@. Ampère et l'histoire de l'électricité 

My dear Sir
 
 I have had great pleasure at different times lately by the receipt 
of your kind letters sent by our mutual friends M. de la Rive, Mr. South and Mr. Underwood 
though it has so happened that by my absence from town &c. none but that by Mr. South 
reached me in due time. I beg at this opportunity to return you my sincere thanks for your 
kindness in sending me copies of your papers, these I value highly not only for their intrinsic 
merit but also because they are so many marks of your kind estimation of myself. And I hope you 
will never fail to mark them as from yourself by writing on the title page. I only wish that I 
were competent more frequently to make proper acknowledgements for them by similar returns.
 Every letter you write me states how busily you are engaged and I cannot wish it otherwise 
knowing how well your time is spent. Much of mine is unfortunately occupied in very common 
place employment and this I may offer as an excuse (for want of a better) for the little I do 
in original research.
 I am sorry to find by one of your letters that you experience an 
unworthy opposition to the fair & high claim you have to the approbation and thanks of your 
fellow Philosophers. This however you can hardly wonder at. I do not know what it is or by whom 
exerted in your case but I never yet even in my short time knew a man to do anything eminent or 
become worthy of distinction without becoming at the same time obnoxious to the cavils and rude 
encounters of envious men. Little as I have done, I have experienced it and that too where I 
least expected it.
 I think however and hope that you are somewhat mistaken in your 
opinion of the feeling here. It is true that some of your views were at first received here 
with great reserve but I think now that all your facts are admitted and are all properly 
attributed to you. With regard to your theory it so soon becomes mathematical that it quickly 
gets beyond my reach at the same time I know that it has received the consideration of eminent 
men here - I am not however competent to tell you exactly how it is accepted, for in fact being 
a very busy man and somewhat retired in habits I am all day long in my Laboratory, do not go 
much among scientific men and am in some sort an anchorite in the Scientific world. Hence I 
have neither time nor opportunity for scientific conversation and am frequently surprised at 
information which is new to me when old to every one else.
 Be assured however that 
whenever the opportunity occurs I do full justice to your important investigations for as far I 
can go with them, I am convinced their accuracy & great value.
 Many thanks to you for 
M. Demonferrand's book. I had it only a day or two ago - and though I have not yet read it, 
have looked over the table & agree with you in its accuracy.
 
 I am My dear Sir 

 Your Very Obliged & faithful friend 
 
 M. Faraday
 

Lettre publiée dans Frank A. J. L. James (ed.), The Correspondence of Michael Faraday, London: IEE, vol. 1 (1811-1831), 1991, Letter 275, pp. 392-393

Source de l'édition électronique de la lettre : JAMES, Frank A. J. L. (ed.). The Correspondence of Michael Faraday, London: IEE, vol. 1 (1811-1831), 1991, Letter 275, pp. 392-393   Autre source de la lettre : original manuscrit Smithsonian Institution Library, Dibner Collection, MS 554A [note de Franck JAMES]

Voir le fac-similé :

Lien de référence : http://www.ampere.cnrs.fr/amp-corr942.html