Feb. 26. 1853.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



219 



ammonio-nitrate of silver, I have found to be the 

 most certain of all, and I here give a formula for 

 the benefit of your readers. They will find it ad- 

 mirably adapted for any objects in the shade, or 

 any not lit by the sun's rays ; it also has an excel- 

 lent quality, of not darkening by exposure in the 

 camera, as most other papers do. I have taken 

 negatives with it all the winter, even at Christmas. 

 It is rather slow, but certain ; and as your readers 

 try it and improve it, I hope they will communi- 

 cate the results. 



It rests alone on the superior sensitive property 

 the nitrate of silver possesses after being redis- 

 solved in ammonia, which every photographer 

 must have experienced. And it has, I believe, 

 in prospect, the dispensing with the crystals of 

 nitrate of silver, and simply at last employing 

 silver leaves, which will save a great expense to 

 the operator. The first solution is, to the propor- 

 tion of a wine-bottleful of water add three grains 

 of pure tannin, well dissolved in filtered water. 

 Upon this float every sheet of paper, taking care 

 of bubbles when they are to be hung up to dry. 

 Do a great number ; they will be ready for the 

 ultimate process. Make now a solution of nitrate 

 of silver, twenty-six grains to the ounce : if three 

 ounces are to be made, dissolve the nitrate in half 

 an ounce of distilled water, and add liq. ammo, 

 fortissimus till the precipitate is redissolved. Then 

 fill up with two and a half ounces of distilled water. 

 This is the formula of Mr. Alfred Taylor. With 

 this solution pass over every sheet with a brush : it 

 cannot be floated, as exposure to the air precipi- 

 tates the silver. The iodizing solution is, — 



Iodide of potassium - - 250 grs'. 



Fluoride of potassium - - 20 grs. 



Cyanide of potassium - - 15 grs. 



Muriate of soda - - - 30 grs. 



to a full half-pint of distilled water. 



The success of the operation depends upon this 

 point, that the latter solution must be laid over, 

 the first, before the first has entirely dried, or at 

 that point when all appearance of wet is absorbed. 

 Three sheets of paper may be washed over at a 

 time ; and as the corner where the solution runs 

 to is apt to remain wet longer than the rest of the 

 paper, the drip may be assisted off" with a bit of 

 blotting-paper. Also, before the second solution 

 is dry, it is to be floated on water ; but the same 

 conditions must be strictly observed. When it 

 has floated a short time, " it does not require so 

 long a time as the acid process." It is, while wet, 

 floated again upon a weak solution of free iodine 

 for about half a minute ; it may then be dried, 

 and is ready for the sensitive solution. This last 

 must be acid, and any of the approved formulae 

 will suit it ; but the solution, whatever it is, must 

 be allowed to dry before placing between the white 

 glasses, nor on any account ought it to be touched 



with blotting-paper. The image is to be brought 

 out with gallic acid and acetic acid, laid over with 

 a brush, and requires no heat. It is of a very red 

 colour generally, but that does not impair its ef- 

 fectiveness in taking the positive impression. 



Weld Taylob. 

 7. Conduit Street West, Bayswater. 



Sir W. Newton's Process. — Will Sik W. New- 

 ton be kind enough, through the medium of "W, 

 & Q.," to give the rationale of the action of the 

 common soda and powdered allum mentioned in his 

 process published in Vol. vii., p. 140. ? and why 

 the soda is used for negatives and the allum for 

 positives, both being produced on iodized paper ? 



Should these chemicals destroy the power of the 

 hyposulphite of soda, I imagine the fading of posi- 

 tives will no longer be a matter of uneasiness; 

 and I am sure all amateurs will be greatly in- 

 debted to him. W. Adeian Delferieb. 



40. Sloane Square. 



l^itfiliei to iHtnor ^utviti. 



A Race for Canterbury (Vol. vii., p. 158.). — In 

 a copy of the tract before me (4to., 1747) is a 

 plate prefixed to the title, containing a view of 

 Lambeth Palace with four bishops, each in a 

 wherry, striving hard to reach the coveted God : 

 Sherlock, Herring, Mawson, and Gibson, desig- 

 nated in the poem as Codex. The contention for 

 the see of Canterbury, on the death of Archbishop 

 Potter, was the subject of several squibs and 

 satirical prints. 



I have two other plates, each representing three 

 bishops in wherries ; one with three stanzas under 

 it, commencing : 



" Pope Gregory's table was spread with a net, 

 Till he the fish into his power could get ; 

 Pope E — nd to L — eth rows in a wherry, 

 For the A— B— p's P— -ce of C ." 



In which Gibson and the two Sherlocks are 

 alluded to. The other, a broadside, headed by a 

 woodcut with three wherries, entitled " First Oars 

 to L — m — th, or who strives for Preferment?" 

 with fourteen stanzas below the cut; the first 

 runs thus : 



" At L — m — th dwells, as fame reports^ 

 A P — i — st of spotless fame ; 

 Some annual thousands swell his worth. 

 And spread abroad his name." 



In the twelfth, the initials H— d — y appear : 

 " H — d — y, with headstrong zeal inspired, 

 Vows he'll complete the work. 

 Whilst G -b — n tugs and boils in vain, 

 T' o'ertake the furious Y — r — k.'" 



Which would lead one to infer that Hoadley was 

 a competitor with Herring and Gibson. J. F. 



Kennington. 



