The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-27 00:00:00

SPIRITUAL PHOTOGRAPHY.

On the outskirts of the ever-widening circle lighted up
'33- science there is always a border-land wherein supersti-
tion holds sway. The arts and sciences may drive away
the vulgar hobgoblin of darker days ; but they bring with
them new sources of illusion. The ghosts of old could only
gibber ; the spirits of our day can read and
write, and play on divers instruments, and quote
!-:bakespeare and Milton. It is not, therefore,
altogether surprising to learn that they can take
photographs also. You go to have your photograph
taken, we will suppose, desiring only to see your own
features depicted in the carte ; and lo! the spirits have
been at work, and a photographic phantom makes its
appearance beside you. It is true this phantom is of a
hazy and dubious aspect, the "dull mechanic ghost" is
Indistinct, and may be taken for anyone. Still, it is not
difficult for the eye of fancy to trace in it the lineaments
of some departed friend, who, it is to be assumed,
has come to be photographed along with you.
The phenomena of spiritual photography were firs,_
observed some years since, and a set of carte photo-
grapheriwere sent from America to Dr. Walker, of Edin-
burgh, in which photographic phantoms were very ob-
viously, however indistinctly, discernible. More recently
an English photographer noticed a yet stranger circum-
stance, though he was too sensible to seek for a super-
natural interpretation of it. When he took a
photograph with a particular lens, there could be
seen not only the usual portrait of the sitter, but
at some little distance a faint " double " exactly
resembling the principal image. Superstitious minds
might find this result even more distressing than
the phantom photographic friend. To be visited by the
departed through the medium of a lens is, at least, not
more unpleasing than to hold converse with spirits
through an ordinary " rapping " medium. But the
appearance of a `: double " or " fetch," has ever been
held by the learned in ghostly lore to signify approach.
ing death. Fortunately, both one and the other appear-
auce can be very easily accounted for without
calling in the aid of the supernatural. At a recent meet-
ing of the Photographical Society it was shewn that an
image may often be so deeply impressed in the glass that
the subsequent cleaning of the plate, even with strong
acids, will not completely remove the picture. When
the plate is used for receiving another picture,
the original image makes its reappearance, and as
It is too faint to be recognisable, a highly susceptible
imagination may readily transform it into the
image of a departed friend. The " double" is generated
by the well-known property of double refraction, obtained
by a lens under certain circumstances of unequal pressure,
or sometimes by inequalities in the process of annealing.
So vanish two ghosts which might have been more or less
troublesome to those who are ready to see the supernatural
in commonplace phenomena. Will the time ever
come when no more such phantoms will remain to be
exercised ?--Daily News.

THE P.RESTON STRIKE.

A

Messrs. Williamson, who employ between 300 and 400

.!.nds, have decided to reduce the wages of their opera-
tives 5 per cent. Their mill was one of those at which
originally no notice of any reduction was given. The
operative weavers, it is understood, will accept this reduc-
tion. The mill of Mr. Seed, in Derby-street, has been
closed, the hands refusing to accept a 10 per cent. reduc-
tion. At the mill of Mr. Robert Gardner, a notice of a
reduction of 5 per cent. Las been posted, and, as in the
case above mentioned, it is expected that the hands will
agree to it ; at any rate, that the weavers will not
object to it. We are informed that while the guardians
will refuse relief to all those operatives who have
refused to accept reduced wages—their business being
simply to give aid to persons destitute through circum-
stances beyond their own control—they will not object to
keep those in departments dependent upon the hands who
have struck work, and who have had no alternative but

to cease work. With respect to Mr. Hermann, M.P.,
who received an ovation on Wednesday, on account of not
having posted a notice of any reduction, it is alleged that,
in the first place, his machinery works at a slower speed
than that in most of the other mills, that his hands are
not through each department paid up to the standard list,
but that they have more comfort and enjoy more
security and constant employment than the bulk of Preston
operatives.
At one of the largest mills in the town where a strike
occurred last week fully one-half of the machinery is now
in operation, hands having been obtained to work it at a
reduction of 10 per cent. There is a disposition among the
weavers on strike to accept a reduction of 5 per cent., which
will bring them down to the standard list. The spinners
remain inflexible, and entirely object to any reduction.
The secretary of the Amalgamated Trades' Council
has received a letter from Mr. 'l'. Baxley, M.P., in which
he suggests the adoption of a memorial by the Preston
operatives to the Duke of Argyll, Indian Secretary of
State, to the following effect : " The inhabitants of the
town of Preston depend chiefly upon the prosperity of the
cotton trade, but for several years their industry has
been unremunerative, and vast multitudes of respectable
working people have been deprived of the means
of labour and of subsistence. Your memorialists
attribute the prevailing distress to the insufficient supply
of raw cotton, and learning that the British East Indies
can best produce this much-wanted raw material, venture to
suggest to your Grace to give your powerful aid to cause
relief to be afforded by inducing ample supplies of cotton
from India. Your memorialists are well informed that by
deep ploughing the soil of India, and by the aid of saline
manures with irrigation, the quality and quantity of cot-
ton may be immensely improved and increased, whereby
their industry may be revived. Praying the kindest atten-
tion of your Grace to their wants, your memorialists will
be ever grateful for the relief to their labour which they
now crave."

Some instructive illustrations have lately been
given as to " how companies are promoted." The
prospectus of a new Assurance Company was issued a
short time ago, and the whole of the directors had
fashionable West-end addresses. Upon inquiry it was
found that the addresses were given correctly enough.
The " promoters" undoubtedly were denizens of the
West-end, and lived in grand mansions—one as a butler,
three as servants in livery, and one as an office cleaner.
The "managing director" is a retired valet, and the
" secretary" is an ex-policeman.
THE RATING OF GOVERNMENT PROPERTY.—A
deputation from Windsor, consisting of Mr. I'. Chamberlain,
mayor, Mr. Darvill, town clerk, and Mr. Councillor
Cleave, has had an interview with Mr. Ayrton, M.P., at
the Treasury. Its object was respecting the excessive
rating of the borough, arising from the demolition of
house property formerly rateable, the site of which has
been required for barracks and other public buildings, and
from the large amount of Royal and Government property
exempted from rates. The deputation was introduced by
Mr. Eykyn, M.P. It was pointed out by the deputation
that at Chatham and other places where there are extensive
Government buildings allowances are made in lieu of rates.
Mr. Ayrton promised that the important subject should
receive early attention.

GOOD FRIDAY BEQUESTS.—A citizen of old,
.arced Peter Symonds, by will dated 1586, left a sum of
money that a sermon might be preached every Good
Friday in the church of Allhallows, Lombard-street ; and
at the close of the service provides that a penny and a
packet of raisins or plums shall be given to each of sixty
of the younger scholars of Christ's Hospital who shall
attend such service. This custom was observed on Friday.
The sermon was preached by the rector, the Rev. C.
Mackenzie. At the close of the service several other
children participated in the gift, and a number of poor
persons received gifts of money and bread. In the parish
of St. Bartholomew-the-Great a donor unknown left a
small sum of money to be distributed over his tomb on
Good Friday. That tomb is now gone, and on Friday the
Rev. J. Abbiss, after performing divine service in the
ancient church, came out into the footpath leading to the
church, and upon a flat stone there threw down twenty.
roar sixpences, which were eagerly picked up by a similar
number of old ladies who had been previously selected W
r01e49.1.h2 giiti-z.-.014 Prue.