July 15. 1854.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



5t 



PHOTOGBAPHIC COBRESPONDENCB. 



Tests for Intensity of Light and Fluidity of Collodion. — 

 On a recent visit to niy friend Mr. S. T. Coathupe, of Bris- 

 tol, he communicated to me two suggestions, which he 

 has permitted me to make pubh'c, and which I am in- 

 clined to think may prove valuable to my brother photo- 

 graphers. The first is with respect to certain conditions 

 of light ; and to enable the photographer, previous to his 

 commencing his operations, to have some idea of its in- 

 tensity, he recommends the use of a tourmalin, or Nichols's 

 Prisni, and a piece of unannealed glass or selenite, either 

 of the former to analyse the light passing through the 

 latter substances ; with the joint aid of which, on holding 

 the former close to the eye, and the glass or selenite at a 

 convenient distance, say two feet, and directing them both 

 to the sky, the usual phenomena of polarised light will 

 occasionally be discovered ; and according to the degree 

 of intensity of polarisation then observed, the operator 

 may obtain some knowledge of the time required for the 

 exposure of the plate in the camera. 



When the sky fully polarises, he will of course allow 

 dfiuble the time, there being only half the light that he 

 would have when no such phenomenon occurs — a hint 

 not to be disregarded, and not obtainable with the same 

 facility and accuracy by any other means that I have yet 

 heard of. 



The second suggestion was with reference to keeping the 

 iodized collodion constantly at the same degree of fluidity : 

 and this would appear to be readily accomplished by the 

 use of the ordinary specific gravity beads, choosing that 

 condition of the collodion which the operator deems 

 best suited for his work, and finding a bead which just 

 floats in the centre of the bottle : keep the collodion to 

 the same degree of fluiditj"^ by the addition of either ether 

 or alcohol, as may be required, the thickening of the col- 

 lodion as the bottle containing it gets emptied being in- 

 dicated, of course, by the rising of the bead, which, by the 

 addition of alcohol or ether, or the mixture of the two, 

 would be restored to its normal state. Considering the 

 above hints as practically valuable, I have (with Mr. 

 Coathixpe's permission) lost no time in giving them the 

 greatest publicity in my power, and I know not a better 

 medium than « N. & Q." J. W. G. Gutch. 



No. 6. Clifton Villas, Paddington. 



Photographic Hints. — Having found much difficulty in 

 iodizing the paper, as advised by Dr. Diamond, from the 

 manner in which it curls on removal from the bath, and 

 finding that after the paper has been damped, in accord- 

 ance with that gentleman's directions, it iodizes unequally, 

 thus spoiling the negative, I have tried a method which 

 entirely remedies the inconvenience ; and as I am pretty 

 sure others, especially young photographers, have found, 

 or will experience like difficulties, I beg to offer it for their 

 use. I cut the paper about half an inch larger than the 

 size required, and fold hack a quarter of an inch of each 

 end, which, rendering the paper rigid, no warping ensues, 

 ana the after process with the glass rod is perfectly easy, 

 and there is not any fear, with a little care, of having the 

 back soiled. 



I have found also that where the pins went through the 

 paper during drying, on developing, very generally, a 

 double fleck from the pin-hole spread right up the nega- 

 tive, and thus spoiled it. I tried various means, until I 

 tried the finer sort of hair pins used by ladies, which, 

 being lacquered, answer admirably. I have not had one 

 spoiled since. I bend the pin like a shepherd's crook, and 

 place the end through a tape hung across a room, and pass 

 the longer end through the paper, as by such means the 

 paper hangs on the uninjured part of the pin ; otherwise, 



when bent by myself, probably the metal may be exposed, 

 and the paper be thus spoiled. T. L. Merbitt. 



Maidstone. 



Query on Mr. Lyte's Process. — Will you allow me to 

 put a Query with reference to Mr. Lyte's instantaneous 

 process, described in " N. & Q.," Vol. ix., p. 570. ? Is there 

 not some mistake in the method of preparing solution 

 No. 1. ? Two hundred grains of nitrate of silver are to be 

 dissolved in six ounces of distilled water, and as much 

 iodide of silver as will dissolve. Iodide of silver being in- 

 soluble in water, of course none of it will dissolve. 



C. H. C. 



Curious Prints (Vol. v., p. 585.). — With re- 

 ference to curious prints I send you an account of 

 a satirical print inserted, by some former pos- 

 sessor of the work, in my copy of Nichols's 

 Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century., at 

 p. 453. of vol. ix. It has reference, I should sup- 

 pose, to some event in the life of the famous 

 John Wilkes. 



The print is headed "Midas, or the Surrey 

 Justice." At a table is seated a person in a large 

 full-bottomed wig, with ass's ears sticking out of 

 it, writing; before him lies a paper with these 

 words : " Sir, send me the ax Rel Latin to a 

 Gustus of Pease." Behind him stands a tall 

 figure, dressed according to the fashion of Wilkes's 

 time, with ruffles, &c. ; and out of his mouth pro- 

 ceeds a scroll inscribed with these words, " Not 

 satisfied with the murder of the English, he must 

 also murder the English language." This figure, 

 I conclude, represents John Wilkes. 



On the table are papers inscribed " Warrants," 

 " Commitments ; " also a book labelled "^ Fen- 

 ning's Spelling," and a gun, with this inscription 

 on the barrel, " The present practice of a Justice 

 of the Peace." Under the table, on two folio vo- 

 lumes, labelled the " Statutes at Large," lies a 

 cat asleep. In the upper left-hand corner is a 

 fox seated on a hill, holding in his right fore paw 

 a sword, and in his left a pair of scales ; in one 

 scale is a cock, and in the other a goose. In the 

 left corner below stands a chamber utensil, with a 

 large folio before it, as if to conceal it. The 

 justice is in a dressing-gown and slippers, and 

 seated in a very large arm-chair. 



Can any of your correspondents afibrd any ex- 

 planation of this print, as to date, &c. ? I. H. R« 



De Beauvoir Pedigree (Vol. ix., pp. 349. 596.). — 

 Mb. Edgab MacCdlloch is in error in his sup- 

 position that the lady, who was widow of Admiral 

 M'Dougal, and afterwards wife of Sir John 

 Brown (now De Beauvoir), was the daughter and 

 heiress of the Rev. Peter de Beauvoir, her affinity 

 to him being that of first cousin, by the half blood, 

 ex parte materna ; in which character she was his 

 sole next of kin, according to the statutes for the 



