Christian Friedrich Schoenbein to Faraday   12 August 1838

Bâle 12, Aug. 1838.

My dear Sir

Your kind letter of the 30th ult¹. lays me under the agreeable obligation to renew my correspondence with you and to thank you for the indulgence with which you received my communications.

As to the objections brought forward by Mr. Fechner against the chemical theory of galvanism you will find the principal ones in Poggendorff's Annalen number 12. p. 508-510². 1837 & number 3. p. 433-440. 1838³. I think Dr. Poggen‑dorff was mistaken in believing Mr. Fechner's arguments not to be referable to your theory for as much as I understand the assertions of that philosopher they go so far as broadly to deny chemical action to be an electromotive force and to make the current produced by a hydro-electric pile entirely independent of any chemical change taking place within the said voltaic arrangement. Now I should suppose such a doctrine disagrees not only with de la Rives' views⁴, but also with your's. Mr. Fechner being esteemed as one of the ablest electricians in Germany, I think it is worth your while to appreciate the facts on which he has founded his opposition to the chemical theory. As for me I am not yet prepared to yield the point to Fechner and to consider his experiments as conclusive evidence against your views.

Last year a little work was published by Mr. Pfaff⁵ in Kiel bearing the title: Revision der Lehre vom Galvanismus (Review of the doctrines regarding Galvanism⁶)[.] You are no doubt aware of Pfaff's having been these last forty years one of the staunchest supporters of Volta's theory in Germany[.] The work alluded to was written with the view of putting the correctness of his favorite hypothesis beyond doubt and to prove the entire fallacy of the chemical theory of the pile and contains at the same time an account of many voltaic experi‑ments made by Pfaff for the purpose of supporting his views. A large portion of the book has reference to your researches.

I think the publication of a short review of the work mentioned by the means of the Phil. Magazine would prove acceptable to the british scientific public⁷.

The different branches of natural science being rather much cultivated at this present moment in the North of Europe and most papers of the philosophers there published in the german language the editors and reviewers of the british scientific journals will do well in paying some attention to german publications. The french are woefully neglectful in that respect. As you take so lively an interest in every thing that relates to electrical science I must not omit to draw your attention upon the recent researches of Mr. Munck af Rosenschöld⁸ on the voltaic pile. It seems to me that the swedish philosopher has obtained some results which are novel and rather of importance. Pogg. Ann. number 2 & 3. 1838 contain the papers on the subject⁹.

Having just now returned from a trip into the Alps ta<<ken>> during our holidays I am rather busy in experiments. They refer to transitory chemical changes (which certain compounds undergo by being heated) as connected both with a modification of color and voltaic currents¹⁰. I think I shall be able to demonstrate or to render probable at least, that chemical decompositions and recompositions take place under circum‑stances, where such changes have not been suspected as yet.

You will lay me under many obligations by sending me your late papers on induction. Having got once a communi‑cation of yours by the means of the Royal Society I think this channel will be sure enough.

Believe me to be | sincerely Yours | C.F. Schoenbein

My right hand having been a little injured lately by some accidental cause, you will be kind enough to excuse my bad writing.

Address: Dr. Faraday | &c &c &c | Royal Institution | London