Faraday to Thomas Joseph Pettigrew   13 March 18451

Royal Institution | 13 March 1845

My dear Sir

After Easter I must lecture upon Gold and am very anxious if possible to shew my audience some very ancient specimens of the metal[.] Now I suppose you have some of the most ancient in the form of gilt mummy[.] I have thought that perhaps you might feel at liberty to lend me a specimen at the time of which I will take the very greatest care but if I am inadvertently thinking a very improper thing I hope you will forgive me2[.]

Ever Yours faithfully | M. Faraday

J.T. [sic] Pettigrew | &c &c &c

1
Thomas Joseph Pettigrew (1791-1865, DNB). Surgeon and antiquary.
2
This was for Faraday's lecture on "Gold - Platina - malleability, ductility" which was the first of his "Course of Eight Lectures on Certain Metals and Metallic Properties". For his notes for this course see RI MS F4 J5. For an account of this lecture see Lond.Med.Gaz., 1845, 1: 47-52. He acknowledged Pettigrew's loan on p.48.

Please cite as “Faraday1695,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday1695