[Letter] 1805 October 29, [London], [to] Dear Sir / H[umphry] Davy.

See also additional letters from Davy in the collection as well as a letter from Sir Walter Scott to Thomas Allan regarding a dinner for Davy.

Davy regrets that he was not able to meet the recipient in Ireland, and thanks him for "taking the trouble to transmit my letters." Davy states that his journey into the North has furnished him with ample material to research in his winter leisure; he declares himself especially interested in the formation of basaltic rock. Davy thanks the recipient particularly for introducing him to Dr. Richardson whose work he has found useful. One of the first professional scientists, Davy studied many areas of natural history including chemistry, agriculture, and electricity; he was friends with Coleridge and Wordsworth and mentored Michael Faraday, whose letters are represented in the collection. He was president of the Royal Society, won the Copley medal the year this letter was written, founded the London Zoo and the Athenaeum, and developed a safety lamp for miners.