James David Forbes to Faraday   2 May 1832

Freeland, Perthshire | 2d May 1832

My dear Sir

I had the pleasure of receiving yours¹ from Brighton two days ago. The same day I saw in the Annales de Chimie for December all that our continental friends have made of the Discovery²: with a translation of Nobili & Antinori's paper³ which bears date 31st Jan. (from your mentioning that it was in the Antologia for November I had fancied it was much earlier⁴). I must say they have made but poor pickings of your Discovery, & it is quite a specimen of French fact to see how they have patched together all their little experiments & additions (sometimes perfect trifles) with all the formality of the 1° 2d° &c. But what is most provoking is to see Ampere bringing together in formal array his old Geneva Experiments which we may be sure he would have had out long ago if he had made anything of them⁵; but it is wonderfully easy to connect crude & unintelligible fragments when another has furnished the key.

It was very interesting to me to see how exactly Nobili had followed the subject as I did & that he met with the very same difficulties & succeeded in the very same way which I did. This you will see in my paper which I shall soon send you. It is to be published in the Edinburgh R.S. Transactions⁶ & I put it into the hands of the printer before I saw anything of Nobili's paper.

I was a good deal vexed at not getting your Paper when you were good enough to say that if you were not convinced I had already got it you would have sent me another copy. I was at Mr. Buchanan's house the day before yesterday & he had heard nothing of it. If Mr. Hudson cannot explain why it has not come to hand you would extremely oblige me by sending a copy by coach addressed to me care of Sir William Forbes⁷ & Co Edinburgh[.] My reason for being in a hurry is that I must add a postscript to me paper, about Nobili's experiment & I should think it necessary to see yours first.

Do not doubt my dear Sir that you will get all the credit due to you for your fine experiments on this subject[.] All the nibbling of the Français will not do you much harm. I am yet very imperfectly informed as to the extent of your experi‑ments on induction of electric currents, as till I read yesterday in the Annales your letter to Hachette the only tangible information I had on the subject & the only guide which led me to my experiments & discovery of the spark, was contained in the few hints you were kind enough to give me one evening after the Royal Institution Lecture.

I return to Edinburgh in two days in order to observe the Transit of Mercury⁸[.]

I am Dear Sir | Yours very sincerely | James D. Forbes

Endorsement: To be forwarded if not at home

Address: Michael Faraday Esq | Royal Institution Albemarle St | London