1 Hillside Crescent, Edinburgh

27 March 1863

Dear Sir,

Herewith I have the pleasure of returning you the very beautiful Granada photograph, in a box together with several magnifyings <ill. del/> therefrom, & which I have all the more satisfaction in requesting your acceptance of, as they are all on dry collodion plates, prepared nearly and essentially according to the doctrine of your original Calotype paper.

The plates are unvarnished & should not be rubbed or cleaned with anything but a camels-hair pencil; & I have left them thus unvarnished because I can seldom or never varnish a plate without adding some speck or specks of dust which might materially injure the pictures, and any photograph that you might possibly prepare from it.

The subject has proved itself rather difficult, and the magnifying has not been carried out so well as I should have liked but at present I am afraid that it is beyond my power to do it any better.

I remain Yours very truly

C. Piazzi Smyth