_Le Grey and the Collodion Process._--As the claim to the invention of the
collodion process is disputed, I think, in justice to MR. LE GREY, whom all
will acknowledge as a talented man, and who has done much for photography,
that the claims he puts forth, and which I give, should be known to your
readers who have not got his work, as they are in direct contradiction to
MR. ARCHER'S letter in your 165th No. In his last published work, page 89.,
he states:
"I was the first to apply collodion to photography. My first
experiments were made in 1849. I used that substance then principally
to give more equality and {48} fineness to the paper. I employed for
that purpose a solution of iodide of potassium in alcohol of forty
degrees saturated with collodion.
"In continuing these studies I was induced to apply this body upon
glass, to obtain more fineness, and I was soon in possession of an
extremely rapid proceeding, _which I at last consigned to the pamphlet
that I published in 1850, and which was translated into English at the
same time_.
"I had already at that time indicated the protosulphate of iron for
developing the image, the ammonia and the fluorides as accelerating
agents; and I was the first to announce having obtained by these means
portraits in five seconds in the shade.
"The pyro-gallic acid is generally used now in place of the sulphate of
iron that I had indicated; but this is wrong, that last salt forming
the image much more rapidly and better, it having to be left less time
in the camera.
"I believe, then, I have a right to claim for my country and myself the
invention of this would-be English process, _and of having been the
first to indicate the collodion, and of giving the best method that has
been discovered up to the present time_.
"From the publication of my process, till my return from the voyage
that I had made for the minister, I was little occupied in practising
it, my labours on the dry paper having taken all my time. This has been
used as a weapon against me, to make out that the first trials before
setting out had been quite fruitless, as they had heard nothing more
about it.
"Nevertheless, I have made my discovery completely public; and if I had
practised it but little, leaving it to others to further develope, it
has only been to occupy myself upon other works of which the public has
still profited. It is then much more ungenerous to wish to take from me
the merit of its invention."