CHAPTER XIV. 



WHILST I was engaged with figures of the 

 Water-Birds, and the Vignettes, and writing the 

 History, I was greatly retarded by being obliged 

 often to lay that work aside, to do various other 

 jobs in the wood engraving, and also the work 

 of the shop, for my customers in the town, par- 

 ticularly writing engraving, which, I may say, I 

 was obliged to learn and to pursue after Mr. 

 Beilby left me. The most interesting part of this 

 kind of work was plates for bank-notes ; but, as 

 one of the most important of these was a five 

 pound note for the Carlisle Bank, which attracted 

 much notice, it may be right to give some account 

 of it. It happened, one evening, that, whilst I 

 was in company with George Losh, Esq., who 

 was in some way connected with that bank, he 

 asked me if I could engrave a bank note that 

 could not be easily forged. In reply, I told him I 

 thought I could. "Then," said he, "do it imme- 

 diately;" and I lost no time in beginning upon 

 it. I had, at that time, never seen a ruling 

 machine, nor the beautiful engine-turning lately 

 brought into use by Perkins, Fairman, and Heath, 

 which was at that time, I believe, utterly unknown. 

 I however, proceeded with my plate, and my object 

 was to make the device look like a wood cut ; and 

 in this, though a first attempt, I succeeded; and 

 the number of impressions wanted w r ere sent to 



Carlisle. 



x 



