Editing Philip Henry Gosse (section)

==Young naturalist and lay preacher==
Returning to England in 1839, Gosse was hard pressed to make a living, subsisting on eightpence a day ("one herring eaten as slowly as possible, and a little bread").{{sfnp|Thwaite|2002|page=100}} His fortunes began to improve when John Van Voorst, the leading publisher of naturalist writing, agreed, on the recommendation of Thomas Bell, to publish his ''Canadian Naturalist'' (1840).<ref>{{harvp|Thwaite|2002|p=102}}. In his son's telling, Gosse "broke down utterly into hysterical sob upon sob, while Mr. Van Voorst, murmuring, 'My dear young man! my dear young man!' hastened out to fetch wine and minister to wants which it was beyond the power of pride to conceal any longer." Edmund Gosse, ''Life of Philip Henry Gosse'' (1890), 157.</ref> The book, set as a conversation between a father and his son (a son Gosse did not yet have), was widely praised. It is now considered to demonstrate that Gosse "had a practical grasp of the importance of conservation, far ahead of his time."<ref name="oxforddnb.com"/>

Gosse opened a "Classical and Commercial School for Young Gentlemen" while keeping detailed records of his microscopic investigations of pond life, especially [[cyclopidae]] and [[rotifera]].{{sfnp|Thwaite|2002|pages=109-110}} He also began to preach to the [[Methodist Church of Great Britain|Wesleyan Methodists]] and lead a Bible class. In 1842, he became so captivated by the doctrine of the [[Second Coming|Second Coming of Christ]] that he severed his connection with the Methodists and joined Brethren. These [[dissenters]] emphasized the Second Coming while rejecting liturgy and an ordained ministry—although they otherwise endorsed the traditional doctrines of Christianity as represented by the creeds of the Methodist and the Anglican Church.<ref>{{harvp|Thwaite|2002|p=114}}. Gosse "denied any connection with Plymouth" and sometimes called himself simply a member of the church of Christ.</ref>

In 1843, Gosse gave up the school to write ''An Introduction to Zoology'' for the [[Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge]] (SPCK) and to draw some of the illustrations. Writing the work inspired him to further his interest in the flora and fauna of the seashore. He showed in his book that he was a creationist, which was typical of pre-Darwinian naturalists.{{sfnp|Thwaite|2002|page=117}}

[[File:Philip Henry Gosse - British Sea-Anemone and Corals (Plate V).jpg|thumb|From Philip Henry Gosse, ''British Sea-Anemones and Corals'', 1860.]]
In October 1844 Gosse went on his own responsibility to [[Jamaica]], where he collected natural history specimens for sale.<ref>Wertheimer, ''Philip Henry Gosse: A Biography'', page 125 and fn.141.</ref> Although Gosse worked hard during his eighteen months on the island, he later called this period his " 'holiday' in Jamaica."{{sfnp|Thwaite|2002|page=121}} Gosse's study covered virtually all aspects of Jamaican natural history, and he left a record as "the Father of Jamaican [[Ornithology]]", the "Father of Jamaican [[Herpetology]]," and the Father of "many other aspects of Jamaican biology.".<ref>Wertheimer, ''Philip Henry Gosse: A Biography'', page 149; Schwartz, Albert and Richard Thomas. 1975.'' A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles''. Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Pittsburgh. 216 pp.,</ref> Gosse lauded the work of [[Richard Hill (activist)|Richard Hill]], the island's first resident naturalist and ornithologist,<ref>Wertheimer, ''Philip Henry Gosse: A Biography'', page 142</ref> and hired black youths as assistants, especially praising  Samuel Campbell.<ref>{{harvp|Thwaite|2002}}125, 129. Gosse's insatiable curiosity included trying to eat the birds. On one occasion, he literally ate crow and called the breast "well-based and juicy" but "dark, tough, and coarse grained." {{harvp|Thwaite|2002|p=136}}</ref><ref>Several birds collected by Campbell and Gosse in Jamaica are in the collection of [[World Museum]], [[National Museums Liverpool]].{{Cite web|title=Samuel Campbell and The Birds of Jamaica|url=https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/stories/samuel-campbell-and-birds-of-jamaica|access-date=4 October 2021|website=National Museums Liverpool|language=en}}</ref> For Christian companionship he enjoyed the company of a local Brethren community and their black converts, while remaining in touch with Brethren whom he had met in London.<ref>The previous universally adopted view, that Gosse was associated with Moravian Brethren in Jamaica (Edmund Gosse, ''Life of Philip Henry Gosse,'' p. 378fn.; Thwaite, p.136, and all others), is challenged by Wertheimer, ''Philip Henry Gosse: A Biography'', page 126-133.</ref>

In the years following his return to London in 1846, Gosse published three works whose achievement remains unsurpassed:<ref>Wertheimer, ''Philip Henry Gosse: A Biography'', page 149-152.</ref> ''Birds of Jamaica'' (1847), ''Illustrations of the Birds of Jamaica'' (1849), and ''A Naturalist's Sojourn in Jamaica'' (1851).<ref>The title-page of ''Birds of Jamaica'' and ''Naturalist's Sojourn'' states those works were "Assisted by Richard Hill," who was Jamaica's first resident naturalist and ornithologist: Wertheimer, ''Philip Henry Gosse: A Biography'', pages 142-3, xxi fn.35, 573; Frank Cundall, "Richard Hill," ''[[The Journal of Negro History]]'', 5:1 (January 1920), 42.</ref>