From William Francis   March 5/51

Brighton, | March 5/51.

My dear Sir,

Your letter of the 28^th ult.¹ fortunately reached me just previous to my leaving town, and although a few days’ delay has unavoidably occurred, I hope that my answer will not be the last of the three.² I will at once proceed to answer your queries, and first of all that relating to the income likely to be derived from the Reports and Translations. Unfortunately, as I informed you at our last meeting,³ the Magazine⁴ is by no means a wealth-producing one, and cannot afford to pay more than £2 per sheet⁵ – at all events for the present. As regards the quantity which I shall probably be able to dispose of, I fear it will be impossible to make room for more than one sheet per month – which is ¹/₅th of the Magazine. This would only give you £24 per annum. I freely acknowledge that this is but poor remuneration for your labour; but for the present I find it impossible to give more. I shall certainly endeavour to make room for as much of copy as possible, and should the Scientific Memoirs be continued (which, however, is very doubtful) I would immediately call upon you to furnish me with Translations for that work. But taking all together, I do not think you ought to calculate upon deriving more than from £24 to £30 from the journal – upon this, however, you may safely reckon.

With respect to your accepting of the position at Queenwood College, I can readily imagine the difficulty in which you are placed from that in which I find myself on being called upon to advise you on the subject. As you correctly observe, good places are scarce; but it does appear to me that a person of ability who has devoted himself specially to the Physical Sciences would very soon meet with a desirable berth at one of our Medical Schools or other Colleges. I certainly should strongly advise against your going to Australia;⁶ for that would seem to me to be like going out of the world as far as science is concerned, especially that branch to which you have devoted yourself. It is very probable that you might not succeed in finding a suitable place immediately upon your return to England, but I consider it very likely that after a short residence in London something might turn up. In the meantime you might perhaps manage to give a lecture or two at the Royal Institution, and possibly at the London Institution; and although I might not be able myself to furnish you with more occupation, I have not the least doubt I should be able to procure some literary occupation for you from other parties.

I regret that my present absence from town has prevented me from making some inquiries which might have enabled me to have given a more satisfactory answer. I fear I shall have contributed little to settle your doubts, but the question is so serious a one that I fear to advise one way or the other. Did I dare, it would give me the greatest pleasure to say: stop in Germany another year as you propose, and do not sacrifice those excellent opportunities you possess and which occur to so few persons – But then, on the other hand, there is the offer of, I will say, a comfortable position, and, I suppose, one safe to last, thus removing all anxiety as to the future. The choice is difficult, but should you decide upon remaining in Germany be assured that I shall keep a look-out for you here, and should anything present itself that I fancied would suit you, I would let you know at once and do what little lay in my power to serve your interest. I have felt greatly honoured by the confidence you have placed in me and which I shall endeavour to deserve by assisting you in any way that I may be able. Hoping that the other two letters expected may contain more and better materials for enabling you to come to a right conclusion,

I remain, dear Sir, | Yours very sincerely, | William Francis.

John Tyndall, Ph. D. | Marburg, | Hesse Cassel.⁷

RI MS JT/1/TYP/11/3573–3574;

RI MS JT/5/16b/422

Transcripts only