The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-13 00:00:00

PllO7 OG RA Pill' 1.2 V WAR.

Mr. 11. 13alen Pritchard, of the General Photo-
graphic Establishment of the War 'Department,
read a very interesting paper at a recent ineethig
of the United Service Institution on the applica,

tion of photogrally to military purposes. The

author stated that the first time photography was
used in connection with military matters was
dining the Crimean War, when Lord Paninure,
then Secretary of State for War, conceived the idea
of securing some photographic records of the cam-
paign. The series of pictures produced, or at least a
great number of them, were, he believed, stored up
at the War-office. There was reason to fear that

they would be found on examination to have faded
considerably. At the time they were pro-
duced the Art was still in its infancy,

and many of the manipulations exercised
were of an experimental character. Since that
time the art had progressed to a wonderful degree,

and the necessity of diffusing a knowledge of the
subject bad been so fully appreciated by the autho-
rities of the War Department that a school of in-
struction had been formed for the special purpose
of instructing classes of young soldiers in its de-
tails. This school, which formed a portion of the

Royal Engineer Establishment at Chatham, and
was under the direction of Captain Stotherd, R.E.,
had been of considerable benefit to the service.

During the recent Abyssinian campaign a staff of
photographers, instructed and equipped from this
establishment, had been attached to the Quarter-
General's Department, and had done good
in copying maps and sketches of the route,
taking pictures of objects and points of in-

master

service
and in

terest of which a record was considered desirable.
The author then addressed himself for a shore

time to the applications of the process made prac-
tical by the non-combatant portion of the service.
One of the most important uses to which the pro-
cess was applied was the copying of maps, plans,
designs, and rare MSS., as practised at the Ordnance
Survey-office, Southampton. In this establishment
the process of photo-zincogrophy, the invention of
Colonel Sir 11. James, R.E., had been carefully ela-
borated, and had been employed NN ith such unequi-
vocal succas that the Governments of France,
Prusia, Austria, Belgium, and America had adopted
it with more or less moiitica.tion. In addition to
the muNplication of special maps for warlike pur-
poses, valuable service had bo,ea done in the estab-
lishment at Southamp.on by the repro auction of rare
and curious MS. fae-similes of the Great and Little

Domesday Books, bound up in 33 imperial quarto
vols., and also of the national MS. of England and
Scotland, without the necessity of tampering in any
way with the originals. At the general photogra-
phic establishment—a branch of the chemical de-
partment at Woolwich, under the direction of Pro-
fessor Abel, F.R.S., the camera was employed in many
ways. All experimental structures, such as shields,
guns, small arms, waggons, or rockets were photo-
graphed. The results of firing experimentally
against iron plates of different thicknesses were re-
produced ; pictures for purposes of instruction,
showing the method of working guns of different
descriptions, and the positions taken up by indivi-
dual gunners on the issue of various orders were
taken, photographs exhibiting the regulation mode
of wearing accoutrements, the precise manner in
which the harness of horses should be adjusted,
the method of packing waggons and fitting ser-
vice saddles, and the mode in which military tents
and equipages are set up were also included in the
collection of the institution. Prints from the ne-
gatives were issued to various departments of the
army, both in England and India. Photography
could be usefully and economically employed
in the construction and preservation of patterns
at Woolwieh And other manufacturing stations.
Returning to the subject of the employment
of photography in the field, he said that the
avowed purposes for which the art was used in
that case had been for reproducing and copy-
ing maps and plans, and taking pictures of fin
portaut localities and interesting objects. In dis-
cussing the importance of this part of the system,
he said that during the Abyssinian campaign as
many as 30 copies had been prepared and distributed
to brigadiers and others within 21 hours after the
original plan of certain places had been sketched.
He thought it advisable that copies of field maps
intended to be of a lasting character should be
printed on linen, cambric, or silk. He recommended
that landscape views should be taken, not only on
account of the particular interest they possessed as
such, but also on account of their value to an army
in the field. Sketches of an enemy's position might
be obtained at a considerable distance without much
risk of danger. He himself had obtained a picture
of a building two miles distant from the camera. The
camera might also be used as a theodolite, and the
distance between the reconnoitring party and the
enemy's position accurately and rapidly deter-
mined, supposing the actual dimensions of the
enemy's fort or intrenchment to be known. The
camera might also be used in the production of
landscape pictures to illustrate the ground plan or
sketch of route. He then explained the manner
in which these field pictures should be taken and
the advantages accruing from their existence. The
progress of works might also be ascertained by
means of photographs, and this system of ascer-
taining the rate at which works were proceeding
had been adopted by several firms of contrac-
tors. The remainder of the essay, which contained
several novel and interesting suggestions, was
occupied with a discussion on the respective values
of different kinds of plates used in photography,
and on the methods of preserving pictures taken by
means of the camera. At its conclusion a cordial
vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Pritchard for hie
elaborate paper.