German-born Augustus Siebe's improvements to diving helmets in the 1830s resulted in the first effective and commercially successful closed diving helmet and suit, forerunner of the version used today. It inspired the Nautilus, Captain Nemo’s far more effective but wholly fictional ship, which shares its name with the early human-powered submarine designed for France by American Robert Fulton in 1800. Three years prior to publishing his novel, Verne visited the Paris Exposition of 1867 where he saw a model of the missile-like French submarine le plongeur, the first to be propelled on its own power. Glaucus, named for an ancient Greek sea-god, encouraged personal and religious improvement through knowledge of the natural world, in this case the corals, mollusks, and anemones found at the seashore. He was a capable amateur naturalist, too, well-versed in the scientific issues of the day (he and Charles Darwin corresponded) and a proponent of science education. Charles Kingsley’s Glaucus, or, The Wonders of the Shore, were very popular. Perhaps best known for his children’s book The Water Babies, Kingsley was a prolific writer of non-fictional works as well, including sermons, social commentaries, and scientific treatises. This fascination mirrored the interests of the scientific community, as newly coordinated efforts to dredge for marine fauna and survey the coasts were initiated, to address the notable lack of new knowledge of the undersea world.īooks on the identification of sea life, like Rev. Amateur naturalists and vacationers scoured the shores for specimens to add to their collections. Collecting and cataloging one's findings was considered a morally appropriate, enriching activity, and a worthy antidote to idleness. As the middle class grew and people found themselves with leisure time, the seaside became a frequent holiday destination. Victorian Britain had a fascination with the sea, and with the natural world in general. The pastime of shell collecting became very popular in the mid-1800s.
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