David Brewster to Faraday   8 August 1832

My Dear Mr Faraday,

I have just been reading, and with very great pleasure, your admirable paper on the Manufacture of Glass¹. I presume you have met with some little difficulties of a practical kind in the formation of large lenses; but I am very anxious to learn if Mr. Pellat[t]², or any manufacturer of Flint Glass, could make your most dispersive Glass for small lenses an inch in diameter, and the 10th of an inch thick, without following any of the nice processes which are requisite for large plates. I have some thoughts of taking out a Patent for certain new lenses which require a highly refractive and dispersive glass, and it would greatly promote my views if your heavy glasses could be made by ordinary workmen as good, and with as much facility as common Flint Glass³. At a thickness of 1/10th of an inch their colour will I presume be scarcely perceptible. My wife⁴ begs to be kindly remembered to you,

and I am | Ever Most faithfully yours | D. Brewster

Allerly by Melrose | August 8th 1832

P.S. You would oblige me much if you could send the enclosed to Mr C Wheatstone whose address I do not know.

Would it be practicable for me to procure a Copy of the R. Institution Journal after no. 43, in exchange for the same quantity of mine?⁵

Address: To | M. Faraday Esq LL.D. | Royal Institution | Albemarle Street | London