M^r Kinnear

Apr 7/59

I h^v rec^d a v^y obl^gg l^r f^m M^r H. Ross inf^mg me th^t th Ph^c Soc^y of Sc^d have done me the v^y g^t honor of vot^g me the^r Gold medal in apprtⁿ acknow^t of my phot^c labours

Being ab^t t leave Edinb tomorrow for the S^th of England & not v^y likely t retⁿ f^r ret^ng some w^ks I shall not be able personally to receive the medal at the meet attend the meeting of the Soc^y on the 12^th inst. May I therefore request that the medal may be delivered to some Member of the Society who will either M^r H Ross or some o^r member of the Society will kindly take charge of the medal for me?

On this occasⁿ I trust that I may be permitted to offer to the Soc^y for distributⁿ among the Members, 20 copies of my short acc^t of the invⁿ of Ph^c Engrav^g and 50 copies of var^s engrav^gs made by that method I am in hope that larger & better ones will soon be obt^d

[expanded version:]

M^r Kinnear

Apr 7, 1859

I have received a very obliging letter from Mr Horatio Ross ^<1> informing me that the Photographic Society of Scotland have done me the very great honor of voting me their Gold medal in appreciation acknowledgement of my photographic labours.

Being about to leave Edinburgh tomorrow for the South of England and not very likely to return for returning some weeks I shall not be able personally to receive the medal at the meeting attend the meeting of the Society on the twelfth inst. May I therefore request that the medal may be delivered to some Member of the Society who will either Mr H Ross or some other member of the Society will kindly take charge of the medal for me?

On this occasion I trust that I may be permitted to offer to the Society for distribution among the Members, twenty copies of my short account of the invention of Photoglyphic Engraving ^<2> and fifty copies of various engravings made by that method I am in hope that larger and better ones will soon be obtained.

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Notes:

1. Horatio Ross (1801-1886), MP & Scottish photographer. He had written twice [Doc. no. 07826 and 07835], but Talbot had been both ill and at Lacock during this period. In May, the medal was delivered to Constance Talbot, then in Edinburgh, for safekeeping [see Doc. no. 05279].

2. Description of Mr. Fox Talbot's New Process of Photoglyphic Engraving as extracted from the Photographic News, October 22, 1853. (London: Petter and Galpin).