To Thomas Archer Hirst¹

My Dear Tom,

I have just returned from a pilgrimage to the scenes of Luthers² life and find a mountain of work before me – thus am I necessitated to put you off with a short letter in reply to your last³ long and valuable communication – ‘have patience with me and I will pay thee all’⁴ –

Last Monday I was seated in the room of the Wartburg⁵ in Eisenach⁶ where Martin flung the inkbottle at the devil⁷ – the spot where it struck the wall is still shewn, there is no ink the plaster is merely struck away. thence to Leipzig, Kuppers⁸ is there, but being attired as a thorough-bred traveller I felt reluctant to call upon him, so passed on to Dresden merely dropping him a note letting him know my proximity – Dresden is something like what Paris was at the end of last June⁹ – shattered and burnt in many places¹⁰ – From Dresden I travelled to Wittenberg¹¹ and saw Luthurs grave his house and old furniture – upon the spot where he burnt the popes bull¹² is planted an oak tree protected by railing and surrounded by flowers

as I rose on friday morning last a ‘long rule of levelled light’¹³ streamed through a gap in the building and smote his statue which stands in the market place, it was early, all was still, and the scene was suggestive of many thoughts –

I see no flattery in you Tom but I see a feeling which readily leads you to over estimate the effect of our intercourse – had you never seen me you would have been excited by some other agency perhaps a better – I shall not attempt to assign a value to your letter by comparing it with any material good – the quantities are mathematically incommensurable – but this I will say, that what you have written will be a sweet remembrance and precious encouragement to me – I have lately written to Carlyle¹⁴ and mentioned you to him, he may write to you or he may not, if the former good – if the latter we can fight our way without him.

I was once obliged to leave Halifax on account of ill health if you remember – Jemmy¹⁵ will never forget it – I took ‘Chartism’¹⁶ along with me and read it in the green fields between Preston and Goosnarg¹⁷ – It is a most able and eloquent work, and deals, as you say, with the root of the matter – I wish heartily that we had a good translation of it for German students, they are brave young fellows but mad with the phantasm of democracy – a republic they imagine is the panacea for all earthly ills – this is a natural reaction against the irrational King-government which has so long pressed them down, but like other reactions it swings just as far beyond the true centre –

Will you mention in your next letter the nature of the experiments made by M^r Richardson? – I have thought it possible that I might some day deliver a course on electro chemistry in England, but if forestalled I of course would spend no time in arranging materials – an account of the experiments will at once inform me whether I have any thing new to offer.

Poor M^rs Wright I am truly sorry to hear that she is no longer cheerful – She was a brave struggling little woman – a little fiery, but that was necessary to keep her courage up.

Doubtless I shall soon be obliged to release Ada¹⁸ from her bond, she will be fixing her choice upon somebody else, the people here say that I am either married or engaged, I am so inattentive & seem to care so little for lady’s society – this however is only apparent

I send a sketch of the ramble to the Chronicle¹⁹ and will request the editor to send you a number

bel- me²⁰ dear Tom | Your affectionate friend | J. Tyndall

next month I will answer your questions on Chemistry –

RI MS JT/1/HTYP/24

RI MS JT/1/T/519-1