[draft]
Dr Playfair
Nov. 6 / 51
Yr frdly intfce will I hope easily settle this misundg I hve no doubt. I will ﹤ only add a few wds to what I have already said. This is entirely an Engl. invn fm 1st to last, and ﹤ I can assure you that it wd be very painful to me [illegible deletion] if undstnd that the Ex. Comee Royal Comners had were to order so important a work as ye present venture [illegible deletion]t be execd in France.
I have no pecuny intst in this matter. The Exv Comtee in their 1st or 2d letter to me offered a pecunry recompence for ye use of ye patt which I refused wishing that my part in this great natl work shd be grattous 每 In accordce with this, I and in order to enable my licensees [illegible deletion] Messrs Henneman & Co of Regent St or else Messrs G. Knight & Son Foster Lane to meet ye low prices offered by the Comtee I released the former from [illegible deletion] any payment to myself as patentee respecting this work, and agreed with the latter that if they executed the work, any payment they made to me I shd hand over to Messrs Henneman as compensatn 每 they having had a good deal of trouble & anxiety respecting this negotion affair ever since ye month of July.
With respect to ye perfect fixation of ye pictures I understand suppose that either of these firms is wd be ready to offer a guarantee.
With regard to the price, this is a matter for them to arrange with the executive Comtee R. Commrs But I beg to enclose you a copy made by Messrs Hennns Clerk of 2 letters a letter & answer 2 letts wch passd between them & ye Exv Comtee 每 by way
You will see that on 29 Sept they the Committee themselves proposed the price of 2/6 for each posve & that Messrs H. accepted it so that I do not undstd on what grounds the validity of ye contract is now disputed 每 Is it, that because the propositions in ye latter part of letter No 1 were declined? not accepted witht alteration?
However this may be, it shows that the Exve Cttee themselves thought the price a fair one. A lower price offer has since been offered made, [illegible deletion] to do execute ye work in Paris; but to say nothing of ye infringement of the English patent right, wch this wd involve, and wch wd be a most painful and exordy return for my gratuitous surrender offer to the Comtee I may add that no reliance whatever can be placed on ye proper executn of ye work in Paris 每 The copies might look well when delivered but nearly the whole of them might fade away in a couple of years.
+ Sir D. Br. who is a partr frd of mne undtook last wk to settle ye matter, by calling upon his frd Col Reid, chairman of ye Exv Cttee For he was confident that this difficlty cd only arise fm mistakes & misunderstgs Unluckily he sought endeavd in vain to meet with Col R. during 2 days, both at Woolwich and in York & was then obliged to depart for Scotland.
Else I presume ere now the matter wd have been settled.
I am sorry to trouble you with so many details but [illegible deletion] there has been[illegible deletion] am sure y. will kindly excuse it. Sir D. +
[expanded version:]
Dr Playfair
November 6, 1851
Your friendly influence will I hope easily settle this misunderstanding I have no doubt. I will therefore only add a few words to what I have already said. This is entirely an English invention from first to last, and therefore I can assure you that it would be very painful to me [illegible deletion]if understanding that the Executive Committee of the Royal Commissioners <1> had were to order so important a work as the present venture [illegible deletion] to be executed in France.
I have no pecuniary interest in this matter. The Executive Committee in their first or second letter to me offered a pecuniary recompence for the use of the patent which I refused wishing that my part in this great national work should be gratuitous 每 In accordance with this, I and in order to enable my licensees [illegible deletion] Messrs Henneman & Company of Regent Street <2> or else Messrs George Knight & son Foster lane <3> to meet the low prices offered by the Committee I released the former from [illegible deletion] any payment to myself as patentee respecting this work, and agreed with the latter that if they executed the work, any payment they made to me I should hand over to Messrs Henneman as compensation 每 they having had a good deal of trouble & anxiety respecting this negotiation affair ever since the month of July.
With respect to the perfect fixation of the pictures I understand suppose that either of these firms is would be ready to offer a guarantee.
With regard to the price, this is a matter for them to arrange with the Executive Committee of the Royal Commissioners, but I beg to enclose you a copy made by Messrs. Henneman＊s Clerk of two letters a letter the and answer two letters which passed between them and the Executive Committee 每 by way
You will see that on 29 Sept they the Committee themselves proposed the price of 2/6 for each positive and that Messrs. Henneman accepted it so that I do not understand on what grounds the validity of the contract is now disputed 每 Is it, that because the propositions in the latter part of letter No 1 were declined? not accepted without alteration?
However this may be, it shows that the Executive Committee themselves thought the price a fair one. A lower price offer has since been offered made, [illegible deletion] to do execute the work in Paris; but to say nothing of the infringement of the English patent right, which this would involve, and which would be a most painful and extraordinary return for my gratuitous surrender offer to the Committee. I may add that no reliance whatever can be placed on the proper execution of the work in Paris 每 The copies might look well when delivered but nearly the whole of them might fade away in a couple of years.
I am sorry to trouble you with so many details but [illegible deletion] there has been so much am sure you will kindly excuse it. Sir D. Br. <4> who is a particular friend of mine undertook last week to settle the matter, by calling upon his friend Colonel Reid, <5> chairman of the Executive Committee. For he was confident that this difficulty could only arise from mistakes and misunderstandings. Unluckily he sought endeavoured in vain to meet with Colonel Reid during two days, both at Woolwich and in York and was then obliged to depart for Scotland.
Else I presume ere now the matter would have been settled.
Notes:
1. Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, 1851: Reports by the Juries. Four volumes, illustrated by original photographic prints from negatives by Hugh Owen and Claude Marie Ferrier. In the copies given to WHFT, a dedicatory sheet was inserted (most likely printed up by him): 'This Work, on the Results of the Great Exhibition of 1851, Illustrated with Photographic Plates, being One of Fifteen Copies Given by the Royal Commissioners to H.F. Talbot, Esq. of Lacock Abbey, as The Inventor of this Branch of the Photographic Art, was by him presented to _____'. This publication caused WHFT considerable consternation at the time, for he felt that the Commissioners had stealthily and unfairly taken the job of printing the plates away from Nicolaas Henneman. For a summary of this complex situation, see Nancy B Keeler, 'Illustrating the "Reports by the Juries" of the Great Exhibition of 1851; Talbot, Henneman, and Their Failed Commission,' History of Photography, v. 6 no. 3, July 1982, pp. 257-272.
2. Nicolaas Henneman (1813每1898), Dutch, active in England; WHFT＊s valet, then assistant; photographer. 122 Regent Street, London: base of Nicolaas Hennemans＊ Talbotype or Sun Picture Rooms, later the firm of Henneman & Malone, photographers to the Queen.
3. George Knight, photographic supplier, London, and his sons Richard and George of 41每42 Foster Lane, London.
4. Sir David Brewster (1781每1868), Scottish scientist & journalist.
5. Sir William Reid (1791每1858), military man and scientist.