The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-22 00:00:00

The Statistical Abstract.

This very convenient annual collection of some
of our national statistics has just been issued by
the board of Trade. It states cur revenue for the
past year at £70,208,964, being £2,037,964 more
than the estimate in the Budges; and our expendi-
ture at £67,056,286, being £1,226,714 less than the
Budget estimate. In the last 16 years, over which
these tables extend, there have been nine years
with a surplus and seven with a deficiency. In
the 15 years 1849-1863 taxes have been repealed
(deducting new taxes imposed) to the amount of
£8,173,798. The charge for interest cf the debt in
1863—£500,000 a week--was less by £2,000,000 than

it was in 1849; for the forces, also £500,000 a week,
the charge was £10,500,000 more than in 1849,
but the charge for 1863 includes £BOO,OOO sunk in
fortifications ; the civil charges were £3,800,000
more than in 1849. The revenue raised was nearly
£13,000,000 more than in 1849. There was
£4,200,000 more raised by Customs and Excise
duties, £2,300,000 more by stamps, £3,600,000
more by income-tax, £1,600,000 more through the
Post-office, £1,000,000 less by assessed taxes, owing
to the repeal of the window duty. The item of
stamps" includes the succession duty imposed in
1853; the produce of Customs and Excise increased
as just stated, although duties to the amount of
£7,000,000 were repealed or reduced. With respect
to imports and exports, their value was far greater
in 1863 than in any previous year. The merchandise
brought into or sent forth from the United
Kingdom in 1863 together exceeded the value
of £8,500,000 a week. The greater part of this
little volume is occupied by accounts of these im-
ports and exports, their value and quantities,
whence the imports came and whither the exports
went, comparing the year item by item with its
predecessors. Without counting river steamers,
20,977 vessels, employing 184,727 men, were en-
gaged is our home and foreiga trade. 838,724
children were born in Great Britain in the year,
and death cut down 547,003 persons. Of Ireland
in this particular no account can given. The
official estimate is that in the mldle of the year
1863 the population bf was 20,554,137,
and of Scotland 3,097,006, not counting army,
navy, and merchant sep'men abroad at the time. The
average Gazette pric...e of British wheat in 1863 was
as low as 445. 9,4 _

Progress of Photography,

Mr. Swan has just published a process by which
he can detach a negative on collodion from the
glass plate on which it has been obtained. For this
purpose, after finishing and drying the negative in
the usual way, he exposes it to a temperature of
from 30 to 33 degrees centigrade, lays it down face
upwards in a perfectly horizontal position, and then
pours the following solution upon it :—Gelatine,
30 grammes; water, 120 do.; glycerine, 2 do. This
solution must be of the same temperature as the
plate, and a quantity of about 30 grammes is suffi•
cient for a common sized plate of 17 centi-
metres by 21. If it does not spread readily,
we may help it a little by means of a glass
rod, taking care, however, to avoid airibubbles,
This thine, the plate must be covered with a
glass receiver to protect it from dust; the gelatine
will Cry in the course cf 24 hours, when Sehnoe
varnish may be spread over it. When this is dry,
an incision is made on the coating all round the
border of the plate with a penknife, a corner of the
coating is raised up with thepoint of the blade, and
by pulling carefully the whole will peel off from the
glass, provided the collodion be sufficiently strong,
and the gelatine have been previously clarified
with albumen and strainezi through flannel. By
this means the impression which was on the glass
now lies on a thirt sheet of gelatine, which will
serve the same purpose as the glass for print-
ing, by laying the gelatine side on the
albutr_"<niscd paper in the positive printing•frarne.
If many copies are to be pulled, the collodion side
ought to be varnished also. This method of trans-
porting negatives from glass to gelatine will be
found extremely useful in all cases in which economy
of space is an object ; for the gelatine sheets above
described may be kept in portfolios, and are not
liable to break during a journey. An American
photographer has also published a process of a
similar nature to that above described; he covers
a glass plate with a coating of wax dissolved in
sulphuric acid ; on this he pours pure collodion,
which he causes to spread as usual ; he takes the
impression, and then applies the gelatine as before

SECOND EDITION.

SUN OFFICE, HALF-PAST 4 o'CLocK.

GERMANY.

-~----

The Coburg Gazette announces that the Diet of
the duchy resolved unanimously at its last sitting,
not to take into consideratio❑ any money bill pre.
sented by the Government until the latter shall
have proposed some measure on the press.

TIIIRD EDITION

SUN OFFICE, SEVEN O'CLOCK.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE—This Day,

- -
BIBURY RACES-THIS DAY.
(By ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH;)
£lOO HANDICAP PLATE.

Principal
1
Little Savage
Black Rock
3
Six ran.
SWEEPSTAKES OF 10 SOVS.

Overstone
Flying Dutchman
.
Walloon
.. 3

Six ran.
HANDICAP SWEEPSTAKES.

Vabalathus -
Confederate
Lady Bolnut

Six ran.
LATEST BETTING ON THE COURSE.
NORTHUMBERLAND PLATE.
Bto 1 agst Baktitclii Serai (taken)
10 to 1 agst Caller Oa (taken)
12 to 1 agst Liraosina (taken)

BEVERLEY RACES—THIS DAY.
KINGSTON-ON-HULL STAKES.
Lady Louisa
i
Foxholes
Strong Beer .. .
Seven ran.