John Barlow to Faraday   13 September 1852¹

Paris | 7 Rue 29 Juillet | Septr. 13h

My dear Faraday

Since I wrote to you we have gone over much space, & have had many things to think about, recalling associations with yourself... From Berne we went to Interlaken, where I found your letter at the Poste Restante. We remained at Interlaken 3 weeks, and had 2 3/4 days of available weather. These small morsels of time we devoted to the Wengen Alp Reichenbach & Rosenlaui. From Interlaken we went to Vevay [sic] (& thence to Geneva) (by the Simmenthal). The weather was just beginning to clear up: luckily one is not so dependent on the clearness of the atmosphere for valley as for mountain scenery.

At Geneva we were very kindly received by De la Rive Marcet &c and enjoyed ourselves for 11 days getting many glimpses of Mont Blanc, and witnessing De la Rive’s phenomenon of the second pink which comes over the mountain, on a fine evening². After eleven agreeable days we quitted Geneva, & travelled post hither, coming over the Jura to Dijon... We have taken lodgings for a month and I hope that we may meet at the beginning of October...

While at Berne I was invited to attend the meeting of a philosophical Society. I was not able to do so. I regretted this afterwards as Wolf? read two papers on interesting subjects.

1. Proving from a series of observations a connection between magnetic variations and the spots on the sun’s disc³.

2 Describing a method for making platinum malleable at a very little cost.

If there really is any thing in these communications, they are very important. You will of course hear more about them if you have not done so already.

The political state of Switzerland is any thing but satisfactory. The ‘Black’ & ‘White’ parties (i.e Conservatives & Radicals) abuse each other vehemently, but we cannot easily see what is the point of real principle at issue. The Black Conservative denounces the White Radical as a source of all sort of moral corruption - imputes to him the increase of drunkenness, & the growing depravity des moeurs. The White rejoins by impeaching the Black as a conspirator against the rights of the poor. One effect of the triumphs of the White party at Geneva is sufficiently deplorable. They have, as you well know, ostracized the De la Rives Marcets &c. I see that all the old families regard Geneva as no longer the place of their interests. And yet notwithstanding that the intellectual Glory of the University has departed, the material prosperity of that town never could have been greater than it is now. One cannot help thinking what a bribe it offers every day to France or to its starving neig[h]bour, Savoy.... Marcet told me that, in the month of August, 6 inches of rain (1/5th of the average of the year) had fallen at Geneva⁴.

Delarive is going to write to you on one point in your recent researches on which he is not sure that he has got your exact thoughts. I told him that I had heard from you, and that you were working satisfactorily - by the bye, in reference to another sentence in your letter, Bence Jones & Dubois Reymond are to meet at the Hotel des Bergues at Geneva on the 15th.

I met Dr. Webster⁵ in the street on Friday. He is full of the sea-serpent, which he declares that he & half a dozen other persons saw, going at the rate of 10 miles in 2 minutes, between Dieppe & Newhaven. He is ready to make any amount of declarations that it was no porpoise, grampus or anything of the kind. He has written to the Times, & will write to the Royal Society - so let Owen beware⁶.

I found luckily two very good examples of your “filings“⁷ in my blotting book. I gave one to De la Rive, & the other to Dumas, with whom I dined yesterday.. He supports his station very elegantly. His son⁸ is Directeur de la Monnaie at Rouen.

And now good bye. If you can find 5 minutes to tell me of your welfare & that of Mrs. Faraday I shall be thankful - so will my wife. Miss Grant offers her best remembrances[.]

Ever yours | John Barlow