To James Coxe

My dear D^r Coxe

On Monday morning as I entered Faraday’s room I noticed a shade upon his countenance – ‘Have you heard the sad news Tyndall.’ was his first question ‘No’ I responded ‘Forbes is dead’ said he ‘Edward Forbes – taken off last Saturday.’¹ I had heard of his illness on Thursday – heard of it at a little society² of which Forbes was the soul when he resided in London: but none of us deemed his illness serious. His health was proposed by Samuel Lover³ who occupied the chair which he was accustomed to occupy – little did we think as we responded to it that at our next meeting we should have an opportunity of pledging the memory of our friend. Two short months ago I saw him at Liverpool,⁴ apparently full of life and vigour, and heard his manly voice, which fell upon me like a refreshing dew, amid the soft sawder of the President’s dinner. Exactly two months from the day in which he was finally smitten down he presided at the ‘Red Lion’ dinner,⁵ and through his very jollity you could discern the substratum of a man. – a broad, genial, manly soul who could do honour to all the phases of human nature. We shall long remember him – for us who knew and loved him he is woven into the eternal texture of things and though dead yet speaketh.

Surely if there be one who more than any other has reason to bless the gods for raising up friends around him, I am he. By a kind of moral gravitation they move towards me and I towards them. I never made an arrangement to catch a friend in my life, but they have come without my contrivance, guided by laws which are apparently beyond my powers of investigation. In your note⁶ which lies before me I have the most recent proof of this. I will do as M^rs Coxe desires me and ‘think’ of the matter⁷ – meanwhile I may tell you my present thoughts concerning it. Faraday and I are very good friends and I have got a notion that I ought not to do anything that would harm him. This very notion prevented me from accepting a post in the Government School of Science⁸ which was offered to me more than once and concerning which poor Edward Forbes wrote to me⁹ expressing the wish of himself and his colleagues to have me among them. Other offers have been made to me but my feeling towards Faraday has induced me to decline them all. Now high as the position is to which you refer – higher indeed than I can hope to attain to in London – still if my accepting it would grieve Faraday I hardly think that I could accept it. But Faraday is a noble soul and will not ask me to do any thing contrary to my true interests – I will therefore talk the matter over privately with him and let you know the result.

I confess also that I should like to be a little riper than I am before undertaking duties of so responsible a character, but I suppose each succeeding year would diminish this drawback and render me less unworthy of being the successor of such men as Leslie¹⁰ and Forbes. With regard to the position itself, it is I should say all that a man of science could wish for. It would set his mind at rest as regards the miserable ‘thatch and fodder’ of life and leave him free to work for his class and for science. After dealing with the known for half a year in his vocation as teacher he could refresh himself by a contact with the unknown during the next half year, and perhaps win something from it worthy of being incorporated with the scientific stock of the world.

With regard to the ‘fraternizing’ of which M^rs Coxe speaks¹¹ I should be perfectly content with the privilege of a cup of tea with herself at intervals – whether the thing is to come to pass is of course very uncertain, but whatever the result may be it will not I imagine modify to any great extent the feelings which I now entertain towards both her & you.

Believe me ever | most faithfully yours | John Tyndall.

23 November 1854.

I hope there are no religious tests in the University – though born in the Church of England I should pause before swearing to the 39 Articles.¹²

RI MS JT/1/T/243

RI MS JT/1/TYP/1/264