Notes and Queries, Number 182, April 23, 1853

44. The heads of six servants of Mr. Hogarth's family.

45. His own portrait—a head.

46. A ditto—a whole-length painting.

47. A ditto, Kit Kat, with the favourite dog, exceeding fine.

48. Two portraits of Lady Thornhill and Mrs. Hogarth.

49. The first sketch of the Rake's Progress.

50. A ditto of the altar of Bristol Church.

51. The Shrimp Girl—a sketch.

52. Sigismunda.

53. A historical sketch, by Sir James Thornhill.

54. Two sketches of Lady Pembroke and Mr. John Thornhill.

55. Three old pictures.

56. The bust of Sir Isaac Newton, terra cotta.

57. Ditto of Mr. Hogarth, by Roubilliac.

58. Ditto of the favourite dog, and cast of Mr. Hogarth's hand.

    W. D. Haggard.

PHANTOM BELLS AND LOST CHURCHES

(Vol. vii., pp. 128. 200. 328.)

In a little brochure entitled Christmas, its History and Antiquity, published by Slater, London, 1850, the writer says that—

"In Berkshire it is confidently asserted, that if any one watches on Christmas Eve he will hear subterranean bells; and in the mining districts the workmen declare that at this sacred season high mass is performed with the greatest solemnity on that evening in the mine which contains the most valuable lobe of ore, which is supernaturally lighted up with candles in the most brilliant manner, and the service changed by unseen choristers."—P. 46.

The poet Uhland has a beautiful poem entitled Die Verlorne Kirche. Lord Lindsay says:

"I subjoin, in illustration of the symbolism, and the peculiar emotions born of Gothic architecture, The Lost Church of the poet Uhland, founded, I apprehend, on an ancient tradition of the Sinaitic peninsula."—Sketches of Christian Art.

I give the first stanza of his translation:

"Oft in the forest far one hears
A passing sound of distant bells;
Nor legends old, nor human wit,
Can tell us whence the music swells.
From the Lost Church 'tis thought that soft
Faint ringing cometh on the wind:
Once many pilgrims trod the path,
But no one now the way can find."

See also Das Versunkene Kloster, by the same sweet poet, commencing:

"Ein Kloster ist versunken
Tief in den wilden See."

After Port Royal (in the West Indies) was submerged, at the close of the seventeenth century, sailors in those parts for many years had stories of anchoring in the chimneys and steeples, and would declare they heard the church bells ringing beneath the water, agitated by the waves or spirits of the deep.

The case of the Round Towers seen in Lough Neagh, I need not bring forward, as no sound of bells has ever been heard from them.

There is one lost church so famous as to occur to the mind of every reader, I mean that of the Ten Tribes of Israel. After the lapse of thousands of years, we have here an historical problem, which time, perhaps, will never solve. We have a less famous, but still most interesting, instance of a lost church in Greenland. Soon after the introduction of Christianity, about the year 1000, a number of churches and a monastery were erected along the east coast of Greenland, and a bishop was ordained for the spiritual guidance of the colony. For some four hundred years an intercourse was maintained between this colony and Norway and Denmark. In the year 1406 the last bishop was sent over to Greenland. Since then the colony has not been heard of. Many have been the attempts to recover this lost church of East Greenland, but hitherto in vain.

I could send you a Note on a cognate subject, but I fear it would occupy too much of your space,—that of Happy Isles, or Islands of the Blessed. The tradition respecting these happy isles is very wide-spread, and obtains amongst nearly every nation of the globe; it is, perhaps, a relic of a primeval tradition of Eden. Some have caught glimpses of these isles, and some more favoured mortals have even landed, and returned again with senses dazzled at the ravishing sights they have seen. But in every case after these rare favours, these mystic lands have remained invisible as before, and the way to them has been sought for in vain. Such are the tales told with reverent earnestness, and listened to with breathless interest, not only by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans of old, but by the Irishman, the Welshman, the Hindoo, and the Red Indian of to-day.

    Eirionnach.

PHOTOGRAPHIC NOTES AND QUERIES

Photographic Collodion (Vol. vii., p. 314.).—In a former communication I pointed out the wide differences in the various manipulations prescribed for making the photographic gun cotton by several photographers: differences most perplexing to persons of small leisure, and who are likely to lose half the opportunities of a photographic season, whilst puzzling over these diversities of proceeding. Suffer me now to entreat some one to whom all may look up (perhaps your kind and experienced correspondent Dr. Diamond will do this service, so valuable to young photographers) to clear up the differences I will now "make a note of," viz. as to the amount of dry photographic gun cotton to be used in forming the prepared collodion.

