John Tyndall to Faraday   24 July 1853

Berlin | Universitals [sic] Strasse No 4 | July 24th, 1853

Dear Professor Faraday

In commencing to write this letter I am violating to some extent an article of my own creed, that no man is at liberty to write or speak without some necessity. I do not clearly see the necessity at present, I have no distinct purpose in view, but still I write. Perhaps such writing is of a meteorological character depending on the state of the weather, and indeed there is a calmness and a beauty in this morning which might suggest an occupation of the kind. I have been here for the last 9 or 10 days and employ myself in extracting as much information as possible from my friends. A doubt of the value of such information is however often present with me: its value is chiefly conversational, it fills a gap in a lecture sometimes, but beyond this I believe it is very unprofitable. It tends to weaken the fixity of the mental axis and to keep it vibrating amid the multitude of facts. I sometimes think that education may be too liberal, that our books and our acquaintances may weaken our alliance with nature and thus do more harm than good. People often speculate on the possible achievements of an original thinker who has had to struggle with difficulty, had such difficulty not existed, forgetting that the private effort enforced by his circumstances may be the very thing to which his development is due. The tendency of our so called advantages is sometimes simply to dilute a man. Society is the enemy of work, and here I see a danger which lowers upon the foreground of my own future. I must circumscribe myself in London: must set my face against visiting if I would get any work done. I know that some who are now very friendly with me will dislike peculiarity, but I must trust to time for a true verdict. Here however my course is comparatively clear. You have already hewn your way through this jungle and I have nothing to do but follow your steps.

I have been repeating Du Bois experiments thinking possibly that they might be made use of on some Friday evening. Another subject out of which a Friday evening might be manufactured¹ is the old one of Trevelyan’s² experiment³. Since Forbes’s papers⁴ I believe nothing has appeared on the subject in England and these papers cast a doubt upon your explanation of the matter⁵. Forbes seems to consider it essential that different metals must be used, I have had an instrument made since I came here and obtained it with a distinct tone yesterday, which continued a quarter of an hour, from copper on copper. The artifice by which it is obtained is suggested by your explanation. I will try other metals this week and am not without hope of obtaining the action with quartz: at all events I am getting a crystal cut with the view of trying the experiments.

Another point to which I have turned my attention is the generation of cold at a bismuth and antimony joint. Up to the present time the experiment has only succeeded when either bismuth or antimony is in the circuit. It is a most suggestive experiment. I have ordered an apparatus with which I hope to generalize the fact and which may lead to something else.

I have ordered a few instruments which will be required next year in London: but have restricted the order to a sum which will be no means render me bankrupt provided you do not consider the instruments necessary for the institution. There is a most convenient form of the galvanometer used here: it consists of a magnetized polished steel disk with coils. I think it would be very useful both for private experiment and for the lectures - the deflection of the disk might be rendered very evident by the motion of a ray of light reflected from it. It would cost about three pounds. If you had time I should feel thankful if you would let me know whether I might devote 20 or 25 pounds to the purchase of apparatus.

Believe me dear Sir | Most faithfully Yours | John Tyndall