Feb. 25. 1854.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



181 



•we cannot thus establish such methods as may 

 really guide us where the unassisted intellect 

 would be lost amid the complexity or subtlety of 

 the combinations involved. How small, for in- 

 stance, is the aid which we derive from the ordi- 

 nary doctrines of the logicians in questions in 

 which we have to consider the operation of mixed 

 causes and in various departments of statistical 

 and social inquiry, in which the intellectual diffi- 

 culty is almost wholly a logical one. 



For the ground upon which some of these state- 

 ments are made, I must refer to my recently- 

 published work on the Laws of Thought. I trust 

 to your courtesy to insert these remarks, and apo- 

 logise for the undesigned length to which they 

 have extended. G. Boole. 



Queen's College, Cork. 



ROBERT BEOET. 



(Vol. ix., p. 105.) 



Robert, Earl of Moreton, and Odo, Bishop of 

 Bayeux, the Conqueror's uterine brothers, both 

 accompanied William, acting conspicuous parts on 

 his invasion of England in 106G. The former died 

 about 1090. Odo had been elected Bishop as far 

 back as 1049. In 1088 he headed a conspiracy 

 against William 1 1.; but being defeated at Roches- 

 ter, retired to Normandy. The time of his death 

 is uncertain, but is supposed to have occurred in 

 1096. 



The first notice of Robert Bloet's name, is as a 

 witness to one of the charters of William II. to 

 the monastery of Durham, granted in 1088 or 

 1089. He was appointed Chancellor in 1090, con- 

 secrated Bishop of Lincoln in 1093, and died in 

 1123. 



These dates plainly prove that he was not 

 "identical" with Robert, Earl of Moreton ; and 

 scarcely could be called cotemporary with him. 



His supposed relationship to Odo is affirmed by 

 Richardson, in his notes to Godwin de Prcesulibus, 

 from an expression in his grant of the manor of 

 Charleton to the priory of Bermondsey (Claud. 

 A. 8., f. 118., MSS. Hutton) ; in which he says, 

 " quod pro salute animae Dom. mei Willelmi Regis, 

 etfratris mei Bajocens. Episcopi." If Odo be the 

 Bishop here intended, the meaning of " fratris 

 mei" may be translated, not in the natural, but in 

 the episcopal sense, as brother of his order. But 

 the grant is probably a forgery, or its date of 1093 

 incorrect, for at that time Odo was in exile ; and 

 Bloet would have scarcely ventured to insult the 

 king, from whom he had just received rewards 

 and advancement, by coupling with his the name 

 of one who had been banished as a traitor. 



For farther particulars, allow me to refer your 

 correspondent Mr. Sanson: to The Judges of 

 England, vol. i. p. 103. Edward Foss. 



PHOTOGRAPHIC CORRESPONDENCE. 



A Hint to the Photographic Society. — It lias been 

 objected to this Society, that beyond the establishment 

 of its Journal, and the forming of an Exhibition, it has 

 done very little to promote the improvement of the 

 beautiful art it was specially intended to advance. 

 Such objections are very easily urged ; but those who 

 make them should at least propose a remedy. It is in 

 no unfriendly spirit that we allude to these complaints; 

 and we well know how difficult it is for a body like 

 the Photographic Society to take any important step 

 which shall not be liable to misconstruction. We 

 would however suggest, that among those endeavours 

 which it would become the Society to make, there is 

 one which might at once be taken, namely, to secure 

 for the photographic public a good paper. The want 

 of such an article is hourly felt. If the Photographic 

 Society, following the example of the Society of Arts, 

 should appoint a Committee to take this matter into 

 consideration, to define clearly and unmistakeably the 

 essentials of a good negative paper for calotypes (for 

 perhaps it would be well to keep to a good negative 

 paper), and offer a premium for its production, a very 

 short time would elapse before specimens of such an 

 article would be submitted for examination. It is 

 clear that the'premium need be one only of small pe- 

 cuniary %'alue ; for the fact of a maker having produced 

 such an article as should gain the prize, would secure 

 him an ample recompense in the enormous demand 

 which would instantly arise for a paper which should 

 be stamped with the public approval of a body en- 

 titled to speak with so much authority on such a sub- 

 ject as the Council of the Photographic Society. 



Test for Nitrate of Silver. — The Reader of Pho- 

 tographic Works, who in Vol. ix., p. 111., asked for 

 information as to how he might know whether nitrate 

 of silver was pure, can detect any impurities with 

 which that salt is likely to be contaminated, by apply- 

 ing a few simple tests to an aqueous solution of it. 

 The impurities which nitrate of silver most frequently 

 contains are nitrate of copper, nitrate of potash, and 

 free nitric acid. It is also sometimes intentionally 

 adulterated with nitrate of lead. The presence of a 

 salt of copper is detected by the solution assuming a 

 blue colour when mixed with an excess of ammonia. 

 To detect nitrate of potash, hydrochloric acid should 

 be added to the solution in sufficient quantity to pre- 

 cipitate the whole of the silver. The liquid should 

 then be freed from the precipitate by filtration, and 

 evaporated ; if nitrate of potash is present, a fixed re- 

 sidue will remain after evaporation. The presence of 

 a salt of lead is detected by adding a few drops of sul- 

 phuric acid to the solution of nitrate of silver, which 

 precipitates the lead as sulphate if present. It is, 

 however, necessary to dilute the acid with a consider- 

 able quantity of water, and, if any precipitate forms, to 

 allow it to subside previous to using it as a test for 

 lead, as ordinary sulphuric acid is frequently conta- 

 minated with sulphate of lead, which is soluble in the 

 strong, but not in dilute, acid. 



Any free nitric acid in the nitrate of silver can be 

 detected by the smell. The crystals can be freed from 



