The Correspondence of John Tyndall, Volume 18 The Correspondence, December 1885-March 1889

This volume traces the final years of John Tyndall's public and scientific life, from December 1885 to March 1889. After giving his last lecture at the Royal Institution in January 1886 and retiring from his professorial duties the following year, Tyndall's scientific work gave way increasingly to political controversy, particularly over William Gladstone's proposals for Irish Home Rule. Increasingly debilitated by insomnia and poor health, he relied heavily on his wife, Louisa, who took on much of his correspondence and practical affairs. Their letters reveal a changing partnership as they became, in effect, co-correspondents. Tyndall's correspondence with scientific colleagues likewise turned from research to illness, aging, and the deaths of mutual friends. Yet he remained publicly engaged, using his position as Honorary Professor to intervene in debates over lighthouse technology and Irish politics. His efforts to rally scientific colleagues against Gladstone, however, met with little support.