John Tyndall to Faraday   20 November 1863

Assistance in the Physical Laboratory

I beg to recommend to the managers that Mr. William Barrett be appointed Assistant in the Physical laboratory at a salary of 50 pounds a year¹.

Mr. Barrett has been my assistant for a year, at no expense to the Royal Institution, and I can confidently speak of him as worthy in the highest degree of the post to which I recommend him.

In addition to Mr. Barrett the aid of a second trained assistant for a portion of the year would be necessary. 50, or at most 60 pounds, would cover his claim².

The sum total therefore required at present for assistance in the physical laboratory would be 100 or 110 pounds a year.

At the recommendation of their professor at the time I hope the managers will think it right to advance Mr. Barrett’s Salary to 60 pounds next year³. The expenses of the original investigations which I have presented during the last ten years have been defrayed in small parts by myself, but mainly by funds voted to me, on my personal application, by a committee of the Royal Society⁴. In framing their new decisions the Managers I suppose will not calculate upon this foreign aid, but proceed on the assumption that the Researches conducted at the Institution shall be carried out at the expense of the Institution.

John Tyndall

20th November | 1863

Endorsed by Faraday: Sent to Mr. Faraday Novr. 20, 1863