366 THE LIFE OF JAMES D. FORBES. [CHAP. 



predecessors. It will scarcely amuse you much, but I 

 will send it to you when published. I was preparing for 

 it when at Clifton, but never fo*nd time to write it 

 down till the few days' holiday at Christmas/ 



To the Same. 

 'BRIDGE OF ALLAN, STIRLING, 12th May, 1856. 



'.. . . You will have received the commencement 

 of the chapter on electricity in my work. My wish 

 has been to give you a specimen of each of the divisions 

 of it without boring you with too much. Galvani, Volta, 

 Davy, which I am now in the course of sending you, were 

 all rather favourite subjects when I was doing them, and I 

 found reason to rate Galvani higher, and Volta, perhaps, 

 not quite so high as is commonly done. 



' The work is now all in type, except a few pages ; but 

 there is still a good deal to revise. I do not know whether 

 I should send you any more Faraday, for instance? I 

 shall try to get him to revise himself. It seems a fatality 

 that I must not only write but revise this work at a dis- 

 tance from books. In other respects, Bridge of Allan 

 suits me well enough/ 



To the Same. 



1 CHESTER, 17 th June, 1856. 



' . . . It is hardly necessary for me to repeat how 

 very greatly we have enjoyed your hospitality and 

 that of your amiable family. For myself I shall ever 

 feel grateful to God who has given me such friends at a 

 time of life when new friendships are made with difficulty. 

 You must suffer me to add that I hope I have profited 

 a little by the lessons of benevolence, unselfishness, and 

 singleness of purpose which your daily life conveys. 

 That you may be rewarded for all your disinterested 

 kindness to us is the wish and prayer of your faithful and 

 attached friend/ 



When at the close of the year his Dissertation in the 

 'Encyclopaedia Britannica/ which had been the main occu- 

 pation of his available working hours from October 1852 



