From William Hopkins   Nov. 12 /60

Llwyn Madoc | Nov. 12 /60

Dear Tyndall,

I merely write to say that I leave this place on Tuesday (tomorrow) morning. Should Rendu’s memoir¹ not have started when you receive this, address it to me J. Martins Esq.² | Whatten House | Loughbro’ | Leicestershire. | Should you have sent it off I shall either get it this afternoon or it will be immediately forwarded to me. I must send the review to the Editor³ on the 15 or 16th. If I can see Rendu previously tant mieux⁴, if not I must speak on your report of it. I am quite sure my own impression will be the same, but having seen it one could speak with rather more authority.

Thank you for the anonymous review.⁵ It is by reviews of this kind, written by wretched advocates without the smallest amount of exact knowledge on the subject, that so much harm is done in retarding the sound advance of science. Why is Forbes to take up the subject as a matter of personal dispute with every one who may put forward any thing opposed to his own particular views. This is not the conduct of a lover of scientific truth, but of a jealous lover of his own reputation. I know of no other instance at all like it. I wonder he was not ashamed of quoting such an “authority of the press” as the review you sent me. I knew it would come to this, that all your experiments on regelation and on the formation of the veined structure would be claimed to feed his voracious theory. You will see what I have said about your section on Rendu. That your very right desire to do justice to him should be interpreted into a personal attack on Forbes is intolerable.

My leg is improving,⁶ but it still, and will for many weeks hence, keep me very helpless.

Yours truly | W. Hopkins.

RI MS JT/1/TYP/2/630–1

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