but that may take time. In the meantime I can offer you this short summary.

Timiriazev, who was a young man of 34 was travelling in Europe in 1877. In England he wanted to visit Hooker at Kew Gardens but only got as far as Thiselton-Dyer (I’m not sure about the English spelling of this name). He asked the latter if he could help him meet Darwin. Dyer said the most he could do was to write to Francis Darwin. With this letter Timiriazev rode by train to Orpington, walked the three miles to Downe, describing in sympathetic words what he saw and experienced during the walk and also his impressions of Down House.

Tim. was met by Francis Darwin to whom Tim. presented his autographed book “Charles Darwin and His Teaching” for his father. The two were soon joined by Darwin’s wife and a few minutes later Darwin himself unexpectedly entered the room. After a few customary remarks Darwin and Tim. began discussing the status of plant physiology in England (which Darwin considered to be virtually nonexistent). Darwin then began questioning Tim. about his work and on learning that he was studying the role of chlorophyll in photosynthesis exclaimed that “chlorophyll is probably the most interesting of organic substances,” a phrase which Tim. and his followers liked to repeat.

The conversation then turned to science in general and Darwin invited his guest to the greenhouse in which he was carrying out experiments on insectivorous plants. On returning to the house they were offered coffee and after having presented an autographed photograph to Tim., Darwin excused himself and left the room. However, he soon returned to say a few words about his position regarding the Russo-Turkish war over Bulgaria.

After refusing an offer to be taken back to the station by horse, Tim. walked part of the way with Francis and soon returned to London.

I have recently visited Timiriazev’s flat in Moscow which is now a museum. There is a picture there depicting Darwin and Tim. in the greenhouse, a reminder of the visit to Down.

I also dropped into the Darwin museum which essentially is a biological museum devoted to the theory of evolution. There is very little there (as far as I could see) about Darwin himself.

If there is any additional information you would like to have please let me know and I will try to help as much as I can.

L. N. Bell Institute of Plant Physiology of USSR Academy of Sciences

Preparing in July 1877 to go from Paris to English which I had earlier visited as a tourist I wanted this time to penetrate into its scientific circles. To this end I sought the advice of Professor Degueren, Academician with Jardin des Plantes (Botanical Gardens), who though known for this work in agrochemistry was always interested in the physiology of plants. He was one of the few Frenchmen in whom I encountered something more than the purely external and rather cold civility. There was something hearty and friendly about his manner in spite of the difference of age and status in scientific hierarchy that separated us. He usually addressed me as mon jeune ami (my young friend). Besides, unlike most Frenchmen at the time, he was well disposed towards the English and had visited England more than once. he told me that from his own experience he knew what importance the English attached to letters of recommendation and said he would try to get me one from the director of Jardin des Plantes, Academician Dequen, known for his extensive knowledge of horticulture, to some outstanding English botanist. A few days later I called at [on] Dequen and received a letter from him addressed to Sir Joseph Hooker, Director of the world-famous Botanical Gardens at Kew new London. Seeing on the envelope the name of Darwin’s closest friend I resolved there and then that I would overcome any obstacles to see Darwin. Now, looking back over 50 years I could justify my persistence in my own eyes by the fact that for 45 out of these 50 years I have loyally served Darwinism, propagating, defending and developing it, but at that time I would myself have been hard put to it to find an explanation why I wanted to meet him more than any of the legion of his ardent adherents scattered over the face of the earth. To have some tangible pretexts I dug up from my suitcase a coy of my book Charles Darwin and his Doctrine , whose first edition had been gathering dust for some 15 years at some book dealers’ in St. Petersburg, made it look as elegant as only Paris book-binders were capable of, provided it with the dedication pleading with all sincerity my “profound respect and unbounded admiration”, and set out on my way.

