To Thomas Archer Hirst   Friday

Queenwood Friday¹ –

My Dear Tom,

Until now I have not had time to look at the question you have sent me,² much less to [unlap] the roll of memory and lay before you the occurrences of the last 6 weeks – Even now you must be content with a brief outline and console yourself with the prospect of hearing the details some wild wintry night not yet unravelled from the web of time, when you and I shall meet – I with with the frost of years upon my ‘pow’ and you with a time scar upon your now beardless cheek – I started from Southampton on the 15^th of June accompanied by our chemist³ – a young man to whom I would like to introduce you – if he perseveres I have no doubt of his name being familiar to you yet. After a qualmish⁴ passage of 9 hours reached Havre⁵ where we put up for the night – we had some difficulty in getting through the claws of the Gens d’armes⁶ at the Custom House as we had come without passports – on the following day we started for Rouen⁷ where my companion had a friend⁸ we remained at Rouen two days, during which we saw all the curiosity including the Cathedral from the base of which W^m of Normandy⁹ set sail to invade England – the square where Joan of Arc¹⁰ was burnt in which stands the heroic woman’s statue – a voyage down the Seine the scenery of which is delightful – on Monday the 19^th we entered Paris and put up in the third story of a high house taking each a bedroom at 25 francs a month and no sitting room – we breakfasted at our lodgings walked all day and dined at a Restaurant – a capital dinner, including Soup, flesh, fish & desert & half a bottle of wine for 11^d! – On the morning of the day on which the insurrection¹¹ commenced I left Paris for London stopped that night at Amiens¹² where the intelligence of the battle reached me – the next morning the [rappel¹³] was beaten and a host of national

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guards volunteered to go and assist their brethren at Paris. I saw them start – a fine body of men – each furnished with a substantial loaf which was transfixed by his bayonet! Arrived at London the Times¹⁴ contained the news of the horrible carnage and moreover mentioned the very street where I had left my friend as being the scene of a bloody encounter. I was in a sad state of anguish, and directly after having finished in London I set out again to seek him. All was tranquil when I arrived, groups of military were encamped in the streets. Dragoons, horses, hay, and straw thronged the public squares, the paviors¹⁵ were at work levelling the barricade and the floating multitude seemed as gay as usual. Of course the scenes of the hottest encounter engaged my attention first. Paris will long bear the mark of the affray. The Rue St. Jacques; Rue St. Antoine, Faubourgh, St Antoine, Clos St. Lazare,¹⁶ &c will long be memorable. Having remained about 3 weeks, during which we visited the palaces of St. Cloud and Versailles, we bade good bye to the metropolis of fashion. Lamartine¹⁷ we did not see, but we received an exceedingly kind note from Madame Lamartine¹⁸ to whom we had written for tickets¹⁹ for the National Assembly. Having left Paris we journeyed northwards, through Douay, Valenciennes²⁰ &c to Brussels; here we remained 3 days, one of which was spent upon the plains of Waterloo.

We then went to Antwerp, where are deposited the great works of Reubens²¹ and the blacksmith artist. Afterwards to Ghent. I can’t afford space to describe the magnificent churches of Belgium. Statues, pillars, cedar pulpits set amid trees of marble – the leaves branches, and fruit most exquisitely chiselled – I will defer the remained until the time of meeting aforesaid

Goodbye | Tyndall

Now for your question

xy = 108

Clear the first equation of fraction by multiplying by x + y

(x + y)² = 4xy + 6(x + y)

(x + y)² – 6(x + y) = 4xy = 4 × 108 = 432.

add to each side the square of half the coefficient of (x + y)

(x + y)² – 6(x + y) + 9 = 432 + 9 = 441

a glance will prove to you that the left side of the equation is a complete square

extract the square root of both sides and we have

x + y – 3 = 21 x + y = 24

xy = 108

which reduces it to a simple equation. In some equations a good deal of tact is required in the grouping of the quantities this by practice alone can be obtained had I multiplied (x + y) actually by itself I should perhaps have got myself into difficulty.

I hope Jemmy²² will enjoy his ramble – I often wish to be near you both once more, as I believe I could render myself more useful to you than heretofore. As an educator at Queenwood²³ I have myself been educated far less by a contact with my colleagues than by a contact with the lads.

RI MS JT/1/HTYP/9-10

RI MS JT/1/T/979

Portions of letter are LT Transcript Only