; 7>\ 



l <*",.. 



MEMOIR OF THOMAS BEWICK. 2 



Xft4U 



those now unique specimens of the " ancient Caledo- 

 nian breed." For this purpose, Mr BewicK made a 

 special visit to Chillingham, and the result was the 

 largest wood-cut he ever engraved; which, though it 

 is considered as his chef d'oeuvre, seemed, in its con- 

 sequences, to shew the limits within which wood- 

 engraving should generally be confined. The block, 

 after a few impressions had been taken off, split into 

 several pieces, and remained so till, in the year 1817, 

 the richly figured border having been removed, the 

 pieces containing the figure of the wild bull were so 

 firmly clamped together, as to bear the force of the 

 press ; and impressions may still be had. A few 

 proof-impressions on thin vellum of the original block, 

 with the figured border, have sold as high as twenty 

 guineas. 



As it obviously required much time, as well as 

 labour, to collect, from various quarters, the materials 

 for a " General History of Quadrupeds," it is evi- 

 dent that much must have been done in other ways, 

 in the regular course of ordinary business. In a 

 country engraver's office, much of this requires no 

 record; but, during this interval, three works on 

 copper seem to have been executed, chiefly by Mi- 

 Thomas Bewick. A small quarto volume, entitled, 

 " A Tour through Sweden, Lapland, &c., by Matthew 



