1872.04.19 English

DEAREST BROTHER   I Ö R G E N. MY SINCERE THANKS AND APPRECIATION TO YOU AND DEAR BROTHER IOHN FOR YOUR DEAR LETTERS. I DO UNDERSTAND YOUR MIXED FEELINGS WHEN READING ABOUT THE TACHYGRAPH; HOWEVER, IT SHOULD ONLY BE REGARDED AS A NECESSARY SUPPLEMENT TO THE WRITING BALL AND IS NOT LIKELY TO EVER BECOME MORE THAN THAT. IT IS ALSO BETTER,  OF COURSE, THAT I REMAIN RESPONSIBLE FOR IT RATHER THAN SOMEBODY ELSE.   IN A COUPLE OF DAYS I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO WRITE TO YOU USING A NEW AND MAGNIFICENT MACHINE.  AT THE PRIVATBANK[1] THEY HAVE NOW A MACHINE TO USE FOR TRAINING AND TESTING, AND I EXPECT THAT THE RAILWAY[2] WILL ALSO GET A MACHINE SOON. I ALSO INTEND TO CONDUCT THE PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE OF OUR INSTITUTION WITH THIS MACHINE, AND SO SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS.

 

 

            MY DEAR KÄTHE AND I YESTERDAY PAID A VISIT TO KAMMERRAAD[3] THANING AND FAMILY, AND WE IMMEDIATELY INVITED THEM FOR A GRAND DINNER AT OUR PLACE NEXT TUESDAY.  THEY WERE VERY HAPPY TO SEE US AND SO WERE WE. AS YOU KNOW, I PAID THEM A VISIT AS SOON AS THEY HAD COME HERE. SINCE THAT TIME MRS THANING HAS GROWN VERY OLD BY THE LOOKS OF IT, AND SHE HAS BEEN SUFFERING A LOT THIS LAST WINTER WITH A NERVOUS NUISANCE; SHE IS NOW WELL BUT IS COMPLAINING A LOT ABOUT THE NOISE AND COMMOTION IN COPENHAGEN. ON THE OTHER HAND, WE WERE SO VERY UNLUCKY AS TO PAY A VISIT TO THE DEAR COUNTESS ON THE VERY DAY AFTER SHE HAD LEFT. THAT WAS VERY UNFORTUNATE; I HAD DELAYED THE VISIT IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO BRING MY DEAR KÄTHE; IT IS ONLY NOW THAT SHE HAS BEEN ABLE TO VENTURE OUTSIDE THE HOUSE. DEAR BROTHER, IF YOU COULD KINDLY GIVE ME THE ADDRESS OF THE COUNTESS, I WILL IMMEDIATELY WRITE TO HER.

 

 

            I AM VERY PLEASED TO KNOW THAT BOTH OF YOU – DEAR BROTHERS – HAVE UNDERSTOOD SO COMPLETELY THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE NEW MACHINE. ADMITTEDLY, IT WILL NOT BE AN EASY THING TO OVERCOME THE PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES; BUT IN THAT RESPECT I LEAVE THINGS IN THE HANDS OF THE ABLE MR IÜRGENSEN. HE HASN´T YET HAD THE TIME TO START ON IT.

 

 

            I AM QUITE HAPPY TO SUBSCRIBE TO YOUR OPINIONS ABOUT  DIPHTHONGS, AND I BELIEVE YOU ARE RIGHT, - ON THAT ISSUE ONLY THE  ORTOGRAPHY RULE MAKERS ARE IN DOUBT, AS WELL AS THOSE THAT HAVE NEVER GIVEN THE ISSUE ANY THOUGHT.

 

            HOPEFULLY DEAR MOTHER WILL VERY SOON RECEIVE THE FIRST LINES WITH THE NEW BALL.

 

LOTS OF GREETINGS TO DEAR SWEET MOTHER AND TO BOTH OF YOU DEAR BROTHERS FROM ALL OF US

 

 

COPENHAGEN THE XIX OF APRIL  MDCCCLXXII             YOUR DEEPLY DEVOTED

 

                                                                                                BROTHER

 

 

 

 

(signed)                                                                        R. MALLING HANSEN

 

 

[1] JMC: ”The Private Bank” was one of the three important banks at the time. Founded in 1857, Privatbanken was the first bank to be established in Denmark, and it remains one of the major banks. In other words, it must have been very prestigious for RMH that this important bank institution accepted a specimen of his writing ball.

SA: There is in fact a very interesting detail in this letter. We know that Malling-Hansen had at least one copy of the keyboard of the writing ball made in pocelain by Royal Copenhagen in 1871. According to Royal Copenhagen the purpose of this porcelain ball was to serve as a "practise ball". There is a possibillity that RMH is referring to one of these balls in this letter, and that The Private Bank hasn't actually got a genuine writing ball - but we cannot know for sure. The Danish word RMH uses is "øvelsesapparat" which could be translated into "practise apparatus". Probably there were made several such balls, because in November 2006 a second porcelain ball was sold in Denmark for DAK 10.000,-.

[2] JMC: The first railway line in Denmark was between Copenhagen Roskilde and starting operating in 1847. This was followed by a line from Århus to Randers in 1862, inauguration of the central railway station in Copenhagen in 1864, and the line from Nyborg to Strib in 1865, in 1871 the line between Skanderborg and Silkeborg. Various smaller public and private railway companies ran various parts of the railway system at the time of this letter.

[3] JMC: ”Kammmerraad” was, until the mid 19th century, the title of a civil servant attached to the depart ment of finances. After that time, it was awarded generally as an honorary title, without specific duties attached, to any citizen who had displayed special merit in any field. It is no longer in use.

SA: Kammerraad Thaning and his wife are obviously good friends of the Malling-Hansen family, and they are often mentioned in the letters from this period. The couple in question is the former caretaker at Knuthenborg mannor, Iver Emanuel Thaning, 1799-1878, and his wife, the former teacher at Knuthenborg, Mathilde, born Due, 1802-1883. The Countess who is mentioned is most likely the wife of the late benefactor of Malling-Hansen, Frederik Marcus Knuth, 1813-1856. His wife, Karen, born Rothe, lived from 1815 to 1877. Their eldest son, Eggert Christopher Knuth(1838-1874) was at this point the Count of Knuthenborg, but he was never married.

This porcelain ball was sold on auction for DAK 10.000,- in November 2006. There is a possibillity that the "training apparatus" that Malling-Hansen refers to in the letter is such a porcelain ball.
Professor and mechanic Christopher Peter Jürgensen(1838-1911) worked out many of the practical details of the writing ball and the takygraf, as RMH also tells about in the letter. Photo: The Royal Library in Copenhagen