Faraday to John Barlow   20 August 1856

Royal Institution | 20 August 1856

My dear Barlow

I have just received your kind remembrance and intend if I can to catch you whilst you remain at Heidelberg by this letter. I hardly knew whereabout you were & so was delighted with your letter as all was fresh to me[.] We both hope that Mrs. Barlow and yourself for you wanted it have enjoyed & benefited by your journey thus far. By the bye are you on your way to Vienna to the Congress of Scientific Men there?¹ Tyndall set off some days ago for the Glaciers & Vienna & Dr. Bence Jones started this morning intending also to reach the Austrian Capital. As you are at Heidelberg give my kindest remembrances to Professor Bunsen[.] I have sent him a paper now & then though I had not the pleasure of his acquaintance but the Chevallier Bunsen² & I used often to talk of him and if you come across the former I hope you will convey the expression of my respect & remembrance to him. He has that of all men here.

There is a philosopher in Bunsens laboratory Matthiessen³ who sent us some specimens of Lithium Calcium &c I dare say you remember them - will you make kindest remembrances to him from me - I hope he goes on working - I cannot doubt it under such a master having himself such a mind. It is very pleasant to hear of Plucker & the rest you speak of. I was in Paris for 7 days going out of it to Fontainbleau from Saturday to Monday[.] I saw so many kind friends there that I cannot remember them[.] Dr. Andrews was there & we had the rare luck of seeing the Catacombs with a Prince Gortschakoff⁴ - there was not much in them except associations & a fine large stock of phosphate of lime in the form of 3000000 skulls skeletons &c[.] A more interesting thing was the sight of an Aluminium operation in a reverberatory furnace - the Sodium & the Chloride of Aluminium &c which was used in the one operation being enough to fill more than a couple of Buckets - when the slag & the Aluminium was drawn off the latter appeared in portions among the formed [sic] like round flattened globules 2 inches in diameter. They were also preparing Sodium three retorts were sending forth their streams at once.

Dumas was very well and very kind so was also Biot Regnault Despretz, Le Verrier⁵ & all[.] Poor Regnault have you heard of his accident - I was with him for 3 or 4 hours at Sevres & also at the Academy. Two days after he fell a height of not more than 9 feet - alighted on his feet but with such a concussion on the brain that when found he knew nobody & could see nothing he remained insensible for a long while & was despaired of[.] However time has gone on & he is a little better & though far from being out of danger there is more hope of him than there was at first.

My wife is pretty well. Jane is at Newcastle. We go to a little house at Hornsey next Wednesday⁶. All the repairs⁷ & other matters go on well & steadily. The weather which had been very hot whilst I was in Paris is now rainy and we have even had heavy floods in the midland counties[.] Good bye to you both for the present may you come back to us strong & rejoicing.

Ever Affectionately Yours | M. Faraday