Faraday to Charles-Gaspard De La Rive   24 March 1823

Royal Institution | March 24 1823.

My dear Sir

Though it is now some time since I wrote to you yet the event connected with it is so fresh on my mind that it seems but a week or two ago - Dr. Marcet called on me not much more than a week before his death ¹ to say how glad he would be to take any parcel or letter in charge for you and I accordingly wrote a letter ² and put together such copies of my papers as I had by me and which you had not received that you might have them at his hands. Alas The Event.

I do not know whether you have received or are likely to receive these things from the persons into whose care Dr. Marcets papers fell - I hope you will for I have no other copies of them and I am anxious they should be honored by being placed in your hands. But I thought I would write you by the post rather than not write at all. I wish & beg to express my best acknowledgements to M de la Rive your son who has honored me with a copy of his excellent memoire³ - I hope for the sake of this new branch of science that he is pursuing it. That which he has done proves what he may do. I hope you will do me the kindness to speak of me to him in the best way you can for I am always anxious to obtain the good will and commendation of those who are themselves worthy of praise.

I have been at work lately and obtained results which I hope you will approve of - I have been interrupted twice in the course of experiments by explosions both in the course of 8 days[.] One burnt my eyes and the other cut them but I fortunately escaped with slight injury only in both cases and am now nearly well - During the winter I took the opportunity of examining the hydrate of chlorine and analysing it - the results which are not very important will appear in the next Number of the Quarterly Journal⁴*[.] Sir H. Davy on seeing my paper suggested to me to work with it under pressure and see what would happen by heat &c. Accordingly I enclosed it in a glass tube hermetically sealed heated it obtained a change in the substance and a separation into two different fluids and upon further examination I found that the chlorine and water had separated from each other and the chlorine gas not being able to escape had condensed into the liquid form. To prove that it contained no water I dried some chlorine gas introduced it into a long tube condensed it & then cooled the tube and again obtained fluid chlorine[.] Hence what is called chlorine gas is the vapour of a fluid[.]

I have written a paper which has been read to the Royal Society⁵ and to which the President did me the honor to attach a note pointing out the gene<<ral>> applicat<<ion>> and importance of this mode of pro<<ducing>> pressure <<with>> regard to the liquefaction of gases⁶. He immediately <<for>>med liquid Muriatic acid by a similar means an<<d pu>>rsuing the experiments at his request I have since <<ob>>tained sulphurous acid - carbonic acid - sulp<<hure>>tted hydrogen - euchlorine - and nitrous oxide in the fluid state quite free from water - Some of these require great pressure for this purpose and I have had many explosions⁷[.]

I send you word of these results because I know of your anxiety to hear of all that is new but do not mention them publicly (or at least the latter ones) until you hear of them either through journals or by another letter from me or from other persons because Sir Humphry Davy has promised the results in a paper to the Royal Society for me and I know he wishe<<s firs>>t to have them read there[.] After that they are at <<your service.>>

I expect <<to be able to red>>uce many other gases to the liquid form & promise myself the pleasure of writing you about them. I hope you will honor me with a letter soon

I am dear Sir | Very faithfully | Your Obliged Servant |

M. Faraday

* over which I have no influence