He had only to will it to raise in 1832 his professional
business income to 5000L. a year. Indeed double this sum would be
a wholly insufficient estimate of what he might, with ease, have
realised annually during the last thirty years of his life.
While restudying the Experimental Researches with reference to the
present memoir, the conversation with Faraday here alluded to came
to my recollection, and I sought to ascertain the period when the
question, 'wealth or science,' had presented itself with such
emphasis to his mind. I fixed upon the year 1831 or 1832, for it
seemed beyond the range of human power to pursue science as he had
done during the subsequent years, and to pursue commercial work at
the same time. To test this conclusion I asked permission to see
his accounts, and on my own responsibility, I will state the result.
In 1832, his professional business income, instead of rising to
5000L., or more, fell from 1090L. 4s. to 155L. 9s. From this it
fell with slight oscillations to 92L. in 1837, and to zero in 1838.
Between 1839 and 1845, it never, except in one instance, exceeded
22L.; being for the most part much under this. The exceptional year
referred to was that in which he and Sir Charles Lyell were engaged
by Government to write a report on the Haswell Colliery explosion,
and then his business income rose to 112L. From the end of 1845 to
the day of his death, Faraday's annual professional business income
was exactly zero.
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