352 PRACTISES PHOTOGRAPHY. CHAP. xvn. 



He was next advised to obtain some situation in 

 connection with Natural History, such, for instance, 

 as the curator of a museum. He was already the 

 curator of the Banff Museum, but the remuneration 

 was almost nominal. In 1852, he had been appointed 

 curator at a salary of two guineas a year. After 

 about twelve years' service, his salary was increased 

 to four guineas a year.* Even that was but a 

 nominal consideration. Edward naturally desired to 

 obtain some position with a salary sufficient to main- 

 tain him. But he possessed no influence ; he was 

 too shy to push himself forward ; he had no one to 

 help him to obtain any situation ; and he eventually 

 gave it up as a hopeless project. 



His attention was next turned to photography. 

 He obtained a treatise on the subject ; he read and 

 studied it; and then he purchased chemicals and 

 a camera. To obtain these, he again drew upon his 

 savings bank by selling another portion of his Natu- 

 ral History collection. He found the practice of 

 photography very agreeable, and he was at length en- 

 abled to take a very fair portrait. But he found that 

 really good portraits could not be taken except in 

 a glass-windowed apartment provided for the purpose. 

 He had no such apartment, and he had not money 

 enough to build one. His portraits were taken in the 

 open air. Perhaps, too, he wanted that deftness of 



* The Museum was handed over to the Corporation in 1866. 

 Edward's salary was raised to 13 : 13s. It is now 16 ; of which 

 4 is paid to an assistant. 



