26 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY chap, ii 



either the first time I attended him, as it was my duty to do, or 

 for some weeks afterwards. I am afraid to think of the lengths 

 to which my tongue may have run on the subject of the churl- 

 ishness of the chief, who was, in truth, one of the kindest- 

 hearted and most considerate of men. But one day, as I was 

 crossing the hospital square. Sir John stopped me and heaped 

 coals of fire .on my head by telling me that he had tried to get 

 me one of the resident appointments, much coveted by the assist- 

 ant-surgeons, but that the Admiralty had put in another man. 

 " However," said he, " I mean to keep you here till I can get 

 you something you will like," and turned upon his heel without 

 waiting for the thanks I stammered, out. That explained how it 

 was I had not been packed off to the West Coast of Africa like 

 some of my juniors, and why, 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 describing 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 recom- 

 mend 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 mess- 

 mates two future Directors-General of the Medical Service of 

 the Navy (Sir Alexander Armstrong and Sir John Watt-Reid), 

 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 

 Mat 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 perma- 

 nency here. Well, I was recommended by Sir John Richardson, 

 and should have certainly had it, had not (luckily) the Ad- 

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



