Mr. Atkinson's Sketch of the late T. Bewick. 137 



and ingenious contrivance, he so far surpassed his master, that the cour 

 eluding figures were, at Mr. Button's desire, executed by him alone. 

 It is scarcely necessary to remark, that in wood engraving, where the 

 prominent parts of the block, and not the cavities, as in copper, receive 

 the ink, it would be matter of some difficulty, with only a tool like a 

 small chisel, to cut the block, so as to give impressions of curved lines, 

 equally thick and regular throughout ! Bewick saw this, and after a 

 little consideration, thought of making a chisel with two points, which 

 being immoveable, would not fail to produce a line of equal thickness. 

 There was another difficulty ; no one could make him a tool sufficient- 

 ly fine : here, however, his ingenuity again befriended him, for he 

 covered the steel with a coat of etching ground, and by the application 

 of an acid, easily procured a cavity of the requisite form, and found 

 the tool answer every expectation. From this time, he devoted him- 

 self more exclusively to wood engraving ; his success in cutting the 

 figures for Mr. Hutton, and their easiness of execution, when compared 

 to the heavy laborious work he had been before engaged in, on metals, 

 gave a bias to his inclinations, which ultimately led him almost entirely. 

 to rehnquish the other branches of the art, in favour of wood engraving. 



On the expiration of his seven years, he returned to Cherry Burn, 

 and did job work for Mr. Beilby, coming into Newcastle once or twice 

 a week. 



The first book, containing specimens of his art, is *' Youth's Instruc- 

 tive and Enterta'ming Story Teller," 12mo. ; the first of which was 

 published by Saint, at Newcastle, in 1774, and the second in 1775. 



About this period, he determined to go to London, and on the 1st 

 October, 1776, he arrived for the first time in that overgrown place ; 

 he staid there about a year and a half, working with a person of the 

 name of Cole. While there, he cut a beautiful wreath of flowers for 

 his friend Mr. Thomas Angus, printer, who had it worked oflfas a tail 

 piece in the Freemason' s Companion, published at Newcastle in 1777- 



In 1779, Saint published "Fables by the late Mr. Gay, in 1 vol. 

 complete." This book was illustrated by Bewick's wood cuts, and 

 contained the five prints which gained him the medal of the Society of 



