54 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CHAP. Ill 



to attain speedily at the conclusion of the voyage on 

 the strength of his scientific work, for this was the 

 inducement held out by the Admiralty to energetic 

 subalterns. The following letter to his sister describes 

 the situation : 



SYDNEY HARBOUR, March 21, 1848. 



... I have deferred writing to you in the hope of 

 knowing something from yourself of your doings and 

 whereabouts, and now that we are on the eve of depart- 

 ing for a long cruise in Torres Straits, I will no longer 

 postpone the giving you some account of " was ist 

 geschehen" on this side of the world. We spent three 

 months in Sydney, and a gay three months of it we 

 had, nothing but balls and parties the whole time. In 

 this corner of the universe, where men of war are rather 

 scarce, even the old Rattlesnake is rather a lion, and her 

 officers are esteemed accordingly. Besides, to tell you 

 the truth, we are rather agreeable people than otherwise, 

 and can manage to get up a very decent turn-out on 

 board on occasion. What think you of your grave, 

 scientific brother turning out a ball-goer and doing the 

 " light fantastic " to a great extent ? It is a great fact, I 

 assure you. But there is a method in my madness. I 

 found it exceedingly disagreeable to come to a great place 

 like Sydney and think there was not a soul who cared 

 whether I was alive or dead, so I determined to go into 

 what society was to be had and see if I could not pick 

 up a friend or two among the multitude of the empty 

 and frivolous. I am happy to say that I have had more 

 success than I hoped for or deserved, and there are now 

 two or three houses where I can go and feel myself at 

 home at all times. But my "home" in Sydney is the 

 house of my good friend Mr. Fanning, one of the first 

 merchants in the place. But thereby hangs a tale which, 

 of all people in the world, I must tell you. Mrs. 

 Fanning has a sister, and the dear little sister and I 



