<printed address>
La Belle Sauvage Yard,
Ludgate Hill, E.C.
London,
26 Nov 1858
H. Fox Talbot Esq
Sir,
Mr Crookes has communicated to us your enquiry as to whether all engravings can be transferred to Stone and printed by the Lithographic process. In reply we beg to inform you that all engravings can be transferred so as to be duplicated upon Stone, but all cannot be printed from such transfers. – All ordinary engravings either in copper or steel can be transferred and printed from, the more open such engravings are the better for lithographic printing but Aqua tinto, stippled work and very fine engravings would not come satisfactorily from the Stone indeed the impressions would be useless. As to your engravings we would reply that the subjects sent us could not be printed from a transfer because they are too fine and close –
Subjects done by your process with the special object of transferring could be printed from, and it is our opinion that your process in the hands of a practised engraver, who would work it with the view to transfer would give results as favorable for Litho printing as ordinary engraving. –
We are Sir, Yours faithfully
Petter & Galpin