THOMAS BEWICK. 



231 



imperial, royal, and demy 8vo, at £2 2s., £1 us. 6d., and £1 is. respec- 

 tively. In a newspaper advertisement of this, " T. Bewick begs leave to 

 inform his friends, that the execution of this edition he conceives on the 

 whole to be the best that has appeared, particularly the imperial, which 

 nearly equals in size an ordinary quarto and only a small number is printed. 

 T. B. has sold the principal part of the edition to Mr. Charnley, reserving 

 to himself a few copies for his private sale amongst his friends, whose orders 

 will be thankfully received." This edition is not materially different from 

 the sixth (181 1). With the exception of the cut at the end of the index, 

 the volume is the same up to page 410; after this the order is changed 

 slightly, the Beaver being placed before the Rats ; the Musquash, a new cut 

 and description, coming between these. The block of the Mouse, which 

 was becoming worn and is really a poor example of Bewick's art, was 

 replaced in 1820 by another, which, though more formal, is in some respects 

 a better design, but the hardness in the outlines is a little objectionable. 



The "Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Luis de Camoens," the 

 Portuguese poet, were published in 1820, and contain in the first volume 

 four woodcuts : a coat of arms, two medals of Camoens, and a small 

 design showing the pen and sword crowned with laurel. The medals were 

 both cut by Bewick, the first giving a remarkably fine profile portrait of the 

 poet. The other is in outline only, and was done altogether by Bewick 

 himself. Adamson, the author, noticed that the thick stroke of the x in 

 the word excvdi was reversed and made by the engraver to read X ; he 

 pointed out the error to Bewick, who, however, "coolly looking at the 

 impression, and without being put out of his way, said, ' Well, Mr. Adamson, 

 it's still an X.' " In a letter relating to this, in the author's possession, 

 Adamson says he has no complete recollection of the remark, but as he knows 

 the X was shown to Bewick, he entertains little doubt the remark was made. 

 In the second volume there are three engravings : a medallion portrait 

 of Camoens, and two very coarse wood fac-similes of old heads of Portuguese 



