TALBOT7385

London Institution, Finsbury Circus.
April 11. 1857

To H F Talbot Esq^r

Sir

I beg you will pardon my delaying to answer your letter sooner. I have had illness & in my family & I have been unwell myself, so I have scarcely had time for my duties here.

I beg to send you the Journal of the Society of Arts & an account of my Lecture ¹ which may give you some information on the points you inquire about With regard to “evidence” I would do anything that would assist, in a proper manner, your claims. From what I have seen of Patents I feel a difficulty in stating my views publicly respecting them especially since it seems to me that the law is not in accordance with what is called common sense or common justice. I do not think an improvement on the same materials should entitle the improver to appropriate his predecessors labours. The patent should be for an improvement & the original patentee be applied to for a license or some such power. This is a nice point. How far an alleged improvement is really one? This a special jury might determine. I think in a former case of yours that you should have been applied to for permission to use gallo-nitrate on iodide of silver or pyro-gallo-nitrate on the same. Still I think Archer ² should have had some reward or share of profit from his labours in finding & practically using the best vehicle for your gallo-nit + Iod Silver. He might I think have patented collodion as an improved vehicle & required your licensees to come to him for his article. [illegible deletion] or you might have found it convenient to arrange with Archer.

If from these remarks hastily written you can gather that my services are of use I shall be glad to place them at your disposal I have not worked much at the gelatine method.

Faithfully your obliged obedient Servant
T. A Malone

I shall be in Paris for a few days next week, till Friday.
T.A.M.