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THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. April 9, 1880.] 169 Uhe Aqotographic Elcws, Bpril 9, 1880. PHOTOGRAPHY IN AND OUT OF THE STUDIO. A Strange Work fora Lens—Photographic Lectures —A Peer as a Professor—Central Institution for Technical Education. A Strange Work for a Lens.—The other day, in a well- known studio, an alarm of fire was raised. Luckily but little damage was done, so the occupants can afford to laugh, though it might have excited other than risible faculties had matters proceeded a little bit further. The origin of the embryo disaster was a lens, which had been left, during an hour devoted to gastronomy, on one of the usual studio accessories. The sun was bright at the time, and during the absence of the operator it had travelled towards the west, and by chance the rays of light fell on the lens, and, by a still more singular coincidence, a black blind, used for studio purposes, happened to be in the focus ; the conse quence was, that a circular patch was burnt out of the material, and a smouldering ring was extending outwards when the room was re-entered whilst a small disc, rather larger than the sun’s image, was alight in the framework of the side-light. The diameter of the lens was somewhere about' four inches, and of a focus of some three feet, and the image of the sun being about a quarter of an inch, or more id diameter. It would not be very hard to calculate the heat which fell on the blind first, and after wards on the wood-work, since a shrewd guess has been made regarding the sun’s temperature. In connection with the above, a story was related of a similar occurrence. At one of the exhibitions held in London there was a gigantic condensing lens of some four feet in diameter, and of about the same focus, which was placed on the south side of one of the galleries. Soon after the opening, a visitor happened to pass the spot on a sunny day, and in a second his coat was burnt through, and his skin scorched. The lens in question was, after this occurrence, quickly made to face a northern aspect. Again, too, fires have been caused by the use of window panes which con tained part of the nuclei from which sheet glass is blown. These blobs are frequently spherical in form, and at cer tain times the sun’s rays may happen to focus on some combustible matter, and then a fire breaks out. At any rate, it is well to warn photographers to be careful where they leave their lenses in bright weather. Photographic Lectures.—Out of curiosity, we went one day with the intention of listening to one of a series of lec tures on photography, given at the Science Schools, South Kensington, by Capt. Abney, but, on enquiry, we found that the course had broken down, not through any fault of the gallant lecturer, but owing to the want of an audience. Well, we should have made an audience of one, but having sympathized with Mr. Speaker when, during a recent debate, he was the sole listener to the speech of a certain verbose and dry old Indian in the House of Commons, we were not inclined to torture our selves or the Captain, so we went away. This reminds us of the story of a certain French professor, who, being paid by his Government to give a course of lectures on some recondite subject, found an audience of three persons awaiting him, and these attended regularly. One day, however, he passed the limit of his hour, and begged grace from those present for another half-hour, which was granted ; two remaining to listen, another half-hour was again requested, and, this time, his audience dwindled down to one. Inspired by his subject, he begged this solitary individual for just one quarter-of-an-hour more, whereupon the audience replied in French : “ A votre service, Monsieur. Je ne suis que votre cocher, et vous m’avez pris par l’heure." The professor collapsed. We are really sorry, however, that this series of lectures was allowed to drop owing to want of encouragement. The admission fees were a mistake, being too high for those most likely to attend; a second mistake was to advertise the lectures for successive days ; and perhaps eight o’clock was too late. Why should not the same lecturer take heart, and deliver his lectures at some more central place within easy range of Charing Cross? We believe a capital audience would be obtained, and much good should be derived from them. Photographers are often sadly ignorant of anything approaching to theory, and though, perhaps, the lecturer might be a trifle too theore tical, yet they would certainly teach the most uninitiated something which might not be thrown away on the practical work of their daily life. If we mistake not, our natural enemies, the Russians, are enthusiastic in the matter of photographic spouting, Mr. Warnerke having been kept till the small hours of the morning, on one occasion, enlightening a never-wearying audience. Per haps they take to this sort of thing because it is so un- English. The days of attending places of worship and lectures, however, appear to be numbered—in Yorkshire. b e have heard of an experiment on a Sunday being made with a microphone placed on one side of the pulpit of a popular Yorkshire minister, wires with telephones attached being carried to sixteen different houses, and all being in connection with one another. The whole proceedings in the chapel—sermon, hymns, coughing, and what not—were heard distinctly, and a certain bed ridden lady listened to a sermon, a delight to her she had not been able to partake of for a long time previous. Probably photographic lectures will still require the actual presence of an audience, since, at present, the experimental demonstrations cannot be seen, although the voice of the lecturer can be heard beyond the lecture hall. A Peer as a Professor.—It may not be generally known that Lord Rayleigh, F.K.S., has been appointed Professor of Experimental Physics in the University of Cambridge. The name of Lord Rayleigh is doubtless familiar to the readers of the Photographic News, as he has occasionally communicated to its columns letters containing most interesting matter, more especially in regard to the reproduction of diffraction gratings by means of photo graphy. He succeeded Professor Clarke Maxwell in the Professorship, having been unanimously selected and elected. Cambridge is to be congratulated on its choice, and Lord Rayleigh in accepting the post; the lustre of the peerage is by no means tarnished, but, on the con trary, heightened by one of its rank adopting the noble profession of teaching. Central Institution for Technical Education.—We are glad to see that the Royal Commissioners for the Exhibition of 1851 have promised a free site for the new Technical College which is to be built by the City and Guilds of London Institute. We have no doubt, now the com plexion of the Government is changed, that the Livery Companies will use their best endeavours to dispense advantageously some of the surperfluous wealth with which they are endowed, in the ultimate destination of which, it is supposed, a Liberal Government is anxious to have a voice. Anyhow, whether the City Companies subscribe more handsomely than they have done already, the funds at present in hand or promised are sufficient to make a start with which to build the College. The site offered by the Commissioners is naturally at South Kensington, as it is there alone that they have any land to offer, and though rather away from a central position, yet it has advantages in the space being larger than would otherwise be acquired except at an enormous outlay. What the Technical College is to teach is yet an open question; but if we are to guess from the examinations undertaken by the City and Guilds of London Institute, we may hope that photo graphy will not form an unimportant part of curriculum.