On comparing various authors, and reducing their directions to a standard of one ounce of ether, I find the following differences: viz., Dr. Diamond (Vol. vi., p. 277.) prescribes about three grains of gun cotton; Mr. Hennah (Directions, &c., p. 5.) about seven grains; the Count de Montizon (Journ. of Phot. Soc., p. 23.) eight grains; whilst Mr. Bingham (Supplement to Phot. Manip., p. 2.) directs about thirty-four grains! in each case to a single ounce of ether.

These differences are too wide to come within even Mr. Archer's "long range," that "the proportions … must depend entirely upon the strength and the thickness required … the skill of the operator and the season of the year." (Archer's Manual, p. 17.)

    Cokely.

Filtering Collodion.—Count de Montizon, in his valuable paper on the collodion process, published in the second number of the Journal of the Photographic Society, objects to filtration on the ground that the silver solution is often injured by impurities contained in the paper. It may be worth while to state, that lime, and other impurities, may be removed by soaking the filter for a day or two, before it is used, in water acidulated with nitric acid; after which it should be washed with hot water and dried.

    T. D. Eaton.

Photographic Notes (Vol. vii., p. 363.).—I wish to correct an error in my communication in "N. & Q." of April 9: in speaking of "a more even film," I meant a film more evenly sensitive. I am sorry I have misled Mr. Shadbolt as to my meaning. I have very rarely any "spottings" in my pictures; but I always drop the plates once or twice into the bath, after the two minutes' immersion, to wash off any loose particles. I also drain off all I can of the nitrate of silver solution before placing the glass in the camera, and for three reasons:—1. Because it saves material; 2. Because the lower part of dark frame is kept free from liquid; 3. Because a "flowing sheet" of liquid must interfere somewhat with the passage of light to the film, and consequently with the sharpness of the picture. I think it is clear, from Mr. Shadbolt's directions to Mr. Meritt, that it is no very easy thing to cement a glass bath with marine glue.

    J. L. Sisson.

Colouring Collodion Pictures (Vol. vii., p. 388.).—In your impression of April 16, there is a typographical error of some importance relative to lifting the collodion in and out of the bath: "The plate, after being plunged in, should be allowed to repose quietly from twenty to thirty minutes," &c. This should be seconds. The error arose, in all probability, from my having used the contractions 20" to 30".

It may appear somewhat droll for any one to answer a question on which he has not had experience; but I beg to offer as a suggestion to Photo, that if he wishes to use collodion pictures for the purpose of dissolving views, he should first copy them in the camera as transparent objects so as to reverse the light and shade, then varnish them with Dr. Diamond's solution of amber in chloroform, when they will bear the application of transparent colours ground in varnish, such as are used for painting magic-lantern slides.

    Geo. Shadbolt.

Gutta Percha Baths (Vol. vii., p. 314.).—In "N. & Q." for March 26, I ventured to recommend to H. Henderson gutta percha, as a material for nitrate of silver baths. I did this from a knowledge that hundreds of them were in use, but chiefly because I have found them answer so well. In the same Number the Editor gives Mr. Henderson very opposite advice; and, had I seen his opinion before my notes appeared, I should certainly have kept them back. But it is, I think, a matter of some importance, especially to beginners, to have it settled, whether gutta percha has the effect of causing "unpleasant markings" in collodion pictures or not. With all due deference to the Editor's opinion, I do not believe that gutta percha baths are injurious to the finished picture. I have never any markings in my glass positives now, but what may be traced with certainty to some unevenness in the film or dirtiness on the glass. And I hope that the number of beginners who are using gutta percha baths, and who are troubled with these unpleasant markings (as all beginners are, whether they use glass or gutta percha), will not, without some very careful experiments, lay the fault upon the gutta percha. In the Number for April 2, the Editor thanks me for what he is pleased to call "the very beautiful specimen of my skill." This was a small glass positive, which I sent him in accordance with an offer of mine in a former note. Now, that was rendered sensitive in a gutta percha bath, which I have had in use for months; and I think I may appeal to the Editor as to the absence of all unpleasant markings in it. Probably it may be a good plan for those who make the baths for themselves to adopt the following simple method of cleaning them at first. Fill the bath with water, changing it every day for a week or so. Then wash it with strong nitric acid, and wash once or twice afterwards. Always keep the nitrate of silver solution in the bath, with a cover over it. Never filter, unless there is a great deal of extraneous matter at the bottom. If glass baths are used, cemented together with sealing-wax, &c., I imagine they might be as objectionable as gutta percha. The number of inquiries for a diagram of my head-rest, &c., from all parts of the kingdom—Glasgow, Paisley, Manchester, Leicester, Leeds, Newcastle, Durham, &c. &c.—proves the very large number of photographic subscribers "N. & Q." possesses. I think, therefore, it cannot but prove useful to discuss in its pages the question of the advantage or disadvantage of gutta percha.

    J. L. Sisson.

Edingthorpe Rectory, North Walsham.