Hetrospective Criticism* 457 



sent to you with a view to complete the series? or have these gentlemen 

 failed to supply you with the means of doing so ? In either case, your 

 subscribers suffer, and so also, I may add, does the reputation of your 

 Magazine. These few remarks, which are offered in no unkindly spirit, I 

 hope may have their weight in the proper quarter, and induce the parties 

 in fault, whoever they may be, to redeem the pledge, by speedily supplying 

 the deficiencies of which I complain. I am, Sir, yours, &c. — B, Coventry, 

 July^. 1831. [It rests with the respective authors. — Cond.] 



Periodical Publications. — Sir, I am very much pleased to find that a 

 note relating to Swainson^s Zoological IllustrationSy appended to the review 

 of Sylva Britdnnica (Vol. III. p. 549.), and also an article on " the Advan- 

 tages and Disadvantages of Periodical Publications " (Vol. III. p. 297.), 

 have attracted the attention of that eminent naturalist. The accusation made 

 was, that Mr. Swainson had levied an exorbitant tax on his subscribers, by 

 charging them half-a-crown for about eight pages of titlepage, preface, indices, 

 &c. Some retrospective criticism on this subject appears in your May Num- 

 ber (p. 272.), with the signature of W. S. affixed to it, which, I may fairly 

 presume, is from the pen of Mr. Swainson himself. He here admits what 

 I have said to be " abstractedly just ; " but adds, that, " with reference to 

 the work itself, it is a very partial mode of reasoning, and therefore not 

 fair." He then goes on to draw comparisons between the price of the 

 numbers of Zoological Illustrations and that of other similar works ; and 

 shows that the advantage to the public, in point of cheapness, is greatly on 

 the side of his own publication. Now, all that he advances about the rela- 

 tive price of his own and other works may be very true, but it is nothing to 

 the purpose. I never insinuated that Mr. Swainson's work was too dear ; 

 indeed, I think so highly of it, both of its illustrative and descriptive depart- 

 ments, that had he charged 5.5., or even Qs. a number, in the first instance, 

 I should not have complained, nor have thought the book unworthy of the 

 cost. What I quarrel with, and what offends others as well as myself, is 

 the underhand mode of extorting every now and then a paltry pittance 

 from the pockets of his subscribers, by charging them half-a-crown for 

 eight pages of titlepage, preface, and indices ; a demand which no pur- 

 chaser could possibly expect to be made when he commenced taking in the 

 work, and which, in fact, amounts to a departure from the original bargain 

 between the author and the public. This charge I call an exorbitant tax, 

 and levied too in an unwarrantable manner, let the price of the numbers be 

 what it will ; and I should equally object to it, had the numbers been no 

 more than one shilling or sixpence each. For in that case Mr. Swainson 

 would be doing a shabby thing with one hand, while he did a liberal thing 

 with the other. If a man were in the habit of giving a sumptuous enter- 

 tainment to his friends regularly six days in the week, but on the departure 

 of his guests were to make a practice of charging them a penny per cork 

 for each bottle of wine consumed, or four-pence a head for the use of his 

 stable for their horses, he would, in spite of his hospitality, justly incur the 

 imputation of doing a very mean action. Just so with Mr. Swainson : his 

 admirable work (1 am really sorry it does not answer) is, I think, well 

 worth all the money it costs ; but this extra unexpected charge of two shil- 

 lings and sixpence for titlepage and index mars all. And I really do regret 

 that a gentleman should condescend to adopt such an unworthy mode of 

 reimbursing himself, and not rather have charged a fair remunerating price 

 for his numbers in the outset, as is more fully stated in the last half page 

 (Vol. III. p. 308.) of the article on " the Advantages and Disadvantages 

 of Periodical Works " already alluded to. 



Mr. Swainson tells you that " I need not fear that this exorbitant tax 

 will continue, or that the science of the country will be much burthened 

 with illustrative works." What am I to understand by this ? not, I sin- 



