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memoir of the Hoffmanns on the subject, 
was afterwards read in their hearing, 
which described in avery intelligible man- 
ner all the different operations which en- 
mat into the process of the Hoffmanns, 
Lastly, a plate of metal was presented to 
the commnssioners on which they wrote 
three lings with a common pen, and ink 
prepared for the purpose; not many se- 
conds after which, they were shown prools 
of their own writ'ng, such as they had 
traced it on the metal plate. 
The counselier ef state, Vidaud de la 
Tour, accompanied the report with 
a letter in’ which he gave an account 
to the keeper of the seals, of his personal 
observations relative to the process of 
the Hoffmanns. Here follows an abstract 
of it:— 
“* The polytype art of Hoffmann is yet 
very remote from perfection, but it is ca- 
pable of attaining it. The subjects of its 
operation are writing, graving, and print- 
ing. In order to repeat the writing, the 
‘ink prepared by the Hoffmannsg is indise 
pensable ; the writing must also’ be per- 
formed on a metal ple te, The writing 
performed on paper with the prepare 
ink, cannot be repeated. The part re= 
lating to drawings is that wherein ‘the 
the smallest progress has been made; it 
it is dificult to obtain from the finest cast 
plate, a design equal to impressions from 
wood cuts, But, as in the case of 
nusiz, it may be “rendered very useful, 
and so as to lower the price of engravings, 
As to printing, I woe my doubts (says 
the commisstoier) whet cher we Shall ever 
be able; by this method, to obtain types 
as elegant as those which are made use 
of, in the superb editions of some of our 
capital works, as second proofs will, of 
course, fall short of the neainess and 
clearness of the first proof: bat there is 
this advantage attending it, that with a 
 sinall number of types, the multiplication 
of works’ of every kind may be extended 
ad infinitum.” 
- The lofty manner in which Hoffinann 
held annnounced his discoveries, and the 
air of mystery in which he had involved 
them, stimulated ‘curiosity and industry 
in- others. Kither Hoffinann’s method 
was found out, or similar me- 
thods were resorted to. Bulliard, author of 
the French Flora, aod !’Heritier, Mem- 
ber of the Institute, polytyped in Hoff 
Miann’s manner, Prerres, who published 
in 1773, a description of Ge “d's Sallust, 
bad inade at-«inpts, from about that time, 
t6 cast metai for types in sand-moulds. 
He sent me, says the author, a little spe- 
else 
National I. nstitute of France. 
cimen of sixteen lines, but theeffect pros 
duced, was very imperfect. He conti- 
nued to make fresh experiments, and the 
author saw one of his plates cast in cope 
per, upon sand, in 1787, whichis a page 
of the romance named "Zeliat inthe De- 
sert. The proof I allude to is thick and 
heavy; many of the characters seem over- 
charged with ink, whilst others have not 
énough: which shews thatin the cast plate. 
the letters were notofequalsize, ? Nosooner 
had Hofmann made his discor ery public 
than Pingeron, a skilful “mechanic of 
Paris,wrote a letter on the subject; (in the 
Mercure de France, March 25, 1786) 
wherein we are to remark. twe distinct 
parts, both relating to the two processes 
of Hoffinann. In the first part, he undee- 
takes to prepare a composition, fim 
talc, plaster, argile, Venetian tripoli, and 
saind, (such as “the founders use) capas 
ble of yielding a neat inpression; also 
to Jay in this mass, thus prepared, a plate 
composed with moveable types, and to 
run into the hollow mould thus formed the 
material used for casting types. From this 
font, there sould result, be says, very thiw 
eeleel which, however smight be rendered 
perfectly solid, by doubling them; edi- 
tions of works would then be per petuated, 
anda wonderfal saving be made ini the 
charges of paper, the call for which would 
— be in proportion to thedemand, ~ 
Inthesecond part ofhis letter, Pingeron 
thus ex presses himself;— I have been ac- 
quainted, for more than thirty years, with 
a process, whereby writing,’ or portions of 
writing, may be multiplied predigiously, 
in a very little time; but the abuse to 
which wy secret is liable, has prevented. 
me from div ulging it. The little bulk 
which the < apparatus would occupy, and 
the silence in which the workimy of it 
might be performed, would in a great 
measure enable the operator to elude all 
the vigilance of those whose duty it 1s to 
watch. over good order.” ; 
From this it is manifest, says our au- 
thor, that Pingeron, in the first part of 
his letter, des ‘elopes the process of Hoff- 
mann. It appears that Hoffinann treated 
Pingeron and his secret with much acri- 
mony in his polytype journal, and posi- 
tively asserts that 1t has no connectiog 
whatever with his own (Hoffmann’s) pro- 
cess. ‘ 
The discoveries of Hoffmann excited a 
degice of emulation 1 in’ other places, as. 
weilas at Paris. Some numbers of his 
polytype joumal having fallen into the 
hands of Joseph Carez,a printer at Toul, 
he was sien: str ack with the adyan- 
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