To John Tyndall, Snr   Monday night, (March 2nd, 1841.)

Youghal | Monday¹ night

My dear Father

At about 8 o’clock on Saturday night Ginty entered our little domicile. He immediately began to lug letters out of a capicious pocket which he has the happiness of possessing. Among the rest it gave me great pleasure to find one from you.² Your letters are so few and far between that I consider it a great treat to see your well known fist on the superscription.

I am glad to find that my account of my perigrinations among the savages³ pleased you. I was thinking it would amuse you – but I did not tell you the half of it, one instance in particular that I omitted before I must here recount. You know that before Shrove Tuesday is always a great time of matchmaking.⁴ It was the whole occupation of the country people during my sojourn amongst them; you’d imagine it was a species of traffic that was going on. When fortunes are in question, the parties differ sometimes about very trifling matters. A couple in the village where I was differed about a pot; a long contest ensued, which I saw was likely to terminate warmly. I thought it right to split the difference, they however could not be prevailed upon to break the pot.

I now proceed to justify the expression⁵ that you allude to in your letter. In the first place you must admit that it was nonsense – the more ebullition of a disordered imagination – and besides I was so angry with myself for acting in such a hasty manner that I could scarcely conceive any words competent to atone for my error. be assured of it my dear Father there is no one on earth that I would apply to the thousandth part as soon as to yourself – in fact there is no one else I would apply to at all.

My rise of pay has come back it is a repetition of the first I got - namely 2d!!!⁶ This however does not dishearten me one bit. It is a consolation that I am at the head of the pay list at any rate.⁷

Words cannot convey my gratitude to the Dean⁸ for his kindness in enquiring for me. It shall always be my highest ambition to preserve the good opinion of such a man.

I am quite reconciled to our new Superintendent⁹, though he is not so much to my taste as Mulligan. He is what a latinist would call obscurus.¹⁰ It’s very hard to pronounce an opinion on him. I believe however that he has as high an opinion of me as of any other in the office, I can defy him to think otherwise.

A thousand thanks for your present of Doctor Cooke’s speech.¹¹ It is most excellent. I think Dan¹² never met a truer opponent his Kerry flesh¹³ must partake of the nature of an elephants if he be impervious to the castigation which the Dr has given him. He certainly did strip the demon Agitation of this hypocritical garb. and exhibit him to a wondering public in all his native deformity. The Doctor’s energy of expression surpasses <word illeg> Oh how soul thrilling it was to hear him call the martyred sons of the reformation from their blood-stained graves and exhibit them in all their awful panoply of reeking innocence as the effects of popish intolerance. Surely O’Connell must sicken at the sight, not in disgust at his Church’s atrocity, but in very bitterness at seeing such indubitable testimony of his own secret falsehood. Well may it be said that O’Connell is the bane of Ireland, but Cooke will prove the antidote, the hardy Northerns¹⁴ have reason to be proud of their hero.

I heard of the fire in Nurney¹⁵ before I received your letter.

I’m extremely sorry to hear of the increasing embarrassment of John McGee’s affairs. I wonder the poor man does not sink under such accumulated misfortunes.

Has any news been heard from John Treacy since he went to Australia?

Wm. Wright is on his way to America to night. He left Dublin on the 26th ult,¹⁶ and he left Liverpool to day – poor fellow I was the last he wrote to, he and I carried on a constant correspondence ever since I left home. Did he tell you anything about his wife – are her friends reconciled to their marriage? I believe the Neills are very wealthy¹⁷ and that Wm possessed but little of this world’s treasures. I would not wonder if they disliked the union. How is my uncle Caleb and aunt Dolly?¹⁸ I sent the plan to Bill, I’m afraid he did not like it. He seemed to be in such a hurry that I did not take time to finish it properly.

Give my love to my mother and Emma

RI MS JT/1/10/3211

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