Queenwood, | near Stockbridge, | Hants | 7th. Sep. 1859.
My dear Huxley,
On my descent from the mountain1 I had a letter from DelaRive2 urging me to come to Geneva to see Agassiz and to attend a réunion of the Societé Helvétique.3 My main work being accomplished, and my desire to return to the work calling for me at home being very strong, I accepted the invitation, and afterwards continued my journey homewards.
I have been minded to write to you since, and simply waited until I could throw a few sentences together for you to communicate to the Physical Section.4 I do not think I can afford the time to go to Aberdeen;5 it would cost me 10 days, and only think of my book and my investigation!6 I shall never get that terrible book off my hands if I do not cling to it.
Sir Roderick wrote to me,7 and in the handsomest manner. I have replied8 that if my inclinations are to decide the matter I shall accept the post9 that I wished however to speak to Faraday previous to deciding but that I hoped he would see nothing in my connexion with the school of mines subversive of my allegiance to the Royal Institution.
You are a good fellow and of course it will be a delight to me to be the fellow worker of you and the rest of them. The only thing which prevents me form saying yes to the offer at once is the feeling that the people at the R.I. have been extremely kind and liberal towards me, and I should like to pay them the respect of letting them know how matters stand before the thing is finally decided.
I am glad that you spoke to Faraday10—I will now write to him it will expedite matters—From Sir Roderick’s letter I inferred that a quick decision was not necessary and I therefore purposed to wait until I could talk to Faraday on the subject: But I will now write to him and let you know the result
Good luck to you and all around you | Ever Yours | J. Tyndall
Imperial College Huxley Collection 8.40
RI MS JT/1/TYP/9/2895
the mountain: Mont Blanc, see letter 1634, n. 4.
I had a letter from DelaRive: see letter 1633.
Societé Helvétique: Société Helvétique des Sciences Naturelles.
the Physical Section: Section for Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
Aberdeen: see letter 1605, n. 11. See also letters 1635, n. 8, and 1638, n. 11.
my book and my investigation: Tyndall was in the final stages of writing his book, Glaciers of the Alps. For further details on his investigations, see letter 1595, n. 3–4.
Sir Roderick wrote to me: Tyndall copied parts of these letters which concerned the sudden availability of a position at the Royal School of Mines into letter 1644. See also letters 1635, 1638, 1640 and 1641.
I have replied: letter missing.
the post: see letter 1635, n. 9 and 10.
I am glad that you spoke to Faraday: Huxley wrote in letter 1638 that he had met with Faraday at Loch Lomond, and spoken privately regarding the position at the Royal School of Mines.
Please cite as “Tyndall1639,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on