The Old Man and his Ass. Hewlett's " Spelling Book." 



CHAPTER XXI. 



PRIVATE LIFE AND PUBLIC QUARRELS. I 798 — l8l2. 



ROM the 1 st of January, 1798, the dissolution of the partnership 



between Bewick and Beilby took effect, but Beilby appears to have 

 retained his interest in the Quadrupeds and the first volume of the 

 Birds for some time. In 1800 Hodgson, the partner in the Quadrupeds to 

 the extent of a third, died, and disputes arising between the other partners 

 and Hodgson's widow, Beilby, " in order to avoid this cloud of mischief," 

 retired from the partnership altogether, and sold Bewick his share in the 

 Quadrupeds and the first volume of the Birds. Disagreements about money 

 matters also arose, and in referring to the time when he purchased the shares 

 from Beilby, Bewick says in his Memoir : — 



" I had no sooner agreed to give the price demanded, than many recollections 

 of the past crowded upon my mind, and, looking at the unfavourable side, I could 

 not help thinking of the extra labour and time I had spent in the completion of 

 these works, wherein he [Beilby] had borne comparatively a small part — not even 

 an equivalent in time and labour in the other department of our business ; and in 

 this instance, I could not help thinking that he had suffered greediness to take 

 possession of his mind ; but having promised to pay the sum, I made no further 

 observations to anyone." 



D D 



