and ingenious improvement is that adopted for changing the position of the lenses, and for focussing. As in the old style, the lenses are fitted in tubes attached to hinged flaps at each end of the box. These tubes are allowed to slide freely in sockets, and the inner ends of the tubes have rectangular plates or flanges attached, the opposite edges are bent or curved to form other tubes, which are fitted loosely on rods, in order that they may slide freely thereon. These rods are so bent as to have two parallel parts on which the flanges slide, the bent portion forming an eye through which a flap-screw passes, extending through the flap, and worked by a knob outside. There are also two lever frames, which are pivoted at one end to the flap, one of the frames having slots made in it for the pivots to pass through, which slots admit of a requisite degree of play of the frame, and the other has its pivots passing through it without oblong slots, no play of it being required. By this arrangement a proper focal distance is obtained.

The sockets in each flap are provided with nuts, which are fitted on a right-and-left screw-rod, having a knob on one end for convenience of turning. By means of this screw-rod the lenses may be adjusted nearer together or further apart, as may be desired, to insure perfect binocular vision in relation with the pictures. This is a great advantage.

Mr. Kohl has also attached a turn-table arrangement to the bottom of his box, which enables one to change from side to side without moving, and prevents it from scratching anything it may be placed upon. There are other advantages, too, which our space will not permit us to mention, but which are amply set forth in Mr. Kohl's circular, sent free to all applicants. He uses excellent lenses, and it is a joy and a pleasure to use his stereoscope.

Questions and Suggestions.

TO THE EDITOR OF "THE ILLUSTRATED PHOTOGRAPHER." MR. POUNCY's offer.

DEAR SIR, It was with very sincere pleasure I read in your last issue the spirited letter of John Pouncy. This has the ring of the true metal about it, and whether or not Mr. Blair will be satisfied that the turpentine test will leave the print scathless, I am more than convinced Mr. James will not earn the ounce of gold. Of course the acceptance of Mr. Pouncy's most liberal offer, of supplying specimens to each of your subscribers, lies with you; but in reference to it I add a suggestion. I trust you will pardon me, at least do not think me too officious. Mr. Pouncy is not a rich man (I learn so from your pages, for I have not the happiness of knowing him); he has not yet made a fortune by photography. I wonder if anybody has? Then, as your readers count by thousands, would it not be acceptable and fair towards him that each should subscribe something, say sixpence or a shilling, towards the expenses of the intended publication. It is certainly very generous of Mr. Pouncy to make so liberal an offer; but is it quite fair to accept, without some remuneration, the works of one who is no gainer by his splendid discoveries. I need not say there are few faces the photographic public would rather gaze on than that of the esteemed, honest, enthusiastic, and kind-hearted Mr. Sutton.I am, &c.,

EDWARD B. FENNESSY.

POUNCY'S PROCESS.

SIR,-I have just received a letter from Mr. Pouncy, from which I am requested by him to make a few extracts for your journal, as follows:

"You will have no doubt seen letters in THE ILLUSTRATED PHOTOGRAPHER, asking for information about my process, all of which have been previously answered through your Notes, and therefore it is useless for me to subject myself to be constantly publishing replies. When I offered to sell prepared paper, and supply all information how to work, photographers did not accept it. My arrangement at present is to print for those who like to send me their negatives. I cannot afford to waste more time. Tell your readers that you hope soon to present them with a specimen of my process, that all may judge for themselves; but that I will say nothing more about the process until the false statements of dishonest persons and journals have been exposed. I do not attach blame to photographers being so far behind in this matter, knowing that they have been misled by false statements; therefore I will meet them liberally when I can see my way clear to make any different arrange

.

ment. The result of my giving information, and selling prepared paper hitherto, has been to subject myself to imposition and falsehood."

THOMAS SUTTON.

