The Ravalli Republican., 1898-07-27
MORSE AND DAGUERRE.
An Interesting Interview Between I!
Two I>ist0yerars IN 1889 u.-

The tOllOWlnS IS all extract 1tOG!
q private letter Of Professor s L. 3
Morse to the editor Of the New E,-Uril
Observer, dated Paris, March 8.
1892:
You loave per}1ups heard Of tn"
daguor1cotyre, SO called, from the
discoyerer. NJ Eayuerre, II is one
of the most beautiful discoveries OF
the age | don't know il you re-
member some experiments; CT mime
in New Haven many years ago,
when had my painting room next
to Professor Sillinun :; - expert
monts to ascertain if it were 10ss:l
bic to fix the image Of the camera
obscura. | was able to produce diE
ferent degrees OF shade on paper
dipped into a solution Of nitrate Oh
silver hy means of different degrees
of light, but, finding that light pro
d,1ccd dark and dark light, / pre-
sumed the production OF 4 true i'm
age to be impractiG;;ble and gave up
the attempt. M. Daguerro has real
ized in the most exquisite manner
this idea. "@. .@..
"a few days ago l addressed a
note to him requesting, as 4
stranger, the favor to sec his results
and inviting him in return to see
my telegraph. | was politely invited
to see them under these circum-
stances, for he had determined not
to show them again until tho cham
Ders had passed definitely OH the
proposition for the government to
purchase the secret Of tho discovery
and make it public. The day before
yesterday, the 1th, I called on NJ.
Daguerre, at his rooms III tho Do
rama, to see these admirable results.
"Thoy ure produced on !; metallic
surface, the principal pieces about
2 inches by 5, and they resemble
aqua tint engraving, for they are III
simple chiara oscuro and not III col
ors. But the exquisite Minutencss
of the delineation cannot be con
ceiye1. No painting OF engraving
ever approached it, For example,
in a view up the street q distant
sign would bo perceived, aud the
eye could just discern that there
were lines Of letters upon it, but so
minute as not to soc leuu with the
naked aye. BY the assistance Of Il
powerful lens, which mugnitird 80
times, applied to the delineation,
every letter was clearly and dis
tinctly lcgible, and SO also We:o the
minutest breaks and lines III the
walls of the building and the pave
nnnnts Of the street The effect Of
the lens upon tho picture was i'll Il
great degree like that Of the tele-
scope III nature.
''Objects moving are not impress
ed. The boulevard, so constantly
filled with moving throng Of pc
destrians and carriages, was perfect
Iy solitary, except an individual
who was having his boots brushed.
His feet We're compelled, Of course,
to be stationary for some time, ono
Being on tho box Of tho boOthluCk
and the othe2.yn Tho ground Con-
sequently his boots unt1 legs are
well defined, but no is Withcu. body
or head, because these sycro in mo-
ton.
1.-The impressions Of interior views
are Rembrandt perfected Ono OF
the plates is ;an impression Of /;
spider. The spider was not bigger
than the head OF 4 large pin, but tilc
image, masniiie:l by the solar micro
scope to the size Of the palm Of tA<
hand, having been impressed on tho
plate and examined through Il lens,
was further ma9nitieC! and SHOWED
a mira1teress OF organization hltile;
To- not seen to exist.
you perceive low this discovery
istherefore about to open q new
field of research in tho depths OF
microscopic nature. We are soon tG
see If the minute has discovered lin
its. The naturalist IS to have q new
Kingdom to explore as much he
yond the microscope as tue micro
scope is beyond the naked eye.
''But an, near tic end Of luy pt,
per- aud J. haIo unhapui}y to give
melancholy close t. my account .
this ingenious discovery. M. Da
guerre appointed yesterday at noe:
to see my telegraph. He came an
passed more than an hour with ]Et
expressing himself highly gr;,tiiie
at its operation, but while he Wa
thus employed the great building {
the Diorama, with his own house
all his beautiful works, his valuuh
notes and papers, the laho,s {
years of experiment, were, ul!klloW
to him, at that moment boc0mln
the prey Of the flames. His secre
indeed, is still safe with him, 81
the steps OF his progress in the Iii
cOvery and his valuable research
in science are lost to tho sciontiI
world learn that the Dioran
was insured, but to what eEte.
know not. am sure all fripn,
of science and improvement W
unite in expressing the deepest syl