Faraday to Marc Seguin¹   17 September 1861

Royal Institution | London | 17 Septr. 1861

My dear Sir

I received your kind letter and papers by M. Tramblay² though I was not so fortunate as to meet with him for I have often to be away from the Royal Institution because of the rest which an old system like mine requires[.]

It rejoices me to see your continued activity mental & physical & indeed you make good use of your powers. Mine are now but feeble I cannot retain ideas or recollect them & the absence of memory interferes with every intellectual exertion for in facts it removes the material for such exertion out of the way. You speak of the list of foreign members of the Royal Society³. I have no power in reference to that list. I have withdrawn long since from undertaking any duty in the Council or actions of the Society for absence of memory rendered me unfit for it as I found years ago in the award of medals &c & so I left my place to be filled up by better men. The consequence of doing so has of course deprived me of any voice in the Council and all I desire now is to be able to add now & then some contribution to science but the hopes of that even are taken away by the absence of memory & therefore the absence of the power of doing metal work[.]

Believe me to be | Ever My dear Sir | Your most faithful Servant | M. Faraday

M | M. Seguin | &c &c &c