Class XVII.] rRIXTIXG IX UXITED STATES, &c.—C. ALVAXOPLASTIC, &c., PROCESSES. 407
(the ancient Memphis ).* Amongst these books we have jremarked some which are enriched with arabesques, taste-fully executed by means of typography. These areprinted upon a peculiar paper, manufactured at Boulac,by the old vat process. The pulp appears to resemble ;that which is obtained in China and in India by the use ;of raw materials, such as the bamboo and the bananatree. It may be that the ancient papyrus is now re-appearing in Egypt under this new form. Amongst theArabian books, devoted almost entirely to military science,medicine, geography, and education, the Jury have jremarked The History of the Kings of France contemporary 'with the Sultans of Egypt; The History of the OttomanEmpire, byWassef; The Advantages of War in a Jleli-gions Point of View: and in translation, The Geographyof Make Le Hrun ; The Treatise of Good Advice ; On theCare of Little Children; The Childrens Friend, by Ber-qnin; Tom Thumb; and, lastly, A Journey in America,with a few engravings, also executed at Boulac.
Printing—United States of America .
It is well known that there are some works printed inthe United States which give a more favourable idea of theproductions of America than those which have appearedat this Exhibition. The American printers have contentedthemselves with sending a number of newspapers, theprinting of which is not remarkable. Even the lowness ofprice has nothing surprising in it, as there is no stampduty, neither is there any tax upon paper.
In the collection of articles exhibited by Canada , wehave observed a specimen book containing a large numberof beautiful types from the foundry of Mr. Palsgrave f ISO, p. 9G8), at Montreal . He also exhibits some stereo-type plates.
The Jury have examined, with real interest, severalworks printed in Van Diemen’s Eand, at Hobart Town ,some of them by IIenry Dowling (381-3.3, p. 999),such as the Tasmanian /Calendar and the Tasmanian Jour-nal, in 8vo; and two large volumes, accompanied bylithographs, likewise designed and printed in Australia ;and the execution of which is satisfactory.
The same may be said of the Hrfs and Ordinances ofthe Governor and Council <f New South Wales , printed atSydney , in 1844, by “William John Row (4, p. 999),with types east at Sydney .
It is to be regretted that, introduced as it now' is evento the confines of the earth, all the productions of thepress have not been represented in this universal gathering;for printing is a gift almost as necessary to man as speech,for the manifestation of his thoughts.
New Process relating to Galvanoplastic, Galvanographic,Galvanoglyphic, and Chemitypic Printing.
The Imperial Printing-office of Austria has exhibitedthe whole collection of the new applications of the typo-graphical art, such as the galvanoplastic process, galvano-graphy, galvanoglyphy. and chemitypy, which, bringingtheir co-operation to the aid of typography, enable it toreproduce, in some degree, nature itself. It may there-fore be said that these new branches are to typographywhat photography is to the art of drawing.
The Galvanoplastic Process. —We have, for instance,seen antediluvftn fishes reproduced upon paper, at thisExhibition, with the exactness of nature itself. By meansof successive layers of gutta percha applied to the stoneinclosing the petrified fish, a mould is obtained, whichbeing afterwards submitted to the action of a galvanicbattery, is quickly covered with coatings of copper, funn-ing a plate upon which all the marks of the fish are repro-duced in relief, and which, when printed at the typogra-phic press, gives a result upon the paper identical withthe object itself.
M. IIulot (p. 1222), a mechanist and chemist attached
to the Mint of Paris , has exhibited some sheets, each ofthem containing three hundred heads intended for postagestamps, which are impressed at one stroke, from a plateof brass of a single piece, containing these three hundredfigures in relief. By a peculiar process, M. IIulot suc-ceeds in identically reproducing, without the least con-traction, the original engraving, which is on steel, butwhich might he engraved on any other metal, or even onwood. It is by this same process that M. IIulot has re-produced, for the Bank of Prance, the notes engraved inrelief in such perfection by French artists.
Galvanography. — The Austrian Printing-office hasshown us some remarkable results of this process. Anartist covers a plate of silvered copper with different coatsof a paint composed of any oxide, such as that of iron,burnt terra sienna, or black lead, ground with linseed oil.The substance of these coats is of necessity thick or thin,according to the intensity given to the lights and shades.The plate is then submitted to the action of the galvanicbattery, from which another plate is obtained reproduc-ing an intaglio copy, with all the unevenness of the ori-ginal painting. This is an actual copper-plate, resem-bling an aquatint, and obtained without the assistance ofthe engraver.
Galvanoglyphy .— The experiments in galvanoglyphyare no less interesting. Upon a plate of zinc, coated withvarnish, a drawing is etched; then, with a small compo-sition roller, a coat of ink is spread upon this varnish andleft to dry. The ink is deposited only on those partswhere the varnish has not been broken through by thegraver, and leaves the sunken portion of the engravingfree. When the first layer is dry, a second is applied,then a third, and so on, until it is considered that theoriginal hollows are deep enough. The plate thus pre-pared is placed in the galvanic battery, aud another plateis the result on which all the hollows of the engravingare reproduced in relief. This relief is more or less raised,according to the number and thickness of the coats of inksuccessively applied. The process was invented in Eng-land, and patented by Mr. Palmer, of Newgate Street.
Chemitypy .— For the purpose of obtaining casts in relieffrom an engraving, the process of chemitypy is equallyingenious. A polished zinc plate is covered with an etch-ing ground ; the design is etched with a point and bittenin with diluted aquafortis; the etching ground is thenremoved, and every particle of the acid well cleaned off.For this purpose the hollows of the engraving are firstwashed with olive oil, then with water, and afterwardswiped, so that there may not remain the least trace of theacid. The plate, on which must be placed filings offusible metal, is then heated by means of a spirit-lamp,or any convenient means, until the fusible metal lias filledup all the engraving; and when cold it is scraped downto the level of the zinc plate, in such a manner that noneof it remains except that which has entered into the hol-low parts of the engraving. The plate of zinc, to whichthe fusible metal has become united, is then submitted tothe action of a weak solution of muriatic acid, and as ofthese two metals the one is negative, and the other posi-tive, the zinc alone is eaten away by the acid, and thefusible metal which had entered into the hollows of theengraving, is left in relief, and may then be printed fromby means of the typographic press.
Paneiconography .—This is a new process, invented byM. Gillot, of Paris (p. 1201), and consists of a methodof reproducing, by means of the typographic press, anylithographic, autographic, or typographic proof, anydrawing with crayon or stump, or any engraving uponwood or copper.
Upon a plate of zinc, polished by means of pumice-stone, the artist executes the required design with litho-graphic crayon or ink, or transfers impressions from litho-graphy, wood-engraving, or copper-plates. The surfaceis then inked over with a roller, so as to increase thethickness of the ink, which is afterwards consolidated bydusting finely-powdered rosin over the plate, by means ofa pad of wadding : the rosin adheres only to the ink, andis readily removed from the other parts of the plate.Afterwards, for the purpose of obtaining a relief block,the plate is placed on the bottom of a shallow trough,