Faraday to Thomas Hawkins   1 September 1836

R Institution | 1 Sept. 1836

Sir

I am obliged by your letter which I received this morning. I am not quite sure that I understand your arrangement but I conclude you find that a square foot of iron plate is preserved in the peculiar state if only a small strip of it is immersed in the acid[.] Perhaps however I am mistaken here for such a result does not agree with the general results of Herschell¹ Schonbein² & myself³. We have not found the peculiar state to extend beyond the part dipped or dipping into the acid[.]

I do not perceive how the effect would enable us to substitute Iron for copper generally but I am afraid I have taken a wrong view of your results[.]

I am Sir | Your Obedient Servant | M. Faraday

Thos Hawkins Esq | &c &c &c

Endorsement⁴: The iron strip standing in acid that fork was part of the same plate forming the generating plate in the same acid exceedingly diluted. The narrow strip only being in the peculiar condition[.] Soon after this, Mr Grove's battery of platina in porous cell of nitric acid - with zinc surrounding pt in dilute sulphuric acid was made known⁵ - and as my arrangement of iron in the peculiar state (Schonbein's)⁶ - remaining passive in nitric acid in a porous cell surrounded with iron in very dilute nitric acid - though giving a very powerful current - yet was not long stable - I discontinued my research to discover how to prevent the iron in the strong acid from falling into the active condition.

Address: Thos Hawkins Esq | 13 Kings Road | Brighton