Dear John,
The enclosed2 will be sufficient for your purpose3 I think. I go this minute to pack up the electro-magnet4 for you and in it I shall place the 12 cigars which I stupidly forgot to give you at Winchester.5 Our new master6 arrived yesterday and commences work to-morrow. The question about the perpetual motion7 I will consider soon.
Yours affectionately, │ T.A. Hirst.
On looking at the electro magnet I find that the coils which fit around the soft iron poles are not here. Have you got them and is it the remaining part which you now want?
(Here follows Problem)8………………………………
RI MS JT/1/HTYP/316
LT Typescript Only
[27 August 1854]: LT noted at the top of the typescript that the letter ‘must be between Feb 20 and March 2’. However 27 August 1854 seems more likely as Tyndall and Hirst were together at Winchester the previous week while Tyndall requested that Hirst send him back the electro-magnet in letter 0964 dated 25 August (see n. 4).
enclosed: in the typescript LT inserted ‘[a long calculation]’ here. Not otherwise identified.
your purpose: not identified.
electro-magnet: Hirst was referring to the electro-magnet he borrowed from Tyndall (see letters 0833; 0874; 0879; 0902; 0965; and 0968).
Winchester: in his Hirst wrote that he and Wright ‘took [Tyndall] back to Winchester’ (Hirst, ‘Journals’, 20 August 1854). Tyndall also described going to Winchester with Hirst and Wright in his journal entry of 20 August (JT/2/13b/684).
new master: most likely Mr Blanche (see letter 0968, n. 10). In his journal, Hirst wrote: ‘A new master, Mr Blanche, has arrived’ (Hirst, ‘Journals’, 27 August 1854).
The question … perpetual motion: Craven had mentioned that he expected Tyndall would eventually make a major discovery, such as perpetual motion (see letter 0873). Not further identified.
(Here follows the Problem): enclosure missing.
Please cite as “Tyndall0965,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on