John D'Alton.
I may perhaps be allowed to subscribe to the opinion expressed by H. K., that "though men of the name of Robin Hood may have existed in England, that of itself could afford no ground for inferring that some one of them was the Robin Hood of romantic tradition;" and at the same time to express my dissent from the conclusion, that "any pretence for such a supposition is taken away by the strong evidence, both Scotch and French," which H. K. has "adduced in support of the opposite view."
The inferences which I draw from the facts adduced by H. K. are, that the fame of the hero of English ballads probably extended to France and Scotland, and that the people of Scotland probably sympathised with this disturber of the peace of the kingdom of their "aulde ennemies."
I must, however, confess that I have not met with any portion of "the discussion about the nature of Robin Hood," excepting that contained in Ritson's Notes and Hunter's Tract, and that the evidence adduced in the latter publication, in support of the tradition handed down to us in the ballad entitled A Lyttel Geste of Robyn Hode, seems to me to satisfactorily show that "the Robin Hood of romantic tradition really existed in England in the time of Edward II."
J. Lewelyn Curtis.
PHOTOGRAPHIC NOTES AND QUERIES.
Originator of Collodion Process (Vol. vii., pp. 47. 92. 116.).—The fairest way of deciding M. Le Gray's claims would be, to quote what he really says.
Willat's pamphlet, published in 1850, entitled A Practical Treatise, &c., by Gustave Le Gray, translated by Thomas Cousins, ends with an appendix, which runs thus:
"I have just discovered a process upon glass by hydrofluoric ether, the fluoride of potassium, and soda dissolved in alcohol 40°, mixed with sulphuric ether, and afterwards saturated with collodion; I afterwards re-act with aceto-nitrate of silver, and thus obtain proofs in the camera in five seconds in the shade. I develope the image by a very weak solution of sulphate of iron, and fix with hyposulphite of soda. I hope by this process to arrive at great rapidity. Ammonia and bromide of potassium give great variations of promptitude. As soon as my experiments are complete I will publish the result in an appendix. This application upon glass is very easy: the same agents employed with albumen and dextrine, give also excellent results and very quick. I have also experimented with a mucilage produced by a fucus, a kind of sea-weed, which promises future success. I hope by some of these means to succeed in taking portraits in three or four seconds."