and 1742, one cannot but feel some surprise that th tions in the volume, published in 1754, should ha such egregious failures as most of them are.

From 1754, the date of Jackson's Essay, until only chiaroscuros which appear to have been publish country were executed by an amateur of the name o Three are known to exist, one of which is printed blocks, and each of the others from three. A comp the one now submitted with the specimens in Jackso will show its great superiority. In the year just 1819, the first part, and in 1823 the second part, on Decorative Printing, by William Savage, were p Some of the chiaroscuros are well executed, but the "proper colours," the printed pictures, are lamentable It is due, however, to the author of this work to say was entirely indebted to others, both for the embod his ideas on the wood, and for their transference to th Besides this great disadvantage, he had others; and fair to say that no small portion of the coarseness wh figures the specimens given in his book, as indeed in Ja may have resulted more from the want of adaptation materials used, than of skill in the practical mana of them. So that, taken as a whole, the pictorial illust of Mr. Savage's book may be said to stand in about th relation to those of the artist next to be introduced notice, in which the best printing of that period stands more carefully executed work of the present day.

Mr. George Baxter, of London, whose works I next to notice, took out a patent for printing pictures, though it may have secured to him for a long series of a monopoly of the market for his beautiful produ may also have tended to limit their sale. Less than an of his predecessors does he appear under obligation to who had gone before him for direction in his art, and

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At an early age he was fond of drawing, and at ten years old took several sketches of spots near Lewes, and engraved them upon copper, which he learned to do without an instructor. In this he was sufficiently successful to lead to the publication of several of his productions. At fourteen he was desirous of being articled to some eminent engraver, but, the profession at that time being in a depressed state and struggling for want of public support, he failed to obtain his desire, and was apprenticed to his father. For seven years he devoted his attention to all the branches of his father's trade, succeeding best in those of a mechanical nature. His leisure hours he devoted principally to engraving on copper, and attained some degree of efficiency in aquatint, and engraving landscapes. On the introduction of lithographic printing, he was sent to London to receive instuctions in the art, and in six months returned with presses, stones, &c., to introduce that trade into Sussex, in connection with his father's business of a general printer, &c. In a local work, printed by his father, several woodcuts were required, and he turned his attention to this style of engraving; in a few weeks he was able to engrave on wood as well as he had previously engraved on copper.

The most interesting stage of his history, however, so far as this Paper is concerned, he had now reached. About this time he was much occupied with colours, for both litho graphic and printing inks, and succeeded in obtaining such a variety of beautiful tints as to impress upon him the conviction that, by means of blocks, he could print coloured pictures with even more richness than could be obtained by water colours, inasmuch as he could obtain the effect of

glazing," which can only be secured by oil colours. Having reached maturity, he left his father's establishment, where he had made himself master of every branch of the printing

business, and, his early desire to be an engraver co fresh as it was seven years before, he placed himse eminent engraver on wood, and in a few months business for himself in London. Many difficul which would have been insuperable to a mind less resources, most of them mechanical; and here th in his father's printing office was of immense value the prosecution of his invention. His early effort employers so much satisfaction that as many engag he could fulfil were soon obtained, and two years he prepared to carry out his design of printing col tures. He succeeded at first much beyond his exp but still every day found that some improvement made; and his latest improvements were such as to a certainty some points which were formerly doub proof of this, he had an order to execute two hund sand pictures, all of which were so much alike as to most difficult for any one to see a difference in th impression; whilst his improvements gave such expe the execution of his pictures as to secure to the publ trations of the highest order to works of small cost.

