Stephens* s " Illustrations of British Entomology J* 305 



causes, certainly, may not, but the effects most indisputably 

 affect their pockets. Instead of the deficiency being at once 

 given, it is now to be " made good during the progress of 

 the volume " (volumes ?) ; which are not both complete to this 

 day, although they ought to have been so on the very day 

 this address was dated. It was now stated that the work would 

 be completed in eighty-one numbers. By a careful examin- 

 ation, I find the author was at that period at least fiVQ and 

 a half sheets in arrear. 



No. xxxiii. appeared on the 1st of June, mthout a plnte, 

 with three sheets of letterpress : the omission of a plate being 

 accounted for from " the late period at which the author 

 resumed his labours.^' 



No. xxxiv., dated July 1 ., contained no plate^ and only two 

 sheets of paper, ^rice ^ five shillings ; but No. xxxv. was to "con- 

 tain two plates, and five, sheets of letterpress." 



On the 1st of August comes out No. xxxv. pa7^t i., a single 

 sheet of printed paper, worth 9d., charged 2s. 6d., and another 

 statement of an " unexpected circumstance," &c. 



No. xxxv. partii. is dated August 15. (but did not, I be- 

 lieve, appear till the 3 1st), and contained two plates of three 

 figures each and four sheets ; and it was stated that " the re- 

 maining portion, promised on the 1st of July last, is now pub- 

 lished." Of course, any person taking all upon trust would 

 suppose we were now all right ; but, in truth, the author was 

 then in debt to his subscribers one plate of three figures, two 

 plates of six figures, and three and a half sheets of letterpress. 



In each of the succeeding numbers, to the 30th of Novem- 

 ber, there was a deficiency of letterpress, and none of the 

 portion due on the 1st of August was made up. 



The following extract is from the wrapper of No. xxxviii., 

 dated Nov. 30. 1830: — 



" The author having been prevented, by a severe domestic affliction, 

 from superintending more than the accompanying quantity of letterpress 

 [one sheet only !] in time for publication on this day, begs to inform his 

 subscribers that No. xxxix. will contain the full supply thereof, and the 

 figures required to complete the third volume of each sub-class, agreeably to 

 the proposals on the wrapper of No. xxviii. ; and that No. xl. (to be pub- 

 lished in January next) will commence the fourth volume." 



Thoroughly sick of this dilatory course of proceeding, I 

 resolved on completing the third volumes of each sub-class, 

 and then to discontinue the work. I cannot help suspecting 

 that the author had some strong misgivings that many persons 

 would entertain a similar design ; and was, therefore, led to 

 adopt a course which, however it may be consistent with the 

 policy of a certain class of booksellers, is at least discredit- 



VoL. IV. — No. 20. x 



