1854 A TURNING-POINT 159 



ago that I had written to the President of the Board 

 of Trade who makes the appointment, accepting mine, 

 and the other man had done the same. Happily for me, 

 however, my new colleague was suddenly afflicted with a 

 sort of moral colic, an absurd idea that he could not 

 perform the duties of his office, and resigned it. The 

 result is that a new man has been appointed to the office 

 he left vacant, while the lectureship was offered to me. 

 Of course I took it, and so in the course of the week I 

 have seen my paid income doubled. ... So after a short 

 interval I have become a Government officer again, but 

 in rather a different position, I flatter myself. I am 

 chief of my own department, and my position is considered 

 a very good one as good as anything of its kind in 

 London. 



Furthermore, on August 11 he was "entrusted 

 with the Coast Survey investigations under the 

 Geological Survey, and remunerated by fee until 

 March 31, 1855, when he was ranked as Naturalist 

 on the Survey with an additional salary of 200, 

 afterwards increased to 400, rising to 600 per 

 annum," as the official statement has it. 



Then in quick succession he was offered in August 

 a lectureship on Comparative Anatomy at St. Thomas' 

 Hospital for the following May and June, and in 

 September he was asked to lecture in November and 

 March for the Science and Art Department at 

 Marlborough House. 



Now therefore, with the Heathorns coming to 

 England, his plans and theirs exactly fitted, and he 

 proposed to get married as soon as they came over, 

 early in the following summer. 



