John Stevens Henslow to Faraday   8 November 1855¹

Hitcham, Bildeston, Suffolk. | 8 Nov 1855

My dear Faraday,

I had no sooner intimated my intention of giving a lecture at Ipswich this season on “Quartz - its abundance in nature & applications in the Arts” than I accidentally stumbled on two notices, one in the Art. Union & another in Chambers Journal² - stating that Mr Barlow had given a Lecture at the Royal Institution on these subjects - Can you tell me whether he has published his lecture?³ (Is Kuhlmann’s⁴ paper on soluble silicates published?⁵) Perhaps he might not be disinclined, if I were to call next week when in town, to show me any interesting specimens or illustrations he may possess upon the subject - I am not sufficiently acquainted with him to take the liberty of writing - but as you must know him well, if you think he would not be unlikely to indulge me may I ask you to pop the question to him? I had fully intended, when in Paris lately, to have procured a specimen of Aluminium for the Ipswich Museum - Mr Brodie kindly gave me the fabricators address - But really we had so much to see in a short time that I could find no opportunity of getting to the shop - Perhaps you can put me on the right scent for procuring a small lump to add to our Illustration of Elementary Substances - Some man called yesterday when I was at the Museum to ask my opinion of some well worked clay he had prepared from one of his fields, & which he fancied might be very serviceable for the manufacture of Aluminium, of which he had read some recent accounts, & supposed (I believe) he had hit upon a vein which was to make his fortune! I was sorry to undecieve him by revealing the facts that his clay was not better than plenty elsewhere, & that the extraction of Aluminium is a costly process -

Believe me | Very truly Yours | J.S. Henslow