does not need constant watching."

Mr. Smillie, however, uses the mordant much stronger than Mr. Haden. He
has, in fact, invented a process of his own, which, in a letter to me,
he describes as follows:--

"I draw and bite as I progress; that is, I draw in the darkest parts
first, give them a good nip with the mordant, wash the plate and dry it,
and then draw the next stage. I can thus, by drawing lines over a part
that has already been exposed to the mordant, interlace heavy and light
lines in a way that I could not by any other process. I etch upon an
unsmoked ground, and as the Dutch mordant bites a _black_ line, I see my
etching clearly as it advances, By holding the head well over the plate,
the lines can be very distinctly seen as they are drawn. After a little
experimenting, the etcher will find the angle at which he can see his
unbitten work upon an unsmoked ground without trouble. Mr. Hamerton's
formula seemed to me too weak, so I am experimenting with

Muriatic acid, 1 ounce.
Chlorate of potash, 1-5 "
Water, 5 ounces.

"This is the mordant I am now using, and I have found it to work well.
Still, as I am not a scientific chemist, and my knowledge is entirely
empiric, I am prepared to believe any chemist who may tell me that I
might do as well, or better, with more water.

"Generally I do not get all the color I wish by the first process, as I
can see without removing the ground; so, when my etching is finished, I
reverse the engine and begin stopping out and biting upon the original
ground, as it is ordinarily done. I do not use the black asphaltum
varnish for stopping out, but a transparent varnish that is simply
white resin dissolved in alcohol. If applied very carefully, and allowed
time to dry, it is perfectly clear and transparent, and the relations of
all parts of the plate can be seen,--the stopped out as well as the
bitten lines,--but to a careless worker it presents many troubles. It is
so transparent that it is hard to see what is stopped out and what is
not, and if washed with very warm water, or before it is thoroughly dry,
it turns cloudy and semi-opaque. I have no trouble with it, and could
not get along without it. I make it myself,--have no formula,--adding
alcohol until it is thin enough to flow readily from the brush. It has a
great advantage over asphaltum varnish, as it does not flow along a
line. It is viscid enough to remain just where it is put, and is as