The following morning upon my arrive at London I was already at Kew, that paradise for any botanist and any lover of plants which has not hundreds but tens of thousands of visitors every day and with whose treasures I had been familiar from my previous trips to England. This time, however, I made straight not for the wonderful garden or the unique greenhouses but for the director’s house, or rather what I took to be one, i.e. a modest cottage of grey brick with ordinary windows overgrown with creeping and flowering plants. I rang the doorbell rather confidently but when the door opened I was stunned at the sight of the most magnificent old butler in embroidered livery I had ever seen. To my none-too-confident question, “Is the director at home?” he replied with unhurried dignity: “This is not the director’s home, it’s the home of the Duchess of Cumberland, Aunt of her Majesty the Queen”. Then, seeing that he was dealing not with some important Englishman impinging on Her Majesty’s privacy but simply an ignorant shabby foreigner of whom there were a good many in the botanical gardens next door, he graciously stepped into the middle of the road and with the gentle and elegant movement of his hand indicated the way to an exactly the same kind of cottage occupied by the director. Here a new disappointment was in store for me: I as told that the director himself was so old and so busy that he could not receive strangers and was directed to his assistant and, as I was later to learn, his son-in-law, Mr. Tisselton-Dayer, now Sir William, who has since succeeded his father-in-law as the director and has now retired due to old age. Meanwhile, Hooker himself is still going strong, working, making speeches, at the age of 92! It was not until some time later that I was able to meet him. In fact it was twenty years later. And a year ago he kindly sent me a photograph of himself working at his desk piled high with collections of herbs. Who knows what a cultural legacy a whole nation can draw from the ability, not uncommon among its best representatives, to live a conscious and productive intellectual life for some 70 years!

Mr. Dayer apologized on behalf of his father-in-law and said that he was willing to offer me any cooperation in letting me see and work in the garden, but when I said I wanted to visit Darwin he raised up his arms and began to protest that it was an impossible thing to do. He explained to me that Darwin was in constant ill health, that his family were carefully protecting him from intruders and that it was very difficult to get into Downe unless one had a coach sent out to pick one up at the station which, of course, not being acquainted you would not do. Last but not least, Mr. Dayer himself would not dare to trouble Darwin by asking him to receive me. But I persevered; I said that I did not need any coach because we Russians are used to pilgrimages and even if they did not receive me I would not consider that to be unnatural under the circumstances. Little by little he began to yield and we finally agreed that he would supply me with a letter but not to Darwin but his younger son Francis, or Frank, as they called him then — last year’s President of the British Association — a title with an English scientists preserves forever in his Academic record. “He will show you what he can; but I warn you once again that you may waste a whole day and never see Darwin.” As we parted he advised me to go later in the day so as to reach Downe after three o’clock when Darwin’s working day was usually over. With this letter in my pocket I was quite happy:  there was nothing insolent about my behavior because the time of Darwin’s son of course was not so precious as to make him unable to spare me half an hour of it.

The next day a train was taking me to the south of London past the once famous but now somewhat cloying and trivial Crystal Palace of Sidenham, past the historic Chiselhorst and soon came to a stop at a small station called Orpington. One couldn’t help thinking of the paradoxes of-world fame. The place which provided the last refuge for a villain who had started his career with a bloodbath on December 2 and drowned it in the blood of Sedan is familiar to anyone. [Napoleon III-KM] And if I asked any street urchin where ex-empress Eugenia lived he would have readily showed me the road; but here in Orpington it did not occur to me to ask anyone the way to Darwin’s place. I asked how to get to Downe because, as I had been told, there was no carriage available at the station or anywhere near. 1   This was my first walk in an English country place so well known to me from English novels. In my youth I made a living by English translations and many yards of Bulwer, Dickens and Eliot had passed through my hands. Later I enjoyed the scenic beauty of England: the cliffs of Landsend eternally lapped by the oceans and which young Turner had once walked all over, or the charming banks of English lakes where Ruskin as a child first became aware of the beauty of nature, and where Darwin spent his last summer. But there was a kind of beauty too in this monotonous gently undulating Kent valley with winding roads bordered by hedgerows, scattered villages and, most important, wonderful, well-tended centuries-old oaks and elm-trees. In England of course there is nothing approaching the Russian forests but it would be safe to say that he who has not been to England has not seen a real tree.

