Dionysius Lardner to Faraday   8 January 1834

Manchester, 8 Jany 1834

My Dear Sir

As I think it would be a pity that a subject so suitable to your friday evening meetings as Babbages Machinery¹ should not find a place at them, it has occurred to me that a general view of it might be given as an introduction to the more detailed account which will form the subject of the proposed course of three lectures². I could shew the general arrangement of the parts and give some account of one or two of the most material points in it, referring for details to the subsequent lectures.

If you approve of this you may "book me" - for one friday Evening. I cannot however undertake any thing before the end of April or beginning of May.

There is another invention which I think even more important than the machine and which arose incidentally out of it - I mean the "Mechanical notation" - Babbage and myself have lately put our heads together and have made some improvements in this and have applied it to the Steam-engine. If you call at Dorset street B will shew you a map of the working of a steam-engine which we have constructed. If you think this a desirable subject for one of your fridays you may command my services.

I shall not impose upon you the trouble of answering this. You will probably see Babbage and as he will be writing to me from time to time I shall hear of you.

Believe me, Dear Sir | Yours faithfully | Dion: Lardner

Dr Faraday