Faraday to Pierre Hippolyte Boutigny¹   28 December 1846

Royal Institution | 28 Decr. 1846.

My dear Sir

I received first your letter and now your book² and I thank you very heartily for both and for all your kind communications at Cambridge³ and if I do not forget here also. I always think of you and your experiments with great interest. Last June at the close of our Friday Evening meetings I gave our members an experimental illustration of your beautiful subject & shewed them some of the results which you shewed me⁴. I added one which I do not see in your book though it comes near that made by M. Dumas & described p102⁵.; by virtue of your spheroidal state I was enabled to freeze mercury in the red hot crucible with the utmost facility[.] First the crucible was made (& preserved) red hot – then some ether introduced, then solid carbonic acid and lastly a metallic capsule holding about an ounce of mercury was dipped into the spheroidal mixture until the mercury was frozen which happened in two or three seconds. It seemed very strange to drop the liquid mercury into the red hot crucible and bring it out frozen.

I am not in good condition being under the Surgeons hands for an affection of the knee: this limits every occupation even writing. I can only therefore say in addition I shall be very happy to take charge of any copies of your work which you may desire to send to Societies in England.

I am My dear Sir | Very Truly Your Obliged | M. Faraday

Monsieur | Monsieur Boutigny | &c &c &c

Address: A Monsieur | Monsieur Boutigny (d’Evreux) | rue de Chabral 48, | á Paris