To Thomas Henry Huxley   22nd Feb. 1853

Queenwood | 22^nd Feb. 1853.

My dear Huxley

Twice have you written to me¹ and each time an odour of sanctity (Gott vergebe mich!²) has breathed through your letters - - they have propped my faltering soul and added 50 per cent to my courage and my kindly feeling towards humanity in general. Now what would you have me to do? Speak plain and fear no consequences. Supposing the London Institution makes the offer³ would you have me wait? What kind of a place is it? Is it on a safe footing? Of course the Royal⁴ would be far more to my taste but it is a chair of chemistry and not of physics. I have worked hard at chemistry for some time but any man who has made it his particular study could gravel me upon it, especially on organic chemistry. I think I could lecture pleasantly on the subject but not profoundly without an amount of previous study which I am afraid would divert me from my professed career. Of course I should not object to lecturing on chemistry at intervals but my ordinary ground would be experimental physics. Remember what I want. I want the means of living and the time for working. Can you give me an idea of the duties to be performed at the R.I. Give me your full advice You may depend upon it it will have great weight with me.

believe me dear Huxley | ever Yours most faithfully | John Tyndall

RI MS JT/TYP/9/2858

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