and the intensity of the light when the experiment is made; the latter, however, is by far the more important. On a bright sun-shining day, the drawing will be produced in one-half the time, and with far more sharpness of outline, than on a dull wintry day, when the sun struggles with the mists by which its radiant beams are encumbered. “The Pencil of Nature,” is the expressive title of a collection of photographic drawings, produced by Mr. Talbot. Upon the third part of this work, we find the following acute criticism in the _Athenæum_, No. 920. “The subjects are ‘The Entrance Gateway of Queen’s College, Oxford;’ ‘The Ladder,’ in which we have three figures from the life; and ‘A View of the Author’s Residence, Lacock Abbey, in Wiltshire.’ In the first of these, the truth-telling character of photographic pictures is pleasingly shown. It appears, by the turret clock, that the view was taken a little after two, when the sun was shining obliquely upon the building. The story of every stone is told, and the crumbling of its surface under the action of atmospheric influences is distinctly marked. The figures in ‘The Ladder’ are prettily arranged, but the face of the boy is distorted, from the circumstance of its being so very near the edge of the field of view embraced by the lens of the camera obscura. In looking at this photograph, we are led at once to reflect on the truth to nature observed by Rembrandt, in the disposition of his lights and shadows. We have no violent contrasts; even the highest lights and the deepest shadows seem to melt into each other, and the middle tints are but the harmonizing gradations. Without the aid of colour, with simple brown and white, so charming a result is produced, that, looking at the picture from a little distance, we are almost led to fancy that the introduction of colour would add nothing to its charm.”