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80 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. [Feb. 14, 1862. A RAPID PROCESS ON DRY COLLODION WITH OUT PRESERVATIVE. Dear Sir,—Having been rather successful in experiment ing on dry collodion plates, I beg to state how I have operated, for the use of chose who, like myself, would be glad to give up their syrups and obtain good negatives with as much certainty and the same rapidity as when wet collo dion is used. My silver bath contains 40 grains to the ounce of water, and is slightly acid. The collodion I use is of a powdery character and contains a bromide. I use old collodion to clean my plates. 1 coat and sensitize the plates as usual. When coming out of the bath, they are allowed to drain a short time into the bath, washed over with filtered rain water, and finally with pump water, until all trace of greasiness and nitrate of silver is removed. They are left to dry spontaneously, out of the dust, and when quite dry kept in a plate box. I give the same expo sure as for a wet plate, and develop in the following way :— J have a second vertical bath filled with clean rain water in which I dip my plates to be developed ; they are left there for a few minutes, then well drained and removed to the silver bath ; a dip or two in this bath will restore to the plates the excess of nitrate of silver removed by the washing. In this state the plates are developed in the same way as a wet plate. I use an iron developer, which is the following :— Protosulphate of Iron 15 grains Sulphate of Copper 10 „ Glacial Acetic Acid 15 minims Citric Acid 1 grain Water ... ... ... ... ... 1 ounce The picture I intensify with a saturated neutral solation of bicnloride of mercury, and then hyposulphite of soda, in which some nitrate of silver is dissolved, and fix with a fresh solution of hypo. The result is a fine negative picture, in all respects equal, if not superior, to one obtained of wet collodion. I never have fogging and have not lost a single film.—I am, dear air, yours respectfully, Capt. de Langue. N.B. In my hands a dry collodion plate, to which the excess of nitrate of silver is not restored, but added to the developer, requires no more than twice as long exposure as my plates when dipped in the silver bath before develop ment. REPORT OF THE COUNCIL OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY. Tn submitting the Ninth Report of the progress and prospects of the Photographic Society, the Council have good reason to look back with satisfaction to the past year’s proceedings, and to anticipate an unusual success in the future. The balance sheet, herewith presented, exhibits a far more satisfactory condition of the finances than has been shown for some years. In 1858 the deficiency on closing the year’s accounts amounted £56. In 1859 it was £88; and in 1860, the largo sum of £384. The balance sheet for the past year exhibits a marked improvement, in so far that the receipts of the year are slightly in excess of the expenditure. This result is the more gratifying, as it has been chiefly brought about by means which prove that the art and science of photography is be coming more appreciated by the public, as its capability, its beauty, and advantages become better known and more clearly understood. In the year 1858 the public exhibition of photographic works, held under the auspices of the Society, left a deficiency of up wards of £100. In 1859 the loss sustained was only trifling, but the exhibition of I860 showed a serious deficiency of £125. Now it was highly important that these annual displays should be continued, so the arrangements of the past year's exhibition, and its management, received particular care in order that every possible saving might be effected, and the high character of the exhibition still maintained. The Council have much pleasure in now reporting that a profit of £36 was the result, duo to the increasing appreciation by th© public of the beautiful works collected together. The publication of the Journal also shows a small balance on the year’s account.* Although issued for the convenience and information of members of the Society, it has been accepted as a chief literary authority on photographic subjects, and this position it still maintains, notwithstanding the numerous pho tographic periodicals which have come into existence since its first establishment. During the past year a most important matter unexpectedly claimed the attention and compelled the interference of the Council in order to vindicate the position of the members of the Society. It strongly proved how necessary it is that a central representative body, such as the London Photographic Society may rightly claim to be, should watch over and vigi lantly guard the interests of the professor, and of the seientitic position universally accorded to photography. In the intended Exhibition about to bo opened at Kensing ton, it was proposed that the results of photography, and the apparatus by which these results were produced, should not be classed with the fine arts, but be included among mechanical contrivances, fitting in between horological instruments and ship’s tackle. Against this proposition the Council entered an indignant protest, and their expostulation received the almost unanimous assent of photographers both in this country and on the Continent. By some confusion of ideas, it appears to have been con sidered by those who first proposed the objectionable arrange ment, that pictures taken by light were merely 'mechanical re sults, in so far that they wore produced by the agency of tho camera, and that, therefore, they should not be classed with pic- , tures and other works of art. It seems to have been over looked that such a definition must have banished those latter also into the limbo of mechanical products, as they are produced by means of the eye of tho artist, and the human eye is simply the most perfect camera known, lens, diaphragm, focussing apparatus, sensitive plato and pictures, which, as Locke writes, “ when drawn in our mind aro laid in fading coloursand even high art cannot pretend to accomplish anything without an eye. On any other grounds, as to display of true artistic power, and appreciation of what constitutes a real picture, tho proposition of tho authorities was still more untenable; and the Council have much pleasure in stating that the impropriety of the proposed arrangement was at length admitted, and that a plan by which photographic works aro accorded a position more suitable to their importance has been adopted. And tho Council cannot refrain from here mentioning how deeply the Societyis indebted to the Presidentfor his personal exertions and his invaluable advice and assistance in conducting this important matter to a satisfactory issue. On the settlement of the above difference, the Council willingly agreed to afford every possible assistance in the arrangement of the department, and at tho request of the Royal Commissioners, two Members of the Com mittee, the Earl of Caithness and Mr. Kater, together with Dr. Diamond, were appointed to advise them in their decisions as to the photographic department. The Council have, how ever, still to express their regret that tho position assigned to this department in the building at Kensington is far from satisfactory. Every endeavour has been made to get this dis advantage remedied, but it would appear that no other space/ is at the disposal of the Commissioners, as they have expressed their wish to do all honour to photography, and promised under the now arrangement to associate it as nearly as possible with the fine art department. The whole space appointed to English exhibitors for the display of photographic pictures is under 3,000 square feet, and that for apparatus and chemicals about 500 feet more. The applications for space ’were so numerous that a very much larger extent could be easily filled; indeed, one person alone requested an allotment to six times the whole available amount. It was hoped and anticipated throughout this country that photographic results of all nations would be exhibited together — and the advantages afforded by such facilities for direct com parison are obvious. The objections to such an arrangement, it is stated, came from the heads of the foreign department: how far this was due to their wish to avoid the objectionable arrangement of their artistic contributions originally contem plated cannot now be known. It may be fairly assumed that I photography will form one of the most interesting parts of the I new Exhibition, especially as the one great object is to take