Saturday April 1st. 1854.
My dear Tom
My lectures1 end on Tuesday next, and I may be tempted to come down to Queenwood on Wednesday. I hope George Bell2 will be able to give me some light work to do digging, picking grass, raking, or something of the kind. It would I am afraid be mere loss of time and strength (of which there is not much to lose) to remain here after the lectures have been finished. Possibly my brief sojourn in Queenwood may even aid me in the preparation of my educational lecture.3 But this is a secondary point with me at present. The first thing is to get these absurd nerves and muscles into a normal condition. I go out to Bennetts4 tomorrow. So you see that I am allowing myself much holiday time. Not more than I need I am sorry to say. I saw Ginty yesterday. He will probably be at Queenwood on Saturday night the 8th. to inspect some sick gas apparatus.
In a few days therefore I shall probably
Breathe the breath
Of the cowslip and primrose sweet
With the sky above my head
And the grass beneath my feet.
The thought is comforting.
Good bye | John
RI MS JT/1/HTYP/333
LT Typescript Only
My lectures: likely a reference to Tyndall’s lectures on Heat at the RI (see letter 0865, n. 6). The last of this course of lectures was delivered on 4 April.
George Bell: not identified.
my educational lecture: see letter 0900, n. 6; 0906, n. 4; 0913, n. 4; and 0933, n. 1.
Bennetts: possibly Edward Bennett and his brother (see letter 0871); not further identified.
Please cite as “Tyndall0914,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on