| Chloride of sodium (salt) | 5 grs. |
| Chloride of ammonium | 5 grs. |
| Water | 1 oz. |
| Albumen, or the white of one egg, which is near enough for the purpose | 1 oz. |
and will excite this paper by floating it for about two minutes on a solution of nitrate of silver twenty grains to the ounce, distilled water,—provided his chemicals are good, he will obtain perfectly satisfactory results.
Let his fixing bath be a saturated solution of hypo. soda, and if newly made let him, as recommended by Dr. Diamond, add 40 grains of chloride of silver to every 8 ounces of the solution. The addition of a grain of sel d'or to every 8 ounces of solution will greatly improve the tones of colour; and if, after some
time, the positives become more of a brown tint than he likes, let him add a small quantity of sel d'or, half a grain to a bath of from 12 to 16 ounces, and he will find the dark tints restored.
I inclose a copy of the print of "Horse-shoeing," obtained precisely by the method described. It is rather overprinted; but if Amateur will give you his address, and you will forward it to him, it will show him what tones of colour and depth may be procured by following the foregoing directions.
C. E. F.
Photographic Excursions.—A few Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries have formed themselves into a Photographic Club for the purpose of making periodical excursions into the country, and so securing accurate views of the objects of antiquarian interest in the different localities they may visit. As it is intended that a copy of every photograph so taken shall be deposited in the portfolios of the Society, the advantages likely to result from this little reunion, both to the Society of Antiquaries and to Archæology generally, are very obvious.
Replies to Minor Queries.
"To Garble" (Vol. ix., pp. 243. 359.).—I venture, with deference, to express a doubt as to whether E. S. T. T. has correctly defined either the former or the present meaning of the verb to garble, when he says "it meant a selection of the good and the discarding of the bad parts of anything: its present meaning is exactly the reverse of this." The statutes referred to by your correspondent, the first enacting that no bow staves shall be sold ungarbled, and the second imposing a penalty on the sale of spices and drugs not garbled, appear to me to indicate the former meaning of the word to have been the selection (picking out) of the bad and the discarding of it. Experience shows that in all operations, involving the separation of objects worthless and of value, such as weeding, sifting, and winnowing, the former is removed from the latter and discarded. This view of the case seems to be supported by the fact of the dust and dross sifted from spices being called "garbles." The weeder removes weeds from flowers or plants, the garbler removes garbles from spices and bad bow staves from amongst good ones. Richardson's Dictionary contains the following notes under the head Garble: