Faraday to Frederick Ransome1   6 December 1860

Royal Institution of Great Britain, Dec.6.

Dear Sir,- Your letter of the 4th inst2. contains two numbered paragraphs, and asks me whether No. 1 does not convey the meaning and intention of my reports to the Chief Commissioner of Works3 therein referred to; to which I answer - Yes.

The paragraph No. 2 inquires whether I think any person without chymical analysis or a full knowledge of the details of the processes would be justified in giving a certain opinion. For my own part, with or without this knowledge, I should not feel myself justified in giving such an opinion. The result looked for is eminently practical, and in either case can only be obtained by the lapse of time.

I am quite willing that you should use this letter in any way that you please.

I am, &c., M. Faraday

Frederick Ransome, Esq.

1
Frederick Ransome (1818–1893, B3). Inventor of an artificial sandstone.
3
William Francis Cowper (1811–1888, ODNB). Whig MP for Hertford, 1835–1868 and First Commissioner of Works, 1860–1866. See Faraday to Cowper, 4 August 1860, letter 3813, volume 5.

Please cite as “Faraday3923,” in Ɛpsilon: The Michael Faraday Collection accessed on 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/faraday/letters/Faraday3923