From Thomas Archer Hirst   June 13th /52

Marburg, June 13th /52

My dear John,

I wrote to Debus last Sunday little thinking that I should be able to write to you to-day to say that I have knocked the dissertation on the head. Last Christmas, as I told you,¹ I looked round the matter and spent the best part of a week thereon; since I returned from England I have stuck closely to it for ten days and it is now done with the exception of the mere mechanical part. The thing is small, it is true, but I have Stegmann’s and Schell’s authority when I say it is a rather neat little investigation, and, what is better, it has opened the door to still more. Both the Professor and Schell kindly offered to give me any assistance they could, but as it happened I did not require it. Schell visited me one day in the middle of it, and appeared much interested. I had an opportunity of observing his abilities a little. Schell’s is one of the quick, brilliant and impulsive intellects, ever rich in suggestions, though often in danger of jumping to immature conclusions. Such an intellect is, however, of great value if it be but accompanied with an ability for patient experiment and honest disinterestedness in, or contentment with, their conclusions. He made several such suggestions, all ingenious and pretty, with reference to a complicated expression on which hung most of my hopes. Many of these, however, were exploded there and then by maturer consideration, and although he thought he could solve the matter if I would let him take a copy home with him, he failed to do so as he afterwards told me. One morning at 5 a.m. in bed a thought struck me in reference to this identical expression, to interpret whose significance had baffled me for two days; acting on the hint I got up, washed myself and attacked it uninterruptedly until dinner time; it was one of the luckiest hints that ever entered my big head², obstacle after obstacle tumbled before it, and in the space of two days the whole problem, much to my surprise, as well as to that of Stegmann and Schell, was solved. The same day Stegmann came to sit an hour with me, not having seen me for a week. ‘How do you get on with the dissertation?’ he asked. ‘I think I have finished it, Professor’, I replied. He put on one of his significant smiles, in which perhaps one might have traced a little sarcastic scepticism, as he asked me to shew him it. I did so. He made no remark at all until it was finished except putting a few pertinent questions when I explained badly; at the end however he was pleased and said he could suggest no improvement, that I had nothing to do but set it in circulation among the faculty directly. Accordingly I have justly translated it into German and Schell is kindly correcting it for me.³

So much for the ‘History of my Dissertation’. I shall remain here to the end of the Semester superintending it, printing, etc. and, as there are no lectures I care to hear, I will go on with more investigations connected with the subject as well as my mathematical readings with Schell. Knoblauch has brought a pleasant-looking wife back with him, I have not yet spoken to her, but shall do on Thursday for there is to be an English Kräntzchen⁴ then. I have only seen him once since I returned and that was the other morning. I thought I would go quietly and hear him lecture. He entered the room and commenced his lecture in the usual style with ‘Meine Herren’ without seeing me, then his eye happening to catch mine he gave a slight start, then a broad grin and a nod at the end of it, and rather pothered at having interrupted his own lecture, thus he stammered on until he regained his equilibrium. He said afterwards he was astonished most with my looks, which were so much more cheerful and healthy than usual. So says all Marburg indeed, perhaps Johann⁵ expressed it most graphically – he came to me with his hand extended (the same hand on which you may have noticed a peculiarly comical first finger). ‘Nun Herr Hirst, wie gehts? Sie haben sich in der Zeit recht tüchtig gefuttert’.⁶ Wrightson is in despair with his investigation.⁷ Poor fellow, I am half sorry on his account that I have been so lucky with mine, it seems to have suggested uncomfortable thoughts in him. The Simpsons with their sister,⁸ intended for me Wrightson says, are pleasant neighbours here. Fräulein Hille is I am glad to say somewhat better; for thy satisfaction I may add however that I have not yet seen her. ⁹

Tom.

Dr. Tyndall, | Queenwood College, | Stockbridge, Hampshire, England.¹⁰

RI MS JT/1/HTYP/197–198

LT Transcript Only