1846 APPOINTMENT TO THE ' RATTLESNAKE ' 35 



eventually, I remained altogether seven months at 

 Haslar. 



After a long interval, during which " Old John " 

 ignored my existence almost as completely as before, he 

 stopped me again as we met in a casual way, and describ- 

 ing the service on which the Rattlesnake was likely to be 

 employed, said that Captain Owen Stanley, who was to 

 command the ship, had asked him to recommend an 

 assistant-surgeon who knew something of science ; would 

 I like that ? Of course I jumped at the offer. " Very 

 well, I give you leave ; go to London at once and see 

 Captain Stanley." I went, saw my future commander, 

 who was very civil to me, and promised to ask that I 

 should be appointed to his ship, as in due time I was. 

 It is a singular thing that during the few months of my 

 stay at Haslar I had among my messmates two future 

 Directors -General of the Medical Service of the Navy 

 (Sir Alexander Armstrong and Sir John Watt-Eeid), 

 with the present President of the College of Physicians, 

 and my kindest of doctors, Sir Andrew Clark. 



A letter to his eldest sister, Lizzie, dated from 

 Haslar, May 24, 1846, shows how he regarded the 

 prospect now opening before him. 



... As I see no special queries in your letter, I 

 think I shall go on to tell you what that same way of 

 life is likely to be my fortune having already been told 

 for me (for the next five years at least). I told you in 

 my last that I was likely to have a permanency here. 

 Well, I was recommended by Sir John Eichardson, and 

 should havecertainly had it, had not (luckily) theAdmiralty 

 put in a man of their own. Having a good impudent faith 

 in my own star (Wie das Gestirn, ohne Hast, ohne 

 East), I knew this was only because I was to have some- 

 thing better, and so it turned out ; for a day or two after 

 I was ousted from the museum, Sir J. Eichardson (who 



