Alfred Austin to Faraday   9 May 1860

Office of Works, &c., 9 May 1860.

Sir,

I am directed by the First Commissioner of Her Majesty’s Works1, &c., to inform you that your attention having been only directed to the process which has been applied to the stonework of the New Palace at Westminster by Mr. Ransome since 1856, and by Mr. Szerelmey since 18582, the First Commissioner requests that you will also examine and report upon the stones which have been covered by Mr. Daine’s process since 18553, and Mr. Fincham4, the clerk of the works, has received directions to be in readiness at his office in the New Palace on Friday and Saturday next5, before two o’clock, in order to point out where the applications of Mr. Daine’s process have been made.

I am, &c. | (signed) Alfred Austin, | Secretary.

Dr. Faraday

1
William Francis Cowper.
2
See letters 3610, 3613 and 3614 and notes.
3
Daines’s method (see his Patent 1854-1785) had been used since mid February 1854. See the report of on the decay of stone, Parliamentary Papers, 1861 (504) XXXV, question 702.
4
James Fincham (d.1874, age 59, GRO). Clerk of the works at Parliament Royal Kalendar,1860, p.166.
5
That is 11 and 12 May 1860.

Please cite as “Faraday3774,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday3774