Socy of Arts | 28 Oct 1836
Dear Faraday
In the copy which we have of Sir H. Davy's description of his miners safe lamp2 is a manuscript note stating (which does not appear in the printed work) that Sir H.D. suggested, that for complete security, two cylinders of wire gauze might be used. I understand that Mr Newman claims this as his own invention or suggestion. The note above referred to is I believe in your hand writing, & we should be glad to know if it was inserted by you at the desire & with the knowledge of Sir H.D. as we should be very unwilling, in the description which we are about to publish of Mr Newmans modification of the safe lamp, to detract in the slightest degree from the credit due to Sir H.D.3
An early answer would oblige
Yours &c | A. Aikin Sec
Dr Faraday
DAVY, Humphry (1818): On the Safety Lamp for coal miners; with some researches on flame, London.
NEWMAN, John (1836): “Improvement on Sir H. Davy's Safe-Lamp for Miners”, Trans. Soc. Arts, 51: 56-65.
Please cite as “Faraday0946,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday0946