1888. | NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, 205 
«¢ Smeaton grows old and is rather more talkative than he was, 
but retains in perfection his perspicuity of expression and good 
sense. Hecame to the philosophers’ meeting at my house on 
Monday, and we were receiving an account of his experiments 
on rotatives and some new ones he has made, when unluckily his 
facts did not agree with Dr. Moyes, the blind philosopher’s 
theories, which made Moyes contradict Smeaton, and brought 
ona dispute which lost us the information we hoped for, and 
took away all the pleasure of the meeting, as it lasted two hours 
without coming half an inch nearer to the point.” (October 
26th, 1782.) 
It has been surmised that the Lunar Society discussed the 
action of light upon nitrate of silver, and the application of this 
phenomenon to the production of pictures. This suggestion 
was made by Mr. W. P. Smith, at a meeting of the Photo- 
graphic Society of Birmingham in 1863, and was based on the 
discovery in Mr. Boulton’s library at Soho of certain photo- 
graphic pictures on metallic plates. It was understood at the 
time that Boulton’s rooms had been closed for fifty years, but 
this proved to be an error, and the pictures were probably made 
by a Miss Wilkinson who had access to the rooms, and who had 
experimented in photography soon after its invention by Niepce. 
It is well known that Thomas Wedgwood, son of Josiah, is said 
to have made ‘‘silver pictures” under Sir Humphrey Davyy’s 
eyes as early as 1791-93, hence during the existence of the 
Lunar Society. A fac-simile of one of these early photographs 
is prefixed to Miss Meteyard’s ‘‘ Life of the Younger Wedgwoods,” 
but she herself throws some doubt on its authenticity. 
The philosophical converse of the learned men was sometimes 
enlivened by humorous interludes, suchas the following: Dr. Dar- 
win, whose levity in religious matters was notorious, had invented 
a speaking machine which pronounced ‘‘ papa,” ‘‘ mamma,” and 
other words quite accurately. Mr. Boulton, who perhaps had 
suffered from the caustic wit of the doctor, drew up the follow- 
ing satirical contract. 
**T promise to pay to Dr. Darwin, of Lichfield, one thousand 
pounds upon his delivering to me (within two years from date 
hereof) an instrument called an organ that is capable of pro- 
nouncing the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, and Ten Commandments 
in the vulgar tongue, and his ceding to me, and me only, the 
property of the said invention with all the advantages there- 
unto appertaining.” 
[Signed | M. Boutton. 
Sono, September 3d, 1787. 
Witness, JAMES KEIR. 
Witness, W. SMALL. 
