Faraday to Benjamin Abbott   20 August 1816

Royal Institution 20th. Augt 1816

Dear Abbott

I scarcely know at this mo<-> That delays are dangerous this letter is a proof[.] I put off from time to time this answer to yours because I intended it to be a long one and last night when I sat down in earnest about it I was stopped before I had written half a line - Having at present half an hour to spare I shall employ it in the present way and get on if not to the end at least as far as I can[.]

I regret with you the singular and enormous chasm in our correspondence but I shall avoid the unpleasant task of ascertaining to what it owes its existence because I fear I should be found delinquent at least as much as yourself[.] In mechanics tis allowed that many small forces united produces great effects and I fancy something similar has taken place here a short letter supplied the place of a long one the hopes of personal intercourse damped epistolary communication the occurrence of a multitude of little delays and the gradual increase on my part of the habit of delaying still lengthened the interval occuring between our letters[.] Added to these the general but unnoticed principle of intermission on which I really believe man’s actions universally to proceed and we shall have a sufficient though certainly not satisfactory account of the circumstance complained of[.]

Among the many good reasons you give for not having written much in one way is mentioned the fatigue occasioned by the having previously been engaged in that way all day[.] Now this excuse I also have in part and in one sense with more force than yourself since I am less used to the occupation[.] As Mr. Brande when he left London gave the Journal in charge to me it has had very much of my time & care and writing, through it, has been more abundant with me[.] It has however also been the means of giving me earlier information on some new subjects of science and I do not know that I can do better than give you some of this knowledge as news.

You perhaps have heard of the blow pipe of Mr. Newman¹[.] It is a copper box into which air is compressed and afterwards liberated by a small stop cock the jet been thrown on a flame &c[.] Sir H. Davy depending on the principle of security so effectually employed in the miners lamps ventured to condense mixtures of oxygene and hydrogene in this instrument and inflame them whilst issuing from the end of a barometer tube the experiment succeeded and the inflammation was confined to the end of the tube being unable to pass up into the reservoir <-> This experiment has been extended by Dr. Clarke² Professor of Mineralogy at Cambridge and he has obtained extraordinary results[.] I have just received his paper³ (i.e. yesterday) and sent it to press[.]

The heat which he obtains far surpasses according to him that of the voltaic apparatus and the light also he describes as being very brilliant - All the pure earths have been fused per se and from barytes & strontites something obtained metallic in its appearance being apparently an alloy of the metals of these earths[.] Compound minerals all give way before it[.] Opal flint Cyanite Sapphire Zircons &c are easily fused so that nothing solid now remains unfusable but charcoal[.] The diamond is rapidly dissipated and burnt. Gold is volatilised and Platinum that most refractory of refractory substance not only fuses but burns like iron wire in oxygene[.]

Such are some of the effects which take place at the very high temperature attained by a mean[s] so simple as the blow pipe the full account will shortly be published at which time I have no doubt you will read it with pleasure.

I do not know that I have any other chemical news with which it is likely you are unacquainted[.] The crystallization of pure lime and the discovery of pure nitrous acid by M. Gay Lussac are I suppose known to you⁴[.] In our next Journal I am in hopes we shall have a paper on the nature of flame by Sir H. Davy⁵ -it will be entirely new - I mean in principle as well as in experiment.

Before concluding I must beg your pardon for not w<<riting>> before Sunday[.] I will endeavour to make up for my fault in any reasonable way you may propose[.] I intend to call on you next Sunday if not before but beg you will not if engaged in the slightest manner attend to this attention[.]

At present I must hastily conclude by assuring you I am Dear Abbott that I am as ever | Your sincere friend | M. Faraday

Address: Mr. B. Abbott | Long Lane | Bermondsey