494? Re-ply of Mr. Stephens 



from attending my public avocations, as officially notified ; 

 and, for about fifteen successive weeks, I scarcely obtained two 

 hours' consecutive repose, in addition to the anxiety conse- 

 quent upon the state of my family ; but unexpected demands 

 upon me, connected with my publications, in October, 1829, 

 determined me, in justice to my then increasing family, which 

 is chiefly dependent upon my exertions for support, to discon- 

 tinue my Illustrations i as I found the expenses of carrying 

 them on amounted to at least two thirds of my income, with 

 an uncertain return of less than three fourths of my actual 

 expenditure. In pursuance of that resolution, I abstained 

 from proceeding with my MSS., with the exception of the 

 small portion that was then nearly ready, and published in 

 January at the urgent solicitations of many friends, whose 

 persuasions subsequently induced me to recommence my la- 

 bours, which were, as above stated, necessarily suspended 

 from January to nearly the end of April. The causes, there- 

 fore, to which I referred on the 1st of May, were indubitably 

 *' uncontrollable," and remained so, and were of no " imme- 

 diate interest " to my subscribers : and I have yet to learn that 

 any human being is accountable to another for suspending an 

 undertaking in which he may be engaged, when prevented 

 from proceeding by the afflictions of our " Universal Parent ; " 

 because such compulsory suspension may " indisputably affect 

 the pockets " of the subscribers, as Mr. Davis so feelingly 

 remarks : a remark, by the way, totally devoid of truth. 



Having thus shown that the causes which led to the derange- 

 ment of the work were totally repugnant to my own designs, 

 I shall leave the other " envenomed shafts " of Mr. Davis to 

 receive their proper direction from the justice of the reader, 

 previously directing attention to one or two sentences therein 

 which seem to require particular notice. It may be remarked 

 that every extenuating point is omitted, while defects, real or 

 assumed, are unjustly magnified throughout the article ; e. g. 

 Mr. Davis observes that certain numbers are charged the 

 usual price (5s, *), although they contain less than the stipu- 

 lated quantity of matter : but he takes especial care to remain 

 silent in regard to the price of such numbers as, for instance, 



* In reference to the price of the numbers, that was settled by my pub- 

 lishers, whose known probity and uprightness sufficiently guarantee its 

 propriety, and which, compared with similar works, is not exorbitant; and 

 the third volumes will bear comparison with any systematic work in regard 

 to price ; and, in these volumes, twenty-two sheets of letterpress have been 

 given in lieu of twenty-four figures, decidedly to the advantage of the pur- 

 chaser. 



