John Tyndall to Faraday   16 November 1859

Royal Institution | 16th. Nov. 1859.

My dear Mr. Faraday.

Would you think for a moment at your leisure over the subject of this letter1. I have already had one from Playfair2, to which I have replied in the terms indicated in the first lines of his present letter. I have also been called upon by people of influence from Edinburgh, unconnected with the University3.

I want as much light as possible on the question before deciding and therefore I am anxious to secure the thoughts of yourself and one or two more of my friends - my own feelings are distinct enough. Still a case of the kind is too important to be decided without reflection[.]

Ever yours | J. Tyndall

1
Playfair to Tyndall, 12 November 1959, RI MS JT/1/P/118.
2
Playfair to Tyndall, 9 November 1959, RI MS JT/1/P/117.
3
This refers to Tyndall becoming a candidate for the chair of natural philosophy in Edinburgh. He declined the invitation and Peter Guthrie Tait (1831-1901, ODNB), Professor of Mathematics at Queen’s College, Belfast, 1854-1860, was elected. See Eve and Creasey (1945), 82.

Please cite as “Faraday3674,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 10 May 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday3674