George Riebau to an unidentified journal   October or November 1813

Sir,

I trust the following may be of some service to your numerous readers particular the Younger Class to inspire them with emulation as it point out the reward of industry Unexpected by the Object itself.

It is, an account of the Progress of Genius in an Apprentice, whose name I am fully persuaded will be well known in a few years hence, should Providence please to grant his safe return to His Parent, relatives, & Friends in London[.]

Michael Farraday the second son of an Industrious working Blacksmith of Weymouth Street Marylebone (And where his Mother now lives in a respectable Situation, his Father died a little before he was out of his time) Was bound Apprentice Oct. 7. 1805 to learn the art of Bookbinding with Stationary & Bookselling, in the Early part of his time, after the regular hours of Buisiness, he was chiefly employed in Drawing & Copying from the Artists Repository a work published in Numbers which he took in weekly¹ - also Electrical Machines from the Dicty of Arts & Sciences² and other works which came in to bind this led him to make one himself and Succeeding in that he attended Mr. Tathams Lectures in Salisbury Court Fleet Street and on my Advising him to take down in Short Notes (for he was not acquainted with Short hand) the heads of the Lecture and when he came home to commit his recollections to paper, the Consequence of which he was soon Able to write the whole Lecture and drew the various Apparatus used by the Lecturer, at other times he would make the Philosophers tree in a large Vial, with Zink & Sugar of Lead - then turn to the Blow pipe & would meal or Melt Glass to any form he wanted for his purpose, converting in a very ingenious manner some broken things to use - he also bought some Volumes of Enfields Encyclopedia³ occationaly making drawings of Engines, & figures of Machines to illustrate the Subjects treated of. Dr. Watts’s⁴ improvement of the mind⁵, was then read and frequent took in his Pocket, when he went an Early walk in the Morning Visiting always some Works of Art or searching for some Mineral or Vegitable curiosity - Holloway water works Highgate Archway, W Middlesex Water Works - Strand Bridge - Junction Water Works, &c &c Sketching the Machinery, Calculating the force of Steam Engines &c his mind Ever engaged, besides attending to Bookbinding which he executed in a proper manner.

Galvanism, Optics, Perspective, with Algebra & Mathematics occationally taking a portion of his time, he now added the Vials lining them with tin foil & cutting curious devices making an Electric Battery and other pleasing & usefull amusements, the Ornaments of Head & Tail piece in french and Other books which were of Novel Kind he would Copy in a very neat manner with pen & Ink as neat as the Original on Copper plate - his mode of Living temperate Seldom drinking any other than pure Clean Water, & when done his days work, would set himself down in the Workshop regardless of his Fellow Prentices or the Servants in adjoining Kitchen. If I had any curious book from my Customers to bind, with Plates, he would copy such as he thought Singular or Clever, which I advised him to Keep by him, Irelands⁶ Hogarth⁷, and other Graphic Works, he much Admired L[avoisier’s] Chemistry in 4 Vols⁸ he bought and interleaved great part of it, Occationaly adding Notes with Drawings and Observations - At Mr Tatums he fell in Company with some Other Young Men and Occationaly Corresponded with them on Subjects of Chemistry several Letters too & fro he shewed me, he had now written. Four Quarto vols of Lectures with Drawings, &c on different Subjects these I occationaly shewd to my Friends & Customers⁹[.] I hapned One Evening to shew them to Mr. Dance Junr¹⁰. of Manchester St., who thought them very clever - and who in a Short time returned & requested to let him shew them to his Father, I did so, and the next day Mr. Dance very kindly gave him an Admission ticket to the Royal Institution Albermarle St[.] He Attended and took down Sir Humphry Davys Lectures which he Afterwards Wrote out and drew making drawings, of the Different Apparatus Used¹¹ this he took also to the Above Gent: who was well pleased - His Apprenticeship being now Nearly Expired he bound up his books with a Portfolio of Extra Drawings - in October 1812.

He then commenced Journeyman and received a Guinea & half per week which I think very fair wages for a Young man just out of his time - he would Occationaly call on me & Expressing a wish to be introduced to Sr H. Davy, I advised him to write a Letter and take his Manuscript books & Drawings, and leave them for Sr. H.D. to Examine, he did so, & next Morng the Footman brought a Note requesting to see him he attended. Sir H. - enquired into his Circumstances & told him to Attend to the Bookbinding, & if any Opportunity occured he would think of him, soon after this Sr H- met with an Accident from the Bursting some Glass part of which flew into his Eye¹², he sent for M. Farraday who Transacted some buisiness to his satisfaction, after Sr H- return from Woburn¹³, a vacancy hapning in the R: Institution¹⁴ it was Offered to Young Farraday he accepted it in March during his stay he received a Valuable present in books[.] Sir H- resigning the Lectureship¹⁵, Mr. Brand began¹⁶ and F- attending on him, till Sept. about the end of which Sr H. returned from a tour to Scotland¹⁷ - and engaged him as his Secretary at a suitable salary to attend him in his travels, thus was this Young man at the End of One year from his Apprenticeship placed in a Situation of Correspondence with the Learned Societys of Europe, & gaining that Experimental Knowledg which joined to his natural Industry will I think bid fair to place him in a very exalted situation on his return[.]

I should Observe the Gentn. of the Institution made him a very Liberal present independent of his Salary on his taking Leave of them¹⁸.

On the 12th of October 1813 - Sr H. Davy, his Lady - Michael Farraday - her Maid & a footman Left Berkley Square for Portsmouth¹⁹ from whence they Embarkd in the Collingwood Cartel with their Travelling Carriage & Four - for Morlaix - he is expected to go to Paris - Italy - Greece - Egypt - Constantinople and perhaps return in Five or Six Years.

I am Sir | Yours &c | G. Riebau

2 Blandford St.