"I am always glad to hear of the progress of your researches, and never the less so because they require the fabrication of a new word or two. Such a coinage has always taken place at the great epochs of discovery; like the medals that are struck at the beginning of a new reign, or rather like the change of currency produced by the accession of a new Sovereign; for their value and influence consists in their coming into common circulation." * * * * * During the whole time of an investigation Faraday had kept ample notes, and when all was completed he had little to do but to copy these notes, condensing or re-arranging some parts, and omitting what was useless. The paper then usually consisted of a series of numbered paragraphs, containing first a statement of the subject of inquiry, then a series of experiments giving negative results, and afterwards the positive discoveries. In this form it was sent to the Royal Society or some other learned body. Yet this often involved considerable labour, as the following words written to Miss Moore in 1850 from a summer retreat in Upper Norwood will show:--"I write and write and write, until nearly three papers for the Royal Society are nearly completed, and I hope that two of them will be good if they do justify my hopes, for I have to criticise them again and again before I let them loose. You shall hear of them at some of the next Friday evenings." This criticism did not cease with their publication, for he endeavoured always to improve on his previous work. Thus, in 1832 he bound his papers together in one volume, and the introduction on the fly-leaf shows the object with which it was done:-- "Papers of mine, published in octavo, in the _Quarterly Journal of Science_, and elsewhere, since the time that Sir H. Davy encouraged me to write the analysis of caustic lime. "Some, I think (at this date), are good, others moderate, and some bad. But I have put _all_ into the volume, because of the utility they have been of to me--and none more than the bad--in pointing out to me in future, or rather after times, the faults it became me to watch and to avoid. "As I never looked over one of my papers a year after it was written, without believing, both in philosophy and manner, it could have been much better done, I still hope the collection may be of great use to me. "M. FARADAY. "_August 18, 1832_." * * * * *