Feb. 24. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



151 



Now, since its thus (your lordship if it please). 

 Accept ane triple cure for ane disease. 



Mr. R. Lichtoune.* " 



T. G. S. 



Edinburgh. 



Your correspondent says there is still in existence 

 a humorous poem on Dr. Aikenhead, Warden of 

 the College of" Edinburgh, which Leighton (after- 

 wards the archbishop) wrote when he was an 

 undergraduate ; and a wish is expressed to see the 

 document. 



There was no such person as " Dr. Aikenhead, 

 Warden of the College." The subject of Leigh- 

 ton's epigram was " David Aikenhead, Provost or 

 Chief Magistrate of the city for many years," who 

 was by no means popular, for many reasons, and 

 particularly because in the year 1620 he had con- 

 trived to have Patrick Sands appointed Principal 

 of the College, for no better reason than that he 

 was married to the sister or daughter of Aikenhead. 

 The lines in question may be found in the second 

 volume of Mr. David Laing's second series of Fu- 



fitive Scottish Poetry of the seventeenth Century, 

 t is proper to state, for the information of English 

 readers, that the Scottish word aiken means oaken. 

 Here are the original lines t 



" Upon the Provost of Edinburgh. 



That which his name pretends is falsely said, 

 To wit, that of an aike his head is made ; 

 For if that it had been composed so, 

 His fiery nose had flam'd it long ago." 



It has commonly been said that Leighton was 

 rusticated for ridiculing the chief magistrate. 

 This does not appear to have been the case ; for he 

 was matriculated as a student in Nov. 1627, and 

 was admitted to the degree of M. A. in 1631, at 

 the same time with a large number who had 

 entered on their studies along with him. The 

 culprit, it is said, was doomed to apologise in 

 verse for the offensive lines. 



The Apologie, printed also by Mr. Laing, ex- 

 tends to twenty-four lines, evidently written after 

 Leighton had obtained his degree of Master. 

 Neither the original provocation nor the apolo- 

 getical verses can be fairly represented as having 

 any claim to humour or wit, or any merit whatever. 



S. T. P. 



Edinburgh College. 



* " Leighton's estimable character is admitted even by 

 those whose religious opinions did not coincide with his 

 own, — a circumstance very remarkable, as usually such 

 differences produce the most unchristian-like hostility. 

 He was Bishop of Dunblane, and thereafter of Glasgow." 



PHOTOGKAPHIC CORRESPONDENCE. 



Fading of Positives. — I am glad to see that Dr. Dia- 

 mond's attention is directed to the subject of the fading 

 of positives. I have myself suffered from the same an- 

 noyance. He justly remarks, that hyposulphite of soda, 

 not being sufficiently washed out, is a fertile source of 

 future decay. But I have often not only washed, but 

 subjected the positives to heavy pressure between blot- 

 ting-paper, after each washing, two or three times over, 

 and the result has been far from certain. Since I have 

 discontinued the use of ammonio-nitrate, and used simply 

 nitrate of silver upon albumenized paper, I have had 

 greater success, so far as the period of time has gone. 

 Dr. Diamond's caution respecting paste should be borne 

 in mind. I have generally found that positives fade at 

 those portions which come in contact with the card-board, 

 before the other parts which have not been touched by 

 the paste : not so with gum, which appears to be a per- 

 fectly safe substance ; as those which are mounted with 

 it, which I have had an opportunity of observing, fade 

 uniformly, without reference to the portions which are 

 gummed. Whether or not the bleaching chemicals 

 alluded to by Dr. Diamond being used in the card-board 

 are a cause of decay to the positive, is an interesting and 

 important inquiry. Where positives are mounted by 

 connecting the entire back of the picture to the card- 

 board, I can imagine that it may be a cause of future 

 fading; but I have always mounted mine by merely 

 gumming the edges to the card-boards, and subjecting 

 them to pressure, and yet am annoyed by the same un- 

 certainties. Any photographer who has experienced 

 continued and uniform success in the preservation of 

 positives, would be conferring a great benefit by stating 

 what method has been pursued to effect this desirable 

 result. • E. K. 



Photographic Copies of Raphael Drawings (Vol. xi., 

 p. 71.). — In reply to your correspondent R. D.'s Queries 

 regarding the method of making the negatives of the 

 Raphael drawings, I beg to state that they were made in 

 the camera, and not by superposition. 



C. TiiuRSTON Thompsok. 



1. Campden Hill Terrace, Kensington. 



Photographic Exchange Society. — This Society, which 

 we have no doubt will be the first of many similar asso- 

 ciations, has at length been formed. It consists of twenty 

 members : among whom are the names of Messrs. Currey, 

 Delamotte, Eaton, Forrester, Kater, Mackinlay, Major, 

 Pollock, Lake Price, Roslyn, Thorns, Sir W. Newton; 

 The Ladies Nevill; Drs. Diamond, Mansell, Percy, &c. 

 The Rev. J. R. Major is the Hon. Secretary and Treasurer. 

 The subscription is a merely trifling one of five shillings 

 per annum, to cover the expenses incidental to the ex- 

 change. The great and obvious advantage of such asso- 

 ciation is, that every member receives nineteen different 

 pictures in return for the one which such member con- 

 tributes. 



Fairchild Lecture (Vol. xi., p. 66.). — The Fair- 

 child Lecture, from 1768 to 1783, was preached 

 wholly, or nearly so, by Dr. Morell ; in 17s9 by 

 Dr. De Sails ; and from 1790 to 1804 by the Rev. 

 Samuel Ayscough. H. E. 



