To Thomas Archer Hirst   1st July 1855.

14 Rue du Cirque¹ Paris | 1^st July 1855.

My dear Tom.

I have just finished the writing of my journal and after it a long letter to Faraday.² I am tired and therefore will make this letter to you shorter than it otherwise would have been. Your enclosure³ reached me yesterday on my arrival here: I almost regret that I did not give you a post on my route so that I might have received the letters earlier. But I have replied to them and if it is too late I am content. Better to meet them thus than have them lost altogether as they would run the chance of being in the little country posts. On the night I left you we loosed from Havre and had an abominable passage. The sea roaring furiously and all on board were ill. I never suffered so much in my life, once in the midst of my woe my eyes fell upon Debus. [‘]Well Heinrich how do you feel?’ I asked [‘]oh gut[’]⁴ was his reply – a few minutes afterwards however I heard him ejaculate [‘]Steward a basin![’] and what followed I leave to your imagination. We remained in Jersey till the following Tuesday. We had one fair day there, but one intensely wet one. From the moment however when we set foot on the Coast of France the weather has been magnificent and we have made use of it. Since my railway campaigns I do not remember finding myself in such vigorous health as during the last fortnight. At St. Malo we gave our portmanteaus to the Messageries⁵ and took with us just as much luggage as would answer for a fortnights journey. We always walked when it was possible and thus enjoyed the magnificence of the country at our leisure. The word magnificence is not an exaggerated term, for the country through which we have passed is truly glorious. On the whole Debus & myself have got on most happily – he has been in the mumps⁶ once or twice, and I would not have mentioned this were it not that some trivial bit of folly has put him in the mumps this morning. We have had some oscillation in the way of fare – sometimes we have lived and lodged sumptuously sometimes the lodging has been indifferent. We went from St Malo, where we saw the tomb of Chateaubriand on its lonely island with the waves rocking and moaning against the rocks beneath – to Dinan – Here the country is delightful. From Dinan we went to Dol. from Dol to Avanches where we lived for 2 days like princes and found no sting in the bill. From Avanches we visited the celebrated Mont St Michel. Thence to Vire, to Caen where we saw Catholic processions, High Mass and the tomb of William the Conqueror.⁷ Thence to Havre. Thence to Rouen where rest the bones of Richard Coeur de Lion.⁸ Yesterday we reached Paris, failed in obtaining lodgings in the Hotel des Etrangers & in the hotel Violet⁹ but at length found good accommodation in the Hotel Manchester Rue Grammont. I have as yet seen nobody. I will call upon John Martin today. Tomorrow I will try to take lodgings. I have said yes to both the questions asked by M^r Moseley¹⁰ & the London Ins^tn.¹¹ Don’t you think I was right? good bye love to Anna

Ever Yours John

RI MS JT/1/T/605