Smith — On Revival of Manuscripts on Pardinient. 65 



©ccnrred to me that the action was only superficial, and that the 

 colour would go deeper when it was longer exposed, hut to my grief, 

 this did not take place, hut the ink hegan to fade. Seeing this, the 

 parchment was washed, then well gummed behind, and put on a 

 smooth hoard so as to be photographed. The writing was bright 

 enough still, but had lost its original brilliancy, and as the original 

 and the photograph are in your hands, you can judge of the results. 

 [Since writing the above the whiteness has diminished.] 



The diminution of colour was a disappointment ; on considering 

 that the ferro-cyanide of iron was found by Grraham to be soluble, but 

 very slowly, in oxalic acid, it was imagined that it might be so in acetic. 

 Graham, however, did not find this. Still we must take the result. To 

 avoid this difficulty, then, it was needful to try another acid, and I took 

 common sulphuric. I had no MS., of the untouched kind to try upon, 

 and I have used only scraps of some which had failed with other pro- 

 cesses ; but there I find, so far, a confirmation of the belief that, by 

 allowing the wiiting to remain longer, it would take up more of the 

 solution, and darken by being penetrated. One, after eight days' im- 

 mersion, was darker than ever, and that point is apparently settled. 

 But, on the other hand, the skin was not whitened : true, but it was a 

 skin that had been so much tortured with chemicals previously, that one 

 need not be surprised. I tried also neutral solutions with varying re- 

 sults. A good deal depends on the ink and the quality of parchment. 



I^Tow, I am in this position : I have a belief that the process might 

 be peii ected by various modifications, but I have no material on which 

 to work. I believe there are many old parchments quite useless, and 

 on some of these I am desirous of continuing the trials. This class,, 

 probably, does not exist in the Academy, but is found chiefly among, 

 papers of lawyers. Of course it would not be right to make any ex- 

 periments on MSS. with ancient literature of any kind or on very old 

 MSS., but there are trifles in abundance. 



The chief novelty in this process is the clearing of the ground. It 

 often happens that the ink is dark enough, but being equalled by the 

 darkness of the ground, nothing is seen; the absolute whitening of the 

 ground makes the faintest shade of the remaining ink visible, and all 

 we require to do is to use a compound which will not dissolve the ink. 



For MSS. which are not written with ink prepared with iron salts, 

 but with carbonaceous inks, this process would be perfect, as the ferro- 

 cyanide does not act on carbon. Where the writing or paiating is 

 oleaginous, the clearing up of the surface will restore the original 

 ground; but without affecting the characters or lines either for good or 

 evil, it will throw them into the fullest contrast. I do not know 

 if any MSS. are of this kind in this country. 



If there be nothing to bind the colour ; if, for example, there 

 should only be the remapis of a water-colour writing or drawing, the 

 use of a watery solution will, as a matter of course, be an objection. 



It would be difficult to use the process for paper, because a large 

 amount of liquid is required, the solution not being merely painted 

 over, as in the old process. 



[Note added Fchruar;/, 1877. — I wrote this in January, 187^, and aftci' a year I 

 sf^nrl it, but having done nothing, there is nothing to alter.] 



K. I. A. .rnoc, SEE. II., VOL. in. — scikxce. F 