In offering to present your readers with a specimen of his process, Mr. Pouncy intimates that he will require a great many negatives lent to him for the purpose. I hope this appeal will not be made in vain. It is clearly impossible to print some thousands of proofs at this season without exposing a great many negatives at once.-I am, &c. SIR,-When penning a few remarks to you in reference to Mr. Pouncy's system of producing photographs, I did not suppose they would be brought so prominently before your readers, much less be thought worthy of consideration; but as you have thought otherwise, permit me to offer a few remarks. I am indueed to do so from reading the article in last week's issue, by Mr. Sutton, in which Mr. Pouncy is supposed to reply to "Nitric Acid" and myself, as follows:-That he has already tried to turn his process to account by the sale of prepared mica and paper; but that failed, not paying the expense of advertising, the same occurring in the sale of the Leptographic paper. Why was this? asks Mr. Sutton, and gives as a reason that photographers did not feel sufficient interest in that mode of printing, that they did not care to give the high price which was asked for the sensitive sheets; and in this latter remark consists the failure, as I will endeavour to show.

At the time Mr. Pouncy offered his papers for sale, professional photographers were reaping a rich harvest by the silver process, and did not care for a change. Not one in a thousand then, as now, prepared their own paper. It was manufactured at a cheap rate, and within the reach of all; hence its success. Poor amateurs like myself have ridden that hobby until they are tired of the horse, and would like to mount another, and a better if possible; but if it is placed beyond purchase, how is it to be done? In the amateurs Mr. Pouncy will find his best friends. Having the inclination, they will find the time to work out the effects, and if successful in producing good pictures (of which there can be no doubt, as Mr. Sutton states it is the most

simple and inexpensive known), they will show them to their will then give attention to it, and the thing is done. But the friends, and so create a demand. Professional photographers sensitive mixture, or black stuff, as Mr. Sutton calls it, costs materials must be within the reach of all, as they should be-the but 6d. per lb. It seems to me, if all is as stated, the road to fortune by which Mr. Pouncy may travel is short and sweet. He has outlived, and can afford to laugh at, the influence of "the clique." The subject is now fairly before the public, and that which he proposes to do-namely, furnish proofs to everyone of your readers of his able, and, I believe, honest advocate, Mr. Sutton's face-will, I am sure, be very acceptable, and I trust after in Mr. Pouncy's process. Yours respectfully, will convince photographers there is something worth seeking

A. R.Z.

SIR,-In your last I see that Mr. Sutton has some remarks an d comments on the hint I threw out as regards Mr. Pouncy and his prepared paper. Mr. Sutton says that what I advise has been tried, and has failed. Mr. Pouncy, if my memory serve me, tried to sell prepared paper some years back, and I believe also the advice he acted upon came prnicipally from myself, as I wrote to him privately on the subject; but I think at that time the process was somewhat unreliable, even in the inventor's hands, added to which it was tried by Dr. Holden, of Durham, who was at that time an authority in photographic matters, and he pronouced against it, as all his trials were, more or less, failures. But it should be taken into consideration that what may be a failure at one time may be a success at another; and when I hear the remark, "Oh, that's been tried and failed," a lengthened familiarity with the ins and out of life makes me invariably exclaim, "Jonathan Bradford!" why, I will now explain. Some forty years back, a playwright got accepted and produced at Drury-lane Theatre, a composition entitled the "Murdered Guest." It was a complete failure; the audience were dead against it, and the papers on the following morning expressed much astonishment that the manager should have allowed such an absurdity to be represented on the boards of the Irish theatre. So the "Murdered Guest," after vainly struggling for two or three nights, was consigned to the shelf of the prompter's closet, or the old-book box of the theatre. Now, after all this, one would imagine that any further attempt on the "Murdered Guest would have been met by, "Oh, that's been tried and has failed." However, some years after the

