TALBOT6189

Athens -
20^th Nov 1848

My dear Sir

It is very long since I had the pleasure of hearing from you not since I sent to you some Sicilian & Neapolitan negative Talbotypes, nearly a year ago. - For the last few months I have been hovering around my boy's ship, "Volage"¹ in this part of the world: - profiting by your beautiful art - my portfolio stored with more than 200 of Grecian views & marbles: - Tho' a severe attack of Cholera at Ægina² nearly stop^d me altogether. I used such sheets of the paper you were so kind as to give me (& which I had carefully preserved for this interesting occasion) - as were good: & it was a large proportion: - but that which I had from your Agent³ - & all that Lady Georgina Moreton⁴ gave me, was very bad: - I have therefore chiefly made us of my own preparation, varying only a little your proportions, to quicken the process - by which means & under this sun, I succeed with the marbles in 1 ½' - ordinary views, &c in 2' or 2 ¼' - & very good portraits sometimes in 30" to 35" in shade. - but after all, for fixed objects your paper, when it is good, is the best. - The paper itself I find great difficulty in procuring - very expensive, &c perhaps out of a quire, I scarcely find 5 good sheets - I should be greatly obliged to you if you would tell me the best - & where to procure it. - Occasionally I have made some of my best & quickest negatives, on the most thin & ordinary French paper -

I will enclose with this, through the kindness of our good friend Sir Ed. Lyons⁵ a specimen - The beautiful little Temple of (Wingless) Victory,⁶ recently restored - & a marble lately discovered - evidently belonging to it - I think I have copiously illustrated Leape & Wordsworth,⁷ & proved the worthless delusions of the pretty engravings in the "Pictorial Greece" of the last - King Otto⁸ is much delighted with a few copies I gave to him - given you the title of φιλοκαλος ⁹- & your art that of Philiography.

With this quiet place I am delighted - I have these rooms in Acropolis:- use good Sir Edmund as my daily bread - & only regret my approaching return to Malta - for you may believe that I am not vehemently in love with the Society of Valetta - In spite of reports, the Cholera has not yet made its appearance there - tho' probably it will leave its card in proceeding onwards - As my boy's ship winters there, so shall I: - & if I can find any chance of having charge of any young traveller to Palestine & Egypt, shall yet hope to make good that long deferred project of mine - The utter ruin of Jamaica, is mine, - & I am quite unable to make the tour on my own resources¹⁰ - Some 5 months ago I heard from Lord Valletort¹¹ at Albano - & sent to him a parcel of views which I took when with them at Palermo last spring - I also enclosed some to Lady M^t Edgcumbe¹² at Windsor, in performance of a promise I made & which I had too long deferred - I have never heard whether either parcel reached its destination.

The copying process is, with me, still the most defective - the lines & tones lose their sharpness & precision in the washing & fixing process - Nothing can be more perfect, as they come from the copying press - but I cannot preserve that perfection - With the negative I very rarely fail Any work, or notices which you may do me the favour to communicate to me (at Malta) I shall be greatly obliged for: & I shall, as soon as can, write to your agent for a little more iodised paper¹³ that I can depend on - for there are occasions when I cannot repeat my visit to a particular object: - & so, with bad paper, I have lost some good chances - I beg my compliments to M^rs Talbot,¹⁴ & remain Dear Sir

truly Yours
Geo W Bridges

I cannot procure a good sheet of paper even to copy.