<author’s copy>

Lacock

Saturday Oct. 23

D^r Sir

I had prepared a steel plate which appeared pretty good but on taking proofs of it it was found that the whites were not sufficiently clean and pure, and this was not owing to any imperfection in the engraving process, but entirely to the circumstance that the plate as furnished by the maker had a badly worked surface – As on examination of several other of his plates I thought they could not be depended upon to print clean, I determined to order a fresh supply, giving particular directions to have an extra polish put upon them. This was some time ago and I now expect to receive the plates every day, having been informed that they were nearly ready – When I get them I shall lose no time in making five or six for you to choose from, which will not take me long, if favoured by fine weather and sunshine

Yours <illeg> truly

H. F. Talbot

P.S. Shall I send you some specimens of engravings of grasses, ferns, &c. done by me 5 years ago by the process which I then described, to which allusion is made in the Specification of my new invention, as agreeing with it in the first part only of the process, viz. the forming the image on a film of gelatine and bichromate of potash