I've been reading a lot of stuff, and I haven't been able to put the Royal Navy connection together. Something's fishy here, but I can't track it down. Darwin's appointment seems to have come about by circumstances beyond any man's control, and the persons involved aren't exactly entangled with the other conspirators.

Here's a list of the relevant online bios, but since I have little to report, big deal.
Robert Grant, early Darwin mentor
more Robert Grant
Robert Fitzroy, Beagle skipper who
Quote
In February 1850 he was accordingly placed on half-pay; nor did he ever serve again, although advanced in due course by seniority to the ranks of rearand vice-admiral on the retired list (1857, 1863). In 1851 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society,
1851 is too early to be X Club work - just looks well-connected/competent.
Adam Sedgwick, late Darwin mentor, clearly not part of conspiracy, as his response to the O-book included
Quote
"If I did not think you a good tempered and truth-loving man I should not tell you that ... I have read your book with more pain than pleasure. Parts of it I admired greatly; parts I laughed at till my sides were almost sore; other parts I read with absolute sorrow; because I think them utterly false and grievously mischievous. You have deserted - after a start in that tram-road of all solid physical truth - the true method of induction ..."
Unfortunately I see no mention of which parts threatened to hurt Sedgwick's sides. We may only guess.
John Stevens Henslow, late Darwin mentor
2nd Henslow link, author: one "Owen Spencer-Thomas" (all 3 names have a connection, could still be coincidence)
wiki on Henslow Appears innocent enough. Henslow was offered Beagle job, declined, set up another fellow who backed out, finally recommended Darwin. He seems to have been a nice gentleman. But Henslow's son-in-law was Joseph Dalton Hooker, so we can't easily rule him out of the story, if further evidence should come up.
Fanboy Darwin Bio
and another fanboy, who publishes
Quote
Within ten years of the publication of the Origin, Huxley was hailing Darwin as a high priest. In a lightning sketch on the back of a letter, he once depicted Darwin as a new Pope, archbishop of the `church scientific,’ being venerated by a visiting
naturalist. At the same time many radicals saw Darwin as the antithesis of religion. A New York cartoon portrayed him as the `sun of the nineteenth century’ beaming on a benighted humanity, banishing clouds of bishops, Bibles and priestly hobgoblins.
The well's proven dry, but I'm not ready to give up just yet. I don't think the Royal Navy had quite enough boats to provide cushy jobs for all young men. It still looks to me like the young evolutionists got more than their share.

I have to admit, sessions like this last one are what make history seem boring.

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

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