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I read that Thomas Huxley studied with a mesmerist early on. Aldous Huxley, his grandson, was openly influenced by the Theosophical Society so the relationships obviously existed for him, he seems even to be have been born bred and raised within that frame of ideas so the question literally begs.
wiki's bio page on T.H.Huxley says
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He was apprenticed for short periods to several medical practitioners: at 13 to his brother-in-law John Cooke in Coventry, who passed him on to Thomas Chandler, notable for his experiments using mesmerism for medical purposes.
They have nothing about this Thos. Chandler, and there are several others. I may find out more if I continue searching for the Royal Navy connection, but I'll leave the mesmerism angle for you or someone else.

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Also since no hard evidence of evolution actually exists to permit one to actually say 'scientists were convinced of the evidence', all one can truly say is, they were convinced by the narrative, by the ideas, eg;theories, set forth in certain eloquent ways.

There was not much alternative. Little, if any, of the "box 2" evidence was available in their day.

Dark Matter + Dark Energy = Dark Truth

"We find that such evidence demonstrates that the ID argument is dependent upon setting a scientifically unreasonable burden of proof for the theory of evolution." - Judge Jones Kitzmiller case
http://www.talkreason.org/articles/Falsify.cfm

"To Compel A Man To Furnish Funds For The Propagation Of Ideas He Disbelieves And Abhors Is Sinful And Tyrannical." - Thomas Jefferson

"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath?" - Thomas Jefferson