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THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. [June 19, 1885. brigands, the road to Monreale is guarded at various points by soldiers; you thus escape the risk of giving your friends the trouble of ransoming you at a higher rate than they might con sider you to be worth ; while to hurry the negotiations (and to show that you were still enjoying hill life) your captors might send them down a joint of your little finger, or a tooth. Returning to our steamer in the evening, the view of Monte. Pelligrino and the harbour was taken ; but it is undertimed. I looked out of our cabin porthole as the sun was rising next morning, and saw that we were then passing the Island of Capri. '1'he early morning mist, and the precipitous rocks in shadow, with the sun rising over the island, made a grand effect. An hour more of fine early morning effects saw us into Naples—noisy, busy, frivolous, light-hearted Naples. Two custom-houses have to be passed here, one directly after the other ; your goods are no sooner through one house, and piled on a truck, than they are stopped, and again examined. This is trying to the nerves of one who, like Martha, is anxious about many things, and, we may add, about dry plates in particular. The most suspicions thing in the eyes of the intelligent customs’ officer was an uncut lead pencil (4}d. per dozen)—this he confiscated; his eagle glance was next directed to the tin box containing my dry plates ; this, he said, must be opened, and then one of the packets of exposed plates. With face of ashen hue I endeavoured to make him understand that such a course would be utter ruin, and I was about to go on my knees, and beg him to take my life, but to spare the chield, when ha commanded that the box should be closed, and that the cavalcade should move on. (To be continued.) Oorrespondente. INTERNATIONAL LANTERN SLIDE EXCHANGE. Sir,—I still want three or four more members to com plete the number wanted to form the basis of the exchange of small negatives or slides with Mr. Beach, of New York. The membership will not be an imposing affair, as all that will be needed is for each member to send to me by the end of September ten negatives (quarter-plate pre ferred), or ten positives reduced to 3} square, and a sub scription of 5s. to pay expenses. 'These negatives, &c., will be sent in bulk to Mr. Beach, of New York, who in like manner will send his negatives, &c., similarly collected in America, to me. On arrival I shall take contact copies of all, to be prepared against breakage in transit or other injury, and the bulk would then be made into batches and sent round to all the members in order that they might take copies, or prints, as they might prefer. With twenty members subscribing ten negatives each, we shall have control of two hundred modern American views of interest, taken in all parts of America. The nega tives must be of approved quality, and consist of views of objects of interest. An early response is requested.—Yours faithfully, H. Smith. Peiver pottage, Hornsey, N. 4roceedings of Sorteties. LONDoN and Provincial Photographic Association. A meeting of this Society was held on Thursday, the 11th inst., Mr. A. Cowan in the chair. Mr. L. WARNERKE, in referring to the use of alum for hardening gelatine emulsions (page 351), said he employed a five per cent, solution, and not saturated, as the latter would be too strong. He then passed round examples of large heads taken by means of a single landscape lens with a stop placed behind instead of in front, and it was claimed that a lens so used had greater defining power. Mr. W. E. DEBESIAN remarked that some large pictures exhibited by him at Pall Mall were taken with a Grubb’s aplanatic lens. He then illustrated by means of diagrams on the blackboard ths effect of placing a stop as Lieut. Pavloffski had done in this instance, and at a similar distance in front. In the former case there would be a gain in illumination equal to one-fifth, which would be counterbalanced in definition or so-called depth of focus. Mr. W. Cobb asked Mr. Debenham if he considered it desirable to use single lenses for large work. Mr. Debenham : No ; only if a large aperture must be used, a single lens will answer ; there were, however, slight advantages to be gained by their employment. Mr. A. L. Henderson then demonstrated the process of com pounding the following gelatino-chloride of silver emulsion for direct printing:— No. 1. Gelatine 60 grains Water ... ... ... ... ... 2} ounces Acetate of soda (enough to combine with one-third of the silver) ... 11} grains No. 2. Nitrate of silver ... 42} grains Water ... 1 ounce No. 3. Citrate of soda 7} grains Water ... ... ... ... ... 1 ounce Chloride of sodium (pure) 5 grains Nos. 1, 2, and 3 were dissolved separately over a water bath, and then mixed, the bulk of gelatine (half-an-ounce previously swelled) being then stirred in ; when dissolved, the mixture was ready for coating, the quantity being nearly twelve ounces. Mr. Henderson stated that he believed paper so prepared would keep well. He had used acetate of soda years ago in the prepara tion of ready-sensitized paper, and that kept white a long time. He found that by adding an excess of sodium acetate to the silver, and putting the chloride in afterwards, a very much finer emul sion was the result. Paper coated with this mixture printed a little quicker than ordinary paper, and toned in any bath. He employed the usual acetate toning with borax added, but the same emulsion on glass would not give satisfactory tones. Glycerine and deliquescent salts increased the rapidity of print ing, and he found that one-third of citrate and two-thirds of chloride gave the greatest vigour. Mr. DEBENHAN had obtained exceedingly plucky prints with five parts of chloride to one of citrate. Mr. Stewart could increase the printing speed of ordinary sensitized paper at least one-third by passing it over the surface of a citric acid solution immediately after sensitizing. Mr. WARNERKE noticed that the demonstrator used toughened glass beakers ; his own measures, flasks, and beakers were of the same description, and to illustrate its power of resisting blows he used a toughened glass vessel to drive a wire nail into a piece of beech, and the vessel was equal to the occasion ; but on dropping it on the carpeted floor it dispersed in numberless fragments. Several instances were then mentioned in which toughened glass vessels had burst without any apparent cause. The Chairman passed round an extemporised knife for trim ming photographs, which he said was the best he had ever met with for that purpose. It was a short length of what is known as crinoline steel secured between two pieces of the same material, a knife edge being ground upon it. Manchester Amateur Photographic Society. The monthly meeting was held on Tuesday evening, the Presi dent, the Rev. H. J. Palmer, in the chair. The following gentlemen were elected members:—Messrs. James Wagstaffe, John Eaton, Herbert Hoole, Samuel Jacob, William Copelaud, and W. Fildes. Mr. A. W. Duncan gave a communication on the copying of diagrams and prints, chiefly for lantern purposes. After showing a simple addition by which the focussing distance of the camera could be increased, he spoke of the necessity of equally illumin ating the picture to be copied. If one lamp or gaslight only be used, not only will the side farthest from the source of light be much more feebly illuminated, but the texture and inequalities of the paper will be more or less evident. Although sunlight is preferable, amateurs generally work during the winter evenings, when artificial light has to be resorted to. For convenience and the saving of time, there is nothing to equal the magnesium light. In using this, he placed a piece of stout cardboard on the top of the camera, so as to project as far over the lens in the direction of the picture as convenient, say about half way. The
