From John C Chadwick   Nov. 14th 1843

Kinsale 92nd 1800 and boiled milk¹ | Nov. 14th 1843

Dear Tyndall

Curse of Molly Moran² and three score of blind bitches’ bastards on my dilatory pen and more dilatory intention which have left your undeservedly kind letter so long unanswered, truth to tell you I have been paving pandemonium with the best of intentions during the silent interim of six months after the receipt of your Ossian.³

I require a little time to recover from the terrible effect produced on my nervous system by that magnificent effort of genius and indeed I felt that there was such a melancholy deficiency in my poor paltry style of dictation that I would be quite unable to answer such a subject in the way I should until my intellect gathered strength and power sufficient to do myself credit and justice before your critical eyes, but woe is me! I waited so long that the tide of intellect flowed and ebbed and now you must be satisfied with a plain matter of fact scrawl as I have nought else to offer – it is a lamentable fact (as the district man⁴ said) that our poor earthly minds should be so dreadfully inclined to fall into the gulf of forgetfulness where they become so obfuscated that the consequences are a neglect of friend and an utter disregard of all the common decencies of correspondence. Such has been my case and I regard your last letter which came like the whisper of conscience making itself heard in the innermost parts, as a merciful interposition of providence to prevent an utter extinction of our old well cherished chumship; for my silence, which began in putting off, ended in shame and had not your kind unreproachful letter arrived you would never have I suppose heard from me until I appeared before you in person and challenged you to breakfast with me in Preston when I am sure your kind gentle heart would easily be prevailed on to extend a pardon – but enough of this. I sincerely repent of my errors towards you and as I have been unfortunate enough to err so often if you think that I have not offered a sufficient excuse look to some of my former letters if happily you have not sent them to blazes and you will find that they all begin in the same strain as this and then cull out of them a few of the best concocted excuses they contain and it will fully answer, so amen. You ask me do I care for you. I deserve the reproach but still my answer is I care for you and that with a warmth of feeling which though my actions do not evince it yet is cherished and felt in my heart with intensity and should the circumstances of life ever again throw us together I will hail the event with joy and gladness – my soul is like a flint which requires often to be struck twice before it gives a spark and though the principle of combustion is within it must be beaten out and your letters flagellate me so well that the effect is at length produced.

Your talk of the mess account brought back old recollections very forcibly, many a time has it been my care to render unto Caesar the things that were his⁵ otherwise to clear up the butter and bacon account for the week⁶ which generally left me but a sixpence to chase about in my pocket until I nearly wore [the brogues] off my fingers but those times have left but a mere shadow and are gone I often regret them and shall always think of my survey life with fond recollections – The Survey has as you say become an arena where the higher and lower powers meet in conflict. I should most particularly like to see Spectator’s letters, bye the bye I know well who he is but do not wish to put aught on paper about him for fear of accident. All I say is more power to him and I hope all the helots⁷ of the Survey may join with him in giving a long strong pull until they pull the whole rotten fabrick about the ears of the red dressed oppressors who have lorded it over them so long, damn them, they richly deserve it and I sincerely hope that the work may fall into the hands of the Civil Engineers when it would be much more creditably carried on. All that frets me is that I am not among you, joining heart and hand in the glorious opposition. – Do not forget to send me the letters – With respect to your observations about America, my intentions are made up to go there. My plan is if nothing interferes to prevent me that I will go out in the Spring of 1845. John Abbot and family will go next Spring and after he has been there a year, during which time he will try and find a situation, he will acquire a knowledge of the ways of the people and the details of business there so that on my following him out we could enter into business together and I can bring out a suitable stock from this country, Cincinnati is our ground. I may hope to meet you there and it would indeed be pleasant if we were again located together – it is indeed the only country in which a person has any chance of success. I may drag on a life of exertion here but all I will have for it is a mere support nothing beyond it still toiling for the food which perisheth. So I hope we may touch palms in Ohio. John Fudge⁸ is getting on very well, he has now £80 a year, and he merely two years in a business of which he knew nothing before. Abbot is fully determined on going next Spring.

