Edward Daniel Clarke to Faraday   26 August 1816¹

Cambridge; August 26. 1816.

Dear Sir

While there is time I continue to add one discovery after another. Perhaps, if you have not sent my Ms to the Printer it will be better to return it that I may make the additions².

I have at this moment the Metal of Strontia before my Eyes; shining with all the lustre and whiteness of highly burnished silver, although it was obtained so long ago as last Friday Morning from the Earth. It becomes covered with an earthy powder sometimes, but not always, when a stroke of the File discloses a fresh face of the Metal. The Metal of Strontia, is, if anything, whiter and more like silver than that of Barytes.

You will please to observe that in reducing these Earths to the metallic state, they were not brought into contact with any metallic support, such as Platinum. I used Charcoal; and our Professor of Chemistry³ expressing a doubt whether the Charcoal might not contain Iron enough to cause such appearances, the Experiments were repeated without Charcoal; but the Metals were obtained as before. In short everything has been done which was necessary to demonstrate that these Metals of Barytes and Strontia as severally derived from the Earths in their purest state; wit<<hout>> the admission of any other metallic body whatsoever.

I have not yet succeeded with Silex, Alumina, Magnesia, and lime further than by converting each of them into a Glass.

Yours truly E.D. Clarke.

Address: - Farraday Esq | Royal Institution | Albemarle St | London