Description:

Faraday Michael

Michael Faraday, British Scientist, ALS Re: Railway Telegraphy

 

1p autograph letter inscribed overall by British chemist Michael Faraday (1791-1867), and signed by him as "M Faraday" at lower right. Written at the Royal Institution of Great Britain in London, England on August 6, 1846. On plain cream stationery. Expected light paper folds. Uneven light toning, and pin marks at top. Light mounting traces verso. Else very good to near fine. 4.375" x 7.125".

 

Michael Faraday, one of the nation's leading scientific minds, wrote an unidentified correspondent about a trip to central England.

 

In full:

 

"Royal Institution

6 August 1846.

 

Sir

 

I beg to state to you that after remaining in town for a week endeavoring to arrange so that we might see the telegraph at Blisworth Mr Bailey & I went down on Tuesday last (the 4th instant) and remained there two hours examining the apparatus. We did not find it in such a state as would allow us to witness & judge of the practical results - and have agreed to a future examination - This I shall be obliged to defer for at least three weeks.

 

I am Sir

Your Obedient

humble Servant

 

M Faraday".

 

Michael Faraday theorized about (and proved the existence of) numerous foundational ideas relating to electricity and magnetism. He maintained a flat, study, and laboratory at the Royal Institution, and conducted many of his most important experiments there. At the Royal Institution, Faraday had attended lectures as a student; served as a Chemical Assistant after 1813; was appointed a Director of Laboratory after 1825; and accepted the position of Fullerian Professor of Chemistry after 1833.

 

Blisworth, located in Northamptonshire approximately 50 miles south of Birmingham, opened its first railway station in 1838. In 1842, the town's inhabitants lobbied that the station be granted "First Class" status, which meant that all trains would stop there. Blisworth became a junction station in 1845 when the London & Birmingham Railway opened a branch line running between Peterborough and Northampton. It is more than possible that the telegraph Faraday and his companion investigated that summer day was related in some way to the station upgrade.

 

The concept of "telegraphic railways" was proposed as a safety feature by William Fothergill Cooke and Charles Wheatstone in 1842. The signalling block system divided the railway line into sections of several miles' length. Entry to and exit from the block was authorized by electric telegraph and signaled by the line-side semaphore, so that only a single train could occupy the rails. Faraday was very involved in the development of telegraphy, and he and Wheatstone discovered the merits of gutta percha as an insulator when the latter suggested it be employed to cover wire proposed to be laid from Dover to Calais.

 

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

 

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item.


Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

November 5, 2019 10:30 AM EST
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000