TALBOT5840

Malta –
12^th Jan^ry

My dear Sir

I am very much obliged to you for your kind note of 18^th Dec^r – & have, in consequence of your instructions, succeeded better in the process of copying: – being able now to get a very good impression with only one coat of nit. silv. 60 grs. to one oz. with the addition of ammonia & nit. acid. ¹ – The hyp. sulph. ² sadly fades them – but they somewhat recover afterwards: – yet of course nothing equal to your own. – That of the 6 figures ³ against the dark foliage of the Abbey, is surely the finest specimen of the art I have ever seen. –

The weather here is scarcely better than with you – but as soon as we have a good sun, to be depended on for half a day, I will attend to your suggestion with regard to the double views ⁴, & send you my attempts. It is not however impossible that I may first run over to Grigento?, Palermo, & Naples – as there seems no hope of the Hibernia ⁵ being here for some weeks. – There is a building at Palermo I am anxious to take, The old Convent where originated the “Sicilian vesper?”:– which is little known, & has probably never been represented. There are also some fine Saracenic remains thereabouts & I shall have, for a companion, one in the confidence & favor of the King of Naples ⁶, thro’ whom I may gain access to all I wish – at Pompeii &c.

The one view sent of to the gateway of the Convent S^t Nicolo marked “a view from M^t Etna” should be on M^t Etna – the double mountain in the distance (2 miles off) being the terrible M^t Rosso – the Crater from which issued the eruption which destroyed Catania 14 miles below: The monks are quite alive to their promised treat of copies. –

I shall like much to see one of your negatives – to observe the point at which you consider them sufficiently cooked ⁷ in the Camera, & brought out afterwards. – It is too much of guess-work with me – most of those I sent had 3 ½ ’ – now I find 6’ not too much – so weak has the sun become. –

Many of my copies which looked well a month ago are now gradually vanishing – I suppose my hyp. sulf. was not strong enough – they charge me a dollar an oz. for it here – marked in London catalogues sixpence! – & I have been able to get none lately – I find the art very expensive for a learner – wasting & spoiling so much – Our Bishop here is very anxious to have a good view of the Church ⁸ to send to the Queen who built it – perhaps I may succeed in taking it in portions – there is no point of view sufficiently distant to comprehend the whole in one – I enclose a few seeds ⁹ of a beautiful tree broom. The “Ginerta Atnaensis” – which ought perhaps to be sown now – before a larger packet can reach you – also a few of a lupin – the only flower or indeed plant, which grows in the lava on the higher regions. – My friend the Abbot writes that it is no easy matter to accomplish a collection of seeds “because there are different plants there for every day in the year” – the very reason I should think to make it easy – & I will urge him to the task.–

I shall be very grateful, my dear Sir, for any further instructions which you will favor me with – that I may lessen the expence of my trials – & be a little more profit in the art before I venture into Greece & Syria – I am greatly obliged too by your kindness in sending some copies to my good mother – & the promise of some for my Sicilian friends – I remain, Dear Sir

very truly Yours
Geo W Bridges

14^th Jan^y I have just this moment copied the Egyptian Tablet from Thebes – 19 ½ inches by 13 ½ – at distance of 42 inches from the object glass – 6' in camera – but it is not cooked enough evidently, to keep the paper white – shall I send you one negative thereof? better done, say 10 minutes – but this mail is now going – are such interesting to you? –

P. S.I think my letter will carry it – so put in the negative – pray send me one copy of it to compare with mine – & beg your man ¹⁰ to send me thro’ M^r Calvert ¹¹ or my brother, some hyp. sulph soda –

Every thing around you on the craters of Etna are so completely black, & uniform, that I imagine it cannot be defined, or understood in the representation, except by those who have seen it. – I am promised some very curious, & antique Phoenician, & Egyptian tablets, idols, & Mss to copy in the camera – & hoped to enclose a proof in this – but alas no sun – will they be of any value to you? – It frequently happens that the workings after the hyp. sulph bath for the possitives, have no sweet taste whatever – is that when they have been long soaked & washed previous to the bath? – Will you have the goodness to tell me – I fear I am very troublesome & intrusive –