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184 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. [MARCI 20, 1885- grapher always gets the full value for his money when he travels in one of the large open third-class carriages which run on many of our railways ? To sit at one end and note the shading of the faces from right to left and from left to right is always instructive, to say nothing of the increasing obliquity of the lighting as one looks on those persons facing oneself at diminishing dis tances from the end of the carriage; but the most interest ing effects are noticeable as the carriage swings round curves, or is partly shaded in passing line-side objects. There is a rage just now for the exhibiting of paintings somewhat risque in treatment. The pictures of “ Nana ” and “ The White Slave ” are examples of what we mean. They are cleverly painted, and their effect is enhanced by the tricky method of illumination, the room being darkened and the picture lighted from the sides. Whether there is, as Truth suggests, another reason for the darkness, namely that it is useful in hiding the blushes of the spectators, we will not determine. It is, however, rather an anomaly that while such pictures, with all kinds of accessories to make them life-like, are allowed to be shown, anyone selling photographs of them would stand a good chance of being prosecuted. A circular issued by the Autotype Company informs us that a new issue of Turner’s Liber Sludiorum is in hand and an examination of the very comprehensive catalogue of art reproductions which accompanies the circular makes us ask : Why is our own National Gallery so very poorly represented in the series of works published by the Autotype Company? Considering that the Autotype Company can show a collection of reproductions from all the best galleries in Europe, and that the mere catalogue of these makes a closely-printed volume of over 150 octavo pages, they certainly ought to claim and enjoy as great facilities for working at the National Gallery, as those recently granted to Messrs. Braun and Co. Mr. Shaw Lefevre was “ tackled ” last week on the sub ject of the contract entered into between the Trustees of the National Gallery and Messrs. Braun with reference to photographing the pictures. Mr. Shaw Lefevre could give no information on the subject, since, as he remarked, the matter was one out of the'jurisdiction of the office of works, and concerned only the trustees. Mr. Hastings’ artistic Copyright Bill, introduced last year, will shortly come on for discussion in the House of Commons. The provisions of the bill have already ap peared in the Photographic News. Briefly, so far as photography is concerned, they may thus be recapitulated : The copyright of a photograph to be vested in the person who takes the negative ; photographic portraits not to be exhibited or sold without the consent of the sitter (a rather important clause in view of the recent sudden rush after military celebrities'), and the seller of forged photographs is liable to be punished. Au amendment to the bill, it is stated, is to be moved by Sir H. D. Wolfe. The Royal Society has determined to follow the lead of the Photographic Society, in organising informal assem blies or social gatherings between the regular meetings, and, according to the arrangements, the first should have taken place on the 19th (last night). Anyone desirous of showing experiments, or exhibiting objects of interest, at these informal meetings, should communicate with the Secretary at Burlington House. After making numerous experiments, and constructing costly machinery, a great and original American genius has succeeded in compressing pyrogallic acid into pills or tablets weighing approximately two grains each, and a bottle containing one hundred of these pellets can be bought for something less than the cost of an ounce of the usual article. When one merely wants to measure out pyrogallic acid in fairly accurate doses, it seems to us that a simple and convenient method is to attach a bone salt spoon to the inside of the cork, as shown below. Of course, the spoon mosawer 835 - DFPYROL.CRAIN.E-K"I y dudi must be cut or filed down to the required size, and the shank should be bevelled at the top, so that none of the material will lodge thereon. When used for a loosely coherent material like powdered bromide of potassium, a spoon measure of this kind is surprisingly accurate. The World is good enough to say that the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to make up the deficiencies caused by the Soudan campaign, “ will probably direct his attention to beer, wine, cigars, and photographs’’ This is not the first time a tax on photographs has been suggested, but we do not hesitate to say, apart from the injustice of taxing a profession which competition and the badness of the times have already made a very precarious one, that the idea is thoroughly impracticable. Ou what principle could a tax be levied? Are professionals only to be taxed, and amateurs allowed to go scot-free ? Would the unmounted photograph be stamped, or would stamps be placed on cards? Would there be any distinction drawn between direct prints and mechanical prints? And if somebody dis covered a process which was neither'the first nor the second, would that also be taxed, or would the Act of Parliament have to be altered in consequence ? In fact, directly one goes into the matter, a thousand and one objections spring up. Photography has conferred so much benefit upon the world, and has given so much pleasure to mankind, that the proposition to fetter it by a tax is a most ungracious one.