To the Subfcribers to the Botanical Magazine. 



JL HE Botanical Magazine certainly owes its reputation, 



in great meafure, to the excellence of the figures, nearly the whole 

 of which have been executed by Mr. Sydenham Edwards. 



As it has appeared to him that attempts have been repeatedly 

 made to deprive hwn of his due (hare of the credit arifing 

 from thefe figures, — at one time by reprefenting that a large 

 -proportion of them were drawn by Mr. Sowerby,— and at 

 another by infinuating that fuch only as have his name 

 affixed to them were drawn by Sydenham Edwards, it is 

 with pleafure that we comply with his requeft of laying before 

 our readers an accurate ftatement of the whole of the figures 

 that were not executed by himfelf. 



It appears that twenty-four have Mr. Sowerby s name af- 

 fixed to them, but of this number twelve were in reality drawn 

 by Mr. Edwards, viz. N 05 18, 23, 25, 27, 29, 30, 31, 

 34, 35, 36, 38, and 43. 



But, in the early volumes, a confiderable number or the 

 figures have not the name of the draughtfman affixed. All 

 of thefe were drawn by Mr. Edwards, except the nrty-hve 

 following, by Mr. Sowerby, viz. N os 1, 4> io» 1A » *7» 28 > 



42, 44, 47> 49> 5<>, 5 1 ' 5*, 5h 55. 5f> 5*> 6l « 6 7' 7* 

 72, 76, 79, 80, 85, from 87 to 109 mclulive, 111, 113* 1J 5» 

 116, 117, 118, 121. „_ ., , 



The laft mentioned number, which occurs in vol. iv. and 

 waspublifhed in June 1790, is the laft figure drawn by Mr, 

 Sowerby. All polterior to this (except eight by Mr. Sansum, 

 in the fixth volume, to which his name is affixed) were executed 

 by Mr. Edwards. f 



From the above ftatement it appears, that or upwards ot 

 twelve hundred figures, only fixty-feven were drawn by Mr. 

 Sowerby. It muft therefore have arifen from fome ftrange 

 mifconception of the faBs, that any friend of his could repre- 

 fent him as « the defigner of a targe proportion of the figures 

 in the Botanical Magazine." At the fame time we are far 

 from thinking, that this eminent botanical draughtfman, who 

 needs no fupport but his own acknowledged abilities would 

 ever entertain a wife to aiTume to himfelf the credit due to a 



brother artift. . . , ^ . f 



We take this opportunity of ftaung that the Colouring of 

 this- work has, from its commencement, been conduded by 

 Mr. William Graves, Newtngton Butts. 



