Private Olveston Vicarage | Nr. Bristol | 18 Oct.
My dear Sir,
With reference to the Examination for the R[oyal]. Artillery and Engineers to take place after Xmas,1 I am desirous to consult you in respect to the appoin[tmen]t of a colleague to yourself in the department of the Natural Sciences. The whole of the experimental sciences must I apprehend fall to your share if you are good enough to take the office again, but you will want a colleague as it regards the sciences of observation, moreover it will I think be considered necessary that each should so far cooperate with the other in the examination as to verify its results in regard to each Candidate. What I mean is, that whilst you set the questions only in the experimental sciences you should nevertheless look over those in the sciences of observation as well as your own; and that your colleague besides his own should look over your papers. I apprehend that the elementary character of the examination will make this arrangement practicable and it seems the only means of securing the guarantee which the public will I think require of two opinions on the merits of every Candidate. Your colleague ought to be a man of recognised position and eminence. The most eminent man indeed that we can get.2 It will be rather desirable than otherwise that he should come from a distance. And as we have no examiner from Scotland, He might with advantage perhaps come from thence; or from Ireland. I have heard much of Prof. McCoy of Belfast.3 Would he be a good man?
Yours faithfully | Henry Moseley.
RI MS JT/1/3/898
LT Typescript Only
the Examination … Xmas: The second competitive examination for entry to the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers was held at Burlington House, London, from 21 January to 1 February 1856. The examination on 30 January covered ‘Experimental sciences – Chemistry, Heat, Electricity, including Magnetism’; on 31 January it was ‘Natural sciences – Mineralogy and Geology’ (Southern Reporter and Cork Commercial Courier, 10 January 1856, p. [1]).
The most eminent man indeed that we can get: After consulting with Francis and Arthur Henfrey, Tyndall recommended Huxley, who was subsequently appointed (Tyndall’s Journal: RI MS JT/2/13c/796 and 808).
Prof. McCoy of Belfast: Frederick McCoy (1823–99) had served as professor of mineralogy and geology at Queen’s College, Belfast. However, in 1854 he was appointed to the chair of natural sciences at the newly founded University of Melbourne, Australia.
Please cite as “Tyndall1148,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on