time alluded to, a Lambeth "marsher," or transpontine playwright-a man so full of horrors and the dreadful that people said he supped off raw beefsteaks and red-hot onions in order to give his plays the proper tone-arranged the same story after his own fashion, giving it the title of "Jonathan Bradford; or, the Murder at the Roadside Inn," and intro duced an originally arranged scene, a scene divided into four compartments, where four different actions could be seen going on at one and the same time. Well, was this a failure? By no means-the right place and the right time had been hit upon, and the piece ran for some five hundred nights, to the great benefit of the manager, fame of the author, and delight of the public. So it might be with Mr. Pouncy; his failure of some years back might now be a very great success. He is better known, and the photographic world is better prepared for him. As another illustration of what may be cold-shouldered at one time, and prove a great hit at another, look at the Thames Embankment. Is that great improvement and success new? Not a bit of it. John Martin, the historical painter, proposed it to the Government of the time some sixty years ago, and furnished the Home Office with plans, elevations, designs, and estimates. It was looked at as a mad undertaking, and put on one side, and possibly, in a few years' time, chairmen of boards, engineers, &c., &c., will be knighted and enriched, while the real suggester, &c., will not even be mentioned. So let Mr. Pouncy take heart, he may yet reap the reward of his labour and perseverance, and Mr. Sutton may live to see it; when no one would be better pleased at the same taking place

than

NITRIC ACID.

[The Thames embankment was first suggested in the time of Charles II.-ED.]

SIR,-I have just seen Mr. Pouncy's letter in your journal, at page 486, in which he generously offers to present each of your readers with a portrait of myself, if I will furnish him with negatives for that purpose. I can only say that nothing would be more easy or agreeable to me than to do so; but I hesitate, for the following reasons:-Are we justified in putting a man in Mr. Pouncy's position to so much expense and trouble, when the object to be gained might be so much better accomplished in another way; I mean, by lending him negatives of various kinds to print from, so as to enable him to open a free exhibition of prints, illustrative of his process, in London. It is true that I have promised to give a portrait of myself to illustrate a number of this journal, but the promise rather applied to a portrait taken by a mechanical process especially suited to such a purpose, and not by a process which was forced to do the work, so to speak, against its own special capabilities. I know Mr. Pouncy's gallant enthusiasm, and admire it too much to overtax it by allowing him to struggle at this season with the task of printing thousands of specimens from about twenty negatives. It would be too bad to accept his generous offer, would it not? I have written to him to this effect.

Let me add that I fear I have done him some injustice in one of my recent articles, in which I said that his prints, when transferred to paper, are inartistic. I have just stumbled upon one, which I enclose herewith, and should like to have your opinion of, and that of anyone to whom you may show it. Is it not really very pretty? and must I not stand corrected in my remark? Yours, &c.,

Jersey, Nov. 8th, 1868.

[Yes, the print is an excellent one.-ED.]

THOMAS SUTTON.

THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION IN CONDUIT STREET.

66 scram

SIR,- The exhibition at the Photographic Society's rooms (not the exhibition of the Photographic Society) will doubtless be considered one of the best which has ever taken place in London. Is it not a great pity, then, that more care and taste should not have been displayed in hanging and arranging the pictures? I have written "arranging," but the only method of arrange. ment I could discern was that of fitting as many pictures into a given space as possible, with a total disregard of the result; portraits and landscapes, large, small, light, or dark, med," as I heard some one remark, together anyhow, to their mutual disadvantage. But beyond this, was it not possible to cover the large screens with baize or cloth before placing the pictures upon them? The beautiful portraits by M. A. Salomon were nailed with large rough nails to the dirty boards, and that gentleman's name inscribed under them with a piece of chalk. Is the Photographic Society of London too poor to provide a proper covering for two screens? Surely not; or if so, why did they not make an

appeal to the intending exhibitors for funds? I was present on Saturday week at the inaugural meeting of the Associated Arts Institute, in the same rooms; and, last evening, one could not but remark the vast difference in the arrangement of the pictures. Those same screens gave the worthy secretary of the institute, Mr. S. Potter, no end of trouble, I know, but he covered them; and a very little care and taste on the part of the hangmen" of the Photographic Society would have prevented many a good picture being spoiled in effect.-Yours, &c.,

son.

