30th July 1848
........1 Thomas2 is still R.E.3 at Wigan4 and Milton5 in Lincolnshire6 – Roberts’7 conduct has got him into a scrape at last. Mr Wright8 fined him a sovereign – but with no effect, he again absented himself in a drunken spree for 3 days – he then dismissed him but has since taken him back – fining him £8.8 and compelling to write a letter of apology acknowledging its justice. Some have been dismissed lately9 – more likely to follow – Topling10 is back again – the lime burning11 not suiting it appears. You did not say whether you found your friend12 safe or not on your return to Paris – I wish I had been with you. I shall certainly go there as soon as I can (by the way that ear of wheat was not enclosed) (send it) Peb13 is jolly well and at her tricks again.
Why don’t you write oftener?
very sincerely | W.G. Ginty.
RI MS JT/1/TYP/11/3638
LT Transcript Only
........: Louisa Tyndall annotation: ‘first part missing’.
Thomas: not identified; probably not Thomas Hirst, who was still working for Richard Carter.
R.E.: likely ‘Railway Engineer’ or ‘Royal Engineer’.
Wigan: a town in Lancashire, located on the important West Coast railway line.
Milton: an estate in Lincolnshire, near Peterborough.
Lincolnshire: a county in east England.
Roberts’: not identified; possibly a relative of Margaret Roberts Ginty.
Mr Wright: first name unknown, not to be confused with William Wright.
Some have been dismissed lately: not identified.
Topling: not identified.
lime burning: probably a reference to the process of producing calcium oxide (quicklime) in a lime kiln.
your friend: probably Edward Frankland, who had accompanied Tyndall on his trip to Paris.
Peb: a nickname for Margaret Roberts Ginty.
Please cite as “Tyndall0352,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on 5 May 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/tyndall/letters/Tyndall0352