nsidered as the first steps towards the discovery of the
Photogenic art.

Mr. Wedgwood's experiments can scarcely be said to be any improvement
on them since he failed to bring them to practical usefulness, and his
countrymen will have to be satisfied with awarding the honor of its
complete adaptation to practical purposes, to MM. Niepce and Daguerre
of France, and to Professors Draper, and Morse of New-York.

These gentlemen--MM. Niepce and Daguerre--pursued the subject
simultaneously, without either, however being aware of the experiments
of his colleague in science. For several years, each pursued his
researches individually until chance made them acquainted, when they
entered into co-partnership, and conjointly brought the art almost to
perfection.

M. Niepce presented his first paper on the subject to the Royal Society
in 1827, naming his discovery Heliography. What led him to the study
of the principles of the art I have no means, at present, of knowing,
but it was probably owing to the facts recorded by the Alchemists, Mrs.
Fulhame and others, already mentioned. But M. Daguerre, who is a
celebrated dioramic painter, being desirous of employing some of the
singularly changeable salts of silver to produce a peculiar class of
effects in his paintings, was led to pursue an investigation which
resulted in the discovery of the Daguerreotype, or Photogenic drawing
on plates of copper coated with silver.

To this gentleman--to his liberality--are we Americans indebted for the
free use of his invention; and the large and increasing class of
Daguerrean artists of this country should hold him in the most profound
respect for it. He was not willing that it should be confined to a few
individuals who might monopolise the benefits to be derived from its
practice, and shut out all chance of improvement. Like a true, noble
hearted French gentleman he desired that his invention should spread
freely throughout the whole world. With these views he opened
negociations with the French government which were concluded most
favorably to both the inventors, and France has the "glory of endowing
the whole world of science and art with one of the most surprising
discoveries that honor the land."

Notwithstanding this, it has been patented in England and the result is
what might have been expected: English pictures are far below the
standard of excellence of those taken by American artists. I have seen
some medium portraits,