206 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 227. 



These Celtic etymologies, however, though 

 amusing, do not touch the main point, which is 

 simply this : the usual mode of pronouncing the 

 word humble in good English society. What that 

 is, seems to be so satisfactorily shown by your cor- 

 respondent S. G. C, Vol. viii., p. 393., that all 

 farther argument on the subject would be super- 

 fluous. • E. C. H. 



PHOTOGRAPHIC CORRESPONDENCE. 



Improvements in the Albumenized Process. — Your 

 expectation of being soon able to announce the 

 successful manufacture of a new negative calotype 

 paper, will, I am sure, be gladly received by many 

 photographers, and especially by those who, like me, 

 have been subjected to much disappointment with 

 Turner's paper. For one sheet that has turned out 

 well, at least half-a-dozen have proved useless from 

 spottiness, and some sheets do not take the iodizing 

 solution evenly, from an apparent want of uniformity 

 in the texture of the paper, which causes the solution 

 to penetrate portions the moment it is laid on the 

 solution. Undoubtedly, when it does succeed, it is 

 superior to Whatman's, but this is not enough to com- 

 pensate for its extreme uncertainty. 



In Dr. Diamond's directions for the calotype, he 

 gave a formula for the addition of bromide of potassium 

 to the iodide of potassium, but did not speak with 

 much certainty as to the proportions. Will he kindly 

 say whether he has made farther trials ; and if so, 

 whether they confirm the proportions given by him, or 

 have led him to adopt any change in this respect? 

 and will he likewise say whether the iodizing solution 

 which he recommends for Turner's paper, is suitable 

 also to Whatman's ? 



In albumenizing paper, I have not found it desirable 

 to remove the paper very slowly from the solution. 

 Whenever I have done so, it has invariably dried with 

 waves and streaks, which quite spoiled the sheet. A 

 steady motion, neither too slow nor too quick, I have 

 found succeed perfectly, so that I now never spoil a 

 sheet. I have used the solution with less albumen 

 than recommended by Dr. Diamond. My formula 

 has been, — 



Albumen - - - - 8 oz. 



Water - - - - - 12 oz. 



Muriate ammon. - - - 60 grs. 



Common salt - - - - 60 grs. 



And this, I find, gives a sufficient gloss to the paper ; 

 but that of course is a matter of taste. 



I have not either found it essential \o allow the 

 paper to remain on the solution three minutes or 

 longer, as recommended by Dr. Diamond. With 

 Canson paper, either negative or positive, a minute and 

 a half has been sufficient. I have used two dishes, 

 and as soon as a sheet was removed, drained, and re- 

 placed, I have taken the sheet from the other dish. 

 In this way I found that each sheet lay on the solution 

 about one and a half minutes, and with the assistance 

 of a person to hang and dry them (which I have done 

 before a fire), I have prepared from forty to forty-five 



sheets in an hour, requiring of course to be ironed 

 afterwards. 



I have tried a solution of nitrate of silver of thirty 

 grains to one ounce of distilled water, to excite thin 

 paper, and it appears to answer just as well as forty 

 grains. I send you two small collodion views, taken 

 by me and printed on albumenized paper prepared as 

 mentioned, and excited with a 30-grain solution of 

 nitrate of silver. 



Is there any certain way of telling the right side of 

 Canson paper, negative and positive? On the positive 

 paper on one side, when held in a particular position 

 towards the light, shaded bars may be observed ; and 

 on this side, when looked through, the name reads right. 

 Is this the right or the wrong side ? C. E. F. 



Since I wrote to you last, I have tried a solution 

 of twenty grains only of nitrate of silver to the ounce 

 of distilled water, for the paper albumenized, as men- 

 tioned in my letter of the 1 3th of February, and have 

 found it to answer perfectly. The paper I used was 

 thin Canson, floated for one minute exactly on the so- 

 lution ; but I have no doubt the thick Canson will 

 succeed just as well ; and here I may observe that I 

 have never found any advantage in allowing the paper 

 to rest on the solution for three or four minutes, as 

 generally recommended, but the contrary, as the paper, 

 without being in the least more sensitive, becomes 

 much sooner discoloured by keeping. My practice 

 has been to float the thin Canson about half a minute, 

 and the thick Canson not more than a minute. 



C. E. F. 



Mr. Crookes on restoring old Collodion. — I am happy 

 to explain to your correspondent what I consider to be 

 the rationale of the process. 



The colour which iodized collodion assumes on 

 keeping, I consider to be entirely due to the gradual 

 separation of iodine from the iodide of potassium or 

 ammonium originally introduced. There are several 

 ways in which this may take place ; if the cotton or 

 paper contain the slightest trace of nitric acid, owing 

 to its not being thoroughly washed (and this is not so 

 easy as is generally supposed), the liberation of iodine 

 in the collodion is certain to take place a short time 

 after its being made. 



It is possible also that there may be a gradual de- 

 composition of the zyloidin itself, and consequent li- 

 beration of the iodide by this means, with formation of 

 nitrate of potassa or ammonia ; but the most probable 

 cause I consider to be the following. The ether gra- 

 dually absorbs oxygen from the atmosphere, being 

 converted into acetic acid ; this, by its superior affi- 

 nities, reacts on the iodide present, converting it into 

 acetate, with liberation of hydriodic acid ; while this 

 latter, under the influence of the atmospheric oxygen, 

 is very rapidly converted into water and iodine. 



I am satisfied by experiment that this is one of the 

 causes of the separation of iodine, and I think it is the 

 only one, for the following reason ; neither bromised 

 nor chlorised collodion undergo the slightest change of 

 colour, however long they may be kept. Now, if the 

 former agencies were at work, there is no reason why 

 bromine should not be liberated from a bromide as 

 well as iodine from an iodide ; but on the latter suppo- 



