172 



THOMAS BEWICK. 



Another point in the design is a cow drinking in a pool, magnificently brought 

 out by its contrast with the dark pony and the tinted rocks behind. 



" The Beauties of Modern Literature," Richmond, 1802, contains a well- 

 finished title cut. " Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs," by R. Bloomfield, 

 Vernor and Hood, 1802, contains a number of vignettes, but none bear the 

 impress of Bewick's work, nor of having been engraved in his workshop. 

 Of Bloomfield' s " Farmer's Boy," published in twelve editions, from 1800 to 

 181 1, and so persistently sold by booksellers and auctioneers as containing 

 Bewick's work, it is enough to look carefully at the prints to ascertain that 

 they are not by Bewick. Some indeed are signed "Nesbit." No book of 

 a similar kind is more often retailed as a genuine Bewick than this, the 

 mistake probably arising from the British Museum Catalogue, which classes 

 it as the great engraver's work. Fisher's " Spring Day," 1803, has four 

 blocks, the chief attractions of which are the foliage and landscapes. The 

 Flowering Hawthorn and the Man Deranged are particularly fine. 



Besides those mentioned there were a number of works published during 

 these years containing engravings by Bewick ; the more important are noticed, 

 and the reader is referred to our list at the end for the titles of the others. 



Bewick relates, in his writings, that when he was occupied in engraving 

 the figures of the second volume of the Birds, as well as writing the letterpress 

 for the same, he was also executing plates for various banks to be employed 

 in printing their notes. In 1798 he did one for the Carlisle Bank, and of 

 this he furnishes the following account : — 



" It happened, one evening, that whilst I was in company with George Losh, Esq., 

 who was in some way connected with the Carlisle 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 immediately ; ' and I lost no time in beginning 



upon it 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 were 

 sent to Carlisle." 



This copper-plate was for a note of One Pound ; it had the arms of Carlisle 



