Faraday to Peter Mark Roget   14 January 1832

Royal Institution | Jany 14, 1832

My dear Sir

I do not understand your message by Mr Pearsall. All the drawings are with the papers in Dr. Childrens hand's¹. If it is the drawings to <sect> 5 & 6² that you refer they are in those papers but were between pinned leaves i.e between those that were cut out of the reading[.]

Let my messenger know if there is any other difficulty[.]

I wrote a brief letter to my old friend Hachette at Paris a few weeks ago. It has been read at the Academy - published in the Lycée ³ and from that actually translated & published in the Advertiser Newspaper a few days ago⁴. But in the succeeding No of the Lycée (No. 35) [sic] Four columns are occupied in shewing how the French had done it before ⁵. Fortunately they had mistaken the point in my letter and the claims of priority depends upon effects with respect to which Fresnel⁶ & Ampere had recanted⁷ (though now the recantation is recanted) and which my experiments shew were erroneous.

If however the Council decide upon printing my paper the sooner it appears I think the better⁸ - or else these philosophers may get some of my facts in conversation repeat them & publish in their own name before I am out[.]

I am dear Sir | Very Truly Yours | M. Faraday

Dr Roget | &c &c &c

I send you the two papers⁹ for your amusement but pray let me have them again safely. I fear I may want them[.] | M.F.