Keviews.

A VISITOR.

Poems. By Angus Fairbairn. Greenwich. Henry S. RichardTHIS little volume is the work of one who combines the four professions of vocalist, public lecturer, photographer, and poet. As a vocalist and public lecturer he is well known and appreciated; as a photographer he takes a good position in his own locality; and now he issues, for the approval of the public, a very neat little volume of poems and songs. It is hardly our province to assume the office of literary critics, and point out the beauties or defects of Mr. Fairbairn's collection.

As a specimen, which is far from being the best, but because it may amuse our readers, and is pertinent to our art, we select the following bits from :

Here

acter.

THE CAMERA AND THE BRUSH.
THE leaves were falling in the lanes of Lee,
The sun went westward with a watery e'e,
There was a sough of winter in the air,
And flocks of birds flew twittering here and there;
There was a sense of sorrow in the scene,
As if rememb'ring what had lately been,
And boding changes more and more severe,-
The speechless sadness of the dying year.
As I, in unison with Nature's mood,
Walked pensively beside the waning wood,

I spied a little cot beside the stream:

Its chimneys caught the sun's withdrawing gleam.
Within I went, at once intent on rest,

For well I knew it for a painter's nest,

A place where simple souls might welcome find,
And be at ease in body and in mind.

Mr. Fairbairn overhears a dialogue of a very fiery char

A Camera and Lens complete

Stood forth on three long straddling pointed feet,
And challenged an old Brush to hold debate
On subject more abstruse than Church or State.
The Brush, though scrubb'd, and worn in every hair,
Had something high and haughty in its air,

A stubborn sense of consequence and pride,
That seemed to say, "Whom have we here beside ?"
It eyed the Camera with deep disdain,
Which up and spoke in this uncivil strain :-
"Thou stiff-necked, stumpy, sentimental scrub,
Torn from the dirty hide of gutter grub!
How darest thou cock thy saucy birse at me?
I'll make a faithful photograph of thee.
That all these honest folks may plainly see-

"Hold!" said the Brush, "thou soulless, heartless stick,
As void of fancy as a mason's brick!
Hence! square-jawed photographic trash;
Not here they'll listen to thy balderdash."

"I'll make them listen," Camera replied;
"Too long you've scumbled in your dirty pride,
Confounding nature, muddling every grace,
Like devil risen from the nether place.
False, freakish still, with silly, selfish aim,
Aye, begging foolish praise and flimsy fame,
Till 1 upon you glanc'd this child of light,
And put thy false pretences all to flight.'
"Pretensions!" quoth I. Said the Brush, irate,
"Do'st thou pretend to truth, mechanic pate!
Thou sun-struck wretch, that every beauteous day
Set'st forth all subjects in the poor-house gray.
Howe'er the glorious changes of the sky,
Refleeted clear in Nature's loving eye,
Still, colour-blind, thou pokes thine eye abroad,
And libels Nature, blasphemes Nature's God;
No child of light art thou, full well I wot,
Thou optical illusion, misbegot!

Thou suits this sceptic age, the truth to tell, Purblind and atheistic cub of hell,

Believing nothing that thou can'st not see, And hence thy ignorance and spite at me.' And so this very personal and vulgarly-abusive old brush and new camera carry on their wordy contest in some other half-ahundred lines, until

What more they might have said 'twere hard to say,
But now the kettle had its wilful way;

It set its lid to clatter, flirted in the fire.
Up rose the dame, up rose the sons and sire,

And, laughing, gave me welcome; round and round

The little dog barked joyful to the sound.

With them I laughed and joked, and spent the night:
Nor did I note the minutes in their flight
Till midnight bells, amongst the lanes of Lee,
Did ring me home with kindly social glee.

