OCT. 



-MAE. 1858-59.] Proceedings. 377 



tion on a street lamp tells us is in the " Place de Liberte") forms 

 the subject of a magnificent print (16 by 20) by Gustave le Gray. 



A Print (7 by 11) of a Statue, from the Photographic Institu- 

 tion Bond St. is a fair specimen of this application of the art. A 

 slight want of definition in the eyes detracts somewhat from the 

 merit of what would otherwise be called a fine picture. 



But the gem of this small collection is a copy of Ary Scheffer's 

 painting " Faust and Marguerite," nothing superior to this has 

 reached Madras. The Photographer is Bingham, and the Publish- 

 ers Goupil and Co., Paris, and London. 



Lieut. J. Mitchell exhibited eight Prints from Collodion Nega- 

 tives taken with the compound Microscope. The subjects were 



The Proboscis of a Blow-fly, Magnified 22 



A portion of the above ,, 



40 



Trophi of a Wasp „ 



22 



Ditto of a smaller Wasp „ 



40 



Tarsus of a Grasshopper ,, 



22 



Parasite of Fowl (an Acarus) „ 



50 



A Butterfly's Scale, from a small species of Polyammatus, and 

 a group of differently shaped scales from the same wing. These 

 were taken with Powell and Lealand's 1-12 B * and are magnified 

 about 550 diameters, or in Opticians' language above 300,000 times. 



The above are promising examples of a branch of Photography, 

 but little (if at all) attended to in this country. 



Lieut. Mitchell said his only difficulty was the want of a surface 

 on which to focus. Ground glass will not do at all, the abraded 

 surface (acting as an infinity of Prisms) decomposes the light. The 

 iodized Collodion plate recommended by Mr. Shadbolt is very little 

 better ; he thinks it possible that Rumey's Light Moderator may 

 prevent the decomposition of the solar rays upon the focussing 

 screen, but he has not yet traced it. 



Lieut. Mitchell's mode of operating, he believes, is different from 

 that usually followed in England ; inasmuch as he uses the whole 

 microscope and not the object glass only. This he says is advan- 

 tageous in more ways than one. 



