From Edward Frankland   April 21/55

Owens College | Manchester April 21/55

My dear Tyndall

Your letter¹ has been very unfortunate having had to make the trip to Windermere² & back before it reached me this afternoon. We returned from Windermere on Wednesday where we had spent the Easter vacation most pleasantly. I have founded a laboratory there³ & have become so far naturalised as to be the owner of two boats upon the Lake which are intended for fishing, shooting, & general rusticating & brain-clearing purposes. I hope to see you there this Summer. I cannot offer you a bed as our little cottage is quite full when wife & bairns⁴ are there but you shall have a share of the prog⁵ & I promise you that the fine mountain breezes will soon clear out the diamagnetic scum from your noddle⁶ & put you in thorough working order again. I have just made you 2 balloons with the last of my collodion⁷ & send them with two others the only ones I have remaining in stock otherwise I would send you more. You will find that one of them shews the prismatic colours, but it is rather too thick & is not to compare with one I had a short time ago which was probably less than half the thickness. I fear the colours are too weak to be seen by a large audience, but you can try how it looks when illuminated by the electric light which should be concealed from the spectators & thrown upon the inflated balloon with a reflector.

When I see you again I must initiate you into the mysteries of balloon making, for I am sure that such collodion films would be capable of endless applications at the Royal Institution. To explode the balloon with the mixed gases you must tie its neck with a short piece of thread impregnated with nitre,⁸ light the end of the thread & let the balloon ascend to the ceiling.

I am sorry to hear of your indisposition. Those Royal Institution lectures will never agree with you. They keep you continually upon the rack for 6 months. Unless you can look a course of lectures in the face as coolly as an after dinner conversation you may depend upon it your health will suffer. I have not even yet completely shaken off the effects of my course in 1853⁹ & for a whole year I suffered severely from indigestion brought on in a great measure I believe by the continued strain & anxiety attending those lectures.

Hoping that the balloons are still in time & that they will answer your purpose

Believe me | ever yours sincerely | E. Frankland

RI MS JT/1/F/43