JOSEPH HENRY - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 03/24/1858 - HFSID 27328

JOSEPH HENRY
1858 letter to Prof. Joseph Le Courte handwritten and signed by Henry, praising Le Courte's lectures and asking for his help on a survey
Autograph letter signed "Joseph Henry". 3 pages, 7¾x9½, on ruled paper (1 page folded, front and verso). Smithsonian Institution, March 24, 1858. Addressed to Professor Joseph Le Courte, Columbus, South Carolina. In full: "My Dear Professor I have read with much interest your admirable ad-dress; it abounds in important truths forcibly expressed. Both you and your brother write with facility, or at least have the happy faculty of expressing your ideas in a clear and attractive form and can then form so much good in our country by your [illegible] in the way of reviews and addresses. Rev. Banks starts for the south this week and will see you on his way. Judge Kanes of Philadela undertook as the chairman of a committee of the American Associ-ation to prepare a Report on the operations of the coast survey but his unexpected and untimely death prevented the completion of the work, and then [illegible] it has been concluded to finish it by dividing it into several hunts and giving these to different persons. As there has been some indications that the present administration is not very warmly attached to the survey it is desirable that its importants [sic] to the world and the manner in which it has been conducted should be set forth. I hope you and your brother will be able to lend a hand to this good work of which Mr Buehr will give you an [illegible] when he comes over. The Report of the Regents from 1857 will be given to congress in the course of a few weeks and if you can give me your lectures soon I shall be glad to summon them - You need not hesitate to repeat the whole or any part of your address in the Report of your lectures; since the circulation of the former is confined to a few persons in comparison with the latter. The Report of your brother's lectures may be deferred until the year after; if he has not time to give them for the present. I hope you will be be able to attend the meeting of the association and that I may have an oppor-tunity of a long talk with you. I remain as ever very truly your friend". Joseph Henry (1797-1878), a physicist and scientific administrator, discovered electromagnetic induction and self-induction. He is also credited with the invention of the electric motor (1829) and later invented low-resistance and high-resistance galvanometers. In 1893, his name was given to the standard electrical unit of inductive resistance, the henry. In 1846, Henry became the first Secretary of the newly organized Smithsonian Institution, where he established a continuing tradition of research. Under his leadership, weather reporting stations were connected by telegraph in the U.S. In the spring of 1863, Henry was one of the founding members of the National Academy of Science and served as Academy President from 1867. He was both President of the National Academy of Science and Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution until his death. Lightly toned, soiled and creased. Folded in half horizontally and twice vertically. Folds are worn and have pinholes. Otherwise, fine condition.