From Thomas Archer Hirst   Aug. 7th /52

Göttingen. | Aug. 7th /52

My dear John,

You see by the above that I have at last fulfilled my intention of visiting Göttingen.¹ A week ago I left Marburg with my new title ‘Dr Hirst’² and a few letters of introduction from Gerling and Kohlrausch to Gauss and Weber. I must confess I do not like letters of introduction; indeed, visiting great guns of all species is at first a task to me, but if I must do it I would rather make my way slower and on my own merits than thank any body for giving me a certain start; in the one case the first impression you make has a chance of being gradually improved, in the latter it is not so sure, for the friend who introduces you may have made a mistake and introduced somebody better than you. However, they were offered me and I could not refuse them. Weber is very kind to me, he is an interesting fellow indeed. Do you remember Turner,³ the Unitarian parson at Halifax? For he has great similarity in his personal appearance and painful stuttering utterance. In spite of this however he is a great talker; when I go I have nothing to do but give him a start and he talks away the whole interview without a veritable full stop. It is true his conversation goes scientifically often beyond my depth. But judging from what I do understand he has an extraordinarily clear head. I am making some experiments with him, on the determination of the Magnetic inclination by a new and beautiful method of his which in a future letter I will try and explain to you.⁴ At present I have too many things on hand to spare the time. I am studying his Electrodynamics⁵ which he has lent me and shall ask him to make some experiments therein also. In spite of his hesitating expression his lectures are splendid. He forgets everybody and everything in his absorption, uses his experiments and his blackboard as they ought to be used, viz. as a language – in this respect he equals Bunsen. He has also his eccentricities which are not without interest. Sometimes he stutters for several seconds, to the great pain of all his hearers, and cannot get one syllable out: he knows his liability to do this and enters the room with the first sentence on his lips so as to have a fair start, before all are seated and almost before he reaches the table he has commenced his lecture. Yesterday he introduced me to Gauss. We did not find him at home but at the Museum,⁶ reading his newspaper. I said only a few words to him, however, for I did not want to disturb him, and there were too many people about. I shall go alone and meet the lion in his den. There is something about Gauss that fascinates me – a more venerable, gentlemanly looking old fellow I do not remember to have seen. I thought too in his face I could trace a peculiar expression, I hardly know what to call it – it seemed to suggest a certain repose after a nobly spent life. I must look at it again. There is another fellow here, Stern⁷ the Mathematician, also an able fellow. I had no introduction to him but attended his lecture on Mechanics, and then went to ask his leave to do so again. In ten minutes I felt more at home with him than either Gauss or Weber, and as I came away he invited me to take a comfortable ‘butter-brod’⁸ with him when I wished. I took him at his word and went again, and was greatly pleased, for he made not the least stir or bustle, but let me see him as he was. We had the plainest of all possible butterbrods together and no lack of conversation thereto. I meet him too almost every evening in the water; for we both go regularly to a bathing place in the neighbourhood. All Göttingen bathes daily at a little spot about half a mile from the town. By the Lord, I am getting to be a magnificent swimmer, you used to make pretensions in that line but I shall cut you out very soon.

You will have commenced your Session once again. I have been in such a bustle since I received your last⁹ that I have both mislaid your letter and forgotten what it was about, or whether there was something in it I ought to answer. Oh! I remember, about those Crystals and Apparatus.¹⁰ I told Knoblauch once or twice about them before he wrote to order them – the poor little fellow was so absorbed with his wife (By the bye, one of the most interesting German ladies I have met). The crystals he says you will not get for some time yet, the ‘Thermo Saule’¹¹ perhaps sooner; my brother¹² will perhaps come over in September and we shall go through Berlin together – if so, and if it is ready, as Knoblauch is going to try and arrange it, I will send it by him. The crystals are ordered in Frankfort, and there appears to be much uncertainty both as to when and how you are to get them. How about the Irish Situation?¹³ If I understood Weber right you have written to him about it.¹⁴ I gave him copies of your memoirs.¹⁵ And to-morrow I shall give Gauss some also – Frankland is over (Tell Debus my watch arrived safe¹⁶ and thank him for me, I will write to him soon) – confound my parentheses!! I am in a terrible hurry to get to bed and things crowd on me at the last moment. Well, as I was saying Frankland is over, I have met him several times in Marburg and Cassel. Two of his pupils¹⁷ are in Marburg too for a short time (I cannot resist another parenthesis, for in it I have to record the before unheard-of fact that in Marburg at present are no less than fifteen British subjects, men, women and children). One of these pupils is a chip off the true block, a sturdy, common-sensible young fellow, who knows as well how to work as play; another monument of Carlyle’s influence on Young-England.¹⁸ He returns at the end of the month and I shall take advantage of the opportunity and send you a copy of the Dissertation.¹⁹ Very neatly got-up, you will say, when you see it, that is, as far as the printing etc. goes. But now I will go to bed, for I have to be up at 5:30 a.m.

Good night and God bless thee. | Thine affectionately, | T.A. Hirst.

Write by return to Marburg. At the end of this month I shall be on my way to Berlin most likely.

R1 MS JT/1/HTYP/202-203

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