We are glad to find that, if the brush and camera could quarrel so desperately, their human representatives behaved themselves in a more genial and creditable way.

M. Toumachon, the photographer, recently performed a feat worth recording. Having ascended to the height of nearly a thousand feet in the captive balloon at the Hippodrome, Paris, he succeeded in taking several photographic views, accurately representing the city from a birdseye view. The chief difficulty he encountered was the rotary motion of the balloon. His success shows the practicability of obtaining correct representations of the positions of military forces safely and rapidly. -Scientific American.

I have long used a small piece of looking-glass to assist in focussing. It may be fastened, or held at an angle of 45°, with the ground glass touching the bottom of it; you then see the figure on the mirror right way up, which greatly assists the judgment in posing. I strongly recommend this as a "wrinkle." I dare say it has been discovered, forgotten, and re-discovered again and again. That can be of no importance. It is worth knowing; I always use it.-S. Fry, in the British

Journal.

ARTHUR G.-We were unable to find space for your article until too long after the closing of the exhibition. This was our only reason for its non-insertion. G. S.-Dec.ined with thanks. The subject is an unsuitable one for our pages. (2) The blunder was the printer's; for two parts for ape oil," read "two parts of rape oil."

L. S. D.-(1) We have heard nothing more of Mr. Forest's new kind of glass for focussing. (2) Mr. Fox Talbot used the bichloride of platinum, as be found that it did not penetrate the gelatine film. He added one-fourth in bulk of water to a saturated solution. (3) Wax is insoluble in water.

the eon.

JOHN E. PALMER.-Your very interesting letter received, but the enlarged speci mens on canvas not yet (Wednesday morning) delivered. When the photographs arrive, due care will be taken by Mr. Dawson to test them thoroughly, and report He will also submit them to Mr. Wall's inspection and trial for their adaptability to the purposes of oil painters. COMMUNICATIONS DECLINED WITH THANKS.—“A spy in the Camp," "G. H.," "Ancient Photo." A. MORTON.-It is altogether a mistake to suppose that artists, as a class, have any antagonistic feelings to photographers as a class. The evidence points rather to the contrary. In all the art societies photographers are well received, and their opinions listened to on subjects pertaining to their art with proper attention and respect; but in photographic societes it has been too common for photographers, who have received no art education and have had no art experience, to dogmatise on art matters, and to openly laugh at, or sneer down, the opinions of artists on art. This fashio set in with one of the earlic t meetings of the Photographic Society, and has been followed ever since, notably by the contemporary you speak of. Glance over the reports of our societies for the last few years, and we think you will recoguise the truth of our opinion. The best interests of both photographers and artists are served by their harmonious intercourse, and we commend to your attention an article in our present issue on the Associated Arts Institute.

W. H. K.-The young man was angry, perhaps, and wrote at random. The cost tions, must, as a matter of course, be very much more than that of conducting a notof conducting a journal, filled to repletion with original matter and original idustraillustrated journal, chiefly made up with cuttings from foreign and other journals, to say nothing of the difference in the general "get up" of the two prints. It is obvious that this superiority can only be supported by a much larger circulation, and we point to these facts, and to our continued prosperity, as the surest evidence against Mr. Cherrill's toolish insinuations.

INQUIRER.-(1) We have had no personal experience in that kind of work, and have looked through our photographic_library—a tolerably extensive one-in vain for the information you require. If possible we will obtain the knowledge from private source, but we are not sanguine of success. (2) Such a work is now in preparation, an will shortly be announced. It will be weekly, and the price twopence. M. S.-The subject is not of sufficient importance.

A MECHANIC-The absence of that particular optician's advertisement is not due, as you infer, to our refusal to insert it, but to his position in reference to the clique." To appear in our advertisement pages would endanger his influence with that compact lit le body of scheming self-servers.