I should like to hear more about the Prometheus⁹ that has warmed Latimer’s¹⁰ marble into life your proofs of his passion are unrefutable as Sinnock’s donkey¹¹ still yells his guts out after the she asses.¹² Lavender Lane¹³ still stinks and cods congregate to the World’s End¹⁴ with their usual pertinacity, let me hear more anent it,¹⁵ and as I am experienced in these matters, I will give a better judgment of the affair. I hope Latimer’s case is not so desperate and that he will not have to migrate to the green hills of America with a double alias as wife beware beware let not the atmosphere of love so entirely surround you that you will have no outlet of escape but like the man going into battle be always looking behind you and be sure how you stand lest you fall. Love, like a whirlpool whose circle diverge to a centre, will insensibly draw you in until you come to the apex of fornication or matrimony – My lady¹⁶ is quite well and desires to be remembered to you – Lizy¹⁷ is thriving like a young kid on a mountain and my last edition revised and corrected which has appeared in duodecimo.¹⁸ I have called Sarah Kate¹⁹ also bids fair to be stout slip from the old stock. Miss Donoclift²⁰ and all old friends are well. The holy stone sent up to me for the loan of an old coat as he says he cannot stand the frost as well as he did in his young days, I referred him to the poor house, poor old devil he has a bad attack of the stone also the [whoxes] set on him so much that it cannot serve him, but I think bad as he is he will live to see the last sun of prosperity set on Kinsale forever. You Survey chaps are likely to give me a busy time with your McCarthy²¹ business. If I was to go there as often as I am desired she would not have as much time as she could spare to go to the poe.²² I really do not think you should even in thought be poaching on Ginty’s manor.²³ I spoke to the old Mrs²⁴ about you and she was so affected by your kind recollection that she wet a table cloth drying her eyes I was thinking of getting her made into a town pump but as she is not temperate I fear she would produce nothing but grog so gave up the notion but be satisfied with your English venuses and do not be hankering after Ginty’s one little lamb – I suppose you heard of Fenwick’s death²⁵ in Bermuda – peace to his tallow²⁶ he was the best among them in point of ability and I believe in other points but death’s point has laid him in Bermuda’s dust there let him rest – I fully expect to visit Liverpool in the Spring and of course Preston I hope I will not find the place vacant but that Butler Street will retain you among its bricks until I see you. I am longing to take a scamp²⁷ over to you and shall only wait for the fine weather to do so I have no news as this wretched town is not able to produce any or like the mountain in labour all it brings forth is mice. Kinsale Streets at present are a type of the path to Paradise being narrow and rough they have been covered with broken stones over the pavement. In all other respects matters continue in the old way and I suppose if you were to come here in ten years time you would find all the same except a few more houses untenanted. We have a party of strolling players here at present I saw Richard 3rd²⁸ for 2d which was a rich sight as you may suppose. When we meet we will be like the town mouse and the country mouse in the fable²⁹ telling our experience in our separate stations – have you got much better pay now than when in Ireland? Give my love to Latimer and all friends and let me hear from you as soon as you like. I suppose you are glad that they are going to ding the soul out of Dan O’Connel³⁰ I wish they would keelhaul³¹ him well – do you ever take a trip to Liverpool they have pleasant times there. So now my dear old crathur³² wishing you every health and happiness and a good appetite for your Christmas dinner apropos do you remember our day in Dunderrow³³ – May blessings fall on you like rain and every hair of your head be a mould candle to light you to glory is the sincere prayer of your steadfast friend and well wisher

J.C. Chadwick

It is no joke to write a big devil of a letter like this besides wearing ½d worth of pens but I am ready to make any sacrifice to atone for my negligence all I hope is that you will not split your eye balls trying to make it out. Have you any theatre in Preston do you go much into company or are they a party giving people have you worn out much pumps on your light fantastic toes? I would have answered your last sooner but was slightly ill which obliged me to delay but am now in rough health. My boat is on the shore for the winter so that there is an end of that amusement and all I have to do now is to sit by the fire and warm my shins and nurse the youngsters passing my time quite quietly having given up raking and blackguarding. Au revoir.

RI MS JT/1/TYP/11/3503

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