402 JOURNAL OF THE PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION. 
the kitchen, which was then very picturesque ; and on one evening 
Sir Robert Collier sketched my own portrait, whilst Cook sketched 
both Sir Robert and myself. Both these sketches are in my posses- 
sion. Some humorous verses were written in the visitors’ book by 
Sir R. Collier, and are in the book now to be seen at Chagford. 
Our visit to Chagford brought that most pleasant sketching tour 
to an end, and we returned home with folios well filled, Cook and 
Mr. Mitchell making subsequently some important drawings from 
their sketches. 
Sir R. Collier was one of those who fully appreciated Cook. 
Sir Robert, as is well known, has since taken the very highest 
position as an amateur artist ; his grand Swiss pictures find places 
(as they deserve to) on the line at the Royal Academy, and he is 
recognized as the head and chief of Amateur Pictorial Art in this 
country. The fine picture by him of the Austrian Tyrol, hung in 
this hall, will favourably compare with the work of most profes- 
sionals, 
I cannot trace the exact dates of our subsequent sketching tours, 
but we made an excursion annually ; and probably it must have 
been in the following year that Cook, with the late William 
Bennett, a Member of the Institute of Water Colour Painters, 
Field Talfourd, and myself, formed a party to sketch in Windsor 
Forest, where Bennett, who was a most distinguished artist, had 
made some of his best drawings. Bennett had given me lessons 
in London, and it was through my acquaintance with him that 
the little party was formed. Cook had great admiration for 
Bennett’s works, and was delighted to be one of the party, whilst 
Talfourd congratulated me and himself on the rare chance we 
two had of going sketching with two of the first men of the 
day. We took up our quarters at a little public-house quite in the 
heart of the forest, called “The Crispin,” where we were made 
very comfortable in the humblest possible way. ‘The Crispin” 
was frequented mainly by the royal keepers, who we found very 
useful to us in giving us access to the private drives and other 
quiet nooks of the forest. In these we sat all day long, sketching 
the grand old oaks and luxuriant ferns, abundance of game of all 
sorts running about us, but not a human being to be seen. The 
freedom from intrusion was most enjoyable. Bennett had attained 
a celebrity for his delineations of oaks, and ferns, and forest 
scenery ; and Cook, who had had little experience of such subjects, 
