William Thomas Brande to Faraday   25 December 1839

Royal Mint | Xmas day - 1839

My dear Faraday

I cannot help troubling you with a few lines in reply to your note. I sincerely hope that you continue going on as well as you would wish, and that you and yours are enjoying yourselves, and that you will remain at Brighton as long as you possibly can and return quite yourself again¹. I am afraid, from your note, that you expect more aid from me in the friday Evenings than I have the power to give. I have really at present no subject in my mind about which I feel satisfied, but if you can, upon looking over your list give me any hint upon which I can possibly act, I will do my utmost². But as regards the first evening, remember that my 3 oclock lectures commence the next day³ - and in regard to lecturing I am afraid you give me more credit than I deserve. I may seem to get through without exertion or fatigue - but that is not really the case - and sometimes I do not feel it easy, even with a good deal of thought and reading, to keep up to the present high level of scientific progress. I never pretend to teach what I do not myself clearly understand - or think I understand, and he who teaches upon that principle has sometimes hardest work - and this reminds me of Electricity - I am really quite ashamed at having flattered myself for a moment that I had hit upon an illustration of your theory of induction which had not occurred to yourself. I have referred to paragraph 1682⁴ and there find the very experiment nearly in the same words that I wrote it to you. I am only very glad that this happened between you and I. It shews you at all counts that other people can forget as well as yourself. I had never seen you, in your lectures, make the experiment - though I dare say you have done so - For a more satisfactory and striking confirmation of your new views relating to induction I cannot conceive. Yet I have read and reread your papers but the truth is, they are so full of matter, and the main arguments and fundamental facts so blended with the illustrations, that as it is the former of which I have chiefly endeavoured to make myself master, I am aware I have less knowledge of the latter than I ought to have.

Mrs Brande⁵ and my children desire their kind remembranceand join in earnest wishes for your health and comfort | with your sincere friend | W.T. Brande

Address: M. Faraday Esq | 80 Kings Road | Brighton