R Institution | 31 Decr. 1845
My dear De la Rive
I received your very kind letter1 yesterday & hasten as you desire to acknowledge it by a few words. It was most acceptable for it gave me the reference I wanted. I remembered some theory of the bismuth repulsion & have referred to the fact in my paper but could not tell whose it was or where published[.] Now thanks to you I can do both2. I never cease to regret my continually failing memory. Your experiments I have read with the greatest interest & the many others that are daily coming to view respecting magnetic action[.] I am in hopes that by all these joint labours something good will be done for this part of science[.]
I am indebted to you for your remarks on my paper on light & magnetism3 but all these views were necessarily early on my mind & I did not lose sight of them in making my final judgment on my experiments. Many here say the same things and it may be with reason[.] Who can as yet say? I cannot but I am persuaded as yet that my view is right or else for my own credits sake I would change it. Whether when the paper appears it may make any alteration I cannot say. I must not go into detail. I do not recollect the Athenaeums report4, the best I have seen is in the Times of the 29th November5. I think it refers to the difference between the rotation of a polarized ray by quartz sugar - oil turpentine & the 50 other substances that may be used - and that rotation which I have induced by Magnetism & Electricity. The two are in direction essentially distinct.
As to the Phil Mag. the only reason I can give for what you speak of is that though the names of Philosophers are on the title page they can take but very little interest in the work. I should almost be led to suppose that Brewster & Phillips do not see the numbers till they are published - but do not say so for I really know nothing except in England we have very few channels. I may say no effective channel to the riches of Philosophy which arise with you or elsewhere. I regret it deeply but am as a hermit here & do nothing but work. Loss of memory prevents me from interfering in these things. Wishing you & Madame De la Rive every happiness for the new year & for all successive years on this earth I am my dear friend
Very gratefully Yours | M. Faraday
Address: Professor | August de la Rive | &c &c &c | Geneva
FARADAY, Michael (1846b): “Experimental Researches in Electricity. - Nineteenth Series. On the magnetization of light and the illumination of magnetic lines of force”, Phil. Trans., 136: 1-20.
FARADAY, Michael (1846c): “Experimental Researches in Electricity. - Twentieth Series. On new magnetic actions, and on the magnetic condition of all matter”, Phil. Trans., 136: 21-40.
LE BAILLIF, Alexandre-Claude-Martin (1829): “Répulsion magnétique de l'antimoine et du bismuth”, Bibl. Univ., 40: 82-3.
Please cite as “Faraday1813,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on