Ɛpsilon

Jöns Jacob Berzelius to Faraday   10 August 1831

à Mr Faraday F.R.S. <qr>Stockholm ce | 10 Aout 1831

Monsieur

Je prens la liberté de recommander à votre bienveillante reception le porteur de cette lettre Mr Ekman1, Ingenieur de Mines, de beaucoup de merite, qui par un tour à l’angleterre cherche a emplifier ses connaissances et profiter des lumieres, dont votre patrie abonde dans la fabrication du fer. Je vous prie de vouloir bien lui etre utile par vos conseils et par votre intercession, dont il aura probablement fort souvent besoin.

J’ai a vous remercier pour votre admirable travail sur le verre optique, par lequel l’astronomie et la physique deviendront tributaires a la chimie2. M. Ekman vous remettra de la part de M. Sefström3 à Fahlun un petit paquet contenant du Vanadiate d’Ammoniaque4, afin que puissiez prendre connaissance de ce corps interessant par autopsie.

Agréez l’expression de la haute consideration et de la parfaite estime avec lesquelles j’ai l’honneur d’etre | Monsieur | Votre tres humble et obeissant | Serviteur | Jac. Berzelius.


Address: à Monsieur | Monsieur M. Faraday | Membre de la Societé royale | à | Londres

TRANSLATIONto Mr Faraday F.R.S.<qr>Stockholm this | 10 August 1831

Sir

I am taking the liberty to recommend to your kind reception the carrier of this letter, Mr Ekman5, a Mining Engineer of great merit, who by a tour of England, is seeking to enlarge his knowledge and profit from the wisdom with which your country abounds in the production of iron. I beg you to be useful to him by your advice and by your assistance, which he will probably need quite often.

I have to thank you for your admirable work on optical glass by which astronomy and physics will become reliant on chemistry6. Mr. Ekman will give you on behalf of Mr. Sefström7 of Fahlun a little parcel containing some vanadiate of ammonia8, so that you can become acquainted with this interesting substance by analysis.

Please accept the expression of the high regard and perfect esteem with which I have the honour of being | Sir, | Your very humble and obedient | servant | Jac. Berzelius

1
Gustav Ekman (1804-1876, SMOK).
2
Faraday (1830a).
3
Nils Gabriel Sefström (1787-1845, P2). Physicist and chemist.
4
Sefström had discovered what he thought to be a previously unknown element which he named vanadium, but which it was quickly realised was already known. However vanadium came to be the accepted name. See Weeks and Leicester (1968), 364-71.
5
Gustav Ekman (1804-1876, SMOK).
6
Faraday (1830a).
7
Nils Gabriel Sefström (1787-1845, P2). Physicist and chemist.
8
Sefström had discovered what he thought to be a previously unknown element which he named vanadium, but which it was quickly realised was already known. However vanadium came to be the accepted name. See Weeks and Leicester (1968), 364-71.

Bibliography

FARADAY, Michael (1830a): “On the manufacture of Glass for optical purposes”, Phil. Trans., 120: 1-57.

Please cite as “Faraday0508,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday0508