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May 1, 1885. J THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. 281 simple reason that it lies immediately beyond—that is to say, on the Albert Hall side of—the Prince of Wales’s Pavilion, which has become one of the best known land marks of the South Kensington Exhibitions. “ Photo graphy” is sandwiched between “ Clocks and Watches” and “ Philosophical Instruments,” so it is not likely to quarrel with its neighbours. An odd story, arising out of a County Court case, comes from South London. A photographer, who had been sued by his assistant for balance of wage?, urged as a defence that the assistant was not competent, and produced speci mens of the latter’s work to prove bis statement. A por trait of a lady was first handed up to the judge, who remarked that “there is a funny look about the nose.” “ Yes,” promptly replied the plaintiff’s counsel, “ but that may be the fault of the original.” There was force in the argument; but as the lady was not in court, the point (of the question at issue, not the nose) was submitted to an expert, who was giving evidence. “ The effect,” said the expert, “ is produced by imperfect washing.” The judge, who was not a photographer, immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was the lady’s nose that wanted wash ing ! Then was submitted the negative of a dog, which the defendant contended was “spotty,” through bad manipulation; but plaintiff’s counsel was again equal to the occasion, and argued that there was nothing to show that the dog itself was not “ spotty,” and put the case so well before his honour’s mind that the assistant came off victorious. But had the judge been a photographer the reverse might have happened. A glance at the three pictures of the late Hans Makart now on view at the St. James Galleries makes evident to the practised eye of the photographer a glaring anomaly. These pictures form a portion of the series of sketches for the cavalcade which took place in Vienna on the occasion of the Silver Wedding of the Emperor and Empress of Austria. The scene is of course in the open air, yet the face of nearly every personage is lighted as though stand ing in the studio. It is impossible to think that the artist himself was unconscious of this, and we can only attribute it to the fact that it was his habit to make the portraits of his aristocratic sitters do duty in his historical pictures, and thus pay them the highest compliment of which he was capable. But this must have involved their sitting to him in his studio, and hence the effect. It may be mentioned that a portrait of the artist himself—a Rem brandt—appears in one of the pictures. Messrs. Braun are now devoting their energies to the copying of the Buckingham Palace pictures, a task which they began some considerable time ago, and which they have practically recommenced, not being satisfied with the negatives originally made. The collection is one of which the public know little or nothing. The bulk consists of examples of the Dutch and Flemish schools, and Jan Steen, Teniers, Van Ostade, Terburg Netscher, Dow, Metzu, Mieris, Hobbema, Ruysdael, and Cuyp are especially well represented. To these have been added valuable purchases by Her Majesty, and selections from Windsor and Hampton Court. It would be a graceful and highly appreciated act if the Queen were to present copies of the photographs to South Kensington, Bethnal Green, and the various pro vincial art museums. The public are certainly never likely to see the paintings in any other form than as photographs. The contract for photographing at the Inventions’ Ex hibition has not been carried out quite in the terms of the original programme, the Woodburytype Company taking the general right to photograph exhibits; but they in no way identify themselves with the portrait-taking busi ness which is to be carried on in the Exhibition. Unless we are misinformed, the Council of the Exhi bition have entered into a separate arrangement with Messrs. Downey to fit up a studio for portrait work, and we may reasonably suppose that this enterprise is worked on a share-of-receipts system, as originally suggested. It is much to be regretted that the independent and non-commercial character of the Exhibition should be sacrificed by such an arrangement as that which we understand has been made with Messrs. Downey. Space which ought to have been devoted to the display of inven tions is to be used for organising a portrait studio which will unfairly compete with private concerns; and we cannot but regard the portrait business separated from general photography in the Exhibition as far more ob jectionable than the portrait business combined with the rest of the photographic work. At any rate, the Wood burytype Company have done well to have nothing to do with the portraits. Professor Langley’s “ bolometer,” described by him at the last meeting of the Astronomical Society, shows lines in the infra-red end of the solar spectrum far beyond those photographed by Captain Abney. The bolometer consists of a very fine wire, which, subjected to an electric current, is extremely sensitive to heat, and the changes in con ductivity thus produced are indicated by a deflection of the needle of a delicate galvanometer. Professor Lang ley’s experiments with this instrument indicate that the lunar spectrum has a more extended range in the infra-red region than has the solar spectrum. At the same meeting Mr. Common showed a series of enlarged photographs of the nebula of Orion, taken with various exposures. The longest was sixty miuutes, and many sters were obtained on the photographic plate which could not be seen by the telescope. For the dark-room window there is no lack of sugges tions, and among them may be mentioned that made by M. Cassan. Two tubes of gamboge water-colour, one tube of Prussian blue water-colour, ten ounces of water, and an ounce and a quarter of gelatine are incorporated into a kind of paint (used hot, of course). Three coats of this on the glass of the dark room, and two layers of yellow tissue paper, make an eflicient non-actinic medium.