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244 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. [May 21, 1869. money wasted. And it is so completely to the interest of photo graphers that this should be so, that we confidently predict a very brief career for “autotype,” “ carbon process,” “ etching by photo graphy,” or any other of the professedly permanent methods which, from the very beginning of photography, have endeavoured to estab lish themselves. Photography and photographers have often been sub jected to the sneers of the ignorant, the thoughtless, and ill-natured ; but for downright impudence, commend us to the writer of the above. Here is an imputation upon all who practise a most extended, beautiful, and useful art industry, to the effect that they prefer that their work should be bad and unstable, because it is " their interest,” in order, we pre sume, that it may require to be done over again ! Does this writer really imagine that respectable tradesmen of any kind find it their interest to supply faulty goods in order that they may require renewal ? It is generally supposed that excellence of the goods supplied is the surest means of securing increased patronage. This, the lowest motive, which simply refers to trade profit, would be sufficient?, in most cases, to ensure the application of every effort to secure per manency. But, apart from such motives, we can assure the writer in question, that by far the larger proportion of those engaged professionally in photography love their art, and would willingly make any reasonable effort, and sacrifice any reasonable amount of profit, to secure permanency in their works, and that this love for their art affords the surest pledge of the ultimate success of the various modes of securing permanent printing which are now on their trial amongst photographers. We may conclude with an extract from a letter from Mr, Russell Sedgfield, referring to the article in question. He says:—“ The idea that it is so completely in the interest of photographers that their works should fade is not original, but has usually been urged in joke. The Spectator, how ever, is not given to jokes, and is evidently serious ; and with equal seriousness allow me to suggest that it is a pity such advantages should not be extended. Is it not as completely to the interest of painters, sculptors, and authors that their works should perish like those of photographers and tailors? I will only add that there would then be plenty of room for the exhibition of modern paintings and the storage of modern books, without further expansive enlargements of libraries and museums.” INDIAN PHOTOGRAPHS. The time when the mention of Indian photographs sug gested masses of soot and whitewash is gone by. We have no longer the crude, black foliage, and chalky white build ings, white sky, and white water ; or pictures of magnificent temples with harsh glinting lightsand black heavy shadows, without delicacy or detail, the beautiful tracery and rare car ving in the architecture being half lost. It was at one time believed amongst photographers that, partly owing to the rapid decomposition of some of the chemicals, and partly to the intensely glaring light and cloudless skies, anything like delicacy and harmony in photographs of tropical cli mates was almost impossible. The examples which have reached this country from time to time for some years past— the productions of Major Macfarlane, Shepherd and Bourne, and others —-have long since dispelled this notion; but if any trace of it had remained, it would have been effectually re moved in the minds of all who were privileged to see the splendid collection of prints of Indian subjects exhibited at the Photographic Society on the evening ot Tuesday week. There were several hundreds of pictures, consisting chiefly of Indian landscapes and architectural views, interior and exterior, amongst which it is no exaggeration to say that there was not a bad photograph; scarcely one which would not compete with the best examples taken in this country. Delicate, detailed, and harmonious, and, at the same time, admirably brilliant, they left little, if anything, to desire, except time to examine deliberately the wondrous detail of the tracery in many of the temples hewn out of one solid rock. An admirable feature in the prints was the presence of fine clouded skies, in most cases from separate cloud nega tives, skilfully printed in, contributing much to the pic torial excellence. Some Egyptian pictures amongst the collection were not less perfect; amongst them the finest picture of the Sphinx we have seen, giving the most perfect suggestion of its colossal character and the calm grandeur of effect, notwithstanding the ravages of time, and irreverent hands. These pictures are very instructive. Capt. Lyon men tioned some of the difficulties of photography in India, and these can be readily conceived. But the natural difficulties have always existed ; to what, then, should the marvellously improved results be attributed ? Primarily, it should always be conceded, to increased skill in the men who have pro duced these results. In a very wide sense we are always disposed to give credit to the man rather than the method. But a method rendering excellence possible is of course an imperative condition of success, and we believe that the use of bromo-iodized collodion and iron development are impe rative to success in tropical climates. With simply iodized collodion,, and its rapid tendency to decompose and become insensitive, and pyrogallic development, delicacy and har mony, except as occasional results, were impossible. The conditions of success involved in the use of bromides and iron development, so long opposed by some of the old authorities in the manufacture of collodion, are now univer sally prevalent; and little of the difficulties once common are now experienced by photographers. As a rule, commer cial examples of collodion meet all necessities; but where strong sunlight or other causes produce strong contrast in subjects, it should be remembered that the free use of bro mides is the legitimate and rarely failing remedy. oxeigi aliscellaneu. In reference to the proposal, recently made in this country, that photographers should employ the velocipede as a means of transport when performing landscape work, the Moniteur de la Photographic very aptly calls attention to the fact that, by this arrangement, the two great inventions with which Nicephore Niepce’s name is connected would thus be combined. In the Bulletin. Beige, a correspondent recommends the practice of chromo photography for finishing oft portrait pictures; the method proposed is to obtain two prints upon sized or plain Rive paper, one somewhat more vigorous than the other, and to colour them in a suitable manner. By subsequent treatment with a fatty compound they are ren dered transparent, and then superposed one upon the other, the more opaque print being underneath, and then framed, so as to protect them from dust. Another instance of Royalty doing honour to photo graphers has occurred in Austria. The Emperor has deco rated M. Joseph Schultner, one of the members of the Vienna Photographic Society, with the order of the Iron Crown of the third class. The South Austrian Industrial Association has awarded their large silver medal to M. Julius Leth, in consideration of his valuable process of photographing upon enamel and porcelain. M. Leth demonstrated the details of his process before the Association, producing, in the presence of his audience, the positive prints upon glass by means of an exposure of two minutes to a magnesium lamp, transferring the gelatine films to enamel plates, and burning-in and completing the same within a period of ten minutes. At the April meeting of the Vienna Photographic Society some examples were shown of M. Mariot’s (of Gratz) galvano; photographic process. They were carte-de-visite size, and