A Manual Of Photography

APPENDIX. 313 I am unable myself to pursue all these numerous branches of the invention in a manner that can even attempt to do justice to them, and moreover I believe it to be no longer necessary, for the art has now taken a firm root both in England and France, and may safely be left to take its natural development. I am as desirous as any one of the lovers of science and art, whose wishes you have kindly undertaken to represent, that our country should continue to take the lead in this newly-discovered branch of the fine arts ; and, after much consideration, I think that the best thing I can do, and the most likely to stimulate to further improvements in photography, will be to invite the emulation and competition of our artists and amateurs, by relaxing the patent right which I possess in this invention. I therefore beg to reply to your kind letter by offering the patent (with the exception of the single point hereafter mentioned) as a free present to the public, together with my other patents for improvements in the same art, one of which has been very recently granted to me, and has still thirteen years unexpired. The exception to which I refer, and whicli I am desirous of still keeping in the hands of my own licensees, is the application of the invention to taking photo- graphic portraits for sale to the public. This is a branch of the art which must necessarily be in comparatively few hands, because it requires a house to be built or altered on purpose, having an apartment lighted by a skylight, &c., otherwise the portraits cannot be taken indoors, generally speaking, without great difficulty., With this exception, then, I present my invention to the country, and trust that it may realize our hopes of its future utility. Believe me to remain, my dear Lord Bosse, Your obliged and faithful servant, H. F. TALBOT. The Earl of Rosse, Connaught Place, London.