New Guinea, as you may be aware, is a place almost unknown, and our
object is to bring back a full account of its Geography, Geology, and
Natural History. In the latter department with which I shall have (in
addition to my medical functions) somewhat to do, we shall form one
grand collection of specimens and deposit it in the British Museum or
some other public place, and this main object being always kept in view,
we are at liberty to collect and work for ourselves as we please. Depend
upon it unless some sudden attack of laziness supervenes, such an
opportunity shall not slip unused out of my hands. The great difficulty
in such a wide field is to choose an object. In this point, however, I
hope to be greatly assisted by the scientific folks, to many of whom I
have already had introductions (Owen, Gray, Grant, Forbes), and this, I
assure you, I look upon as by no means the least of the advantages I
shall derive from being connected with the expedition. I have been twice
to town to see Captain Stanley. He is a son of the Bishop of Norwich, is
an exceedingly gentlemanly man, a thorough scientific enthusiast, and
shows himself altogether very much disposed to forward my views in every
possible way. Being a scientific man himself he will take care to have
the ship's arrangements as far as possible in harmony with scientific
pursuits--a circumstance you would appreciate as highly as I do if you
were as well acquainted as I now am with the ordinary opportunities of
an assistant surgeon. Furthermore, I am given to understand that if one
does anything at all, promotion is almost certain. So that altogether I
am in a very fair way, and would snap my fingers at the Grand Turk.
Wharton Jones was delighted when I told him about my appointment. Dim
visions of strangely formed corpuscles seemed to cross his imagination
like the ghosts of the kings in "Macbeth."

What seems his head