From Thomas Archer Hirst   Oct. 7th 52¹

Berlin Oct. 7^th 52.²

My dear John

I have received your letter³ and on the strength of the uncertainty as to my coming suddenly to England I have taken lodgings and shall enter on a course of lectures with Derichlet, Steiner⁴ and Eisenstein,⁵ mathematicians and perhaps Dove on Physics. My brother has now returned⁶ and I can enter unfettered into my work. God willing I will make up for the month’s, lost time, I was going to say, at any rate superfluous holiday.⁷ I was glad to hear you went to Belfast and were Secretary there,⁸ it will no doubt be of service to you. The incident with Sir David Brewster⁹ is very natural to a great class of people, at first he thought you a sort of bold adventurer perhaps, when you appeared in the Scientific lists as the antagonist of Plücker;¹⁰ he is a chary fellow and naturally looked askance, now he begins to think it safe to patronize you. – Continue to go your own quiet way as before and Brewster his and then as Carlyle says.–––

we shall see. –––

You say in your letter ‘well, I contrived to feel indifferent about Sir David’s indifference, whispering to myself that a day might come when he perhaps could not afford to be so great as he was’. These few words John remind me again of something I often wish to say, but on account of its vagueness, for it is a mere intuitive feeling, I could never get it expressed. I hardly ever yet saw any thing in or about thee John that I could not from my soul sympathize with, and myself strive after, hardly any point in which I did not feel thee to be the stronger so that when I would have spoken or made attempt to advise, it seemed to me that silence was more becoming; it is therefore with real and no assumed diffidence that I venture to express a kind of instinctive misgiving I have had sometimes when thinking about thee lately, and as instinct is worth listening to whatever height we may have gained through Reason I will break my silence. It may be all fancy on my part to be laughed away merely. I hope so. It is that Science may be demanding too much of thee[;] it too thou wilt grant has allurements and temptations all the more dangerous because not recognized as such by the more intelligent part of the world. Its demands too are great, tending to swamp the man in the philosopher; all this you know far better than I do; are you sure however that you are keeping a sharp eye to it? I know that like a garment preoccupation can be sometimes cast aside when requisite; but a garment can be worn until it become a necessity. (Old Coton¹¹ used to assert that we came by our breeches in some such way). In short John it appears to me that few have made such sacrifices to science during the last few years as you, perhaps few obtained as brilliant and durable results, which but increase the danger; and lastly what diminishes this danger I allow, few as able to carry their brilliant results. I have said now what I wanted on the strength of our mutual friendship, the purest and best of God’s gifts to me on earth, you will take this word of caution as from a brother,¹² pure instinct has suggested it to him and he gives it on no other ground.

<Tyndall’s copy in his journal ends; hereafter LT Transcript of Hirst’s letter>

I have called on Kleiner about your Thermo Saüle,¹³ it is not ready or my brother would have brought it you, he promises to have it ready in 14 days, I must then contrive to send it. What about the payment – I have plenty of money for myself and had no intention of drawing on you for another £10; I did it before more as a precaution on starting on a long journey than because I was in want of it; I am not aware what the Thermo Saüle will cost and therefore cannot promise to pay for it. Write me instructions on the matter.

I received Debus’s letter¹⁴ also the other day, he will hear from me soon.

Adieu.¹⁵ | Thine affectionately, | Thomas A Hirst.

RI MS JT/2/6/161–162

RI MS JT/1/HTYP/210

JT Transcript and LT Transcript