Faraday to Lambert-Adolphe-Jacques Quetelet   20 April 1846

Royal Institution | 20 April 1846

My dear Sir

I lately sent by the Royal Society a copy of certain papers¹ (which I have recently communicated to that body) to you: they related to the action of Magnetism on a ray of light & to the magnetic condition of all matter[.] These I hope you will receive in due time & will accept as a mark of my deep respect. I have had occasion to use in the investigations which these papers describe a certain kind of heavy glass which I made many years ago and of which there is no chance I shall make any more & probably no one else will make it. Yet is it [sic] the very best substance to exhibit the new phenomena presented by light. This circumstance has caused me to divide the portions I possessed into pieces fitted to shew the effects & I have sent some of these pieces to friends in whose hands I thought they might be useful. I have not many of them & therefore can not be very liberal but in thinking who were the best parties to have the pieces I could spare you were one who[se] name occurred to me through Coll. Sabine. So I purpose (if you will let me) to send you a piece but do not expect great things it may perhaps be about 3/4 of an inch square & an inch & a half long, but with a good electromagnet or a helix you will find it present all the phenomena I have described. It is seldom that I have used a larger piece in any of my experiments. I am just now at Brighton but return tomorrow to London & will then pack it up & search for means of sending it[.]

Pray remember me to M Plateau if he is near your. I grieve greatly for his loss of sight. I am not quite sure whether I have sent him a copy of my paper (for my loss is loss of memory) but the Royal Society has restricted the privileges of its fellows in this respect² & I have been unable to send to many who heretofore have honored me by accepting my papers[.]

I think I heard that you were likely to be at the meeting of the Association at Southampton this year & I have hopes of getting there & so having the pleasure of meeting you again - but that is some time hence & the constant failure of hopes & expectations has made me count but little on the things at a distance. Still it would be a very great pleasure & the thought is pleasant.

I ought to acknowledge all your kindness in sending me continually the tracts of your most important exertions and I do thank you heartily for the books & papers do not estimate my gratefulness by the few words that I use[.]

I am My dear Sir with great esteem | Your Very Obliged & faithful Servant | M. Faraday

Professor Quetelet | &c &c &c

Address: A Monsieur | Monsieur Quetelet | &c &c &c | Observatory | Bruxelles

Postmark: Brighton