SAMUEL COOK, ARTIST. 415 
these occasions, and many are the exquisite little drawings, always 
in sepia, which he made at these meetings. Iam fortunate in pos- 
sessing several, but as they are kept in a folio have not brought 
them here, and have borrowed from Mr. Norman one of the best 
of these by Cook that I ever remember his making—a perfect 
marvel for simply two hours’ work. It is difficult to estimate the 
artistic value of these refined poetic and delicate works. 
At each house a new gathering of visitors was generally to be 
met with, and this led, perhaps more than anything else, to Cook 
being known and appreciated in society. Visitors who were neither 
artists or amateurs soon observed the homage paid to Cook by all 
who were acquainted with art, and were not long in discovering 
the refined qualities of his character. In this way he acquired a 
large circle of appreciative friends, and I can believe that the 
acquaintance of many of them became a great pleasure and source 
of happiness to Cook for the rest of his very limited life. 
When we had followed to the grave three of the chief members ; 
viz., S. Cook, Col. Smith, and Mr. Johns, the society ceased to 
exist. 
Want of health, studious habits, and a singularly retiring dispo- 
sition, united to keep Cook from mixing much in general society, 
though he was qualified to adorn the best, and had the best in this 
neighbourhood at his disposal. Considering that he received no 
education since the humble one of his early youth, save what he 
acquired for himself, his intellectual culture was remarkable, and 
his acquaintance with literature, especially poetry, was very con- 
siderable. 
A society of artists and amateurs on a very important scale has 
existed for many years in London. They meet once a month at 
Willis’s Rooms. At these meetings no drawings are made, but the 
folios of artists and amateurs are previously collected, and are 
arranged under powerful gaslights, and seen to great advantage. 
These meetings are not only frequented by many of the fashionable 
world of London, but also by dealers anxious to make the acquain- 
tance of promising artists. It was at one of these brilliant conver- 
saziones that a folio of sketches by Cook was being exhibited. 
Cook, Lady Trelawny, and myself, had met and gone there together. 
She and I watched with interest the remarks made on Cook’s 
sketches, as they were turned over one by one in the folio by many 
a connoisseur of art that night. Harding, the artist, was quite 
