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Schcenbein to Faraday.

My dear Faraday

I have been expecting letters from you thesemany months, but up to this moment quite in vain. I trust,that nothing is wrong with you i. e. that not ill health, or anyother of the evils "which human flesh is heir to" has beenthe cause of your long silence. Now Professor Wiedemannand Dr. Hagenbach 1 , intimatc friends of mine going to London,I send you some lines through them, to giv 7 e a sign, that, atleast your friend is still alive. Mr. Wiedemann will teil von,that I have strictly followed up your very wise advice andworked rathcr hard all the year round. The remedy has notbeen without its salutary effects, though I cannot say, that thedeep wound inflicted upon us last year is healed. As to Mrs.Schoenbein, she certainly at intervals seems to be composedand resigned, but the feelings of deep mourning and distressdarken her mind again.

To give you a notion of my late scientific doings, I sendyou some papers 011 what I call "the chemical polarisation ofthe neutral oxigen", 2 of which highly interesting subject Mr.Wiedemann, who has secn the experiments, will give all thedetails you may desire to know. I am inclined to bclieve,that it is now a matter of fact, that any oxidation, apparentlyeffected by common or inactive oxigen, is alvvays preceded bythe polarisation of that element. I know now three or fourdozens of cascs of slow oxidations, in which that mysteriousact takes place; for instance in that of Phosphorus, Zinc, Iron,Lead, Copper etc., Ether, and a number of other organic matters:pyrogallic acid, desoxidized indigo etc.

1 Jakob Eduard Ilagenbach, professor of Physics at Bale, where ho wasborn in 1833.

2 cf. note 1. p. 332.