From Henry Bence Jones   April 8. 1853

Dear D^r Tyndall

I saw Mr Faraday to day & had a long talk with him about you. He is most anxious you should come to the Institution & what he would like best would be that you should be left to your own good judgment & right feeling without any engagements & that you should receive enough from the institution to make you free of any other engagements. But here unfortunately is the first stop. The institution cannot give you three hundred a year¹ which is the least we think you could live on and it is not near but we could give you 200² for certain. I told him the offer of Mr Gassiott³ & that you had not closed with it because you would not decide hastily on anything which might affect your wishes regarding the Royal Institution. I asked him about your holding Both Professorships. He did not altogether approve thinking one must interfere with the other. But saw no difficulty in your taking one professorship & one lectureship, Mr Brand⁴ did. What he would like best would be that you should be Professor of RI & lecturer at London Institution but this is not exactly what Mr Gassiott wants. I may have some further conversation in a day or two after he has answered what are the best inducements we could offer to you. I think at present £150 a year & perhaps two thirds of the profits of the lectures is all we have; but I think I shall make out something more clear about this soon.

Tell me on what terms £.s.d you consider you could come. You being perfectly free to take lectures elsewhere or private practice or anything except what Mr Gassiott wants namely to devote yourself heart & soul or rather head & hand to the London Institution.

Your letter I should like to be able to read to Mr Faraday if I think fit.

Goodbye for the present | Yours most truly | H. Bence Jones

April 8 1853

RI MS JT/1/J/47

RI MS JT/1/TYP/677