Faraday to James David Forbes   16 April 1832

Royal Institution | April 16 1832

My dear Sir

I received your letter¹ this morning and as I leave town very shortly reply to it at once. I had this morning sent a paper off for you²; but not knowing well how to address it I have made it into a parcel with another for Mr. Johnstone [sic] and sent it through Mr Hudson of the Royal Society to a friend of mine Mr. Buchanan 14 Dundas Street Edinburgh³. I hope you will very shortly get it & that it will please you[.]

I am much pleased to hear of your experiments on the spark[.] I would send you Nobilis account of his method of getting it but that I have sent the only copy of his paper which I have to be bound⁴[.] It is from the Antologia for November last. You will find the date referred to on page 162 of my paper⁵[.]

You ask me how the account of Nobilis expt inserted in the Literary gazette came to this country[.] I believe it was as follows. I wrote a letter to my friend Hachette at Paris⁶; the letter was translated, read at the Academy of Sciences & published in two French papers the Lycee ⁷ & the Temps ⁸[.] A copy of the latter reached M Nobili; he and Antinori set to work to confirm the results & extend the very brief account my letter gave & they published their results in the Antologia⁹. Sig Nobili sent me a copy of his paper per post in it he says that as Mr Faraday had obtained the spark in a particular case they set to work to get the result & succeeded. I told Mr Christie (who had possession at Woolwich of the only large magnet I could get at) that Nobili had obtained the spark from the simple magnet & wished him to repeat the experiment¹⁰. I believe he told Mr. Gilbert. Mr Gilbert told others in a way implying that Nobili had obtained his spark independent of & before mine and amongst the rest Mr Hudson & Mr Hudson put the account into the Literary Gazette¹¹[.]

Thus Nobili repeated my experiment gives me all honor - sends me his account & as far as I can learn from that account only passing through my own hands did arise some how or other the notice in the Literary Gazette[.]

I have not looked for the Antologia for I have very little time to leave this house. Whether it is in this country or not I do not know[.]

Ever Dear Sir | Most Truly Yours | M. Faraday

Jas. D Forbes Esq | &c &c &c

Address: James D. Forbes Esq | &c &c &c | Greenhill | Edinburgh