From William Ginty   [Early May] 1843

110 Pitt Street¹ | Monday evening

My dear Tyndall

I received your letter with the order enclosed² on Saturday, it is useless to dwell on the sincerity of my thanks for your kind and prompt compliance. My feelings I am quite unable to express. To Friendship, however I owe this much, to you Tyndall and to your memory for ever shall my heart turn with the warmest throbs of affection and gratitude.

Much as I hate even the name of the Ordnance Survey – much as I loathe its cruel villainy and injustice, I leave it with regret – need I say why? Yet ‘I will dream that we may meet again’³ it must be so! – it shall be so

‘Earth does not hold a secret glen

So secret but we meet again’⁴

Yes Tyndall we meet again, perhaps in after years, perhaps with hoary heads – to talk of bye gone days. Circumstances cannot be always unfavourable, and when removed from the perfidy of ordnance influence things will take another and a happier turn enough of this! It makes me gloomy. I have not yet received the letter from my brother, stating the final arrangements of the matter, a post or two will however place it within my grasp,⁵ this has been the cause of my not writing yesterday. I met with an accident of a very serious nature on Saturday morning and I must say I am rather fearful of the consequences. Getting from behind one of the drawing tables with a plunge! my leg came in contact with an iron hook or spike a little under the knee where it entered leaving a very ugly wound of at least ¾ inch deep I found it exceedingly difficult to extract it and in a few moments afterwards I swooned away – fainted sir as dead as a hatched! not the loss of blood for it bled none. I wished it had, it is on this all my fears are based, lest the rust or oxide of the iron might cause mortification.⁶ I have it poulticed,⁷ and at present it looks very inflamed. I say Tyndall wouldn’t I cut a heavy swell with a stick foot!!! If it had bled the rust would have oozed out along with it!

(I quote) ‘You’ll say I’m mad’ – Not I by heaven. Truth is not madness and for this and this only might hearts of ‘living fire and flame’ envy the riches of illustrious fools! but let that pass, such things must be. I envy not the lordlings pride while glorying o’er the monotony of his stupid and insipid existence – born to drag a load of wealth into the dreaded pomp-destroying tomb! They taste not of the happiness of natures own free and unfettered!

You said nothing on the grand project⁸ – let me hear how you are getting on in your next. What about the fund? I would like to establish it among the few genuine hearts that are here, ere I leave for my father-land. I will return you the monody⁹ when I copy it. I consider it first-rate. Making all just and reasonable allowance for the difficulty in praising one – not a friend – nor yet a hero of a history or a tale

Yours | Ginty.

RI MS JT 1/11/3605

LT Transcript Only