The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-05-04

MORSE AND DAGUERRE.
An addressing Interview the
Two Discoveries In 1899.

a private letter Of Professor $. +. b.
Morse to the editor of the Now York
Observer, dated Paris, March 8,
1899:
You have perhaps heard of tho
dnguerreotype, SO called, from tho
discoyerer, NJ. Dagucrrc. 1t is one
of the most beautiful discoveries of
the age. l don't know if YOU re-
member some experiments of mino
IN New Haven many years ago,
when had my painting room next
to Professor Silliman's - cxpcri-
ments to ascertain if it WOKE posi-
bic to fix the image of the camera
obscura. | was able to produce diff.
ferent degrees of shade on paper
dipped into Il solution of nitrate of
silver by means of different degrees
of light, but, finding that light pro.
duced dark and dark light, l pre-
sumed the production of Il true i'm.
age to be impracticable and gave up
the attoInpt. NJ. Daguerro has real
lied i'll the most exquisite manner
this iden.
IA few days ago l addressed Il
note to him requesting, az "A
stranger, tho favor to sec his results
and inviting him III return to see
my telegraph. l was politely invited
to see them under these circu1n.
stances, for he had determined not
to show them again until tho cham
bcrs had passed definitely Oh the
proposition for the government tn
purchase tho secret Of the discovery
and make it public. The day before
yesterday, the 9Th, | called on NJ.
DaSucrre, ut his rooms in tho bio.
rama, TO sec those admirable results.
They are produced OH IL metallic
surface, the principal pieces about
z inches by s, and they resemble
aqua tint engraving. for they arc in
simple chiara oscuro and not in col
ors. But the exquisite minutcncss
of the delineation cannot he con
ceived. No painting or engraving
ever approached it. For example,
in a view up the street Il distant
sign would be perceived, and the
eye could just discern that there
were lines of letters upon it, but so
minute as not to bo read with tho
naked eye. BY the assistance Of Il
powerful lens, which magnitiod SO
times, applied to the delineation,
every letter was clearly and dis
tinctly 1egible, and so also we're the
minutest breaks anil lines in the
walls of the building and the pave
ments of the street. The effect of
tho lens upon tho picture was i'll a
great degree like that of the tele-
scope III nature.
"Objccts moving arc not impress
ed. The boulevard, so constantly
filled with II moving throng of De.
destrians and carriages, was perfect
ly solitary, except an individual
who was having his boots brushed.
His feet compelled, Of course.
to bo stationary for some time, one
being on the box of tho bootblacK
and the other on the ground. Con
sequently his boots and legs are
well defined, but he is without body
or head, because these wore III mo
ton.
"The impressions of interior views
are Rembrandt perfected. One Of
the plates is an impression of i;
spider. The spider was not bigger
than the head of Il large pin, but the
image, magnitied by the sclar micro
scope TO the size Of the palm of tho
hand, having been impressed on the
plate and examined through a lens,
was further magnified and showed
a minutenoss of organization hither-
to not seen to exist.
"You perceive how this discovery
liz therefore about to open IL new |
field of research in tho depths of
microscopic nature. We are soon to
e if the minute has discovered lin |
its. The naturalist is to have q new
kingdom to explore as much be-
You'd tho microscope as the micro
scope is beyond the naked aye.
But I am near the end of nv ua- |
pei, anu 1 nave unnapplly 10 give Il
melancholy close to my account of
this ingenious discovery. M. Da-
guerre appointed yesterday at noon
to see my telegraph. He came ana
passed more than an hour with me. |
expressing himself highly gratifed
at its operation, but while he was |
thus employed the great building of |
the Diorama, with his own house, |
all his beautiful works, his valuable
notes and papers. the labors Of
years of experiment, were, unknown
to him, at that moment becoming
the prey of the flames. His secret,
indeed, is still safe with him, but
the steps of his progress in the dis
'tovery and his valuable researches
IN science are lost to tho scientific
world. learn that the DiOrama