Charles Frederick Winslow to Faraday   1 March 1858

West Newton. March 1st 1858

Dear Sir

For a long time I have thought of taking the liberty to address you a few lines but knowing your time must be fully occupied with your scientific experiments & physical discussions I have hesitated to ask a moment even for the perusal of a letter. But having travelled & observed much & occupied much time in physical researches not wholly disconnected with the generalizations springing from your inquiries & discoveries I have ventured to ask your attention to facts & deductions embraced in the foregoing sketch¹. It is but a mere physical sketch, still quite sufficient for you to discern its bearing on the results of your own experiments & thought.

I have sent a copy of this paper to Prof. Airy² & Gen. Sabine with a request that they may confer with you on its new direction of inquiry herein developed, & if there be any fact or suggestion in it worthy of application to your discussions in different departments of Science I shall be most happy for you to avail yourselves of them. I present this subject to you in no spirit of egotism, but with a hope & belief that a pregnant field of discovery is concealed in this germ. I trust you will give it the attention you & the other eminent minds around you may consider it to deserve. I beg you not to be too hasty in rejecting the general idea because it may conflict with theories of past or present thinkers or philosophers.- So far as my own observations extend in geographical & geological directions (& they have been large) I know of no facts which conflict, but all coincide, as you will see hereafter if I live to bring out my conclusions on these points which indeed are wholly subordinate to the fundamental laws here laid down. These, together with astronomical conclusions, I scarcely hint at here; but if you should detect or suspect anything of importance in either direction & wish to compare thoughts or conclusions on doubtful points with my own facts I should be most happy to communicate with you & aid you (if I could hope to be of so much service) in attaining to ultimate generalizations.- I have much that I would like to say to you - I have great store of facts & details which I shall endeavour to arrange & bring out systematically in some way hereafter. I date my first taste for physical inquiry from listening to Arago in 1835 in his lectures at the Paris observatory, when I was a student of Medicine in France. I was in London in 1838 [sic] & was then honored with most kindly attentions by Sir Astley Cooper³ who one morning after I had breakfasted with him (the morning after King Wm 4th died at Windsor⁴) detained me in his study & gave me a whole hour (one of the most precious of my life) & on parting said he “Now Dr. Winslow I wish you well & accept my parting words. Do not ever be married.” I was surprised & begged him to give me his reason for such advice. His reply was “If you are never married you will be a very useful man. If you are married you will be engrossed in the cares of your family & will never accomplish the work God has intended for you to do.” He shook hands with me & dismissed me saying “I meant to have given you another hour, but William died last night & I must go to Windsor.” I have always thought of his remarks. But I was disobedient to his suggestion - I was married in a year afterwards & have found things a good deal as he prophesied; although from possessing nothing I have acquired some property by my profession, travelled over the globe with my family & alone considerably & have found leisure to cultivate myself in directions of which I had scarcely dreamed when Sir Astley helped me.-

I mention these things only for the purpose of introducing myself to you as I am a very humble person, & so far have made no impression upon or name in the world & probably never shall. But I enjoy all your researches & all knowledge obtained in all departments of Science & I trust you will honor me by expressing your objections to my deductions or referring me to facts which may tend to controvert them[.]

With great respect | My dear Sir, I have | the honor to be your | humble Servant | C.F. Winslow

Prof. M. Faraday | London