Mak. 10. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



191 



Epitaph in St. Edmunds Churchyard, Salis- 

 bury. — 



" Innocence embellishes, divinely compleat, 

 The pre-existing co-essence, now sublimely great. 

 He can surpassingly immortalize thy theme, 

 And perforate thy soul, celestial supreme. 

 When gracious refulgence bids the grave resign, 

 The Creator's nursing protection be thine. 

 So shall each perspiring sether joyfully arise, 

 Transcendantly good, supereminently wise." 



W. J. Bebnhakd Smith. 

 Temple. 



^1 Grave-yard Inscription. — The following 

 curious inscription has been copied from a grave- 

 stone in Essex : 



" Here lies the man Richard, 

 And Mary his wife ; 

 Their surname was Pritchard, 



They lived without strife ; 

 And the reason was plain — 

 They abounded in riches, 

 They had no care, or pain, 



And his wife wore the breeches." 



w. w. 



Malta. 



Epitaph in Thetford Churchyard. — IMany epi- 

 taphs, some beautiful, some in very bad taste, 

 having found their way into " N. & Q.," allow me 

 to ask some of your Norfolk readers whether the 

 following (in the worst taste possible), said to be 

 in Thetfqrd churchyard, still exists, and what is 

 tTie date ? 



" My grandfather was buried here. 

 My cousin Jane, and two uncles dear ; 

 My father perished with a mortification in his thighs, 

 My sister dropped down dead in the Minories. 

 But the reason why I am here, according to my 



thinking. 

 Is owing to my good living and hard drinking ; 

 Therefore, good Christians, if you'd wish to live long. 

 Beware of drinking brandy, gin, or anything strong." 



R. J. Shaw. 



PHOTOGKAPHIC CORRESPONDENCE. 



Bromo-iodide of Silver. — I beg to offer a few remarks 

 in reply to the communications of Mr. Reade and Dr. 

 Diamond relative to this subject (Vol. xi., p. 130.). 



Mr. Reade, in order to prove that in mixing a solution 

 of the double bromide of silver with a solution of the 

 double iodide, the bromide of silver is not converted into 

 iodide, states that it is ascertained by experiment that 

 equal quantities of bromide and of iodide of silver require 

 the same quantity of iodide of potassium to effect their 

 perfect solution ; that 80 grains, for instance, of each of 

 the former are dissolved in 650 grains of the latter, and a 

 less quantity is insufficient ; but that if the 80 grains of 

 bromide of silver are to be converted into iodide, it would 

 require 74 grains of iodide of potassium to supply the 

 requisite quantity of iodine, and a perfect solution of the 

 precipitate could not be effected without 724 grains of 



iodide of potassium, which he says is contrary to ex- 

 periment. 



Now I deny that a perfect solution of the precipitate 

 could not be effected without 724 grains of iodide of po- 

 tassium, for the 74 grains used in the conversion of the 

 80 grains of bromide of silver into iodide would be re- 

 placed by an equivalent proportion of bromide of potas- 

 sium, which would aid in effecting the solution of the 

 precipitate; so that in fact no more iodide of potassium 

 would be required to dissolve the latter, than would be 

 the case supposing the conversion of the bromide of silver 

 into iodide did not take place. Mr. Reade's experi- 

 ments, therefore, prove nothing at all. 



Dr. Diamond refers you to some portraits he has taken 

 on paper as confirming the opinion he entertains of the 

 advantage of the introduction of bromine into calotype 

 paper. But these portraits, or at least the negatives, 

 were, I presume, taken on collodion, for he says they were 

 taken on a dull December day in a few seconds. 



Now I am quite aware of the advantage of the intro- 

 duction of bromine into collodion, in rendering it more 

 sensitive to the green and red rays ; and I do not doubt 

 the fact, though I cannot say that my own experience 

 confirms it, that paper prepared with Dr. Diamond's 

 solution of bromide of silver in iodide of potassium, is more 

 sensitive to the same rays than paper prepared with the 

 ordinary double iodide solution, for there may be, as 

 Mr. Lyte has suggested, a difference in the molecular 

 arrangement of the deposited iodide of silver ; but the 

 question in dispute between Mr. Reade and myself is, 

 whether or not any bromine in the shape of bromide or 

 bromo-iodide of silver, is introduced into paper by the 

 use of Dr. Diamond's preparation of bromide of silver. I 

 deny that any is. When Dr. Diamond first recommended 

 his solution of bromide of silver in conjunction with the 

 ordinary double iodide solution for preparing calotype 

 paper, I thought otherwise ; I believed in fact that on the 

 addition of water to it, bromide of silver was precipitated 

 along with the iodide, but was induced to believe that 

 such could not be the case from observing that paper 

 which I had prepared with it would bear exposureto 

 light for almost any length of time without injury, which 

 I was aware it would not if it contained any bromide of 

 silver, as the latter, like the chloride of silver,'is blackened 

 by exposure to light ; and in order to determine the point 

 more satisfactoril}', I made the experiments which I de- 

 scribed in the first communication I sent you on the sub- 

 ject. I have since made a rigid anabasis of the precipitate, 

 and have no hesitation whatever in saying that it consists 

 simply of iodide of silver. J. Leaciiman. 



Portability of Sensitized Collodion Plates. — As I see, in 

 Vol. xi., p. 110., some inquiries as to the best method of 

 keeping collodion plates sensitive, and at the same time 

 of combining portabilitj', I send you my method, as it 

 seems to me to meet both these requisites. In the first 

 place, I use a camera with cloth sides and wooden ends ; 

 which, to avoid a long description, I will merely sav is 

 the same as has long been sold under the name of " Wil- 

 latt's Improved Camera:" only that it has the back 

 closed by a sliding board, with a hinge in it, just like the 

 front of an ordinary dark slide. So, when this is raised, 

 of course we can look into the camera from behind ; while, 

 when shut down, it excludes all light. I have no dark 

 slide; but, as I will presently explain, I lot the plate 

 drop at once into the camera from the box. The box is 

 made as follows : — We will suppose it to carry six sen- 

 sitive plates. There is no cover; but the interior is 

 divided into seven compartments by divisions of wood, so 

 as to prevent the light from passing from one compart- 

 ment to another. In the bottom of the box are cut seven 



