2 14 



THOMAS BEWICK. 



is a company eagerly engaged either with a dog or a man fight, a sight then 

 not uncommon in Northumberland. The last addition is the man on a donkey, 

 at page 300 of the volume. 



Bell states that no demy copies of the 1 805 edition were printed ; but the 

 following letter proves that there were five hundred taken off. This letter ap- 

 pears to have been addressed to Messrs. Vernor, Hood, and Sharpe, with whom 

 Bewick frequently had transactions of this nature : it is now in the possession of 

 Mr. Crawford J. Pocock, of Brighton, who has kindly lent it for publication : — 



"Newcastle 14 Sept. 1805. Gentlemen, — A new Edition consisting of 500 Sets 

 of the British Birds, in two Volumes Demy, is now ready for delivery — shou'd you 

 be disposed to buy any quantity of them, I will send them to you immediately — 

 my terms are these — they must be packed and shiped at your expence and risk — 

 and be paid for by a Bill @ 6 months, more or less according to the number ordered 

 — and charged to me @ g s Vol: in Boards the selling price is 12s. If these 

 terms are agreable to you be so good as to write to me as soon as convenient. 

 The Imperials and Royals of the same work are now at press and will be finished in 

 about 4 Months hence — Messrs. Longman & Co. names are printed on the Title as 

 the publisher's, but I do not mean, as I did before to confine the sale to them only. 

 The good opinion I entertain of your House, as well as the obligations I owe it, 

 induces me to give you this first offer. The Cuts you have had done, at the prices 

 you named in your Letter amounts to f 8 "'ii- I will send you a Bill of particulars 

 at a future opportunity — and in the meantime wou'd be obliged if out of this sum 

 you wou'd be so good as to pay Mr. B. Lepard, Stationer Cov'. Garden f £ 

 which I owe him for paper and Cards and tell him the goods arrived yesterday. 

 The sooner you can send me the designs you mention the better, as short and dark 

 days are fast approaching and the difficulty of doing them well is thereby greatly 

 increased — I am Gentlemen Yours most obed ly Thomas Bewick." 



The third edition of the Birds was issued in 1809, and it differs in several 

 important points from the earlier editions. It was printed only on demy 

 octavo paper, and the title-pages are marked Part I. and Part II. in place of 

 Volumes I. and II. The volumes thus form one book, and are usually bound 

 together. The type employed was smaller, and the pagination different, the 

 ordinary pages being numbered in after the Contents and Introduction. The 

 alteration of type making some changes, the vignettes are arranged on 



