William Whewell to Faraday   11 November 1848

Trin. Lodge Cambridge | Nov. 11, 1848

My dear Sir I am exceedingly interested by the discoveries which you announce to me¹, and look forward with impatience both for the details and the publication of them. It appears to me that it will be very important to pursue the discovery as widely as may be in the world of crystals. The laws of the magneto-crystallic force with regard to crystalline form must be very interesting. Then too we are to recollect that we are by this road getting round again to chemical polarity, for crystalline form is determined by chemical composition.

With regard to the proposal of my giving another lecture at the R.I., I was prepared to decline it, thinking it difficult to keep a hold on the audience without something to show them, and on the other hand fearing that I might be charged with presenting to them mere abstraction. The kind manner in which you speak of my lecture makes me reconsider the subject. What should you think of a lecture on "The Idea of Polarity"². It appears to me that many persons have as yet this Idea very imperfectly developed in their minds. A view of its recent development must be grounded very much upon your discoveries, but might be made to introduce some historical points both physical and (if I dare use the word) metaphysical. If you will tell me what you think of this suggestion, I will turn it in my mind again. I cannot at present think of any other subject which I could hope to make interesting at the R.I.

I am my dear Sir, | Yours very truly | W. Whewell