First I had to walk along a broad highway. In order not to lose my way and take the wrong turn I had to ask the way from people at the village pub, from a passing cabman who had stopped to water his huge horse (I couldn’t help thinking of our puny peasant drudges) and to have a tin of bitter which a German with his poetic cast of mind would describe as combining des Weines Geist, des Brodes Kraft (the spirit of wine and the strength of bread), or from labourers in the field who were working hard because it was the heat of the harvest season. At last I reached a turn to the right and found myself on what we would describe as a country road except that it was just as well paved as the highway lined by the hedgerows much praised by poets. The road soon reached a park with the light gate and a beautiful lodge. I was beginning to think that I had missed my turn and would have to go back. But a watchman soon appeared, asked me whether I was going to Downe. If my memory doesn’t fail me the park belongs to Lubbock, a well-known amateur scientist, now Lord Eubury. As I emerged from the park I caught sight of roof tops and the dome of a small village church which must have been Downe. As I approached I noticed that the village was situate to the right and that on the left-hand side there was a stone wall and behind it a garden with large and diverse trees. Knowing that Darwin was something like a church elder and much loved by the people of Downe I boldly addressed the first man I met with the question, how to get to Mr. Darwin, to which he replied, somewhat reproachfully, “You mean, Doctor Darwin? This is his garden, only you have to approach the house from the other end.” Since then I have had many occasions to note that the English, even the commoners, set great store by academic titles. For example, the people at Brentwood, where Ruskin lived, invariably referred to him as “Professor”. There was nothing particular about the view of the house from the road with its kitchen and outbuildings, but the same could not be said of the facade which gave onto the garden. It had a cosy and picturesque look thanks to an asymmetric turret-like structure and most important to the creeping green plants that covered it from top to bottom.

The door was answered by an old butler, most probably the one of whom Francis Darwin said in his reminiscences, “We had come to see him as a member of the family”. He looked at me with a mixture of surprise and admonition: surprise, because I had come on foot and admonition because, as everyone else in the family he was afraid of intruders. But he mellowed when I told him that I only wanted to see Mr. Francis and handed him the letter. In a moment Mr. Francis appeared. he looked very young although he must have been approaching thirty (since he is now approaching sixty). He showed me into the drawing room warning me that it was unlikely that I would see his father who gets excited talking to strangers, which he should not do considering his ill health. I hastened to agree and gave him my book and made to go but he told me to stay and said he would see if his mother would like to meet me, and that she probably would. In his absence I surveyed the room. It was a usual English parlour with a mantle-piece, a veritable “family hearth” around which were the seats usually occupied by its inhabitants, with Darwin’s comfortable chair and a smaller one, a writing desk, apparently the favourite place of Mrs. Darwin. Along the walls and in the corners there were a few établissements and on the wall facing the fireplace two windows with a door in between. Near the left window there was a small writing desk on curved legs with all sorts of bric-à-brac which obviously belonged to Mrs. Darwin. Everywhere there was the simplicity and cosiness of an English home. There door opened into the garden without a single step or even a threshold — de plain pied , as the French say — right onto a space covered, as in most European gardens by fine gravel, very inconvenient for flimsy shoes but a good protection against mud and slush  so common on our roads. There was a light gallery running the length of the parlour forming what was locally called a verandah, and under it were flowerpots and easy-chairs, including Darwin’s chair with a high back known from numerous photographs.

Frequently the son led in Mrs. Darwin, an amiable old woman, without a shade of primness or a desire to show off her worldly manner and her way with guests, with a simple and easy grace that bespeaks a truly educated and cultured person. 2 Her tone and her conversation did not reveal a trace of provincialism or strain in dealing with strangers. Incidentally, I could never tell the difference between a Londoner and a provincial, while the difference between  a Parisian and a provincial is frequently noticeable, and a typical Berliner is the most provincial of all Germans. Unfortunately I was too anxious to see Darwin to pay much attention to her and only the moving and heartfelt things that the son wrote about her in the memoirs about his father made me aware of how much humanity is indebted to that modest unassuming woman who had performed her quiet feat of love: by daily and constant care she had allowed her husband, who had hardly known a day of full  good health and had despaired of his life thirty years ago, to complete his Herculean work.

A few minutes later, and quite unexpectedly, Darwin entered the room. I have already had occasion to describe my first impression of him. 3 It must be said that the familiar portrait of him with a long grey beard was not yet known at the time. The only known portrait of him was one in the German edition of his “Origin of Species” (and in my book Charles Darwin). That portrait, dating back to the 1850s shows him as a man of about forty, well-shaven and with trimmed side-whiskers and because the portrait showed him from the waist up one could not help seeing him in one’s mind’s eye as a shortish plump man looking rather like a businessman or perhaps a sportsman but certainly not a profound and great thinker. And now I was confronted with an impressive old man with a large grey beard, deep-sunken eyes, whose calm and gentle look made you forget about the scientist and think about the man. 4 It couldn’t help comparing him to an ancient sage or an Old Testament patriarch, a comparison which has often been quoted since.

