1895.] 4 • -1- [Sharpies. 



was unrepresented, but was not even allowed to speak on its own behalf. 

 His son, whose thoughts may have been turned to the subject by the ex- 

 perience of his father, gathered together a series of papers relating to the 

 treatment of these Quakers and published them ia 1848, under the title : 

 " Exiles in Virginia, with Observations on the Conduct of the Society of 

 Friends during the Revolutionary War." 



Father and son were members of the Philosophical Society, the former, 

 one of the first members ; the latter, elected in 1814. Thomas Gilpin was 

 a regular attendant at the meetings of the Philosophical Society, and 

 dedicated other pamphlets than the one on Minority Representation 

 to the Society, notably one entitled, An Essay on Organic Remains as 

 Connected with an Ancient Tropical Region of the Earth. 



The history of this pamphlet on proportional representation illustrates 

 in a striking way how there is a time for everything, and how everything 

 must wait for its time. Written at a period when there was a general de- 

 mand for some kind of reform in our system of representation, it under- 

 took to show how, by adopting a system of proportional representation, 

 the general ticket and caucus system could be made to yield satisfactory 

 results. It failed to accomplish its immediate purpose ; and only now, 

 after fifty years, is beginning to bear practical fruit. The caucus system 

 and the single-member district system have not yielded the result hoped 

 for. Whether any scheme of proportional or minority representation can 

 do better, may be a question ; but it begins to look as if some such method 

 were destined to have a trial, and in such an event, Gilpin's plan has 

 much to recommend it. 



Motes on Photographic Testing of Inks. 



By S. P. Sharpies. 



From the committee appointed by the Society to investigate the various methods for 

 the examination of documents. 



(Read before the American Philosophical Society, December 20, 1S95.) 



Having had occasion to examine a will for alterations recently, it oc- 

 curred to me that inks of diflferent composition might have diflferent 

 actinic values. In the case in question, the register allowed the will to 

 be photograped in the presence of one of his ofliicers. A negative was 

 thus obtained, which showed on printing an exact copy of the will. 

 Printed in the ordinary way it served all purposes for the examination 

 of the writing. It showed very plainly the places where alterations had 

 been made, and there was no question but these alterations had been 

 made by the person who wrote the will. He acknowledged that he had 



prjC. amer. philos. soc. XXXIV. 149. 3h. printed fee._21, 1896. 



