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August 6, 1880.] THE PHOTOGRAPHC NEWS. 373 Ue Pqotographic Zlchs, Bngust 6, 1880. PHOTOGRAPHY IN AND OUT OF THE STUDIO. Panoramasand Photography—PERIPATETIO PHOTOGRAPHERS —Photography by Gaslight—Photographic Societies of the Past. Panoramas and Photography.—A novel application of photography to the production of panoramas is contem plated in Paris. M. Adolphe Yvon, a well-known French artist, following the example of M. de Neuville, has gone to the Zulu war for a subject for his canvas, and is now engaged on a painting of the battle of Ulundi, which is intended for a panorama in Oxford Street, to be opened next May. The scene is taken from the centre of the British position, and M. Yvon has chosen the critical | point of the engagement when firing is going on on all sides, the Zulu Kraal being in flames, and the Lancers rushing on to die foe. The panorama will be on the same principle as that of the Siege of Faris, which for years has been such an attraction for visitors to the French capital, and will be 130 feet in circumference, the spec tator being placed 15 yards from it, and the intermediate space filled in with real objects to assist in the delusion. M. Yvon’s painting is to be reproduced in tenfold size by means of magnified photographs, which, being thrown by the electric light on to the canvas, half a dozen artists can trace the outlines with great speed and accuracy. The panorama will, without doubt, be one of the sights of the metropolis. Peripatetic Photographers.—The preservation of open spaces in the metropolis, and the byelaws framed by the conservators, arc hailed with joy by all classes save the peripatetic photographers. To them the preservation of Hampstead Heath, Clapham Common, Peckham Rye, and other “commons” means that their occupation is gone. But the photographer dies hard, and though the valiant De Morgan has not taken up his cause, he is evidently determined to fight the matter to the bitter end. For several years the Conservators of Peckham Rye have been carrying on a sort of guerilla or intermittant warfare with an obstinate knight of the camera, who insisted that he had his rights as well as the commoners, and refused to comply with the order of the constable—not to “ move on,” but to “move off.” The Vestry of Camberwell was much exer cised in its mind what to do with its doughty adversary, and at last had to call in the aid of the magistrate, and the photographer had ultimately to succumb to the majesty of the law. This, we fear, will be the fate of Mr. Hutchins, now engaged in a fierce controversy of similar kind with the Metropolitan Board, who, as their weapons in the shape of warnings and prohibitions have failed, have been obliged to go before the Hampstead magistrates and ask their assistance. The Board was represented by its legal adviser, but the defendant had a much more powerful advo cate in the shape of his wife, who appeared for her lord and master, and, we doubt not, defended his interests very much better than any barrister could have done. The Bench have adjourned the case for a month, and we are curious to see what will be the result. It would be too bad if this touching instance of wifely affection had an unpoetical termination. Feminine logic is a match any day for legal reasoning, and Mrs. Hutchins deserves to succeed. By the way, what an admirable subject for the imaginative faculties of the members of the South London Photo graphic Society this incident presents for one of their friendly competitions. The photographer’s wife before the Hampstead Bench pleading for her husband would, we fancy, offer some scope for the play of fancy. Photographing by Gaslight.—As was stated last week, the suggestion made in this page a fortnight ago with reference to the gas burners used in the clock tower of the House of Parliament has been anticipated by Mr. P. M. Laws, whose burner is similar to the one employed at Westminster. We recur to this subject because gas, being so ready to hand, would seem to offer the most convenient mode of artificial lighting for photographic purposes, provided the requisite rapidity could be obtained. So far as the illuminating powers of the material itself is concerned, the albo-carbon light would seem to be the best. It is well known that when gas is subjected to pressure, which it has to be in the storing cylinders, the compression being from sixty to seventy pounds to the inch, or when exposed to cold or freezing temperature, or when conveyed in pipes passing from a warm to a cold atmosphere of 40% Fahr, or lower, it suffers a loss of illuminating power arising from the deposit of napthaline, an important element in the illumi nating value of gas. The principle of the albo-carbon lamp is that it supplies this loss by passing the gas through vapourised napthaline, a quantity of which it takes up. The resultant light is intensely white and mellow, and the ordinary flame looks quite pale and sickly by the side of it. A portion of the Westminster Aquarium was some time ago lighted by it, and with great success. The drawback to its use in private houses is that the napthaline requires to be warmed in order to vapourise it, and the apparatus is | not particularly sightly. There would not, however, be any objection from this cause to its use in the studio. It is possible that even this drawback may be removed, as Messrs. Sugg and Clark, the patentees of the well-known London Argand burner, suggest that similar means for increasing the illuminating power might be employed by the companies themselves. They propose to effect this by adding to the gas hydro-carbon vapour, which possesses the property of preventing the formation of the napthaline crystals by holding napthaline in solution, and also supple menting the hydro-carbon already contained in the gases. The mode in which they propose to treat the gas to obtain this result is to pass the poor coal-gas after purification, or before any deposit of the napthaline takes place, over the surface of a liquid hydro-carbon contained in a suitable vessel inclosed in a jacket and heated to about 60 or 70 degrees by means of hot water. The gas, in its passage over the hydro-carbon, takes up the vapour which is given off, and it is then conducted by suitable pipes to a retort and heated to about 900 degrees. After heating the gas is drawn off by a pump, and either passed to a gas-holder, or direct into the mains for the purpose of enriching the gas therein, and i s compressed in a very suitable manner into cylinders for use. Whether the plan suggested by Messrs. Sugg be the best that can be desired or not, it is obvious that with the almost weekly improvements in the electric light the gas companies must exert themselves to produce a much better quality of gas than they have hitherto sent out, and any improvement in this direction must have an important bearing on Mr. Laws’ experiments. Photographic Societies of the Past.—Photographic societies in the early days of the art must have been fearfully and wonderfully made. We have before us an interesting relic of the past in the shape of the byelaws of an “ American Daguerre Association,” founded in New York, in 1851, the year of the death of the discoverer of the pro cess which bears his name. The byelaws consist of four teen lengthy “articles,” and would occupy in space at least two pages of the News. There are rules for the guidance of the president, the vice-president, the record ing secretary, the corresponding secretary, the treasurer, the discretionary committee, the finance committee, and the printing committee. The article relating to “ mem- bers” contains eight sections, a most notable one being Section 3, which ordains that “ no person shall be eligible to membership who publicly advertises low-priced pic tures, by signs, or other means.” There is a formidable list of “ fines and penalties,” ranging from, one to ten dollars, to keep the secretary, the corresponding secretary, the treasurer, and the various committees up to their work, the members being let off with a solitary fine of one dollar “ for not reporting change of residence or business, as per article 8, section 6.* There is an awful and alto gether mysteuious body termed the “ Board of Honour,”