Wandsworth Common | 25th. Sep. 1854.
My dear Tyndall
Two letters which I received to day remind me specially of you, add to this the conscience – the result a billet.
The one was from our ever charming friend Hirst, in answer to one I wrote to him about Harry Hill whose excellent conduct elicits my best praise – this informs me of your whereabouts and your proposed wanderings in North Wales.1 The second was from my sister in law, Mrs Sarah Jenkins,2 whom I think you once met at Wandsworth – at any rate she speaks of you – fancies you must be at Liverpool,3 and would be delighted to see you at her house – Rock Park, Rock ferry, on the opposite bank of the Mersey4
In case you have the time and the inclination, I enclose you a note of introduction and hope you will give them a call – Mr Jenkins5 is also to be found at his office – say 44 or there abouts – Castle Street Liverpool. So Hirst has had some attractive influence upon a distant comet whose path hereafter will circle near his own. Although his orbit may be some-what changed thereby yet it will give a beautiful halo of light to the constellation in which he moves and I hope thereby myself to gain a glimmer from this cometic wanderer.
This is a festive night with me – Good news at all hands – Hirst the Batchelor to be married;6 my son that has been ill – well; George,7 my brother, escaped from death’s untimely clutch – nearly taken off by cholera, but now rapidly recovering. Myself, the curmudgeon, tempered with these trials and wiser made.
Take me with you at eventide as the sun descends behind the Welsh mountains and when you wander alone. Take me with you when you early rise and brush the fresh dew from the upland path. Leave me to play in the Rainbow of the Waterfall, then I will accompany you arm in arm when the night falls and we will enter the Hotel together and call for our drink.
‘Twas thus that I sometimes beguiled my imagination – at the Rigi,8 on the banks of Lac Lutzern9 and on the mountains near Inter Laken.10
I remain | my dear friend | Yours affectionately | J.B.B.
RI MS JT/1/TYP/1/150
LT Typescript Only
proposed wanderings in North Wales: Tyndall travelled to North Wales from Liverpool after the BAAS meeting (see letters 0950, n. 2; 0967, n. 3; 0972, n. 3; and 0975). He recounted his journey in his journal entries of 27 September through 5 October 1854 (Journal, JT/2/13b/692–4).
Mrs Sarah Jenkins: presumed to be the wife of Mr. Jenkins (see n. 5).
fancies you must be at Liverpool: see n. 1.
Rock ferry … the Mersey: Rock Ferry in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England a town located on the west bank of the River Mersey across from Liverpool.
Mr Jenkins: a solicitor who resided at Rock Park, Rock Ferry, Cheshire (‘Assignments for Benefit of Creditors’, The Solicitors’ Journal & Reporter [26 December 1857], pp. 121–40, on p. 140).
Hirst the Batchelor to be married: Hirst was engaged to Anna Martin (see letters 0949; 0951, n. 3; 0953; 0954; and 0970, n. 13).
George: George Bevington. Not further identified.
Rigi: Mount Rigi, also known as ‘Queen of the Mountains’, located in Central Switzerland in the Alps. It is almost completely surrounded by three lakes, Lake Lucerne, Lake Zug, and Lake Lauerz.
Lac Lutzern: refers to Lake Lucerne (see n. 8).
Inter Laken: the region located on an alluvial plain between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz in the Bernese Oberland.
Please cite as “Tyndall0974,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on