Faraday to Christian Friedrich Schoenbein   29 April 1844

Royal Institution | April 29, 1844

My dear Friend

Though I only wrote a few days ago¹ yet having received two other letters² from you I think it will be better to trouble you with a line though I hope with no postage. Your Swiss postage always embarrassed me for I was told I could pay & yet found there was always something of a double postage in one direction[.]

But to reply. I have received a few days ago your letter of Feby 17³ with the books & the diploma for Grove[.] I thank you heartily for the share for me & only regret that I cannot read it⁴; and have sent the other things to their destination[.] Your friend I did not see[.] I believe I was at Brighton at the time.

Your last letter⁵ I have also had and it really is one to surprize and delight your friends among whom I count myself one & not the least warm in his feelings. I have read it but once & it is now out of my possession for I sent it at once to the Royal Society⁶. You will have seen by my answer⁷ to your first letter⁸ that as you told me to use them as I thought fit I had sent it there wishing it at all events to be read there & communicated to the Fellows & therefore on receipt of your second⁹ I sent it also to Mr. Christie the Secretary without loss of time. As my health will not allow me to go to the meetings I do not know as yet whether they have been read. One of your letters says something about the question whether a paper for the R.S. would be acceptable¹⁰. Now here I must explain or else you will perhaps think I have not done rightly with your letters[.] I have the impression that the Royal Society prints no papers that are not original & do not appear first in their own Transactions but that they would be glad to hear such valuable letters as yours and print them in their proceedings which as they are reported & indeed given at full length in the Philosophical Magazine would produce an early publication & show that the letters & the matter had been at the Royal Society. All your letters gave me to understand that your papers would appear immediately in the Archives¹¹ and also probably in some other form so I could not promise Mr Christie an original memoir from you. You must correct me if I have been in error.

From your letters I conclude we shall have the pleasure of seeing you this summer either at York or here or both. Speaking of York reminds me that a communication from you on your subject of ozone & your last discoveries would be of great value to the Association & sure to be warmly received. With the best wishes & remembrances from my wife & myself to Madam Schoenbein & family I am ever Yours | M. Faraday