Mar. 19. 1853.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



293 



the guise of a noble knight's daughter." It com- 

 mences thus : 



" Whence comes the wavering light which falls 

 On Langdale's lonely chapel-walls? 

 The noble mother of Cliristobell 

 Lies in that lone and drear chapelle." 



The writer of the review in Blackwood (Dec. 

 1839) of Mr. Tupper's lame and impotent con- 

 clusion to Christabel, remarks that — 



" Mr. Tupper does not seem to know that Christabel 

 was continued many years ago, in a style that per- 

 plexed the public, and pleased even Coleridge. The 

 ingenious writer meant it for a mere^eM desprit." 



Query : Who was this " ingenious writer ?" 



While on the subject of Christabel, I may note 

 a parallelism in reference to a line in Part I. : 

 " Her face, oh call it fair, not pale !" 



*' E smarrisce il bel volto in un colore, 

 Che nan ^ pallidezza, ma candore," 



Tasso, G, Lib. c. ii. st. 26. 



J. M. B. 



S. Y. is " severe over much" andwider informed, 

 in his strictures on the editors of Coleridge's Works 

 (1852), when he blames them for not giving Cole- 

 ridge the credit of lines which did not belong to 

 him. The lines which S. Y. quotes, and a " great 

 many more," — in fact, a " third part of Christa- 

 bel,''' — were sent to Blackwood's Magazine in 

 1820, by the late Dr. William Maginn, as a first 

 fruits of those imitations and pai-odics for which 

 he afterwards became so famous. The success 

 of his imitation of Coleridge's style is proved by 

 the indignation of your correspondent. It is no 

 small honour to the memory and talents of the 

 gifted but erratic Maginn, that the want of his 

 lines should be deemed a defect or omission in 

 " one of the most beautiful poems in the English 

 language." But in future, before he condemns 

 editors for carelessness, S. Y. should be sure that 

 be himself is correct. A. B. R. 



Belmont. 



PHOTOGRAPHIC NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Economical Way of Iodizing Paper. — The ex- 

 travagant price of the salt called iodide of potas- 

 sium has led me to experiments as to whether 

 paper could not be iodized in another form ; and 

 having been successful, I offer the process to the 

 readers of " N. & Q." Having verified it three 

 times, I can safely say that it is quite as effectual 

 as using the above salt. 



The first solution to be made, is a saturated 

 solution of iodine. Put about sixty grains of iodine 

 (the quantity is not of importance) into an ounce 

 bottle, and add proof spirits of wine ; set it near tne 

 fire " on the hob ; " and when it is nearly boiling, 

 agitate, and it will soon become a concentrated 



essence : take now a bottle of clear glass, called a 

 quart bottle, and put in it about two ounces of 

 what is called carbonate of potash (nothing more 

 than purified pearlash); fill up with water to within 

 an inch of the neck, and agitate ; when it is dis- 

 solved, add any of the other approved sensitives, 

 in discretionable doses, such as fluoride or bromide - 

 of potassa, ammoniac salt, or common salt — it may 

 have about sixty grains of the latter ; and when 

 all are dissolved, add the iodine. This is added 

 by degrees, and shaken ; and when it is a pale 

 yellow, it may be considered to be ready for iodiz- 

 ing : from some experiments, I am led to believe 

 that a greater quantity of iodine may, if neces- 

 sary, be added, only the colour should not be 

 dark. And should the operator reach this point, 

 a few drops of solution of cyanide of potassium 

 may be added, until the pale colour returns. Bro- 

 mine water I believe may be added, but that I have 

 not used hitherto, and therefore cannot answer for 

 its effects. The paper then having its usual wash 

 of nitrate of silver, is then floated on the solu- 

 tion about one minute, and the accustomed pro- 

 cess gone through as described by most photo- 

 graphers. It is only disposed to require a pretty 

 strong solution of silver, say thirty grains to the 

 ounce of water. This I attribute to the potash 

 being in a little more caustic condition than when 

 recrystallised with iodine. And the only differ- 

 ence in the above formula between the two states 

 is, that the iodine in the medical preparation is 

 incorporated by means of iron filings with the 

 water, which I only interpret into being a cheaper 

 method ; which makes its high price the more 

 scandalous, and I hope this method will save 

 photographers from the imposition : the price of 

 a quart of iodide of potassium would be about six 

 shillings, by the above about ten-pence. And I 

 can safely say, it is quite as effectual : theoreti- 

 cally, it appears to be better, because iodine is 

 exceedingly diflScult to preserve after being dis- 

 solved and recrystallised. And much of it is lost 

 in the preparing iodized paper : as, for instance, 

 the usual way generally requires floating on free 

 iodine at the last ; and with the formula here 

 given, after using once, some small quantity of' 

 tincture of iodine should be added before put- 

 ting away, as the silver laid upon the surface of 

 the paper absorbs more of the iodine than the 

 potash. Therefore, a very pale yellow may be its 

 usual test for efficiency, and the equivalent will 

 be maintained. 



N. B. — Potash varying much in its alkaline pro- 

 perty, some samples will remain colourless with 

 addition of iodine ; in which case the judgment 

 must guide as to the quantity of iodine. It should 

 not exceed the ounce of tincture : about two 

 drachms may be added after using it for paper. 



Weld Tatlob. 



7. Conduit Street West. 



