Royal Observatory Greenwich 1843 Sept 20
My dear Sir
A few days ago I went to the Kew Observatory to see the Electrical Apparatus (for Atmospheric electricity) mounted by Mr. Wheatstone and Mr. Ronalds1. I was delighted with every part of it, and shall endeavour as far as circumstances admit to imitate it here. One part would be exceedingly valuable to us (the self-registering part) if we could make the register permanent. A plate carefully covered with wax is turned by clock-work, being all the time touched by one of the rods from the conductor, and receiving from it a certain amount of electricity which afterwards shows itself by the attraction of particles of chalk that are scattered upon the plate of wax. Now I wish to ask you whether you can suggest any way in which this form assumed by the particles of chalk-dust can be transferred to paper. I suppose that any other very light powder would serve as well as chalk. For instance, could any of the ink-making powders be used, so as to be afterwards transferred to damped tissue-paper by means of the common copying-press? I mention this matter to explain my meaning than with any clear idea of its practicality. But I shall be extremely obliged by your suggestion upon this matter.
I am, my dear Sir, | Yours very truly | G.B. Airy
Michael Faraday Esq DCL | &c &c &c
RONALDS, Francis, (1844): “Report concerning the Observatory of the British Association, at Kew, from August the 1st, 1843, to July the 31st, 1844”, Rep. Brit. Ass., 120-42.
Please cite as “Faraday1523,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday1523