I do not remember exactly how our conversation began but I do remember that it was he who opened it and I was spared the embarrassment of explaining or justifying my awkward call, my intrusion into the house of a great man and a tireless worker telling himself diem pertidi (lost day) when he failed to accomplish the day’s task, the man who had become a recluse to avoid visitors taking away his time and his health, which was exactly what I was doing on the occasion. I know only that in a few minutes after our conversation began I saw him as a very kindly and gentle man and felt that I had known him for a long time. But this was not the complacency of an old man who had accomplished all he had ever set out to accomplish and, away from the vanity of the world, is looking down on other people’s youth with condescension. There was no trace of an old man’s deductiveness or sentimentality about what he said. On the contrary he spoke in a lively boisterous manner interspersing his speech with jokes and pointed irony and hew as interested in questions of science and life. Nor were there any of the questions that Europeans, even educated ones commonly ask of Russians such as, “Is it true that it is very cold in Russia and that you have many bears?” It is true though that when his wife asked whether I would like tea or coffee he hastened to answer for me, “Coffee of course. How can you offer tea to a Russian?” Proving that he too shared the common Russian prejudice that Russian tea is better than European, a prejudice which in olden days was explained by saying that “tea does not like the sea.”

But when our conversation drifted to serious scientific subjects it assumed a purely English character. Learning that I was studying plant physiology he immediately confounded me with a question: “You must have felt it odd to find yourself in a country where there is not a singly botanist-physiologist?” Only a true Briton, proudly aware of his nation’s virtues, can be so candid about its shortcomings know that acknowledging them is the only way to get rid of them. I could not help agreeing to that, with the reservation, however, that I had found one and “he was the greatest of all ages and nations.” From this question and the conversation that followed, I guessed that I had come to Downe at a very opportune moment (though I only learnt it with certainty many years later). It is known that after publishing his Origins of Species and other works which look at particular sides of his theory Darwin concentrated on botany, more specifically experimental and physiological botany. All this special research was designed to prove the usefulness of his theory as a “working hypothesis”. At the time of my visit he was already engaged together with Francis on a piece of research that provided the content of a volume called “The Power of Movement in Plants”.

And there he must have been confronted with the fact that English science which had given the world so many outstanding researchers in the related field of descriptive botany and the physiology of animals — not to speak of other areas — had not in the past hundred years produced a single botanist physiologist and did not even have a single laboratory equipped for this kind of research. But I only learnt that for certain 30 years later after reading his letter to Mr. Dayer written a few months after my visit. I cannot resist the pleasure of quoting this letter here. “I am deeply convinced,” wrote Darwin to Mr. Dayer, about the organization of a plant physiology laboratory at Kew for those who wanted to undertake deeper investigations — “that it would be a great pity if the physiological laboratories already built were not supplied with the best instruments. It may be that some of them will become outdated before they are used. But this is not an argument against acquiring them because a laboratory without instruments is of no use and the very fact that there are instruments may prompt the idea of using them. You at Kew as the guardians and disseminators of the botanical science will at least fulfill your duty and if your laboratory is not used the shame will be on our educated society. But until bitter experience teaches me otherwise I will not believe that we have fallen so far behind. I think the German laboratories could serve as an example but Timiryazev from Moscow who has travelled all over Europe, visited all the laboratories and who is so good a fellow could provide us with a better list of the necessary instruments.” 5 As if divining the question that “there are no people before people”, a saying which, though not always true of the great satirist’s country was undoubtedly true in the land of the great scientist. I need hardly had that our common expectations were soon fulfilled and the Jordrel laboratory at Kew — a tiny house less than an auditorium at any of our universities — became a centre that produced some research which has already become classic. From plant physiology the conversation switched to my work 6 and learning that I was making a special study of chlorophyll he promptly said the words that I have since quoted many times. They were amazing words to come from a man who was removed from chemical and physical science: “Chlorophyll is perhaps the most interesting organic substance.” It is interesting that his last article which appeared a few days before his death was about chlorophyll. Then he asked me what else, apart from Kew interested me in Britain from the botanical point of view. I said that I was planning to go to Rothamsted (a well-known agronomy experimental station, the first in Europe) and said that in terms of the teaching about “the struggle for survival” the current experiments of the changing composition of the meadow flora due to the use of fertilizers was of some interest. While I was talking he made signs to his son and when I finished he said reproachfully, “You see, the man has come from across the world and he is going to Rothamsted tomorrow and we still have not been there.” And Again, it was only many years later when the first volume of his letters appeared, that I learnt that Darwin was at the time planning a large series of experiments with artificial-cultures as a means of changing forms and had entered into correspondence on this matter with Gilbert, a well-known chemist from Rothamsted. At about the same time he conceived with amazing penetration his experiments in obtaining artificial plant growth (in nuts, etc.) and methods of experimental study of the laws of evolution. In the 30 years since that time no progress has been made on that matter. I mentioned this as proof that Darwin constantly, 7 and more particularly in recent years was leaning towards a new area of science which, if not a necessary component of “Darwinism”, is its natural extension, as I have pointed out more than once.

