PROGRESS OF PHOTOGRAPHY.
Mr. Amadio continues his progress in reducing the scale of microscopic photographs. We have this week seen two that excel any specimens hitherto brought under our notice. One, which to the naked eye looks like a mere speck on the glass, the minute trace of some stain, under the microscope becomes a beautiful landscape picture—a clear and distinct view of the Houses of Parliament, with Westminster Bridge, the Abbey in the distance, two steam-boats, and several barges. It is, however, not simply the minuteness of the picture which is so remarkable, but its finish and breadth. The architecture, the aerial perspective, the soft but brilliant and well balanced distinction between the shine upon the water and the shade, are brought out with equal force and finish. To the naked eye the other specimen is an exceedingly small circular speck, such as might be left if the glass were touched with a damp pin's head, the pin being by no means large; under the microscope, this develops itself into a beautiful portrait, such as might have been painted by Guercino, being the head of a youth, Mr. J. E. Pedder, an Eton scholar, the son of Mr. Pedder, of Preston Park in Lancashire. By the help of this microscopic photography a single locket becomes a picture gallery of family affection or history.
The Abbe Moigno writes to the Photographic News the following account of M. Niepce de St. Victor's illustration to Professor Wheatstone of his dis- coveries on a new action of light, which was performed in the laboratory in the Louvre. "Our friend wished Professor Wheatstone to see with his own eyes the curious experiment of his tube, or of a photograph made by light which had been stored up for several months. Mr. Wheatstone, the illus- trious physicist, very willingly accepted the invitation. M. Iliepee took a tube containing a piece of pasteboard which had been impregnated with tartaric acid, insolatecl for a length of time, and rolled up in it, in the month of June last, and the tube then hermetically closed. He and Professor Wheatstone placed themselves in a dark room ; M. Niepce had a sheet of sensitised paper, on which he placed a piece of paper printed upon in large letters' he then opened the tube, holding it vertically, with the orifice downwards, and this orifice he placed on the printed paper which covered the sensitive paper ; the tube was left in this position for about ten minutes, at the end of which time he removed it. The circle on the paper blackening in all its parts where it was not protected by the printed letters, at once visibly manifested the ac- tion of the light; the printed paper being removed, the characters were found to be very neatly traced in white, or forming a negative proof; this negative was treated like ordinary negatives that is to say, it was fixed, and Professor Wheatstone placed it in his portfolio, to produce it before the Royal and Photographic Societies ; a proof obtained by means of light that had been imprisoned for six months. The experiment, therefore, suc- ceeded perfectly." Professor Wheatstone will perform this experiment himself in London, adds the writer. It occurs to us, however, as an obvious question whether we do not confuse and obscure our observations by continuing to ealk of the agent in these processes as "light" ?
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