From William Ginty   July 24th 1841.

Ball.1 | July 24th 1841.

Dear Snooks2

As I promised to write to you a letter when I arrived here, it is now time for me to scribble these lines. I am sorry indeed for not doing so long before this I hope my dear fello you will excuse me this I know you will for you and I are good friends. I now commence with regards with the little Beggarman3 and myself, we have bidden our last farewell to the Youghal lasses, particularly that lovely creature Miss Stoul4 who peeped at me out of her door when the car passed it and I put my hand to my mouth and saluted her which she returned in the most ladylike manner, and of course by nature the tears rolled down my cheeks for a good while – this the Beggarman was laughing at. Well when we passed the long wooden bridge and arrived at that nice little bridge called – <word(s) missing> met another lady Miss I do not know, the governess,5 my little man’s sweetheart when the car stopped we jumped off the seat and shooked hands with her oh what a soft and delicate hand she has – she asked us in but we did not nor had we time the car just starting we bade her good bye and told her we hoped we soon see her again. I hope so said she, the poor thing lifted up her beautiful hands to wipe away the tide which was falling down her pale cheeks. We arrived in Carlow safe but I did not reach my quarters till 4 next morning. Carlow election is over, Bruen and Bunbury has gained the victory by a small majority of 86 – the work was tight. Hurrah – Hurrah and again Hurrah, my old boy we are all right; there were great numbers of mounted and foot soldiers and police I never saw such a sight of them in my life. There were also four pieces of cannon at this election which frightened the people very much, they did not know what they were at first and as they found them out they ran away like mad devils, roaring and howling and crying murther, murther we never can face the canons for they will blow our brains out. Col. Jackson was the commander of the military forces a fine and warlike fellow with a monstrous pair of mustachioes, he did his duty like a gentleman and soldier he kept the town in good order and as clear as possible, Major Galway7 commander of the police at this election. There is no use to tell you any more as it will take two or three sheets more of paper and besides that I will soon be with you, I was glad to hear that your uncle8 is acquitted. The little Beggerman will start before me, I am sorry I will not be with him. I was very very busy here ever since, surveying and spending days with the jolly boys in different parts of the country all those prevented me from writing to you sooner. Write soon and I will write another and let [me] know how you are getting on and let me know how does the examination of the two points that I plotted look and believe me

Dear Snook | Your affectionate friend | G9| alias | Whiskerando10

RI MS JT/1/11/3577

LT Transcript Only

Ball.: LT speculates that this is Ballickmoyler, in Queen’s County (now County Laois), a village approximately 3 miles north-west of Carlow. However, as there are a number of other places that begin with ‘Ball’, this identification is difficult to confirm.

Snooks: Walter Snooks, a favourite pseudonym for Tyndall.

the little Beggarman: probably Phillip Evans.

Miss Stoul: not identified.

Miss I do not know, the governess: not identified but possibly the author of letters 0091 and 0099.

gained the victory by a small majority of 8: see letter 0078, n. 8.

Major Galway: Major R. A. Gallwey/Galway (d. 1845) appears to have previously held the post of Provincial Inspector of Constabulary for Munster (Champion, 5 January 1840, p. 7), but it is not clear what position he held in July 1841.

your uncle: LT’s transcription reads ‘your father’, but the trial reffered to here was of Tyndall’s uncle Caleb Tyndall.

G: William Ginty.

Whiskerando: probably an allusion to Don Ferolo Whiskerandos, a heavily-bearded character in Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s play The Critic (1779).

Please cite as “Tyndall0082,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on 28 March 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/tyndall/letters/Tyndall0082