My dear Tom
The medal affair2 is now consummated. The enclosed copies of letters3 will shew you how I have acted. You know that it was a very near tie between another4 and me. There was some heartburning and disappointment on the other side, and hence grumbling afterwards. They set about scrutinizing the affair; first they found that Thomson was opposed to me, second that my two first papers5 were joint papers with Knoblauch, third that my third paper6 had been got up in the private laboratory of Prof. Magnus, fourth that this same paper was published in German7 before it appeared in English, fifthly that one or two men who have got a name in England8 thought that I had not quite made out my point. And I could have urged in opposition to all this that they were too late with their objections, that I had been long proposed, say that my proposers had offered to adjourn the discussion of the matter but that they pushed the debate forward and were defeated. But I would not avail myself of the claim which the decision gave me. A medal is a thing so highly esteemed that I suppose they thought it would never enter into my brain to yield it up – But I thought the best way to put down all pettifogging9 and whispering and thus leave myself a clear and unquestionable path for the future would be to decline the medal altogether – I did so and this day the Council met,10 and it was resolved that the medal should not be awarded at all this year. I will say no more – the copies of the letters will explain my measures of action.
Affectionately yours | John
Faraday subscribes most cordially to all that I have done – My resolution on the subject just anticipated the advice that he was going to give me. My letter to Christie11 will stand upon the Council minutes.12 I was not at Clapham13 with Faraday & Mrs. Faraday on Tuesday eve[in]g. I left them in the midst of a fog at Charing Cross.14 but could not get near ‘the Cross’.15 They wanted me to spend the night at Albemarle Street16 but I anticipated no serious difficulty in getting home. I was glad to run after the rumble of the cab and go home along with them.
(Copy of Letter to Mr Christie.)
[…]17
Copy of note to Mr Gassiot
[…]18
Mr Gassiot’s reply
[…]19
RI MS JT/1/T/581
RI MS JT/1/HTYP/287–288a
[24 November 1853]: most likely written on 24 November as Tyndall stated that he wrote this letter on the day that the Council of the RS met to determine the fate of the Royal Medal for 1853 after he had declined the award.
The medal affair: see letters 0828; 0830; 0831; 0836, n. 6; and 0876, n. 9.
The enclosed copies of letters: see nn. 17–19.
another: August Wilhelm Hofmann. On 4 November, Tyndall noted the following about the Council’s decision surrounding the Royal Medal: ‘it was found that Cayley had one vote and that Hofmann and I were equal. The choice thus rested between us two. It was again put and the man who first voted for Cayley appears to have voted for me and thus turned the scale in my favour’ (Journal, JT/2/13b/631).
my two first papers: see J. Tyndall and H. Knoblauch, ‘On the deportment of crystalline bodies between the poles of a magnet’, Phil. Mag. 36:242 (March 1850), pp. 178–83; and J. Tyndall and H. Knoblauch, ‘On the magneto-optic properties of crystals, and the relation of magnetism and diamagnetism to molecular arrangement’, Phil. Mag. 37:247 (July 1850), pp. 1–33.
my third paper: J. Tyndall, ‘On Diamagnetism and Magnecrystallic Action’, Phil. Mag. 2:10 (September 1851), pp. 165–88.
this same paper was published in German: J. Tyndall, ‘Ueber Diamagnetismus und Magnekrystallinische Wirkung’, Poggend. Annal. 83 (1851), pp. 384–416.
one or two men who have got a name in England: likely Charles Wheatstone and William Hopkins (see letter 0828, n. 5).
pettifogging: petty quibbling (OED).
the Council met: the Council of the Royal Society (see letter 0816, n. 7) met on 24 November to discuss the Royal Medal (see n. 1).
My letter to Christie: see letter 0828.
the Council minutes: Tyndall’s letter to Christie (letter 0828) was read out at the Council meeting of 24 November (Jackson, ‘Tyndall and the Royal Medal’, p. 157).
Clapham: see letter 0795, n. 8.
Charing Cross: the junction where Strand, Whitehall, and Cockspur Street meet in central London (see also n. 15).
the Cross: a cross erected by King Edward I (1239–1307) in memory of his wife, Eleanor of Castile (1241–90), for which Charing Cross (see n. 12) was named. However, from 1675, a statue of King Charles I (1600–49) occupied the site of the cross.
Albemarle Street: Michael Faraday and his wife, Sarah Faraday, were possibly suggesting that Tyndall spend the night at the RI, which was located at 21 Albemarle Street.
[…]: here Tyndall copied out letter 0828.
[…]: here Tyndall copied out letter 0830.
[…]: here Tyndall copied out letter 0835.
Please cite as “Tyndall0837,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on