From botany we went on to discuss science in general. Darwin was particularly pleased that he had found among young Russian scientists some ardent supporters of his theory, referring most frequently to the name of Kovalevsky. When I asked him whom of the two brothers he had in mind — probably Alexander, the zoologist — he replied, “No I believe that Vladimir’s work on paleontology is even more important.” I quote these words because the unfortunate Vladimir Anufrievich (Kovalevsky) was never a “prophet in his own land”. If my memory does not fail me he had flunked an M.D. examination in paleontology, the subject on which he was already a world famous authority. In the midst of this conversation Darwin startled me with a question: “Tell me, why do these German scientists quarrel so much among themselves?” “You are in a better position to judge,” I replied. “How is that? I’ve never been to Germany.” “Yes, but this must be another proof of your theory: there are probably too many of them. It’s another example of the struggle for survival.” He was taken aback for a second and then burst out laughing heartily. At last I managed to broach the subject which I had long wanted to talk about and which engaged him at the moment and he offered to go out to the greenhouse where he was conducting his experiments with insectivorous plants.

In spite of the fact that it was a hot July day (albeit a cloudy one) and the greenhouse was within a short walking distance, his wife and son brought a short overcoat and the soft felt hat that are so famous now from his photographs. In front of the verandah there was a large English lawn trimmed like velvet on which you could nevertheless walk freely, sit or lie about. The flowerbeds were nothing special. The greenhouse in the opposite corner of the garden was small, the kind that any Russian landowner could afford for his hortensias and pelargonias. It was light and airy thanks to the light iron frame and clear glass, just like in Holland. Only later I learnt from his letters how long he had hesitated before allowing himself such a luxury which was not a luxury at all but a necessary aid to his work, how glad he was when it was ready at last and he began to receive not ordinary flowers but exclusively “botanical” plants from Kew and from the best gardens in a country famous for its gardens. Tending plants is known to have been Darwin’s biggest passion. His earliest portrait as a child show him with a flowerpot in his hands. On the threshold of the greenhouse we were met by an old gardener, the very gardener whose comment on Darwin was recently recalled by Lubbock at the jubilee meeting of the Linnaeus Society in 1908: “A good old man, it’s a pity though that he can’t find a proper occupation for himself. Just imagine: he stands and peers at a flower for several minutes. What man with something serious to do would behave in that way?”

At that time Darwin was working on an answer to the accusation that he had not proved how insects [insectivorous plants? -KM] benefited from the animal food and that this process was not eating but decay under the influence of bacteria. I saw a series of pans with Drosera turf; each was divided into two halves by a tin plate; the leaves of one were fed with meat and the leaves of the other were without any meat food and it was obvious that the former were much larger than the latter.

Showing me his nurslings Darwin spoke in a very pacific tone as if defending and justifying himself that he “was probably right”, and that the results of the experiment spoke in his favour. Meanwhile we know now from the memoirs of his son that no objection vexed him as much as this one. 8

When we returned home coffee had arrived, and the talk assured a more general character. it is known that Darwin was obliged to rest in the afternoons and that during that time his wife read aloud to him. For the most part these were novels of somewhat inferior quality but with a happy end. But sometimes by way of an exception he had something serious read to him. On that occasion the book on his desk was McKenzie-Walles’  well-known book about Russia. I must say that in spite of the 15-odd years that had passed since the abolition of serfdom in Russia many people in Europe still remembered that peaceful revolution that had liberated some 20 million peasants (with land) in particular in the light of the bloody war for the liberation of Negroes in America. During his round-the-world voyage Darwin had come to hate slavery, and this led him (and not him alone) to see the future of the Russian people in the rosiest of colours. Another question that interested him was free thought that was beginning to manifest itself in Russia. “A society in which such books as Buckle’s History of Civilization (a fact probably borrowed from McKenzie-Walles) are wide-spread and where they freely read books by Layell [Lyall?] and Darwin’s The Origin of Man” , he said, “cannot revert to traditional views on the basic questions of science and life.”

