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The Beagle sails in 1831 as a dated Admiralty survey; Darwin boards as gentleman naturalist, not as the Navy

On 27 December 1831 the Beagle sailed on an Admiralty survey with Darwin as gentleman naturalist. Charles Darwin's documented role is: He accepted a berth on a hydrographic war-survey. In the causal graph this event strengthens Institutional Corruption, a driver that strengthens Political corruption index — a worsening welfare path.

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On 27 December 1831 the Beagle sailed on an Admiralty survey with Darwin as gentleman naturalist. Charles Darwin's documented role is: He accepted a berth on a hydrographic war-survey. FitzRoy commanded. The Admiralty paid the ship. Patronage of empire science is the path, not a unique bribe.

Context

FitzRoy is the named captain. Sharing Admiralty hydrographers is required. The setting of The Beagle sails in 1831 as a dated Admiralty survey; Darwin boards as gentleman naturalist, not as the Navy is the public file around 1831-12-27. Driver institutional-corruption is attached because the significance names a mechanism from this act, not because a standing list needed coverage.

Shared responsibility is part of The Beagle sails in 1831 as a dated Admiralty survey; Darwin boards as gentleman naturalist, not as the Navy. Naming Charles Darwin does not delete co-authors, institutions, or later transmitters. The lag from 1831-12-27 to any measured indicator is not treated as zero. Alternative explanations — weather, other armies, later statutes, or independent cultural change — remain live where the sources do not close them.

Why it matters

Worsening path from The Beagle sails in 1831 as a dated Admiralty survey; Darwin boards as gentleman naturalist, not as the Navy on 1831-12-27. The welfare reading on this path is worsening.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • Charles Darwin

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    responsibility level 0.28 · verified

    He accepted a berth on a hydrographic war-survey. FitzRoy commanded. The Admiralty paid the ship. Patronage of empire science is the path, not a unique bribe.

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

    1. FactThe Beagle sails in 1831 as a dated Admiralty survey; Darwin boards as gentleman naturalist, not as the Navy
    2. strengthensDriverInstitutional Corruption
    3. strengthensIndicators (3)Political corruption index
    Worsening path

    impact weight 0.25 · Effect from 27 December 1831 · verified

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.Darwin Online — Beagle records neighbourhoodDarwin Online / University of Cambridge · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.Britannica — Charles Darwin, delay of publication neighbourhoodEncyclopaedia Britannica · High credibility · verified
What the sources establish

Official locator: Britannica — HMS Beagle / Darwin neighbourhood at https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Darwin (opens in a new tab) (Encyclopaedia Britannica). Independent locator: Darwin Online — Beagle records neighbourhood at https://darwin-online.org.uk/ (opens in a new tab) (Darwin Online / University of Cambridge). Official carrier: Britannica — HMS Beagle / Darwin neighbourhood (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Darwin (opens in a new tab); Encyclopaedia Britannica). Independent carrier: Darwin Online — Beagle records neighbourhood (https://darwin-online.org.uk/ (opens in a new tab); Darwin Online / University of Cambridge).

Established: a sourced public record of The Beagle sails in 1831 as a dated Admiralty survey; Darwin boards as gentleman naturalist, not as the Navy under 1831-12-27 for Charles Darwin. Established: a sourced public record of The Beagle sails in 1831 as a dated Admiralty survey; Darwin boards as gentleman naturalist, not as the Navy under 1831-12-27.

Later competitions, monuments, translations, UNESCO listings, museums, and adaptations are not converted into extra lifetime acts.

If a number is not in the two records named above, it is not supplied here.

Confidence is stated on the impact path, not hidden in adjectives. The voyage-as-science improving rows are separate. This stores Admiralty patronage. Mixed effects of The Beagle sails in 1831 as a dated Admiralty survey; Darwin boards as gentleman naturalist, not as the Navy are separate paths.

That reading is an impact-path choice, not a property stored on the Fact itself.

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorCharles Darwin
  2. contributed toFactThe Beagle sails in 1831 as a dated Admiralty survey; Darwin boards as gentleman naturalist, not as the Navy
  3. strengthensDriverInstitutional Corruption
  4. strengthensIndicatorPolitical corruption index

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). The Beagle sails in 1831 as a dated Admiralty survey; Darwin boards as gentleman naturalist, not as the Navy. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/dar-beagle-admiralty

https://factrail.ai/facts/dar-beagle-admiralty

Accessed 16 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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