Justus Liebig to Faraday   17 September 1856

Munich 17 Sept 56.

My dear Faraday,

It is so long ago that I received your kind letter of the 1 Mai¹ that I am quite ashamed to answer it². I always thought that I could communicate to you some news of interest, but I was unfortunate enough to have nothing worthy of Faraday! I occupied myself in the last 5 months with agriculture and what is worse with a controversy in agriculture of the most absurd kind. The truth of certain natural laws which some have done me the unmerited honour to call my theory, has been attacked by so called practical men and the questions involved in this controversy seemed to me of such importance for the material progress of nations and for the welfare and prosperity of millions that I determined to enter the lists in defense of them. If you take the trouble to read my paper in the Journal of the Roy. agric. Society No xxxvii Vol xvii Pt. 1³, you will understand all what I have to say. My dear friend, my disappointment is very great of being obliged to defend things so simple! By that controversy I have lost all my confidence of the possibility of improving agriculture by teaching scientific principles. What I taught during 15 years has had no effect whatever, it has taken no root. What a singular being is the mind of man! The walking tables, mesmerism and similar nonsense attracts the attention of thousands and the most simple and important truths find their enemy’s and opponents and always successfull in opposing them! There was not in England and not in Germany a single man who did take the trouble to signalise the open errors, mistakes and misrepresentations of Mr Lawes and Gilbert⁴ about my views!⁵ the unknown force acting in the moving tables found hundreds of zealous defensors! I can not find the key for that! You are in this respect in a much better situation; no person believes in your department to understand the questions better than yourself but there is no ignorant medical man or no farmer who does not believe to understand medical or agricultural questions better than the natural philosopher who has thoroughly investigated them! I am dominated by the desire to establish a school of practical farming for the education of teachers of practical Agriculture. It seems to me that there is no other way of showing the application of Scientific principles. It must be done in a large Scale and I am confident to Succeed. I think I could do for Agriculture what I have done 30 years ago for the practical education of experimental chemists. All my friends tell me that it is a folly to give up the most brilliant position which a man of Science has ever held, but I am tired of lecturing; there are so many others which would do it quite as well; I am sick of my Schoolmastership and all my happiness depends to get rid of it. I have to regret that my friends in England hastened 3 years ago to[o] much to give me in that testimonial a signe of acknowledgment⁶. If this matter would have been brought before Parliament by the Duke of Argyll⁷ - perhaps the english nation would have voted for me a pension which might have given me full liberty to resign my professorship. By this supply I should be in position to spend 3-4 months in Scotland or England and to devote all my powers to agricultural questions. The royal agric. Society has to dispose of large sums annually and a great deal of good could be done by it. But all that is to[o] late!

Mr. Barnard tells me that he is returning next month to England and to remain there; I am sorry that he is leaving us. We like him all very much; he is such a good natured, honest young man, openhearted and true! he devoted every minute of the day to his studies and I am glad to hear him say that the Stay at Munich was really useful to him. I wish very much that he might direct his attention to introduce in England the Painting with soluble Glas, of which Mr Barlow has given an interesting lecture⁸. Mr Barnard has all the facility of learning the little secrets of our celebrated Kaulbach⁹ to which I introduced him and I think it would give him a start in London. It is something new and most analogous to his painting in water colours or aquarell.

My wife¹⁰ begs to unite with me in kind regards to Mrs. Faraday and your nieces. It is my warmest wish to see you and your Lady in Munich and to show you our beautiful mountains. You could repose yourself and enjoy the most solitary life.

Believe me dear Faraday | yours very truly | Justus Liebig