Saturday night
My dear Mrs. Pollock
I was in the country when I last heard from you but now I am in Babylon2 once more. Your letter told a sad tale,3 it was very simple, but very affecting. I had one or two days previous suddenly lost an old friend:4 he was one of four of which I also formed one, who edited a volume of scientific memoirs together.
I was glad to hear such good accounts of your driving. Depend upon it you are enacting a wise philosophy in practising these exercises; but the best of it I suppose is that you do not do it through philosophy, but simply because you like it.
I spent a few gallant days in the country, galloping over downs, across pastures and through wood. My companion also would be ready to give me a good character he was loud in the praise of the firmness which which I held my seat—in fact I liked the thing so much, and found it so good for me that I think I shall buy a horse and have a gallop every day.
One or two of the days that I thus spent in the country are still sunny to my thoughts. The woods of Norman Court; the seat of Mr Baring5 are most lovely; fine beeches and fine oaks, and the branches and foliage throw themselves together in a wild free fashion quite peculiar to themselves. With the sunlight dripping like gold from the leaves of the beech, and the trunks half illuminated at the loveliness of these woods was inexpressable.
I am writing hard, very hard, that is very constant, but terribly slow. How some men write so many books I know not—To write any thing passable is to me a work of immense labour, and the most labour is unfortunately expended on the worst writing whose final doom is the wastepaper basket. I have got the proofs of about 160 pages of my book,6 I am writing it in rather a harum scarum way, purposing to arrange it when it is all fairly off my hands. Did you not say you would look at some of the proofs for me? If you would do so, just here & there in order to give me the benefit of your opinions upon the style I should feel truly indebted to you—I think the introduction, one or two of the ascents, and a little bit of the science would enable you to form a judgment of the whole thing, and if you condemned it I should feel strongly disposed to commit it to the fire.
When I called upon you last I wanted to talk to Mr Pollock about an offer which had been just made to me by Sir Roderick Murchison.7 He wrote to me in the most handsome terms offering me the chair of Physics in the School of Mines, and assuring me that nothing should be required of me which would loosen my allegiance to the Royal Institution. Many of the Professors there, my personal friends, wrote to me also,8 in short the thing was so kindly done that I felt strongly disposed to accept the offer. I wrote to Mr Faraday9 telling him this—he advised me to accept it10 & I have done so—My lectures there will be mere lessons compared with those of the R.I. I hope to able to get over four of them next week.
Mr. & Mrs. Barlow11 have returned, both well, I saw them a few days ago.12
Poor Miss Moore I regret to hear is ill; but I suppose you know more about her than I do. Your favourite and you no doubt correspond.
I was at Hampton Court yesterday and spent several pleasant hours with our friends. Mrs. Faraday beat me twice over at Russian tactics.13 In fact I had forgotten the lessons that you gave me. If I remember aright I used to beat you!.
I am very tired, writing is terribly tiresome, so I purpose taking a dash into the country tomorrow and restoring my vigour. I was at Aldershott last Sunday with a friend14 who parted from me when we were both boys—We lived together in the south of Ireland, and used to break all our furniture once a fortnight. It seems but yesterday since we parted, but he has been a good portion of the time since in India, where [h]is health suffered and his hair partially fell off. So the ardent little fellow with whom I used to struggle 18 years ago has changed to a bald headed man without my seeing the gradation—
Good bye—I dont know where you are, but I will send this to Montagu Square. Kind regards to Mr Pollock & love to the boys.
Most sincerely yours | John Tyndall
RI MS JT/1/T/1217
RI MS JT/1/TYP/6/1923–4
[24 September 1859]: Tyndall returned from Queenwood on or just before 21 September (see letter 1641). The Saturday just following this was Saturday 24 September 1859.
Babylon: likely meaning that he was back in London.
Your letter told a sad tale: letter missing.
lost an old friend: refers to Arthur Henfry, (1819–59) who died 7 September. Henfry edited with Huxley Scientific memoirs, selected from the transactions of foreign academies of science, and from foreign journals: Natural History (London: Taylor and Francis, 1853), and Tyndall co-edited the other volume on Natural Philosophy with William Francis (also 1853).
woods of Norman Court; the seat of Mr Baring: Norman Court in Salisbury was one of many properties owned by the Baring family.
my book: likely refers to Glaciers of the Alps (see letter 1595, n. 4).
offer which had been just made to me by Sir Roderick Murchison: referring to the Chair of Physics in the School of Mines, see letters 1635, 1638, 1639, 1640, 1641, and 1644, n. 3–4
Many of the Professors there, my personal friends, wrote to me also: only some of this correspondence is known, see letters 1638, 1639, n. 7, 1640, 1641, n. 6, and 1644, n. 3–4.
I wrote to Mr Faraday: letter missing.
he advised me to accept it: see letter 1640.
Mr. & Mrs. Barlow: John Barlow (1798–1869) and Cecilia Anne Barlow (née Law, d. 1868).
I saw them a few days ago: dates not identified.
Russian tactics: presumably a board game, not otherwise identified.
with a friend: likely Thomas Charles Higginson (c. 1821–98), a surveying colleague of Tyndall in Ireland and England. See also letter 1769.
Please cite as “Tyndall1642,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on