Two or more hours sped by, and although I did not notice any trace of weariness in his voice he got up to say goodbye explaining that conversation with anyone except members of his family excites and tires him, deprives him of sleep and that that he was not sure whether we would not be punished for that day’s self-indulgence. “You will probably want to have my portrait which looks more like me than the one attached to your book,” he said approaching his wife’s desk and producing a photograph of himself, most probably home-made, and immediately signed it writing the date, 25 July, 1877. 9   Saying goodbye he went to lie down but soon, to everyone’s surprise, came back with the words: “I forgot to tell you something. At this moment you will meet many foolish people in this country who think of nothing but involving Britain in a war against Russia. I assure you that the sympathies of this home are on your side and every morning we take up our newspapers wishing to read about your new victories.”

These words can only be properly assessed in a historical perspective. And that requires a small digression on the subject of English liberals and Russian patriots. One should remember that the Liberal Government of Gladstone had fallen shortly before that and that some of the far-sighted Russian patriots led by Katkov, welcomed the advent of a conservative government confident that it would have sympathy for the Russian government which had already embarked on the road to reaction. I remember that  Moskovskiye Vedomosti openly described as “vieux ramolli” (“old wreck”) the man whom the whole world had already proclaimed to be a “grand old man”. But in that vieux ramolli there woke up the former lion, the Gladstone who had fulminated against the “king of the bomb” who had destroyed his own cities, confined people to hideous prisons, the people to whom Naples would later erect monuments, and by that exposition he attracted the sympathy of Europe to the side of the Italian people who were fighting for their liberation. This time Gladstone used the “Bulgarian atrocities” as his battle cry. He called on the English people to bury their age-old suspicions of the Russian government and extend a hand to the Russian people who were ready to come to the aid of the oppressed. The movement assumed a scope unprecedented even by English standards but the Tories beloved of Katkov remained in power. The rest is well known. Disraeli pushed Russia into singled-handed confrontation and then in agreement with the “honest broker” [Bismarck -KM] (another idol of Katkov) managed to snatch the fruits of hard-won victory from the victors. Darwin’s words meant that he took the side of the “grand old man” and not of his triumphant opponents. 10 It is heartening to remember that in a country to which one looks for comfort every time one becomes apprehensive about man’s future the sympathy of its greatest thinker, like that of its greatest statesman, was with the Russian people in the year of its trial. It is doubly heartening to remember this today when there is a glimmering hope of an entente cordiale between the two peoples at a time when the Russian people no longer dreams of liberating other peoples — finding itself too hard pressed for that — and is itself fighting for bare survival. 11

The words I quoted were the last I heard from Charles Darwin. When he left, Mr. Francis offered to show me his study. It is by now well known through photographs — a small room with an ordinary fireplace, a simple writing desk in the middle and a small couch on which the tireless worker lay down when his illness got the better of him. What struck me about the study was complete absence of what we call a “library”. Darwin was known for his rather original attitude to books. If anyone could sincerely despise him it was the book lovers or rather the book maniacs who value the book as an object and would not allow themselves to cut an old publication in order not to depreciate its value to the antiquarian, or provide cheap trash with precious bindings. Darwin valued the book only for what he needed in it and so he tore out the pages that he needed and thus avoided cluttering up his desk and room. An even more modest room was shown to me on the upper storey. It was apparently occupied by Francis himself and also housed a kind of make-shift laboratory for experiments involved in Darwin’s last major work The Power of Movement in Plants which he had already begun.

It was time to think of returning home. Declining the kind offer of a cab I set out on my way back on foot. Mr. Francis accompanied me part of the way. But presently we were surrounded by a merry, laughing swarm of young boys and girls. Darwin introduced me to all of them. They were the “Lubbocks” (and their guests?) who injected a cheerful note in the serious life of the Downe recluse, as we have read in Darwin’s letters. Since then I have often recalled that meeting on a deserted English country road. These cheerful boisterous young people playing in the open air did not to be reminded of the Joys of Life and the Beauties of Nature , the titles of Lubbock’s books which have been translated into Russian.

