1872.12.31 English

Undated letter from Rasmus Malling-Hansen to his brother Jørgen, written around the turn of the year 1872/73, I presume. CB

MY DEAREST BROTHER A VERY WARM THANK YOU TO YOU AND DEAREST MOTHER FOR YOUR LETTERS. MOTHER’S REFLECTIONS CONCERNING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE BALL AND THE TACHYGRAPH[1] ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AS MINE. THE ARTICLE IN ILLUSTRIERTE ZEITUNG[2] HAS PROVIDED ME WITH TWO ORDERS AND LOTS OF LETTERS WITH ENQUIRIES, AS A RESULT OF WHICH I AM ALMOST OVERBURDENED. APART FROM THAT WE ARE ALL VERY WELL, EXCEPT THAT WE ARE LONGING AWFULLY TO MEET ALL OF YOU AGAIN, DEAR PEOPLE.

I AM AFRAID YOU WILL HAVE TO BE CONTENT WITH THESE FEW LINES FOR NOW “THINGS’LL GET BET’R MORROW”[3] . YOUR VERY BEST BROTHER – JOHN IS ALSO THE BEST. R.MALLING HANSEN

[1] A tachygraphic manuscript is one written in shorthand

[2] “Illustrierte Zeitung” (illustrated newspaper/journal/magazine) was probably a German magazine. There were at the time several magazines by this name: Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung, Münchener Illustrierte Zeitung, Wiener Illustrierte Zeitung, Leipziger Illustrierte Zeitung etc

[3] Not really possible to translate! The expression RMH is using is probably a local dialect from <place w:st="on">Lolland</place> for “it will be better tomorrow” – in other words, a promise that his next letter will less “lean”.