Faraday, and afterwards, when an opportunity occurred, made him his
assistant.[1] Mr. Gassiot has lately favoured me with the following
reminiscence of this time:--

'Clapham Common, Surrey,
'November 28, 1867.

'My Dear Tyndall,--Sir H. Davy was accustomed to call on the late
Mr. Pepys, in the Poultry, on his way to the London Institution, of
which Pepys was one of the original managers; the latter told me
that on one occasion Sir H. Davy, showing him a letter, said:
"Pepys, what am I to do, here is a letter from a young man named
Faraday; he has been attending my lectures, and wants me to give him
employment at the Royal Institution--what can I do?" "Do?" replied
Pepys, "put him to wash bottles; if he is good for anything he will
do it directly, if he refuses he is good for nothing." "No, no,"
replied Davy; "we must try him with something better than that."
The result was, that Davy engaged him to assist in the Laboratory
at weekly wages.

'Davy held the joint office of Professor of Chemistry and Director
of the Laboratory; he ultimately gave up the former to the late
Professor Brande, but he insisted that Faraday should be appointed
Director of the Laboratory, and, as Faraday told me, this enabled
him on subsequent occasions to hold a definite position in the
Institution, in which he was always supported by Davy.
I believe he held that office to the last.

'Believe me, my dear Tyndall, yours truly,