hornhill's daughter), painted by himself.

LYNDON ROLLS.

Banbury.

The late Bishop Luscombe showed me, at Paris, in 1835, a picture of "The
Oratorio,"--a subject well known from Hogarth's etching. He told me that he
bought it at a broker's shop in the Rue St. Denis; that, on examination, he
found the frame to be English; and that, as the price was small--thirty
francs, if I remember rightly--he bought the piece, without supposing it to
be more than a copy. Sir William Knighton, on seeing it in the bishop's
collection, told him that Hogarth's original had belonged to the Dukes of
Richmond, and had been in their residence at Paris until the first
Revolution, since which time it had not been heard of; and Sir William had
no doubt that the bishop had been so fortunate as to recover it. Perhaps
some of your readers may have something to say on this story.

J. C. R.

* * * * *

PHOTOGRAPHIC CORRESPONDENCE.

_Washing Collodion Process._--In "N. & Q.," No. 153., p. 320., your valued
correspondent DR. DIAMOND states "that up to the _final_ period of the
operation, no washing of the plate is requisite. It prevents, rather than
assists, the necessary chemical action.".

Now, in all other instructions I have yet seen, it is directed to wash off
the iron, or other developing solution, _prior_ to immersing in the hypo.,
and after {485} such immersion, again to wash well in water. I shall feel
greatly obliged if DR. D. will be kind enough to state whether the
first-named washing is requisite, or whether the properties of the hypo.,
or the beauty of the picture, will be in any way injured by the previous
solutions _not_ having been washed off, prior to the fixings.

C. W.

[We have submitted this Query to DR. DIAMOND, who informs us that he
never adopts the practice of washing off the developing fluid, and
considers it not only needless, but sometimes prejudicial, as when such
washing has not been resorted to, the hyposulphite solution flows more
readily over the picture, and causes none of the unpleasant stains
which frequently occur in pictures which have been previously washed,
especially if hard water has been used. But besides this, and the
saving of time, the doing away with this unnecessary washing economises
water, which in out-door practice is often a great consideration. DR.
DIAMOND would again impress upon our readers the advantage of using