Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1845-12-31
EasefelA Court Mouse, s. c., December 81, aefo.

philosopher, dlQ euuoHeu VIII ''h auiii" Soio
imaa nailon.
In the 10th century, John Baptist Portn, an
Italian in making experiments with lIght
relative to its nassng through difleren, media
thought of stretching some tissues OF skin, ano
letting The light only pass through small per
foration and in conjunction with glasses, he
was enabled to form the miniature of objects
in front Of this apparatus.
This is the origin Of the camera obscura
which many celebrated philosophers, as Gre.
wSand. Pulin ere Muschenaronk, etc., have
perfected, making il more manageable and con.
yenient. aud to copy with facility all KINDS OF
objects. After this discovery, Porta believed
he had solved the great enigma OF the rationale
of vision. Believing the eye to br KIND OF
camera obscura, in which objects are painted
but he knew not where This picture was form
ed-he believed, however, twas on the chrys
tane lens.
Having spoken Of the origen Of the primer.
pal discoveries of the anclenls IN opilcs' l
shall now proceed to the other branches oi this
science, and first that which relates to the dIi-
ierenl coIors Of bodies and the compound na'
lure of light.
Light, Notwithstanding il sc Ems to be homo
genious, is composed Of seven primitive colors
violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange
red This discovery was made by Sir Isaac
! Newton, by letting light pass through certain
media, and New,on's discovery being lmpro.
! we'd, has resulted in the invention o: the s"lar
spectrum. In the year l7T5. a philnsonhei by
the name of Mayer, regarded all the colors Of
Newton (,he uiGgyor Of Newton; this word BE-
ing composed ui the imituls Of the seven colors,
and in their order of refractory az arising
irum the mngling Of three colnrs-red, yellow,
blue. (The ryb of Mayer, this word hrlns
similar to Iie one just menilnned.) As by
combination nr rcd aud green in certain pro,
poriuns, produces II color perfectly identical
with The yellow ni the spectrum. aud a mixture
of violet and green perlect blue. From tlils'
Young imagined That the many shades OF The
spectrum are compounded OF green, led and
violet, (,he gro OF DR. Yonng) Sir David
Brewster inferred from certain experiments
that green and violet are compound colofs; ne
adopts the hypothesis of Mayer, which is, that
The three homogeneous colors are red. yello"
and blue. Since his lime, most of The phIl"s-
opIers of distinction coincide with Brewster,
in the hypothesis OF DR.. Mayer
Notwithstanding there Is such diversity Of
color among the innumerable bodies of which
onr nlobe is composed, they are all compound
ed Of three primitive colnrs. red. yellow. and
blue. lhe same relation exists III the coors
of natural bUdies, as III their composlon, aud
as our world is CONFUSED of 54 elements by
whose various combinations we have such n
variety of objects; and if we subtract from
81 all The metals and eartlIs. The remain
der will he bur small; which compose the great
mass nl all things. Oxygen, carbon, and hy'
drogen are The priucipul elements which form
the nnst of bodies, 90 MS regards numbers the
primitive coIors of light and the elements Of
bodies are the samc-bcth being ihree-oxy-
zen. carbun and hydrogen forming all bodies;
and red yellow and hluea colors. The prim.
hive colors are also analogous to the alphabet,
AZ by the different joining Of the 26 letters. are
formed the many books which treat OF an lnti'
nite nuinbrr of subjects, and as by the different
Joining together of these primitive elements IN
literature, new ideas may be advanced which
the world never has betnIc heard Of; so IN
science, by the different ningIing of the prlm
tive cnlors, red, yellow and blue, and the ee-
men,ary Substances, carbon, oxygen and by
dronen, we may generate new colors and new
bodies, which never has before existed. The
primitive colurs ore also very like numbers
il is by the nine dignils and cypher, that The
different numbers aie expressed and as num-
bers progr.ss ad infnitnm in the ascending
and decrnding scale, so with colors
The different colors Of bodies are owing to
certain rays of light being reflected and the
OILERS absorbed for eXampIe. anyred substance
as rarmine or vermillion is SD because the
o,her TWO ravs. blue and yellow, are absorbed.
and the red ray rlt7cctcd--lhc blue and yellow
c,Ior. are accounted for on the same principle.
Trans, arcncy il owing TO all three lays pass
ing ,hrouoIl without being Observation-Disclosures,
:, ,le;r nil being absorbed. and whlteness 10
all three RAYS being refcctcd; and the different
intermediate coIors to y combination "i diner
ent proportions OF the reliecteu rays. Ahere
ARE o,her branches Of optics, such as the pala.
,iza,on. abrration. rrHerllon. and inference OF
Iiehl, which I am necessarily compeIieu 10
pass ovet from nol having p'hlcs 10 explain
Them: and as these subjects are so 'huica'e u
is impossible for me by words alone 10 give
any definite idea of them. Those however
! who are curinns on these points, refer 10 'he
regular system on optics.
There is another subject connected Will ol,'
tlcs which though mure Of an art than SCI
cnce, on which it may no, be ont Of place to
make few renarks-it relates lo Daguerro'
type. This in term applied to process by
which images are impr esscd upon plates "t
silver. from the lens OI camera obscura -
This recent discovery was made by Daguerro'
an ingenious Parsian arllznn. l shall not in
this article attempt to explain the thoOry OF the
PROCESS of taking Inmges, as this would pro
long the present ar licIe beyond nl due bounds;
aud Imagine there are not many who are 50
inquesitve rs to wlshit' shall, in as brlei a
manner as possible. describe the apparatus and
rnanipulalions in taking 1.-The Drgucrotype."
In the first place, the operator must have
good instrument or the principle OF camera
obscnra. Secondly, a sufficient number OF
pates these are made by coating copper
plates with pure silver 1t would be better
for Daguerrotype takers to purchase these
plates from gliding factory. as at these places
they are made to greater perfection than no
could possibly make them himself; the plates
after having been made. are highly polished
with diluted nitric acid; after this, The plate Is
subjected to the ditinsed vapor Of iodine-the
plaie is now ready for the reception Of objects.