372 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 262. 



expected M.D. Again, the John Acton inquired 

 after died in 1774, leaving issue one child, a 

 daughter. Now, in 1741, John, M. A., was " living 

 a bachelor at Clapham, in Surrey." If, therefore, 

 he is the person meant, he must have married 

 after he was forty -nine years of age, which is of 

 course not impossible. 



If the person whom your correspondent inquires 

 after be not John Acton, A.M., he would appear 

 not to be of that family. But it is affirmed that 

 he " was of the Actons in Shropshire," and there- 

 fore (if it be so) this " must " have been the man. 

 The date of his marriage would be of some value 

 in deciding the question. B. H. C. 



PHOTOGRAPHIC COKEESPONDENCE. 



Sensitive coUodionized Plates. — May I be permitted to 

 offer a somewhat Hibernian reply to A Beginxer (Vol.x., 

 p. 33.), who, although he asks for information relative to 

 the albumenized glass process, appears to do so simply 

 because he fancies that it possesses the same advantage 

 over collodion that wax paper does over the calotype. 



In August last (Vol. x., p. 111.) you copied from the 

 Photographic Society's Journal my process for preserving 

 excited collodion in a sensitive condition for a lengthened 

 period. I may observe that I omitted sending you, con- 

 trary to my usual practice, any account of the process, in 

 consequence of the publication by Messrs. Spiller & Crooke 

 at the same time of their nitrate of magnesia formula, 

 which appeared to me at the time to offer superior advan- 

 tages: subsequent experience, however, of the actual 

 working of my own formula, has completely changed this 

 opinion ; I therefore now suggest to A Beginner that he 

 wiH probably accomplish his object with much greater 

 facility by the use of collodion in the following manner : 

 viz. first be sure that the glass is thoroughly clean ; to 

 ensure this condition 1 am in the habit of using a few 

 drops of alcohol and acetic acid {not glacial), which I 

 keep ready mixed for the purpose, rubbed well on the 

 plate with' a clean linen cloth until quite dry, and a final 

 polish given with an old silk handkerchief kept for this 

 purpose only. Coat the plate with collodion as usual, and 

 immerse in the ordinary thirty-grain nitrate of silver 

 bath. On removing it from the latter, drain pretty 

 closely, and wash off the superfluous free nitrate of silver 

 in another bath, consisting of distilled water twenty-nine 

 ounces to one ounce of the sensitizing bath ; as soon as 

 the greasiness of the plate has ceased (in about one to 

 two minutes), it may be removed, drained for a few 

 moments, and coated with the preservative syrup as 

 directed (Vol. x., p. 111.) ; drain for five minutes or so, 

 and put away in a box or dark frame well protected 

 from diffused light, until convenient to use the same in 

 the camera. 



If carefully prepared as above, the plates will certainly 

 keep quite unimpaired for at least a week ; and I believe 

 that a month or more will do them no injury, if thoroughly 

 free from diffused light. The syrup is prepared by mix- 

 ing three volumes of pure honey with five of distilled 

 water; and, after filtration through bibulous paper, 

 adding one volume of alcohol. If kept in a stopped bottle, 

 the same syrup will be effective repeatedly until it be- 

 comes discoloured, when I generally expose it for some 

 hours to a strong light to reduce any silver that may 

 have been taken up from the plates ; and again filter it to 

 remove the same, after which it may be used as before. 



After exposure in the camera, which, need not be longer 

 than when fresh plates are used imder similar circum- 

 stances, the development 7iced not be attended to for some 

 days, if it be desired to wait so long. I find that I over- 

 estimated the loss of sensitiveness vety materially in the 

 first instance, owing to some slight acidity in the honey : 

 1 now find that there is little or no loss in this respect, 

 provided there be no extra acidity. 



To develope the picture, it is to be immersed in the same 

 bath as it was washed in, after leaving the nitrate bath in 

 the first instance; and the same bath will answer for 

 washing an indefinite number of plates, both prior to 

 and after exposure, provided it be occasionally filtered.. 

 After washing, previously to developing, a suflaciency ofc'- 

 one-grain solution of pyrogallic acid, with the usual!' 

 quantum of acetic acid, is to be poured over the plate, 

 when the details of the picture will very slowly appear, 

 and be exceedingly faint ; wh«n fully out, the pyrogalUc 

 acid is to be returned to the measure, and some ten 

 drops from the sensitizing thirty-grain bath added for a 

 nine by seven inch plate, and then to be returned to the 

 plate ; when the required intensity may be obtained, and 

 the action stopped by well washing. The fixing may be 

 either with the hyposulphate of soda or cyanide of potas- 

 sium, as preferred ; but the former gives better negatives 

 to my own fancv. 



In cold weather, there is no objection to adding the 

 nitrate of silver to the pjTOgallic acid in the first instance j 

 but if it be at all warm, this is not a safe proceeding. I 

 believe I have now given all the minutiae of the im- 

 proved details of manipulation which experience has 

 dictated ; and if they be closely followed, and the time of 

 exposure in the camera judiciously proportioned to the 

 light and the nature of the subject, 1 have no hesitation in 

 affirming that the production of a good negative may be 

 reduced to a certainty ; while the trouble is not one half 

 that incurred with paper, or one tithe of that required for 

 albumen. 



If I have not trespassed already too long upon your 

 patience, I should be glad to make one or two remarks 

 farther. In the first place, the plates prepared as above 

 have not such injurious effects upon the slides of the dark 

 frames, as those prepared by the deliquescent salts, which 

 latter cause the sliding parts, &c., to become stiff and 

 warp. In the next, I find, on reference to your page^ 

 that to those unacquainted with the facts of the case, I 

 might be open to the imputation of having borrowed the 

 idea of using grape sugar and honey from Mr. F. M. 

 Ltte, without acknowledging the same ; but, fortunately 

 for my reputation on this head, I mentioned the fact of 

 having been successful in my attemj)t to preserve the 

 sensitive plates at the Photographic bociety on June 1, 

 and had been using honey, &c. for many months pre- 

 viously; while Mr. Lyte's instantaneous process ap- 

 peared not until 17t.h of the same month ; consequently, 

 we had both been experimenting simultaneously in the 

 same direction. Lastly, I find that /or collodion the ordi- 

 nary ac. acet. fortis is equal to the glacial acid in every 

 respect except strength, and can be obtained for from six- 

 pence to eightpence per pound, if taken in any quantity ; 

 so that the economy of using it for large plates is con- 

 siderable. I use for my developing solution : 



Distilled water 

 Pyrogallic acid 

 Acetic acid (as above) - 



- 6 oz. fluid. 



- 8 grains. 



- 2oz. 



Thus producing a one-grain solution. Geo. Shadbolt. 



Photographic Cavils. — As there appears to have arisen 

 the slightest disposition towards snip-snap with one an- 

 other on smaU matters amongst the photographic corre- 



