S4 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 272. 



plate would probably dissolve this indurated syrup, and 

 after a few trials I met with perfect success. 



The following is the method I have pursued'with plates 

 which had been excited upwards of ten days before expo- 

 ^i\re in the camera; and you may judge of its success by 

 the positives I send (one being from a negative which 

 had been kept 271 hours), although I am satisfied that 

 the limit to the keeping of plates, with this manipulation, 

 extends much beyond that period. 



On removing the plate from the dark slide, immerse it 

 in the one-grain bath for five minutes, to remove the 

 outer syrup ; drain it ; then hold it, collodion downwards, 

 over the steam of boiling water poured into a flat pan, 

 for about ten minutes, taking care to keep the plate four 

 or five inches from the surface of the water ; the indurated 

 syrup will gradually be seen to dissolve, and by inclining 

 the plate the greater part is easily run off any angle you 

 choose. Allow the plate to drain and cool ; then remove 

 the remaining syrup by gently pouring over it distilled 

 water. Having drained the plate, pour on pyrogallic 

 acid (no image appears under this) ; after a minute or 

 two, when the collodion has been well impregnated, pour 

 off the pyro. into a glass containing about twenty-five 

 minirns of a ten-grm'n nitrate-of-silver solution, and im- 

 mediately pour it over the plate ; the image rapidly comes 

 out, and may be developed as usual to any extent. With 

 some kinds of collodion, or in very cold weather, it may 

 be advisable, before using the pyro., either to pour over 

 the plate a weak solution of nitrate of silver, or to mix 

 the nitrate of silver with the pyro. in the first instance. 

 I merely suggest this, having as yet found the method I 

 have given quite sufficient. 



Steaming the plates cleans them so perfectly, and gives 

 us such mastery over this method, that it is always better 

 they should be so treated, whenever there is the least fear 

 that the syrup is indurated. Thos. L. Mansell. 



Guernsey, 



CoUodionized Glass Plates, Sfc. — It is with some con- 

 siderable regret that I find myself difi'ering from so expe- 

 rienced a photographer as Mr. F. M. Lyte has proved 

 himself. Such however being the case, there is no 

 alternative but to give expression to my opinions, or else 

 to be silent, and thus tacitly admit the correctness of a 

 statement which I can by no means accede to. 



In Mr. Lyte's late communication (Vol. x., p. 511.) he 

 states that my preservative process seems to differ in no 

 essential point from his instantaneous one, except that Mr. 

 Lyte mixes the nitrate of silver with the syrup, whereas 

 I wash off all but a slight trace, and add none to the 

 syrup ; and then adds that I am a discovei'er quite as in- 

 dependent 'as himself, thereby seeming to imply that his 

 original object was as much to preserve the sensitiveness 

 of the plate as to obtain a more highly exalted condition 

 of impressionability. Now, the exception alluded to ap- 

 pears to me to be the most essential difference that can 

 well be conceived ; and Mr. Lyte says, " I never leave it 

 (the nitrate of silver) out of the syrup as he does, as that 

 causes unequal development." 



That the latter allegation is totally unfounded I can 

 most readily prove, having sent eight pictures to the 

 forthcoming exhibition that have been thus taken, not 

 one of which has the fault complained of. 



Moreover, I find from experience that the addition of 

 nitrate of silver to the syrup materially interferes with 

 the keeping qualities of the plate thus treated, more 

 especially if the weather be at all warm. In Mr. Lyte's 

 original process, as published in " N. & Q." (Vol. ix., 

 p. 570.), the quantity of nitrate of silver there directed 

 ■would certainly spoil the plate in less than twelve hours ; 

 the quantity recently adopted is very infinitesimal, but 



the whole process as now given appears to me to be but 

 a variation of mine, directions for making grape sugar 

 being interpolated. 



That Mr. Lyte was experimenting upon grape sugar, 

 honej', &c. simultaneously with myself does not admit of 

 a doubt, but his object in using it and mine were totally 

 different, so far as I can judge by his published state- 

 ments. Most assuredly mine was not any exaltation in 

 sensibility, but preservation of what it had, either entirely 

 or partially ; and in this research I was not indebted to 

 any one for a single hint, beyond what I have already 

 stated as due to Messrs. Spiller and Crooke, viz. that of 

 exciting the plate first and preserving it afterwards. 



With regard to the efficacy of the formula I last gave 

 (Vol. x., pp. 372. 452.), I may state that, on the 30th of 

 last November, I excited and preserved six plates for 

 small stereoscopic negatives, and was only able to use 

 four of them on that day, and from press of business had 

 no opportunity of using the remaining two until Decem- 

 ber 28, exactly _/bur weeks from the time of exciting. I 

 did not develope the pictures until twelve hours after 

 exposure, yet the result is most satisfactory, being per- 

 fectly dense pictures and most evenly developed. 



In conclusion, I cannot but express my regret that I 

 am thus obliged to appear in an antagonistic position 

 with Mr. Lyte, possibly in consequence of some mis- 

 apprehension on my part as to his meaning, or some over- 

 sensitiveness to an implied plagiarism. 



George Shadbolt. 



The biographical dictionary of living authors 

 (Vol. xi., p. 17.). — The late Mr. Frederick Sho- 

 berl, printer to his royal highness prince Albert, 

 printed three volumes under my inspection — all 

 for private distribution. The last volume was the 

 Memoirs of my friend Mr. Ralmbach, which vyas 

 completed in 1843. I continued, however, to call 

 on Mr. Shoberl from time to time till almost the 

 close of his short career. 



I there sometimes met his father, Mr. Frederic 

 Shoberl, and on one of those occasions the con- 

 versation turned on the National Benevolent 

 Institution. "I gave my votes," said I, "In favour 

 of Watkins, the author of the Biographical dic- 

 tionary'" — "and of the Biographical dictionary 

 of living authors,'' added Mr. Shoberl senior. 

 "What! was he the author of that work?" So 

 far I can report our colloquy almost verbatim, but 

 must now have recourse to narrative. Mr. Sho- 

 berl proceeded to assure me, in presence of his 

 son, that the work was written by Watkins as far 

 as the letter F — that some dispute with the pub- 

 lisher then arose — that the materials were there- 

 fore handed over to himself — and that he com- 

 pleted the work as it now appears. 



Mr. Upcott may have contributed biographical 

 cuttings, as he told me that he had made a collec- 

 tion of such materials, but in the Catalogue of the 

 library of the London Institution the work was 

 entered by himself as anonymous. 



A list of the works written, revised, translated, 

 or edited by Mr. Shoberl would equal in extent 



