To Juliet Pollock   Tuesday morning¹

Tuesday morning

My dear Mrs Pollock,

I sent you a few lines from Keswick² just before starting with M^r Huxley over Derwentwater³ & through Borrodale.⁴ While passing I thought it just possible that I might see M^rs Spedding.⁵ I went to Greta Bank⁶ but the hour was too early. We had a most pleasant day in Borrodale—the colouring is so tender & beautiful and the former so fine. Nor had I until this visit any adequate idea of the magnitude of the ancient glacier action of the region. We crossed Borrodale to Buttermere⁷ by Honister Crag⁸ and next day went to Scale Force.⁹ Instead of returning to Buttermere and crossing Scarf Gap¹⁰ we went up the mountain and worked round Red Pike,¹¹ mostly in the midst of driving fog, which to me is detestable. I have no bump of locality and am therefore bewildered by a fog. Nevertheless we crossed the mountain and dropped down its craggy sides into Ennerdale.¹² Thence over Black Sail to Wastwater.¹³ Here we stayed two days—for the most part wet ones—I climbed the pillar mountains and endeavoured to climb the pillar rock,¹⁴ but the driving rain & cloud & the wet slippy crags were too much for me. You might break your neck very respectably on the Pillar Rock. I hardly ever was amid such a commotion of the elements, such gloom and such wild pelting rain as on the summit of this mountain. Had I not luckily borrowed a compass I do not know how I should have escaped from it. I should certainly have found myself in the wrong valley after my descent. We found a party of gallant young Cambridge men at Wastdale head¹⁵ & amid drenching rain and intermittent gleams of sun crossed by Borofell to Langdale.¹⁶ There are beautiful snatches of scenery on the way. Huxley quitted me at Windermere¹⁷ and came to London greatly improved in health, while I went on to Newcastle¹⁸ purposing to spend two days there—But the entertainment at Armstrong’s¹⁹ was so regal and the company so excellent that I was induced to remain the whole week. Thence D^r. Bence Jones and myself went on to Alnwick Castle²⁰ and remained three days there. It is a magnificent place, but for a bird of the mountain like myself a less stately lodging would be more suitable. The Duke and Duchess²¹ however were exceedingly kind—the Duchess especially so—She has always been genial towards me. From Alnwick we went to Chillingham to Lord Tankerville’s²²—Sir W^m. Armstrong,²³ Professor Owen & M^r Gould²⁴ were of our party. I stalked the wild castle with Owen & had a capital view of the herd. They smelt us and became uneasy, and finally set off at full gallop like buffaloes over a prairie. Zigzagging up a hill so as to give us a famous view of their motions. The same evening I tried deerstalking, but though I might have shot a couple of does the fine antlered bucks kept away from me. We spent the best of two very joyous days at Chillingham—They are wonderfully frank and pleasant people. Bence Jones and myself returned to York, and there parted company, he going to London and I intending to go to Ireland.²⁵ It happened to be on the day of that wild gale, so when I reached Stockport²⁶ the thought of the storm so sickened me that I swerved from my route to Chester²⁷ & came on to London.

I am now hard at work—horribly entangled in a magnetic question through which I do not yet see my way. I was yesterday informed that you were at Freshwater²⁸ and thither I send this. Give my love to your husband²⁹ and the boys³⁰ & believe me

Yours as ever | John Tyndall.

I intend to rush down to Abury³¹ next Sunday to see the Druidical remains. I should very much like to take a rush down to Plumbleys³² while you are in the neighbourhood. A walk over that “noble down” would be refreshing—

RI MS JT/1/T/1183

RI MS JT/1/TYP/6/2126–7