Loudon's Arboretum et Fruticetum Britanmcum. 673 



REVIEWS. 



Art. I. Literary Notice. 



' The following address has been printed, and sent to a number of persons, 

 who, it is hoped, will kindly endeavour to promote the object in view. 

 " The Arborehim et Fruticetum Britannicum, in 8 vols. 8vo, 4 of letterpress and 



four of plates. Price 10/. With upwards of 2000 woodcuts interspersed 



with the letterpress. 



N. B. The plates, if required, will be sold by themselves, but the letter- 

 press will not be sold without the plates. The reason is, that any number of 

 impressions may be taken from the plates whenever the}' are wanted ; whereas 

 the letterpress, not being stereotyped, there are of it but a limited number of 

 copies, which cannot be increased. 



The plates by themselves will be of great use to landscape artists, to the 

 pupils in schools of design, and to all persons learning to draw trees. 



A new impression of the four volumes of the plates of this work being 

 about to be issued, with certain corrections which in the original edition could 

 only be put in the list of errata, the author, with the approbation of his pub- 

 lishers and friends, thinks it may contribute to the sale of the work to make 

 the following statement. 



The Arbo7-etu7n Britannicum was got up between the years 1833 and 1838, 

 and published on Mr. Loudon's own account at an expense of upwards of 

 10,000/. The greater part of this sum was owing at the completion of the 

 work; but it sold so well, till the late depression of the book trade in 1841, 

 that only about 2,600/. of the debt remained to be paid off at the end of that 

 year. It is, however, necessary to observe, that this large proportion of the 

 debt was not paid oiF solely by the produce of the Arboreiiim, but in part by 

 the profits of Mr. Loudon's other literary property, consisting of thirteen dif- 

 ferent publications, all of which stand pletlged in the hands of his publishers, 

 Messrs. Longman, for the debt on the Arboretum. This debt, at the present 

 time, amounts to about 2,400/. ; and hence, if 350 additional subscribers could 

 be got, the debt would be at once liquidated, the works pledged for it set free, 

 and Mr. Loudon or his family would enjoy the whole produce of his literary 

 property.* 



This appeal would never have been made, had not Mr. Loudon, who has 

 been an invalid for several years, been lately seized with an inflammation of 

 the lungs, terminating in chronic bronchitis, which, even if the disease should 

 be considerably alleviated, will effectually prevent him from any longer pur- 



* It may be thought, from the well-known extensive sale, for the last 

 twenty years, of Mr. Loudon's publications, that he ought now to be inde- 

 pendent ; but, in consequence of too intense application while compiling the 

 EncyclopcEcUa of Gardening, Mr. Loudon fell into ill health in 1821, which 

 obliged him ultimately to have his right arm amputated, his left hand 

 being at the same time so much injured as to leave him with only the 

 partial use of two fingers, and his left knee being anchylosed. In conse- 

 quence of these bodily infirmities, Mr. Loudon has been obliged to keep an 

 amanuensis and a draughtsman for the last twenty years, and also a servant 

 to act as valet ; and, had it not been for the expenses thus incurred, and others 

 arising from the same source, he might have been now independent, even with- 

 out his literary property. This explanation is due to those who arc ignorant 

 of Mr. Loudon's personal character. 



X X 3 



