358 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 233. 



the ground. The scholar and physiologist, who first 

 pressed into notice the strong similarities of the Celtic to 

 the European languages, and claimed a place for Celtic 

 within that group, Dr. Prichard, has naturally fixed 

 his attention with so much strength on the primitive 

 relations of all these tongues, as to be jealous and 

 suspicious of an argument, which alleges that the one 

 has borrowed from the other. Some ten years ago, by 

 his favour, I read a MS. of a vocabulary (the compo- 

 sition of Dr. Stratton, formerly of Aberdeen), which 

 compared the Gaelic with the Latin tongue in alpha- 

 betical order without comment or development. From 

 this vocabulary Prichard gives an extract in his chapter 

 on the Italian nations, and finds it entirely to confirm 

 his views that the Roman language has not suffered 

 any larger admixture by a foreign action. What is or 

 was Dr. Stratton's opinion, I never heard. His voca- 

 bulary first suggested to me the value of this inquiry, 

 and that is all. Having now been led to a fuller ex- 

 amination of the Welsh and Gaelic dictionaries, I find 

 not only a far greater abundance of material (especially 

 in the Welsh) than I could have imagined ; but also, 

 that by grouping words aright, conclusions result such 

 as I had not expected, and adverse to those of Dr. 

 Prichard." 



Professor Newman, as T. H. T. has observed, 

 confined himself to a tabular view of Celtic and 

 Latin words ; but the grammatical structure and 

 formal development of the two languages have not 

 been overlooked in the philological literature of 

 England. These interesting inquiries have been 

 pursued by Dr. Prichard, in his elaborate treatise 

 on the Eastern Origin of the Celtic Nations, and 

 the Rev. W. D. Conybeare, (in his Theological Lec- 

 tures delivered in JBi'istol College in 1831-33) has 

 shown that it is by thus analysing the grammatical 

 structure, which forms the very skeleton of lan- 

 guages, rather than by confining our attention to 

 mere vocabularies, that we may best detect their 

 true affinities, and has illustrated this doctrine by 

 a few Welsh examples. In the West of England 

 Archaeological Journal is exhibited (I believe by 

 the same author) the identity of verbal forms in 

 the Welsh and Latin languages. 



Nevertheless, Archdeacon Williams maintains 

 that two languages may have a common vocabu- 

 lary, but different grammars * : 



" The Latin language, whether from Pelasgic or 

 Achaean influence, adopted at an early period the Hel- 

 lenic grammar ; and, under the skilful hands of the 

 bilingual Ennius, became that polished interpreter of 

 thought, which yields in regularity and majesty to the 

 Greek alone. The Cumri either retained, which is 

 more probable, a still more ancient, or invented a 

 grammar, now peculiar to themselves. This, although 

 it be simple and scientific in the highest degree, is so 

 completely at variance with all the other grammars of 

 the civilised world, that scholars who have to acquire 



* In his Gomer he shows that the Latin and Cym- 

 raeg display great similarity in the tenses of the sub- 

 stantive verb. 



it late in life feel the strongest repugnance to its forms 

 and principles, and are tempted to regard a language 

 more fixed and unchangeable in its principles than any 

 other existing, as more slippery and grasp-escaping 

 than the Proteus of the Grecian mythology." 



Since I wrote these extracts, I have been much 

 gratified by the perusal of Archdeacon Williams's 

 Gomer, which I recommend to all interested in 

 this inquiry. Bibliothecae. Chetham. 



PHOTOGRAPHIC CORRESPONDENCE. 



Box Sawdust for Collodion. — The following will be 

 of some use to your photographic readers : 



It find that, by treating box sawdust with nitric and 

 sulphuric acid (in the same manner as cotton), and 

 then dissolving it in ether, it gives a far more sensitive 

 collodion than either cotton or paper, and the pictures 

 produced by it are of unequalled brilliancy. 



Can you inform me whether portraits can be taken 

 for sale, by the collodion process, without infringing 

 upon the patents? Chas. Whitworth. 



Henrietta St., Birmingham. 



Proportions of Chlorides and Silver. — I trust you 

 will allow me space in your valuable work for some 

 remarks in reference to an important photographic 

 query, viz. What are the proportions of chlorides and 

 silver uniformly suited to give the best positive pic- 

 tures ? 



I am led to propose this subject for the consideration 

 of practical photographists, and, if possible, that ama- 

 teurs may arrive at something like a rule to guide 

 them in printing positives that will please. 



The necessity of these remarks, to me at least, 

 appear very evident from the wide space which stands 

 between the proportions proposed by various operators. 

 Mr. Lyte, " N. & Q.," Vol. ix., p. 158., says 42 grains 

 of chloride and 100 grains of silver to 1 oz. of water. 

 Mr. Pollock, " N. & Q.," Vol. vii., p. 588., says 

 20 grains chloride, and 90 grains of silver to the ounce. 

 Mr. Hockin has 10 grains chloride, silver 60. Mi. 

 Delamotte, for albumenized paper, chloride 60 grains, 

 silver 120. Mr. Thornthwaite begins as low as 

 chloride ^ grain, and silver 30 grains; and lastly, 

 amidst a long range of proportions, from 1 grain of 

 chloride to the ounce, and silver 20 grains to the 

 ounce, Dr. Diamond, a great authority in photo- 

 graphy, assures all that the best results can be ob- 

 tained by using of chloride 5 grains to the ounce, and 

 of silver 40 grains to the ounce. If so, let the photo- 

 graphic world know that the latter proportions are 

 sufficient, and the others needless, wasteful, and ex- 

 pensive without cause. I trust you agree with me in 

 thinking that it would be of use to a large number of 

 beginners to have the proportions best suited for 

 printing positives defined as near as possible, and not 

 be left to guess at proportions varying from ^ grain to 

 60 grains, and from 20 to 120. I have written hur- 

 riedly, and hope you will see the object I aim at. 



Amateur. 



