above picture to a Mr. Allen, of Jersey, for a small profit, if, so it appears, that it had blowed no one any good until it arrived in France, where it was purchased by Mr. W. H. Ireland for the sum of eighty pounds, of Mr. Allen.

Mr. Ireland informs me, that he purchased the picture of Mr. Allen, for the above sum, with this proviso, that Mr. Ireland should first be fully convinced, that there had not been any re-painting on the forehead, he would then keep the picture, but, if on the cleaning it was proved to be other than genuine, it was to be returned.

The portrait was in consequence placed in the hands of Mr. Ribet, one of the most experienced restorers of paintings, to put the picture in a proper state, when on applying the necessary ingredients, in order to remove dirt or re-paint, the whole of the latter came off, when it appeared that the portrait had originally represented an aged female, a cap and blue ribbons being delineated beneath the represented forehead.

Ribet afterwards repaired the picture, and being a tolerable good artist, made it better than it was before. It is merely necessary to add, as regards Mr. Ireland, that he returned the picture to Mr. Allen, who deemed it necessary to tack another

best, and I can assure you, that, I have found it difficult to persuade many of the purchasers that they were not originals.

story to it, stating, that it was originally brought to France by Sir Kenelm Digby. Mr. Ireland declares not to have had any concern whatsoever, with the subsequent disposal of it to Mr. Talma, of whom I have now to speak.

In the Literary Gazette for 1823, p. 42, Mr. Brockedon gives an interesting account of his visit to Talma, which the following is an extract:

"Mr. EDITOR,

"I regret that the entire occupation of my time, has delayed until now, the redemption of my promise to you, to communicate some information upon Talma's Shakespeare.

"On my return through Paris, in September last, I was strongly advised by a friend, whom I met there, not to leave it until I had seen an extraordinary portrait of Shakespeare, which was in the possession of Talma, and, as he was very intimate with that celebrated actor, he offered to introduce me; he assured me, on observing a sceptical smile on my face, that it was an undoubted picture. He was about to describe it, when I interrupted him, and requested that he would listen to me, whilst I described to him some undoubted forgeries of Shakespeare's portrait, which had come under my own observation. I mentioned four or five, and among them the Bellow's Shakespeare; I so entirely convinced him of my acquaintance with its history, that, he then wished me to call on Talma to undeceive him. I was glad of the opportunity of knowing a man so distinguished, and availed myself of his offer. Talma received me politely; before the picture was produced, I described it minutely, and gave him its history; that, it was made by an old artist of the name of Zincke, who was the grandson of the celebrated enameller of that name; that, he had sold it for five pounds, to Mr. William Forster, of the

Strand, in whose possession I had seen it. One circumstance I mentioned, that had escaped Talma's notice, and which was to be the test of the truth of his picture, or my story. The head which I had seen in London, was fastened on the top of the bellows by a close border of shoemaker's wooden pegs; to this, Forster had directed my attention, and said, that Zincke had intended to excite the idea, that it had been in the possession of some cobbler, whose recollection of the Bard, had led to his thus honouring him, and, who was supposed also, to have carved the lines and quotations on the parts of the bellows' top. The treasure was now produced, in a magnificent case of green morocco and gold, lined with silk, which had cost Talma a thousand francs,-rather a superb lodging for an old bellows. It was opened with almost as sacred a feeling, as the relic thumbs and toes of saints are shewn. My old friend appeared!-the border of pegs settled its authenticity. Talma bore his disappointment like a philosopher and a gentleman; and, though I was much gratified by the opportunity of spending an hour with him, I could not help regretting, that, it was under circumstances which robbed him of a pleasure, that, alike complimented the actor of the present, and the writer of every age.

"Talma gave a thousand francs for the picture, and I heard had refused a thousand pounds for it, to an English gentleman of the name of Bell. It had been taken to Paris, in all probability, to catch Talma. The person from whom he bought it, had also, some curious papers of Sir Kenelm Digby'sdoubtless as genuine as the Shakespeare.

"Poor old Zincke is grateful to the purchasers of his memorandums of Shakespeare, as he calls them. He has attainments for which he deserves a better fate, than to live by apparent deceit in their application. But his "poverty, and not his will, consents;" and he says, that, he often owes

to his Shakespeares, the morsel, and the couch, which preserve him from starvation and houseless exposure."

Mr. WILSON'S

PORTRAIT OF SHAKSPEARE.

MR. WHELER, in his "Antiquities of Stratford," gives us the following account of a Portrait of Shakspeare, which is in the Great Room of the Town Hall:

"The great room, which is 60 feet long and 30 wide, is adorned with several very large and elegant paintings: At the north end is an admirable one by Wilson*, wherein our inimitable poet is represented in the attitude of Inspiration, and sitting in an antique chair; upon the ground lie several books and M. S. S. among the former are distinguished North's Plutarch's Lives, Holingshed's Chronicles, Cynthio's Novals, &c. being some of the authors which Shakspeare consulted; and in the window are the armorial bearings of his family. At the south end is a whole length painting, by Gainsborough, of David Garrick, Esq. reclining against a pedestal; upon which is represented a bust of his favourite author. † These paintings were presented to the corporation by Garrick in 1769."

* I apprehend it was painted by Benjamin Wilson.-A. W. + Painted from the monument in Westminster Abbey.-A. W.

Mr. WINSTANLEY's

PORTRAIT OF SHAKSPEARE.

In the Literary Gazette for February 20th, 1819, Mr. Winstanley addressed the following letter to the editor:

"SIR,

"Your having, in your last Number, noticed" the simple and beautiful Bust of Shakspeare, recently produced by Mr. Britton," and your subsequent remarks upon the "uncertainty, not to say spuriousness, of all the likenesses of our immortal Bard," induces me to trouble you with this.

"I am in possession of a very curious Portrait of Shakspeare, one which I think is wholly unknown to the literary world, except a few friends to whom I have shewn it since it became mine. I am aware that, as you observe "Pictures have been dicovered and asserted to be his Portrait, without any sound pretension to that character." I am aware also of the prejudices against every Picture now offered to the notice of the admirers of Shakspeare. I shall, therefore, merely describe my picture, and shall be very happy to be favoured with any remarks upon it, either from yourself or from any of the numerous readers of your valuable paper.

"The picture shews only the head and a small part of the shoulders, the size of life; the dress is black, with a white collar thrown plain over the shoulders, and tied before with