to the Animadversions of Mr, Davis. 489 



the obviously false inferences Mr. Davis necessarily draws 

 from his erroneous premises. 



Mr. Davis commences by saying (p. 303.) — 



1. " On the first appearance of this periodical (on the 1st of May, 1827), 

 it was announced at 3s>Qd. per number, and was to be completed in sixteen 

 years." 



Now, Sir, the original prospectus, which was issued exten- 

 sively, and inserted in all the leading journals of the day, and 

 of which I enclose you a copy, regretting at the same time 

 that 1 have not a sufficient number remaining to meet the 

 demands of your useful publication, assuredly states that the 

 Illust?'ations were to appear in monthly numbers, containing 

 one sheet of letterpress, at 35. 6d. each, but not one word 

 occurs regarding the extent of the work, or the time it was 

 likely to occupy in its publication ; and it was not until the 

 appearance of my tenth number, on February 1. 1828, that 

 any definitive time was even hinted at ; when it was stated, in 

 reply to a disingenuous allusion to my work by Mr. Curtis, — 



" That no one could expect to see the completion of a work upon spe- 

 cies, in the present advanced state of science," &c. : — that " my labours 

 would cease in about sixteen years, or the period employed in the publica- 

 tion of Mr. Donovan's British Entomology." 



But no time was even then named for the termination of 

 the respective volumes; and it was not until the 1st of May 

 following that I proposed " to complete two volumes, with an 

 index, &c., annually on the 1st of June," to be effi?cted by pub- 

 lishing a supplementary number of about 100 pages, on June 30. 

 1 828 : thereby clearly showing that it was never contemplated 

 that the first two volumes (of six sheets each, less than some 

 of my numbers) were to be completed by the 1st of May, as 

 Mr. Davis, who states that he " wishes to deal only with 

 facts," chooses to assert, by affirming (in p. 305.) that the 

 " third volumes " ought to have been completed on the very 

 day this address (of May 1. 1830) was dated;" and also 

 again (in p. 308.), " the third volumes of the work will be 

 completed just thirteen months later than the time originally 

 promised," if finished by the 1st of June last ; mere assertions, 

 evidently introduced, as above and elsewhere alluded to, for 

 the dishonourable purpose of giving a colour to his other 

 misstatements and charges** 



* Figures, the most unerring guides when correctly stated, will render 

 this point more evident, and show the false stress that is laid upon the mere 

 word volume. The three double volumes, actually brought to a close, con- 

 tain ninety-two sheets of letterpress. Now, as the original stipulation 

 Was to publish one sheet monthly, ninety-two months, or nearly eight years. 



