Faraday to John Frederick William Herschel   30 May 1826

Royal Institution | May 30th 1826

Dear Sir

I am exceedingly obliged to you for your attention to my paper¹ and beg to thank you heartily for your excellent and instructive note. I should have written to you sooner but from press of business could not find time to copy your letter[.] This however I have had done² by another and now return it begging you will have the kindness to let it accompany the paper since it will add so much value to it[.] Knowing your liberality in scientific communication I am pretty confident you will not refuse my request, and in that case when the paper goes in to the RS. the copy I have sent can be attached to it[.]

I am dear Sir | Very Truly Your Obliged | M. Faraday

I forgot when I last saw you to make a remark or rather ask a question relative to an observation of yours respecting the difference between the light of Lieut Drummond ball of lime³ & the light produced by salts of lime in flame. When experimenting with the salts of lime it is the flame that is coloured reddish &c with the light of the ball of lime although that emanating from the ball itself be of the nature you describe yet the flame of alcohol around the ball is of another colour and as far as my rough observation without a prism of the same kind at that produced by salts of lime. Is it so or not? The colour of the flame around the ball is very distinct & decided. | MF