Faraday to Christian Friedrich Schoenbein   15 September 1854

Royal Institution 15 Septr. 1854

My dear Schoenbein

Just a few scattered words of kindness not philosophy for I have just been trying to think a little philosophy (magnetical) for a week or two & it has made my head ache, turned me sleepy in the day time as well as at nights, and instead of being a pleasure has for the present nauseated me[.] Now you know that is not natural to me for I believe nobody has found greater enjoyment in physical science than myself, but it is just weariness which soon comes on but I hope will soon go off by a little rest. However rest is not to be had yet for as I have not been to the British Association for some years I have promised to go next week to Liverpool and I know from experience that is not rest[.] I do not intend to stop more than three days. Though I date from the Institution I may say that we are 12 or 14 miles out of town getting some fresh air. We are often obliged to go out of town and that is the reason why I have not seen your friend Mr. Stehlin¹ whose letter² I had I think some time after that of the 4th July though dated before it.

The July letter³ was a great delight both your kindness and your philosophy most acceptable and refreshing. I hope to get your paper⁴ translated but there is a great deal of vis inertia our way & I cannot overcome it as I would wish to do. It is the more difficult for me to criticize it because I feel a good deal of it myself, and am known to withdraw from the labour & responsibilities of Scientific work - and this makes me very glad that you have got hold of Liebig for I hope he will aid in developing your Ozone views[.]

Much of your letter of the 4th of July I should like to have sent to the Philosophical magazine it was such a fine free, brief, comment on Ozone in many of its positions & I think might have helped to call the attention of chemists where an elaborate memoir might fail but I did not take the liberty. In fact I should not like to send all you write for if I were to put in some of your former remarks about the errors of the acid theories⁵ - the nonsense of organic chemistry⁶ &c we should both be extinguished or at least sent to Coventry[.]

I said we were in the country & I met lately here the Dr. Drew (that I believe is the name) who undertook to obtain Ozone observations for you in England. He spoke as if his correspondents were discouraged by the uncertainty of their results and indeed Airy also wrote to me to ask me if I was aware that test papers which would give after exposure a certain degree of indication of ozone lost much of their power in 2 or 3 hours after & then gave a less degree⁷[.] Dr. Drew talked about these points but I said little & rather referred him to you to whom he said he was about to send some communications[.]

You give a happy account of your family[.] You are a happy man to have such a family, and you are happy in the temperament which fits you for the enjoyment of it. May God bless every member of it and yourself with a cheerful & relying spirit & love to each other[.] Remember us to them all[.]

Ever My dear friend | Affectionately Yours | M. Faraday

Dr Schoenbein | &c &c &c

Address: Dr Schoenbein | &c &c &c | University | Basle | on the Rhine