Faraday to Benjamin Abbott   23 February 1815

Rome. Feby 23 1815

Dear Ben

Another opportunity draws another letter from me and I believe if one were to occur every day I should be unwilling to let it pass[.] It is but a week ago that I sent three letters to England by favour and now I am writing again; tis true these were not for you but a month has scarcely lapsed since I put a letter of above 12 pages into the post directed to my friend B.A. ¹ this however I am afraid you have not got but I hope it will soon reach you and though its length & its tediousness may perhaps deter you from reading all of it yet I shall be at ease as having fulfilled your request. In it I gave answers to your question respecting my situation. It was a subject not worth talking about but I consider your inquiries as so many proofs of your kindness & the interest you take in my welfare and I thought the most agreeable thanks I could make you would be to answer them[.] The same letter also contained a short account of a paper written by Sir Humphry Davy on ancient colours (but by this time I hope you have read a copy of the original and I shall therefore say no more about it) and some other miscellaneous matters.

I am quite ashamed of dwelling so often on my own affairs but as I know you wish it I shall briefly inform you of my situation[.] I do not mean to employ much of this sheet of paper on the subject but refer you to the before mentioned long letter for clear information[.] It happened a few days before we left England that Sir H_s Valet declined going with him & in the short space of time allowed by circumstances another could not be got[.] Sir H_ told me he was very sorry but that if I would do such things as were absolutely necessary for him untill he got to Paris he should there get another[.] I murmured but agreed[.] At Paris he could not get one no Englishmen were there & no Frenchman fit for the place could talk english to me. At Lyons he could not get one at Montpellier he could not get one nor at Genoa nor at Florence nor at Rome nor in all Italy & I believe at last he did not wish to get one and we are just the same now as we were when we left England[.]² This of course throws things into my duty which it was not my agreement & is not my wish to perform but which are if I remain with Sir H_ unavoidable these it is true are very few for having been accustomed in early years to do for himself he continues to do so at present & he leaves very little for a Valet to perform and as he knows that it is not pleasing to me & that I do not consider myself as obliged to do it he is always as careful as possible to keep those things from me which he knows would be disagreeable[.] But Lady Davy is of another humour she likes to show her authority and at first I found her extremely earnest in mortifying me this occasioned quarrels between us at each of which I gained ground & she lost it for the frequency made me care nothing about them & weakened her authority & after each she behaved in a milder manner. Sir H_ has also taken care to get servants of the country yclepd³ Laquaise de place to do everything she can want & now I am somewhat comfortable indeed at this moment I am perfectly at liberty for Sir H_ has gone to Naples to search for a house or lodging to which we may follow him & I have nothing to do but see Rome write my journal & learn Italian[.]

But I will leave such an unfruitful subject and tell you what I know of our intended rout[e] for the last few weeks it has been very undecided and at this moment there is no knowing which way we shall turn[.] Sir H_ intended to see Greece & Turkey this summer and arrangements were half made for the voyage but he has just learned that a quarantine must be performed on the road there & to this he has an utter aversion and that alone will perhaps break up the journey[.] At Naples he will enquire more particularly about it[.] Lady Davy wishes very earnestly to go and if Sir H._ finds accom[m]odations at Naples and we follow him there I think that we shall still go the voyage if not then we shall turn up Italy & see what Germany contains & perhaps pass over land to the Great Turk. as soon as I hear any thing certain I shall let you know and when it is possible for you to write to me I shall not be slack in telling you of it - There was a captain here & I believe he is somewhere here yet that had a ship off the shores of Rome intended for the use of Mr. Hope⁴ who is here he goes very soon to England & and has a letter from me for your brother one for my mother & one for Huxtable & I hope they will be received[.] I suppose I have lost many letters from my friends by this unlucky Post affair no letter from England has arrived here during the last 6 weeks. I expected one from my brother but have been disappointed but I hope the road will soon be opened again[.]

Since the long letter I wrote you, Sir H_ has written two short papers for the Royal Society & two or three copies of each have been sent home[.] The first on a new solid compound of Iodine and oxygene and proves the truth of his former reasonings⁵[.] It is made by passing euchlorine into a mixture containing iodine[.] The second is on a new gaseous compound of chlorine and oxygen which contains four times as much oxygene as euchlorine⁶[.] It is made by barely moistening hyperoxymuriate of potassa with hydrosulphuric acid and distilling the almost dry mixture by the heat of boiling water a gas comes over which is of a very bright greenest yellow colour much brighter than chlorine and may be received over mercury on which it does not act water dessicates it rapidly & forms a deeply coloured solution which acts on solution of the alkali & forms hyperoxymuriates[.] The gas detonates by a heat a little above that of boiling water and one volume expands into 1 1/2 volumes of which a volume is oxygen & half a volume chl<<orine.>>

<<The discov>>ery of these bodies contradicts many parts of Gay-Lussac’s paper on iod<<ine>>⁷ which has <<been>> much vaunted in these parts[.] The French Chemists were not aware <<of>> the importance of the subject until it was shewn to them and now they are in haste to reap all the honours attached to it but their haste opposes their aim they reason theoretically without demonstrating experimentally, and errors are the results[.]

I intended at first to give you some account of water falls in this sheet but I fancy only the name will be seem for (not I but) Mr. Wells⁸ the kind bearer of this letter has no more time to allow me[.] I trust you will employ a few hours of your time when you can to let my mother know I have written to you & If you will consent to shew her the letter at least what is not philosophical I shall esteem it a favour[.] Give me kindest love to all my friends both in the East & the West and if you can in the City.

I am my Dear Friend | Yours Ever & Faithfully | M. Faraday

Endorsed: Recd 4/1. 1815

Address: Mr. B. Abbott | Opposite 44 Long Lane | Bermondsey | London