Monday morning
My Dear Tom.
Here I am with nobody up by myself – I have paced the carpet for the last hour thinking of what I should do with myself till breakfast appears. The morning air is chilly and a fellows intellects are awake. without employment at such a time they are apt to become insurrectionary – This is the reason I write to you – you are a makeshift, a tub thrown to amuse the whale till the boat is out of danger. What shall I say to you? What spirit is to give me utterance? Well there’s your luggage – will you have much to carry with you? We can make the journey much pleasanter and quicker if we can go thro’ Belgium but then if the luggage be heavy the fare would be high. You see going up from Rotterdam we have the river against us which makes slow work of it – In the way of clothes I would recommend you to bring one thing and that is a very rough warm winter-coat – some rough pilot or Kersey2 is the best thing you can have – let it reach down a little below your knees - you will find the want of such an article before the winter is over – You can also bring with you a few pairs of Comfortable woollen gloves. there is no advantage in buying these articles in Germany – but on the contrary a disadvantage. –
You talk of not being able to start till the first week in October3 – but that was said under the impression that we were to stop a week or ten days together – now this time can be handed over to your brother in Bristol. I expect an answer to my letter in 10 days or less4 and I should like us to be able to start as soon as possible afterwards. Even if we are there too early we can find profitable occupation for ourselves.
I hope you are enjoying yourself – Give up your speculation for the time being, and become a son of the earth once more, rattle about and amuse yourself – dine liberally5 but dont injure your stomach – take a glass of wine if any body offers it – Strengthen the muscles of that frame of yours – for by gods help the Strength so acquired shall not lie latent yonder
J. Tyndall
RI MS JT/1/T/536
[9 September 1850]: Hirst wrote this date (which was a Monday) at the top of the letter. It seems that here Hirst deduced the date of sending rather than recording the date received. This date is supported by Tyndall’s allusion to letter 0439 of 6 or 7 September (n. 5 below).
pilot or Kersey: both ‘pilot’ and ‘Kersey’ are types of woollen cloth (OED).
You talk of … first week in October: see letter 0433.
my letter … or less: probably the letter to Debus mentioned in letter 0438.
son of the earth … dine liberally: Tyndall is responding to Hirst’s letter (0439) about country life.
Please cite as “Tyndall0440,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on 30 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/tyndall/letters/Tyndall0440