From a careful examination of a considerable nu his prints, I have no doubt that his general practice produce the outline and the more minute details in a on one or more plates, to be subsequently heighten coloured by engravings on wood (or, in the production larger pictures, on soft metal plates), two, three, or eve parts, in different colours, being printed at one imp from one block or plate. The extreme delicacy which able, by aquatint, to give to his skies greatly enhanc beauty of some of his pictures, as in that of the Bapti Jamaica. The perfect contrast to this picture which t the shipwreck of the Reliance East Indiaman presents how wide a range of subjects is practicable-from the

and glowing brightness of a day in the tropics, the burning heat of which, while we gaze upon the picture, we almost seem to feel, to the fearful gloom of a storm at sea, where the billows and the clouds appear to commingle, and the darkness is but for a moment dispelled by the lightning's flash, which reveals to us the total wreck of the gallant ship, its unhappy crew and passengers vainly battling with the waves.

Of the extreme richness of his colours, a beautiful specimen is furnished in a bouquet of flowers, one of two illustrations to the Flower Garden, where every tint and hue of the flowers and the foliage is given with a truthfulness which vies with nature itself; the whole executed entirely from wood blocks.

The portraits produced by this artist, of which he has published several, are admirable in every respect. If I refer to one especially, it is not for the purpose of comparison, where all are excellent, but because I happen to possess a copy of the finished picture, and also an impression from the aquatint plate, with one or two subsequent printings. The portrait is that of Robert Moffatt, the father-in-law of David Livingstone, an eloquent and devoted Missionary of the London Missionary Society, who has spent upwards of forty years in Africa, and is still, in a green old age, pursuing his self-denying labours among the tribes of that arid land. Many of the artist's pictures are of a missionary character, and most of his portraits are of Missionaries. The interest of these he has greatly enhanced by skilfully introducing in the backgrounds appropriate scenery, in the delineation of which he excels. Thus, the portrait of Moffatt contains a view near the Kuruman river, with a native parliament assembled, which one of the chiefs is supposed to be addressing. His two most elaborate works, and which may be considered the greatest, though certainly not the most pleasing, are, the Queen's partaking of the Sacrament after her Coronation, and Her Majesty's Opening her First Parliament. Of one of these I am enabled

to state, and I have no doubt that it is true also that the subject was executed from a plate in me the colours from metal plates, not wood, printed press. Twenty-six times did each sheet pass t press, some of the plates only printing the co generally diffused through the picture, the great printing two colours at the same time, others thre so that about fifty colours or tints would be printe twenty-six blocks. On a former occasion I was nished by the artist with a set of impressions in de I regret I am unable to submit now; but I purpose the six printings from lithographic stones of one of of "Views in Modern Liverpool," from which a co of the process may be formed.*

In addition to a variety of specimens of Mr. Picture Printing, some recent volumes are also s the embellishments of which are entirely produced f blocks at the type press or printing machine. O most beautiful of these is a small volume, entitle and Sonnets illustrated." The Illustrations are b Foster, printed in three tints, in one of which the tex printed. It has a number of exquisitely delicate initia

*The following works of early printers, in the supposed order of their were also exhibited:-1. A Head of the Saviour, by Businck, in two colou whites stopped out. Date, 1625. 2. Neptune, by Goltzius, from th 3. Nude Figures, in deadly strife, by the same artist, and from three bloc Aged Man with Crucifix, from two blocks, the whites stopped out. I 5. Figure, with Tablet, by Guido Reni, from two blocks, the whites st 6. Jove expelling the Giants, by the same artist. This large print is in f printed from three blocks, the whites being stopped out. Date, 1647. 7. with Crucifix, after Paulo Ferranti, by Kirkall. Printed from two block whites stopped out. Date, betwixt 1722 and 1724. 8. Phoebus in the Cha Sun, by Skippe, from three blocks, and the whites stopped out. 9. A Hol after Perino dell Vaga, by Kirkall. From two blocks, the white sstopped o 1724. 10. Martyrdom of St. Peter, date, 1738 to 1742; 11. Murder of the 1 date, 1739; 12. Raising of Lazarus, date, 1744; 13. Finding of Moses, date, the four after Titian, by Jackson, and each from three blocks, with the white out. 14. Subject unknown, printed from four blocks, supposed to be by Jac