John Tyndall to Faraday   28 July 1853

July 28th.

Dear Professor Faraday

DuBois starts for England tomorrow and will carry this to Hull¹. He came to me the evening before last with a countenance shining with pleasure, ‘You would not guess what I have got’ he exclaimed. I paused - one hypothesis alone seemed opened to me - “You have got a letter from Ambleside” I replied. ‘No’ said he ‘I have got a letter for you’ - He opened his pocket book and handed me a letter bearing a superscription well known to both of us - the letter in fact was yours².

Would that my wish and the wish of many able, honest and hospitable men added to my own could be effected in transporting you at a safe speed to Berlin. From one end of Germany to the other there is but one feeling towards you - a feeling which I believe it has never before been the lot of a man of science to excite: it will be a pity if you cannot afford time for a single visit to a country which I believe above all others pays you a noble reverence - You have visited France and Italy - establish the equilibrium of things by a visit to Germany. Whenever you make up your mind I offer my services as a guide. Mrs Faraday may rest assured that I will take great care of you - my greatest difficulty would be to preserve you from the loyalty of your clansmen, but even this I would undertake to manage.

I mentioned in my last letter³ that I intended to try Trevelyan’s⁴ experiment with a new metallic body. I was led to choose quartz from the extraordinary conductive power which my last experiment proved it to possess. With the first crystal I had cut a permanent oscillation was obtained but no tone. With a second crystal cut somewhat differently I have obtained a distinct tone, sufficiently loud I think to be heard throughout the theatre when everything is perfectly quiet. I have failed to obtain vibrations with a piece of glass cut similarly to the quartz, this might have been anticipated. On the whole I think the matter might be worked up into a suitable Friday evening’s lecture⁵.

I cannot resist the temptation to send you a note which I received from a little friend of mine just before leaving England - a beautiful child-like little boy about 10 years old. He was with me at Queenwood. His cousin Elma and cousin Grace are strangers to me but he tells me all about them with the most perfect good faith that it will interest me. I should not venture to send you the note had not somebody told me that you could afford to play with little boys.

Believe me dear Prof Faraday | Most truly Yours | John Tyndall

Universitäts Strasse 4 | Berlin.