Faraday to Margaret Faraday   25 August 1824

Niton: August 25, 1824

My dear Margaret, - I have a race to run in writing this letter, which race is to be run with those who are preparing breakfast; for after breakfast a long walk of perhaps twenty- eight or thirty miles awaits me. I did not write on getting here, in consequence of the fatigue we had incurred in our passage from Portsmouth, &c.; and the next day I thought I had better delay it awhile, that I might tell you when we were coming home.

We had a very pleasant day’s journey all together to Brighton, as Robert will have told you. Young Mr. M., J[ohn] B[arnard], R., and myself filled up the front seat, and were quite a compact little party. We had fine weather and a pretty country. There were several pretty little things I should have liked to have shown you - such, for instance, as a country school, a bankside, &c. &c. At Brighton we dined with sister S., and found all well; we then rambled out geologising, &c.

I do not at all admire Brighton, i.e. its character as a fashionable or interesting place. It is a very convenient place for distance, lodging, accommodation, food, &c. - but these are not what I refer to; I mean as to its beauties, natural or artificial, or as to its importance in advancing great interests, as civilisation or improvement.

Considered in this way, Brighton is to me very commonplace and poor: there are no natural beauties there to distinguish it from a thousand other places; there are no high interests concerned to raise it above the poor distinction of being a place resorted to by company because other company was there before them. As to the Pavilion, there is scarcely a single cottage in or about the poor village of Crab Niton that does not both in beauty and use surpass it. The Pavilion has no beauty for the painter; and what is intended for beauty, of which there is a great deal, has no use.

The Steine is a good street, and many of the squares and places are good, also many of the old houses; and could one but see a sufficient cause why they had come together - i.e. the presence of any beautiful of useful feature - the town, with the exception of one or two things, would be a very good one. It has, however, one thing perfectly beautiful every way in the chain- pier - an admirable specimen of ingenuity and art, and which, destined to useful purposes, not only pleases the eye but satisfied the mind.

Well, on Tuesday we left Brighton (i.e. John and myself) for Portsmouth. We passed Worthing - a very pretty, regular place, handsomer in its plan than Brighton, but smaller; we than passed in succession Arundel, Chichester, &c., and reached Portsmouth in the evening. We had much rain, but managed very well. Arundel Castle - fine object. Wood beyond Arundel beautiful, and very much improved by the rain. At Portsmouth, just as we were going to rest, W[illiam] B[arnard] joined us. He had come from the Island to meet us, and had by accident succeeded. After a sound sleep we rose on the Wednesday, went across the harbour, visited the dockyard, saw the experiments made on the coppering of ships¹, and after a while set out across the Channel to Ryde. Pray, have you read the “Entail,” a story in three volumes? If you have, you will remember the description in the last volume of a dry storm at sea - i.e. much wind, no rain, and bright sunshine²: such a storm had we in going across - every wave was white, and every vessel that was out appeared to be either in the waves or in foam. The vessel in which we were, though of a good size, was so much on one side from the force of the wind that a foot or more of the deck was frequently under water for some time, and all the spars and oars swimming; then the wind was against us, so that we had to tack three or four times; and every time we tacked, such confusion, for then the vessel inclined on the other side, so that all on deck had to ship across, or they would be swimming in the water; then the spray and waves washing over us - umbrellas were of very little use, and we were soon wet through; then the sickness, not only miserable to those who were indisposed, but also to us who were not, for in shipping across the vessel to a fresh seat, on tacking, the fresh seat frequently proved a foul one. In about forty minutes we reached Ryde pier, a very beautiful erection when the tide is up. By the by, you should understand that, in the gale I have described, our packet was racing another which started before it, and beat it. Well, then we walked to Newport, &c. &c., and found all well here at Niton. We have been travelling about the Island since we came here. We shall leave this place on Saturday morning, and shall be at home on Saturday evening by the Rocket coach. Have the goodness to let them know this at Paternoster Row, either by a line per post or otherwise. Sarah sends her love to you and mother, and mine most truly to you both.

Your ever affectionate brother, | M. Faraday