The second voyage of HMS "Beagle", from 27 December 1831 to 2 October 1836, was the second survey expedition of HMS "Beagle", under captain Robert FitzRoy who had taken over command of the ship on its first voyage after the previous captain, Pringle Stokes, committed suicide. FitzRoy had thought of the advantages of having someone onboard who could investigate geology, and sought a naturalist to accompany them as a . At the age of 22, the graduate Charles Darwin hoped to see the tropics before becoming a parson and accepted the opportunity. He was greatly influenced by reading Charles Lyell's "Principles of Geology" during the voyage. By the end of the expedition, Darwin had made his name as a geologist and fossil collector and the publication of his journal (later known as "The Voyage of the Beagle") gave him wide renown as a writer.