Faraday to Thomas Winkworth¹   25 November 1817

My dear Sir

Mr. Magrath gave into my hands last night a letter from you for which I have to thank you as it contained an avowal of your intention to visit me and reasons for your non appearance[.] With my thanks however I have to convey something like a reprimand for the misconception which you appear to have formed of our Saturday eves at the R.I. You know the strict and unostentatious school in which I have been brought up and the consequent aversion which I entertain against form & ceremony. I believe you know too that the early part of Saturday night is in fact a school night and devoted as far as lies with us to improvement that being the object of our meeting[.] You do injustice to our intention and degrade our efforts by calling it a levee at the same time that you cause a harsh grating on the ears of us rough but sincere beings and I hope that though we shall always be glad to see you[;] you will never experience any thing i.e you will never be treated so well as to give you a right to use the term. Seriously it is not applicable; the term degrades us & we degrade the term.

With respect to the black dye I have been so busy in consequence of the continued presence of Sir H. Davy at the Institution as not even to have thought of it of late. I think I told you that I had little hopes of making it out but would attend to it at a leisure time as a source of amusement[.] There is no prospect of obtaining the secret by means of analysis the quantity of colouring matter in a given portion of the silk being so small and the quantity of the peculiar agent being small compared with the colouring matter. But there is some prospect from Synthesis and I had once begun an attempt after however boiling my raw silk 8 hours in water as a first step I managed to burn it and then had my attention withdrawn by Institutional affairs[.]

If you have any view which requires immediate attention in this affair you must not trust to me[.] I shall probably be some time before I do any thing & then probably unsuccessful.

I return you many thanks for the passport into the city which your last contained but having increased my evening engagements in a twofold degree (for a time) am at present utterly unable to profit by it so that the only chance of our seeing each other is in your inclination to a long walk.

I am | My dear Sir | Yours Sincerely | M. Faraday

Royal Institution | Nov. 25th 1817.

Address: To | Mr. Thos Winkworth from Dr. [sic] Faraday