RECEIVED.-T. McGregor, Mr. Adams, J. Shearer, J. Gordon, C. White, O. P. Norris. George Elliot (reply in our next). J. T., junr. (which carbon printing process f). Nitric Acid (we thought your reply to A.B.Z. very unfair, and its severity una ked for, and trust you will pardon its extraction from your letter. E. Rupert (no). J. Leaver (many thanks). L. Brewster (we hope always to deserve the praise you award us for fearlessness and impartiality. Earnest R. (will reply next week). G. Wod (the dea is an old one not worth reprinting). A. B C. (see this week's "Replies and Discussions"). "O. G. Guit" (we do not know any frane maker who specially manurac tures such, but they are common enough, and cheap). P. (they have no sense of decency, honour, or honesty, or it would not be so. Your note only repeats what has already been published).

To Correspondents.

NOTICE.-We are unable to find room for the continuation of Mr. Sutton's article on Woodbury's Process, the conclusion of "My Vacation Trip," an article on Pouncy's Sensitive Mixture, a paper on Art Education, by L. H. Michael, two review articles, and other papers, all in type. Our Exchange Club is also unavoidably postponed.

T. E. BATEMAN.-Your letter of the 28th ult. was addressed to the publisher, otherwise it would have reached us in time to be answered last week. We are not responsible for the correctness of the opinions, or of the photographic formulæ advocated by correspondents, nor do we pledge our faith in papers read at photographic societies. We simply record them as they are handed to us, with the author's name attached. If we see anything egregiously wrong, we call attention to it; and when we find anything new and conducive to the progress of photography, we are equally zealous in promoting the facts. In the case you mention, beat up the albumen with a drop of strong ammonia for each egg till all is froth; allow to settle for a day or more; filter through muslin or cotton wool; then apply the solution to the collodion plate. You will find the developing solution clearly described in the arucle to which you draw our attention.

J. GORDON.-You are surely poking fun at us. The card-portraits you have forwarded are first-rate, and will bear favourable comparison with the best that are done in London. The colouring also on some of them is delicately and artistically executed. Your request about the address has been attended to.

J. RIVES.-Your recent letters have not been forgotten. See article this week by Mr. Dawson.

F. R. HIGGINS.-We are not great adepts in the manufacture of fancy varnishes, but we extract the following receipt from Cooley's Cyclopædia, which will probably answer your purpose :-" Black amber varnish. From amoer, I lb., fuse; add of hot drying oil, one hal-pint; powdered black rosin, three ounces; asphaltum (Naples), four ounces; when properly incorporated and considerably cooled, add oil of turpentine, one pint. This is the beautiful black varnish of the coachmakers."

W. SIEVRIGHT.-Have no more to do with the person. He may not be worth your powder and hot. He seems to have used you badly.

W. H. D.-(1) We do not know whether the Journal of the Photographic Society is now in existence or not. (2) Having been so log away from England, and out of the practice of your old favourite recreation, you will require to change your tactics with the collodion now in the market, and use an iron developer. If you apply to either of the photograptic dealers you name, they are quite competent to tell you all that may be required. They are both good practical photographers. (3) Your lenses should be still as good as they were at first, the two cameras may be worthless. Thanks for your good opinion of THE ILLUSTRATED PHOTOGRAPHER. You will

see Mr. Sutton contributes regularly.

HYPO.-Daguerreotypes are very difficult to copy well, on account of the reflections from the polished silver surface. They should be placed in a diffused light, and all white or other reflecting surfaces in the neighbourhood cut off by screens. You will know when reflections are absent, by carefully examining the refracted image on the ground glass of the camera.

The weather during the past week has been generally fine, but occasionally interrupted with showers, as will be seen by the above data. Barometrical pressure has been gradually increasing all the week. Temperature has increased during the last two days. Although the wind remains in the northerly quarter, where it shifted to on the 7th-the greatest amount of cold, three degrees below freezing, being registered the same night, accompanied with a fall of snow-the air has been highly charged with moisture all the week. From the above and present instrumental indications, a decided change may be expected to occur shortly.