My dear Tom
Since last I wrote to you I have lectured twice2 in London. The first lecture fell far below my own ideal,3 nevertheless I was informed almost officially that it was highly approved. Yesterday I came on again, I was in better health and although my materials were of a less important character still I threw fire and freedom enough into the matter to please everybody myself included. Indeed the hour was one of enjoyment to me. I was crowded with questioners after the lecture: and some of my kind friends said that I had transcended myself. Faraday and an aristocratic looking man pushed through the throng and came up to me. The latter was Sir Henry Holland.4 He has been in Iceland and has some beautiful paintings of the Geyser5 which he wants to shew me so he engaged me to breakfast with him on Friday morning. ‘You live in town? do you not’ he asked – ‘no no said Faraday ‘but he will do so very soon.’ A professor of the Museum of Economic Geology*6 called me aside and said that all the professors there were working to have me, and that now a post was open for me. I said that I was all but engaged to the Royal Institution – You can hold both was his reply. but this cannot be. They wanted to have me at the London Institution also: but although I am at liberty to lecture where I please I am to be professor at the Royal Institution only.7 I shall be guided altogether by Faraday – I have received8 the official expression of the wish of the managers to elect me as Professor at £200 a year. This it is said is but the commencement. A full meeting was unanimous in my favour, and some were for offering me a higher salary at first. At the end of June the seal will be set to the proceedings. I hope you will note every good experiment you see. The geyser came off on Friday.9
Magnus is published.10 Wiedemann arrived luckily.11 I used the Sirene12 yesterday. Sauerwald has done his duty, it is a beautiful instrument. You can send your box direct to Queenwood, but I think it must be accompanied by a declaration of what it contains. I know M. Verdet very well, he is connected with the Annales de Chimie.13 My compliments to him should you see him. This is a swift letter Tom and I have not time to moralize on passing events – but I could do so. I hope I shall be able to digest everything into nutriment; as yet there is no fear of your brother, he looks upon it all with a very philosophical eye.
Affectionately | John
* a government Institution
RI MS JT/1/T/562
RI MS JT/1/HTYP/243
[5 June 1853]: while another hand has written ‘28th May. 1853’ at the top of this letter, the references to two lectures in this letter (see n. 2), suggest that it was written on 5 June.
lectured twice: likely refers to his 3 June lecture on geysers (see letter 0752, n. 10) and his 4 June lecture on ‘Air and Water’ (see letter 0726, n. 4).
below my own ideal: in his journal entry for 6 July, which summarized a month’s worth of events, Tyndall said that ‘the geyser lecture … fell far below my own hopes’ (JT/2/13b/607).
Sir Henry Holland: 1st Baronet and physician, Holland (1788–1873) was known for his travel writings. He would become President of the RI in 1865.
the Geyser: the Great Geyser in southwestern Iceland. Holland had extensively travelled the country.
Museum of Economic Geology: see letter 0718, n. 4 and 0721, n. 9.
professor of the Royal Institution only: this is stipulated in letter 0762.
have received: see n. 7.
geyser came off on Friday: see n. 2.
Magnus is published: see letter 0713, n. 14.
Wiedemann arrived luckily: see letters 0745, n. 7 and 0759, n. 14.
Sirene: see letter 0759, n. 19.
Annales de Chimie: see letter 0745, n. 13.
Please cite as “Tyndall0764,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on