Ipswich | August 21st. 1854.
My dear Tyndall,
What will you say when I tell you that I have been in London since the rect. of your letter1 and that I have not been able to see you, the facts of the case will explain how it occurred; I went to meet my sister,2 who volunteered to cheer my old-Bachelor home. We stopped with some friends out at Kentishtown3 and as I could only spare from my duties two or 3 days I was obliged to take her at Railway speed to see all the sights of London that could be seen in the above time – Sydenham,4 the Tower5 &c – so that I could not leave her for an hour. I greatly regretted my inability to see you, but console myself with the thought that the pleasure of seeing such a sincere and old friend is only deferred for a short time as I hope to be in London again shortly. You did not tell me whether you had become a benedict.6 Nearly all my contemporaries have left me to mourn over my single blessedness (if such it should be called) so I suppose you are to be included in the list. I hope your present appointment7 is a lucrative one.8 No one would be more delighted to hear such was the case than
your old and sincere | Friend | T. C. Higginson.
RI MS JT/1/TYP/2/597
LT Typescript Only
your letter: letter missing.
my sister: possibly Mina Higginson (see letter 0040, n. 11). Not further identified.
Kentishtown: Kentish Town is an area of northwest London in the Borough of Camden.
Sydenham: now an area of southeast London, Sydenham was located in Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created. In 1854 when Higginson would have visited, the Crystal Palace (see letter 0767, n. 7), which was from the Great Exhibition of 1851, had been relocated to Sydenham Hill, making the area an important tourist destination.
Tower: the Tower of London.
benedict: see letter 0885, n. 4.
present appointment: Tyndall was appointed Professor of Natural Philosophy at the RI on 4 July 1853. See letter 0762 for the offer of appointment.
a lucrative one: Tyndall received £200 a year (see letter 0762).
Please cite as “Tyndall0963,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on