BEWICK COBEESPONDENOE. 105 



Y. — Bewick Correspondence. Communicated by John Hancock^* 



Newcastle, ^thJany., 1788. 

 Dear Brother, 



I have your letter of the 1st J^ovr. last before me. I 

 find it came by Capt. Carr. I am much pleased with the Cuts 

 for ^' Death's Dance," and wish much to have the book when it 

 is done. I am surprized that you would undertake to do them 

 for 6s. each. You have been spending your time and grinding 

 out your eyes to little purpose indeed. I would not have done 

 them for a farthing less than double that sum. I shewed them 

 to Mr. Edwards a very capital and eminent painter, as well as a 

 very worthy man, now here, painting the scenes in the K' Castle 

 play-house. He approved much of them but was surprized when 

 I told him the price you had for them. He I expect will be 

 your friend, after this when he returns to London. I am glad 

 to find you have begun on your own bottom, and I would ear- 

 nestly recommend you to establish your character by taking un- 

 common pains with what work you do. I hope, it will, in the 

 end, turn better out than doing it slightly. — I suppose your next 

 will be an answer to one with 26 impressions per Matthew Wil- 

 liamson. I have wished for your answer to it for some time past. 

 If Mylock's print be the same one which you so obligingly sent 

 to me, I think nothing of it. It is not worth, in my opinion, one 

 of the two Tigers which I long since sent to you, in order to 

 exchange with him. I am obliged to you for the drawing of the 

 Lion, Mr. Edwards says it is a faithful representation. I wish I 

 had as good a one of the Wolf, the form and shape of which is 

 so variously and contradictorily represented to me by different 

 people that I am quite puzzled as to its real appearance. I am 

 glad to find that a large collection of animals is now on its way 

 to this Town. They are expected here on the latter end of this 

 month. They consist of various kinds of the Ape tribe, Porcu- 

 pine, Tiger-Cat, and Tiger, Greenland Bear, and one of the finest 

 Lions, very lately brought over, tliat ever made its appearance on 



* The Misses Be>vlck having: sliown mo these letters of tlielr Futhcr ami Uncle, and hav- 

 ing no objection to thoir bciiiy printed, I thought the perusal of thoni might interest some 

 of the Members of the Natural History Society and of the Field Club. 