Not wishing to keep Francis away from the merry company I bid him goodbye and hurried to catch my train. It was cool and the way back seemed shorter to me.

Upon return to London, in spite of the late hour, I could not help sharing my impressions with Dmitri Nikolayevich Anuchin who was in London at the time. He unloosed a flood of reproaches on me for having made my pilgrimage in secret, depriving him of a chance that would never present itself again etc. etc. I remember trying to justify myself and saying that I had been sure my visit would be a failure and that I hated him to see a door slammed into my face and that in any case it was not my fault that the greatest scientist had turned out to be the most affable of men.

This article was first published in the Rosskiye Vedomosti newspaper, Vols. 24 and 25 for 1909, and was included in the collection In Memory of Darwin (Moscow, 1910). This text is taken from Timiryazev’s book Science and Democracy (Moscow, 1920) -Ed. (translator)

Leon Bell’s autobiographical essay “ An American Boy’s Life in the Soviet Union ”  appeared in Archipelago , Vol. 8, No. 4.

Down House , home of Charles Darwin

A tour of Down House by the biologist William Calvin

Timiriazev State Biology Museum (Gosudarstvennyi Biologicheskii Muzei imeni K.A. Timiriazeva)  Moscow (in Russian)

Overview of the museum

K. A. Timiriazev bibliography

Cine-Truth 13 (October Anniversary)/Kinopravda 13 (Oktiabr'skaia) documentary film (scroll down) “…project of a monument to Timiriazev, Pokrovskii, Sosnovskii, and Timiriazev's son speaking at the meeting….”

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Ticket prices for the Trans-Siberian Railway also depend on the current ruble exchange rate.

Is the Trans-Siberian Railway expensive?

Before starting on your Trans-Siberian Railway adventure you naturally want to know what the entire trip will cost. Although this sounds like a simple question, it is pretty difficult to answer. The Trans-Siberian Railway price of travel depends on the following factors:

• Which travel class do I want to use? The price for a first class ticket is about three times the price of a 3rd class ticket
• Am I willing to buy the tickets myself and assume responsibility for the organisation of the trip?
• How many stopovers do I want to make? The more breaks, the higher the total price.
• What sort of accommodation do I want? Will it be a luxury hotel or will a hostel dormitory be sufficient?
• What tours and excursions would I like to go on?
• What is the current exchange rate for rubles?

Basically, everything from a luxury to a budget holiday is available. If you buy yourself a 3rd Class nonstop ticket at the counter, a few hundred Euros will cover the price. All you will experience is a week on the Trans-Siberian train and will see nothing of the cities on the way. There is, however, any amount of room for upward expansion. Everyone makes different choices about which aspects they are willing to spend money on. I personally prefer to save money on accommodation and railcar class, visit as many cities and do as many trips as possible. To enable better classification of your travel expenses I have contrasted two typical traveler types. In the third column you can calculate the total cost of your own journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Please keep in mind that these are only rough estimations and not exact prices.

The all-in costs seem fairly high at first. However, they cover everything and it is quite a long journey taking four weeks. Many people forget to consider that when looking at the list. We should also deduct the running costs for food and leisure at home. I think most visitors to this page will classify themselves somewhere between the two categories, that is around the € 2,000 – € 2,500 range. When comparing these prices with other travel packages, you get the impression that it is hardly worthwhile travelling individually on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Please keep in mind that most packages last no more than 14 days and you are herded like cattle through the most beautiful locations.

If you spend less time on the Trans-Siberian Railway you will, of course, pay less. I chose this particular travel length because I prefer not to do things by halves. If you fulfill your dream of travelling on the Trans-Siberian Railway, enjoy it and don’t rush things. But it’s up to you, of course. Try playing around with the form a bit to find the appropriate price for your trip.

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Narrative of a Journey From Heraut to Khiva, Moscow, and St. Petersburgh, Vol. 1: During the Late Russian Invasion of Khiva With Some Account of the Court of Khiva and the Kingdom of Khaurism (Classic Hardcover – August 24, 2018

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• Print length 420 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Forgotten Books
• Publication date August 24, 2018
• Dimensions 5.98 x 0.94 x 9.02 inches
• ISBN-10 0266638554
• ISBN-13 978-0266638551
• See all details

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Forgotten Books (August 24, 2018)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 420 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0266638554
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0266638551
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.57 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 0.94 x 9.02 inches

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Sir james abbott.

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