Philip Henry Gosse (1810-88), born in England, spent 1827-35 working at a counting-house in Carbonear, during which time he discovered what were to be the two passions of his life: nature and evangelical Christianity. At this time Gosse became active in the Methodist Church and began his Entomology of Newfoundland, which remained unpublished. After an unsuccessful attempt at farming in Lower Canada, he returned to England where he became an eminent naturalist and religious writer. Extensively published, he is best known for his work on marine biology and for building the first successful aquarium. His religious writings often dealt with the relationship between religion and science. (Douglas Wertheimer, "Gosse, Philip Henry" Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 11; "Gosse, Philip Henry" Encyclopedia Britannica, 2002.)
