Faraday to Roderick Impey Murchison   7 January 1856

Royal Institution | 7 January 1856

My dear Sir Roderick,

I am now so near to the end of my lectures1 & have had such opportunity of profiting by your kindness that I think I may not improperly thank you most heartily for your willing aid2 though I have not as yet released the last favour. I am sure it will give you pleasure to know that the Royal Princes have been daily indebted to your kindness as well as myself[.] It is no small proof of the liberality of thought & mind about our throne that their Royal Highnesses should have been allowed to come to an Institution which forms no part of the recognised schools of learning. I only hope that what has passed here will give no cause to Her Majesty & Prince Albert to regret the honor & condescension shewn to us3[.]

I am My dear Sir Roderick | Ever Truly Yours | M. Faraday

1
Faraday delivered the sixth and final Christmas Lecture in the series on the “Distinctive Properties of Common Metals” on 8 January 1856. Faraday’s notes are in RI MS F4 J17.
3
The first lecture was attended by Prince Albert and his sons the Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred and was depicted by the Sandemanian and artist Alexander Blaikley (1816-1903, AlKL) in his painting of the event (plate 3). The young Princes attended the remainder of the course without their father. See James (1999b), 6.

Bibliography

JAMES, Frank A.J.L. (1999b): The Royal Institution and the Royal Family 1799-1999, London.

Please cite as “Faraday3068,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 25 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday3068