re: #49 calochortus

If I recall correctly, Darwin was invited to go along to keep Captain FitzRoy company since the captain couldn’t socialize with anyone of lower rank. In other words, anyone else on the ship who was in the Navy. Hence the need for a civilian aboard.
Yay for strict social constraints. //

That’s what I gather.

BBC did an excellent series several decades ago about Darwin.

The Voyage of Charles Darwin, Part 1