John Frederick William Herschel to Faraday   22 January 1846

Collingwood | Jan 22 / 46.

My dear Sir

A great many thanks to you for all the trouble you have taken¹. You are used to be better employed than in proving negatives. Mr Hunt wrote to me² and I told him what I had been thinking of³.

You did not surely think me so incurious or rather so deficient in interest respecting the astonishing series of discoveries into which you are now entered fairly - that having your express permission to open & read the paper you sent me sealed⁴, I should not avail myself of it. Accordingly I have done so but I thought it best to reinclose it to you rather than consign it to the flames which I would not do to a bit of your hand writing. Should the first of your views expressed in it be really verified a new field of speculation on the nature of light will be opened as I do not understand what the undulatory or indeed any theory can have to say to a fact of that nature[.]

Go on and prosper - "from strength to strength"⁵ like a victor marching with assured step to further conquests - and be assured that no voice will join more heartily in the Paeans that already begin to rise and will speedily swell into a shout of triumph astounding even to yourself than that of

Yours most truly | J.F.W. Herschel

Dr Faraday

PS. Of course I shall keep silence as to the contents of the paper till you shall yourself break it.

Thanks for your kind expressions about my health.- I have taken the best Medical advice & I hope soon to be set to rights again. Already there is an improvement[.]

Address: Prof. Faraday, DCL &c &c | Royal Institution | Albemarle Street | London