THE INSPECTOR 87 



Advertiser and Literary Gazette ; although they came to an end 

 in 1753, the Inspectors were highly remunerative, thus it is 

 stated that in one year Hill profited to the extent of 1500 by 

 their sale, a very large sum for journalistic work in those days. 

 They thus brought him very prominently before the public, and 

 incidentally proved a source of some trouble to him. 



In connexion with the Inspector justice has not been altogether 

 done to Hill : no doubt, as Isaac Disraeli 1 states, that in them 

 he retailed all the great matters relating to himself and all the 

 little matters relating to others, but they were not all concerned 

 in retailing the tales of scandal heard in the Coffee Houses and 

 other places of public resort ; nor were they always rendered 

 palatable by these means as is stated in Rose's Biographical 

 Dictionary' 2 '. They, in addition to comments and criticisms on 

 current affairs, treated of many subjects. For instance, one 

 considers the proposal for uniting the kingdoms of Great Britain 

 and Ireland, another is a very sympathetic and laudatory review 

 of Gray's Elegy, whilst a third treats of the art of embalming. 

 Many are concerned with Natural History, and these are 

 important as they shew Hill in another and very important 

 character, namely that of a popular writer on Natural History, 

 especially Botany. In one number he described the structure 

 of a common flower, including an account of the movements 

 of a bee in collecting pollen ; and in another he described the 

 appearance of microscopic organisms paying marked attention 

 to their activities. These particular Inspectors are very pleasing 

 and are well and clearly written ; one especially is of outstand- 

 ing importance, as it shews that Hill was in some respects far in 

 advance of his times. He put forward a suggestion that Botany 

 would be much improved by the delivery of public lectures in 

 the museum with the living plants before the lecturer and the 

 members of the audience. This scheme has yet to be carried 

 out ; as they are, museums are a means of education for the few, 

 but a source of confusion to the many. For the latter their 

 educative value would be enormously increased by the delivery 



Isaac Disraeli, The Calamities and Quarrels of Authors, London, 1865. 

 2 London, 1848. 



