Faraday to Henry Warburton   29 August 1823

Royal Institution | Aug 29th 1823

Sir

I beg to apologise for not having sooner acknowledged the receipt of your letter¹ my absence from town will I hope plead my excuse[.]

I thank you sincerely for your kindness in letting me know your opinion of the statement² though your approbation of it is not unreserved yet it very far surpasses what I expected and I rejoice that you do not now think me destitute of those moral feelings which you remarked to me were necessary in a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Conscious of my own feelings and the rectitude of my intentions I never hesitated in asserting my claims or in pursuing that line of conduct which appeared to me to be right. I wrote the statement under this influence without any regard to the probable result and I am glad that a step which I supposed would rather tend to aggravate feelings against me has on the contrary been the means of satisfying the minds of many and of making them my friends[.]

Two months ago I had made up my mind to be rejected by the Royal Society as a Fellow notwithstanding the knowledge I had that many would do me justice and in the then state of my mind rejection or reception would have been equally indifferent to me[.] Now that I have experienced so fully the kindness and liberality of Dr. Wollaston which has been constant throughout the whole of this affair and that I find an expression of good will strong and general towards me I am delighted by the hope I have of being honoured by Fellowship with the Society and I thank you sincerely for your promise of support in my election because I know you would not give it unless you sincerely thought me a fit person to be admitted[.]

I am Sir | Your Obliged & Obedient servant | M. Faraday

H. Warburton Esq