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718 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. LNOvEMBER 9, 1883. difficulty. It would be most interesting to know if any of your readers have at any time bad difficulty in getting un developed plates into England, and how they manage.—I remain, yours faithfully, W. J. A. GRANT. roceedings of Sucieties. South London Photographic Society. The annual technical meeting of the above Society was held in the House of the Society of Arts, John Street, Adelphi, W.C., on Thursday evening, the 1st inst., the Rev. F. F. Statham, M.A., President, in the chair. The minutes of the previous meeting having been read and confirmed, A letter was read from the Secretary of the Photographic Benevolent Society, announcing that the Photographic Society of Great Britain had granted the use of their exhibition on Friday evening, 2nd inst., in aid of the Benevolent Society’s funds. It was announced that the annual dinner of the Society would be held on Friday evening, 7th of December. Messrs. T. W. Wheeler, W. W. Wheeler, and H. E. Price were elected members of the Society. The Chairman called attention to the fact that it was neces sary at this meeting to give in the nominations for officers to be elected at the annual meeting in December, to serve for the coming year ; he also announced that one of the members had moved the following resolutions with regard to the coming elec tions:—(1). That the President, Treasurer, and Secretary be elected annually. (2). That there shall be six Vice-Presidents, two to retire annually, and not to be eligible for re-election for one year. (3). That the Committee shall consist of twelve members, four to retire annually, and not be eligible for re election for one year. The list of the existing officers of the Society having been read, the following nominations were then made:— Vice-Presidents—Messrs. H. Trueman Wood and F. York. Committee—Messrs. Williams, Briginshaw, Ackland, York, and Warnerke. With regard to the artistic competitions for the past month, Mr. Bridge said that for the figure subject “ Cat and Kittens,” not a single example had been sent in ; and for the landscape subject, « Gnarled Oaks,” only one, which, on examination of the accompanying sealed envelope, was found to belong to Mr. Frank Howard. In handing round the balloting papers for subjects for competition during November, he (Mr. Bridge) re- Snested the members not to propose such subjects as “ Cats and littens," remarking that perhaps many of the members might not be fortunate (?) enough to possess such a stock of family pets. The subjects were then balloted for in the usual way, with the following result—Landscape, “ The Village Church,” and Figure, “ Out in the Cold.” The Society’s diplomas were handed to Mr. John Nesbit for his picture sent in for the June competition, “ A Country Road with a Finger-Post,” also for his picture in September, “ The Milk-Maid ; ” to Mr. E. Dunmore, August competition, “ A Good Place for a Restto Mr. Cobb, August competition, “A Landscape with Moving Figures ; ” to Mr. Matthew Whiting, July competition, “ Fisher-Folk,” and to Mr. F. A. Bridge, September competition, “ A River View.” Mr. Gotz then exhibited a collection of aplanatic lenses by Messrs. Suter, of Switzerland, constructed with the object of obtaining a perfectly flat field and good definition with a full aperture, and chiefly designed for portrait groups, copying, and indoor work generally, also for architecture, &c. Mr. Gotz said that arrangements had been made for adapting the diaphragms and flanges to the standards of the Photographic Society of Great Britain, also that they were endeavouring to make a wide- angle lens, which would be about equal to the well-known symmetrical lens with rotating diaphragms to cover an angle of from 80 to 90°, and which would cover about the same sized plate as the aplanatic lenses. Mr. Watson showed a very convenient pattern of tourist tourist camera, having a double swing-back with hinges, to do away with the necessity for turning over the focussing glass, and giving extreme length of focus possible for a camera shutting up into so small a space ; also a tourist dry-plate camera, with ten and a-half inches focus, sufficient for any ordinary half-plate lens, and perfectly rigid in any position, with three double slides, the whole fitting into a very small and portable case. Mr. Watson also showed a snap-shutter of his own invention, a light pattern drop-shutter made in ebonite, a shutter with pneumatic discharger to expose without touching the apparatus, some box-wood boxes for carrying bottles of chemicals when travelling, and two of Grubb’s aplanatic lenses in a new form of mount, very similar to Dallmeyer's wide-angle lens. Mr. F. York objected, with regard to the first camera shown by Mr. Watson, that with the portable symmetrical lenses now in use a swing-back was quite unnecessary; he never used a swing-back, but got the same effect by means of a rising-front. Mr. Watson replied that if everybody used only portable symmetrical lenses, Mr. York’s objection would apply; but his camera was for use with any kind of lens. Mr. H. Trueman Wood, referring to a remark of Mr. York’s, that swing-backs were a source of weakness in a camera, said that he did not think this was the case; he had used one of Mr. Hare’s cameras with swing-back for a long time, and it was still as strong as ever. Mr. W. Brooks then showed two of Lamb’s Patent Triumph Ventilators. He said that at the late meeting of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society he had been much interested in examining the various merits of some ventilators exhibited, and those he now showed had struck him as being very suitable for the use of photographers in the drying-room when making gela tine plates. He observed that they all knew how essential it was, with a large number of plates, to have a free current of air passing over the surface of the plates to dry them, and his ex perience was that the quicker they were dried, the better. The principal advantage of this ventilator was that no down draught took place either from a sudden blast of wind, or from suction or syphonic action within the building. He considered it the best system of ventilation for photographic purposes he had ever seen, and he said that as Mr. B. J. Edwards, who was present, had had one of them in use for some time, perhaps that gentle man would tell them something about it. Mr. B. J. Edwards said he had had one in use for about twelve months, and it answered his purpose very well indeed ; it prevented down-draught entirely, though it did not create up draught. Mr. F. A. Bridge exhibited a small reading-lamp for lecturers, which he pronounced to be the most perfect thing of its kind he had ever seen, and answered admirably the purpose for which it was designed. It had a signal-bell attached to it, also a match-box and an extinguisher, and by means of a sloped shade at the back the light was thrown only upon the book or manuscript of the reader. Mr. Bridge also showed an improved regulation screw stop-cock for the oxy-hydrogen burner, and a field changing-tent of his own invention, weighing only 1} lbs., consisting of the usual black bag with sleeves, which could be put together on a light framework of bamboo in a few seconds, costing something under five shillings. Mr. Frank Howard showed some envelopes of non-actinic paper, which he used for carrying sensitized plate for out-door work. Mr. Bridge also showed a small photographer’s field note-book published by Openshaw, of Manchester, of the usual form, bu! containing in addition, at the end, some leaves of small tickets perforated for tearing out, and numbered from 1 to 250. Mr. H. J. Dale showed the Multiplex Back, combining the back and changing-box in one, the arrangement being similar to the revolving album. Mr. Hare exhibited a stand on the principle of the rule-joint, with the advantage of a sliding leg, which fixed itself at any required height by means of a spring; it had also a spring arrangement at the top to prevent collapsing. Mr. Brooks described a dark slide with bag, shown him by a Mr. Kershaw, at Bettws-y-Coed, and which he claimed to be cheap and effective. Mr. A. Cowan exhibited a method of mounting prints which he said had been practised twenty years ago, and which appeared to be quick and effective. Mr. G. Smith exhibited a camera which he said was an attempt at making one camera do all kinds of work, and still be portable ; it was a 7} inch, and weighed, with four dark slides, under five pounds; also a sky-shado which might be carried on the front tail-board of same. . , Mr. Bridge showed one of Mr. Smith’s brattice stands witu some improvements. Mr. W. T. Wilkinson exhibited a changing b»g-