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362. will give grains of of ammo- iodizing ( latter” r able to iegatives some too ry to hit gold, and of water; ss, as dif- •inted bf : lantern. 1 article is havin, e worked 100 vague nay arise ault, and ing soln* luced the over the lask, and may be silver be y be pr move the ric acid, e form 0‘ 1 varied leveloped of silte’ ed applr ur. loses it 5 annot b e hich ha’ cient of* -ion ofb Irated, mount i # roceed t lux, or’ them vil ne phot e of tl . mno K, for s) Portion 1 -0 add J ' as to • iter is b‘ -mouthe qual p3 absolujj 1’ the oth’ n whited ure. W we befo", and. W re, excef nder tb the etb m redo’ one ot filtratio in ing. 1 n is ve g a loose emical i, Had co’ tograp) eep priP, orints. J will be »n’s quick nte ad tore of" ■ Then youro" noft THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. Vol. VI. No. 185.—March 21, 1862. INSTANTANEOUS DRY PLATES. “ If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do,” exclaims Portia, “ chapels had been churches, and poor men’s cottages princes’ palaces.” The Photographic Society of Marseilles know what is desirable to be done, and what more, are resolved to find out, if possible, the men who can do it. Our French neighbours have great faith in prizes, and if the offer made by the Marseilles Society, the conditions of which we append, have the effect of securing its end, beyond the possibility of a question, we shall be glad, even although we have to wait nearly two years for the accomplishment. But we really hope the point will be satisfactorily settled long before December 1863. We ought, perhaps, to go further and say that it is settled, seeing that during the last few months we have frequently had to announce “ Instan taneous Dry Processes ” in our pages. Years ago Mr. Kibble produced instantaneous pictures of waves and shipping on collodio-albumen plates. We notice in another page of the present number a series of instantaneous stereographs, taken on Dr. Hill Norris’s dry plates; and we have ourselves ob tained instantaneous views on plates prepared in the same manner. Last summer we described M. Roman’s instan taneous Taupenot process; and one of our correspondents, the Rev. J. Galloway Cowan, assured us of his perfect success in applying that method. Mr. Window recently described in our pages a dry process, in which the only application to the plate, after washing away the free silver, was gallic acid, and by which he obtained excellent instantaneous results. More recently, we received a communication from Dr. Draper of New York, describing his method of producing instan taneous pictures on tannin plates. Mr. Sutton has recently announced that he has discovered a series of modifications by which very rapid or instantaneous dry plates could be prepared. Mr. Bartholomew, and other gentlemen, have also made some contributions to the same end. It would certainly seem, after this enumeration, that the offer of a prize, for the discovery within the next two years, of an instantaneous dry process, was somewhat late in the field. But although our French brethren are somewhat be hind us in instantaneous work generally, and more espe cially in relation to dry processes, they are perhaps right in coming to the conclusion that something further is to be done. We think the most ardent dry photographer will scarcely say, we think, without arriere pensee, that instan taneous dry plates are certainties. We have not yet seen any results by the most rapid dry process which could fairly compare with the instantaneous pictures of Wilson, England, or Blanchard by the wet process. Something still remains to be done; and we have a firm conviction will be done, and that shortly. Long before the decision will be given at Marseilles an instantaneous dry process will, we hope, be amongst the familiar operations of photography. We proceed, however, to lay before our readers particulars 0 the Marseilles prize. At the meeting of the society on 10 31st of January last, it was decided to institute a general aompetition for the discovery of an instantaneous dry collo dion process ; the view of the Boulevard de Strasbourg, taken in full sunshine, with figures in motion, by Messrs. Ferrier and Soulier, being regarded as a standard of compa rison. The following are the conditions: — 1. The prize shall be a gold medal value 500 francs ; the com petition to terminate on the 31st December, 1863. 2. The plates and details of processes intended for this com ¬ petition should be addressed, free, to M. Leon Vidal, Secretary of the Society, 2, Rue Mazagran, Marseilles, and may be sent between the 1st of June, 1862, and the 15th of August, 1863. 3. The sensitive plates, for stereoscopic pictures, must be packed carefully sealed and light-tight, in a grooved plate-box, con taining 12 plates ; dimensions of the glass nine centimetres by twenty centimetres. [A centimetre contains 0'39371 of an inch, the plates will therefore be a fraction over 73 in. by 34 in.] 4. A communication describing, first, the nature of the pro cess ; and second, the method of development, must accompany each package. 5. The above condition as to the process will be required to be rigorously fulfilled only in the case of that which gains the prize. The Society will publish the formula and the process employed, but not in such a way as to deprive the inventor of his exclusive right of property therein ; he will, in fact, be able to work his process profitably, and to improve its value in any way he may think proper. 6. The experiments will be made on the sensitive plates all with the same instrument, a quarter-plate combination, full aperture, of four and a-half inches focus, and under the same conditions. 7. One half at least of the members of the jury shall assist in the opening of the boxes and in the experiments, which shall be made with all possible and necessary precautions. 8. To test the keeping qualities of the plates, the develop ment of some of them will be delayed from fifteen days to a month, according to the instructions attached. 9. The keeping qualities both before and after exposure will be carefully recorded, in order to aid the decision of the jury in those cases where they will have to choose between several instantaneous dry collodions possessing the other conditions named. 10. In the event of the jury being unable to award a prize of 500 francs, and cases occur meriting some acknowledgment, a medal of 250 francs value will be given to any one who has or has not taken part in the competition, but has nevertheless contributed by his researches to advance the discovery of a dry collodion possessing uniform and rapid qualities; and the prize of 500 francs will be deferred, with an addition of 300 francs, to the end of December, 1864. 11. All tho questions shall be decided by a jury of examiners, composed of fourteen members of the Society. The following are their names: — MM. Gabriel (President of tho Society), Leon Vidal (Secretary of tho Society), Bremuller (Photogra pher), A. Guilbault, Hudelot (Cap. d’Etat Major), Joseph Jac- quemet, Alexander Lefevre, Ernest Loire, Meynier (Professor of Chemistry), Alphonse de Proux, Arthur Taylor, Charles Teisseire, Thobert (Photographer), and Tissot. PHOTOGRAPHING THE ECLIPSE OF DEC. 31st, IN THE WEST INDIES. BY WILLIAM TUCKER. Eight or ten days before the 31st December, 1861, Mr. Cruther (the Government botanist) called on me, expressing a desire that I would join several other gentlemen, who were desirous of taking observations of the coming eclipse, and, if possible, photographs, at the Botanical Gardens, St. Ann’s. A few days later he again called, stating that the Governor had received a communication from Mr. Hind, desiring, if possible, to have observations on the eclipse. Mr. Hind gave concise and simple instructions how to pro ceed, stating that the locality best suited for observation would be about Guapo, four or five miles south of the cele brated Pitch Lake, this spot being in a direct line of the central shadow. By the request of his Excellency the Governor, a com mittee was appointed, consisting of Messrs. Cruger, Devenish,