As a young man of just twenty-three years, Fredrick Joseph Salt is longing for adventure. Growing a little weary of his position as an assistant to the registrar at the British Museum. He dreams of emulating his hero Charles Darwin and exploring the...
November 1842, Diary Extract of Frederick Joseph-Salt
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I remember back to ten months ago and how excited and enthusiastic I actually was to be here on my first day at the Museum. I have been described by many who welcomed me here in my first weeks there as being full of boundless energy and of still being in that first flush of youth. Fresh out of university and still having all of that optimism and hope so characteristic of the young and impressionable. I believed in a type of certainty back then, an expectation that I can only blame on being young and naive. I believed that when I left Christ's Church College Cambridge, with my fairly good degree in Natural Sciences in my hand, that I would easily get a well-paid job and begin my career following on from the work of my two hero's Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin. When my old professor and good friend Mr Milton Morland, who is also the father of my fiancée Rosabella, suggested I apply for the post of assistant to (Mr Shaw) the Antiquities and Specimens registrar at the British Museum I jumped at the chance to begin my exciting career overseeing the new artefacts and collections acquired by the British museum from all over the world.
I remember that first day so clearly. I had taken it upon myself with my curious nature to explore the Museum and to view its incredible collections. When Mr Shaw had finally caught up with me, (they had sent out a miniature search party, I was later informed) it was while I was admiring the extremely large glass case housing the skeleton of the prehistoric reptilian beast, which I thought looked like a crocodile.
"If you stare at it long enough you can almost picture it swimming around, a predator in the deep ocean." A warm and friendly voice next to me had said. I had looked sideways at him in surprise. I had been so engrossed in my imagination that I had not noticed that Mr Shaw had sidled up to me and was standing at my side.
"We know so little about these prehistoric beasts, these majestic sea creatures," Mr Shaw had continued already sounding to me like an excellent teacher, someone who could feed my hungry and inquisitive nature with knowledge and train an inquiring mind like mine to ask the right questions. "Far more exploration is needed to uncover these mysteries of the deep." He had said with that little twinkle in his eye. I noticed him shoot me a look to see if he had engaged my attention and seemed pleased to see that he had a captive audience in me.
"Who knows what mysteries lurk far beneath the surface" I intoned, feeling suddenly insecure and I expect I really did sound young and naïve. Bur Mr Shaw nodded his agreement toward me gently.
"And what we do know is a mere drop in that ocean, " he had said rocking back on his heels looking over at the bones of the skeleton and immediately making me feel relaxed in his company. I suddenly felt a sharp pain of longing run through me. If he had meant to awaken my desire for adventure and exploration, he had succeeded. He seemed to know exactly what to say to pique my interest. and I wished to discover more about him, and his knowledge of the antiquities of the museum. I went back to examining the exhibits in a transfixed fascinated way.
