Page images
PDF
EPUB

tion; but independently of the utter inadmissibility of the violent and disrespectful kind of reasoning adduced to support them, the heterogeneous composition of the Committee, high and able as it is, would not augur much coalescence of opinions, were they ever to meet.

The application of machinery, beyond all former expectation, has added facilities to human intercourse, has increased the public revenue, and rendered cheaper many, or most of the essentials of life; but as every advantage is, for some wise purpose, attended with a drawback, the profit of manual labour, where machinery can be employed, has diminished. The use of machinery being general, no nation can relinquish it without sustaining a ruinous loss. What then is to be done to enable labour to cope in a certain degree with its powerful and more productive opponent? No remedies can be found but two, not readily practicable; a diminution of taxation, and of the price of corn. Were even machinery, by general consent, abolished, manual labour would not furnish the demands of commerce and homeconsumption; and the necessarily advanced prices would not be granted. This state of things would, without benefitting capitalists, continue distress among the operatives. The waste lands, about fifteen millions of acres, would not constitute a permanent resource.

It appears, in the page of history, that excess of population threw off swarms in directions affording land and food. Great Britain and Ireland are at present teeming with inhabitants, whose maintenance must reduce to pauperism those immediately above them. If taxes in a certain degree could be taken off, money might be raised for removing, with their own assent, the more distressed excess of the population, to colonies where their industry would support them, and enable them in time to discharge a debt to their mother country. Without such expedients, distress may be palliated, but not effectually relieved.

Mr. URBAN,

JOHN MACDONALD.

Oct. 11.

1830) to a letter that appeared in your
valuable Journal of Nov. 1825, signed
P. T. respecting Penzance Chapel; it
gives me occasion, as a by-stander, to
offer you a few observations on that
letter. The account it gives of the
proceedings to which it relates, is sub-
stantially correct; but, in a particular
or two, of no importance, not entirely
or exactly so. In the first place, the
writer of this is of opinion, that the
words the same, after the figures 7, 8,
9, 10, 11, 12, in p. 420, are inserted
through some inadvertency, either of
the printer, or it may be, of P. T. him-
self, writing perhaps in haste and con-
fusion, and meaning to say others, or
some such thing; without any reference
to the names of any of the preceding
subscribers.-Secondly, he thinks there
has been a mistake made in classing
the subscriber, marked 17, in the se-
cond day's meeting, instead of the first:
but of this, he does not speak with
certainty, nor is it at all material.--
Thirdly, the note in p. 420, might as
well have been omitted altogether,-
Lastly, the conclusion of P. T.'s letter is
rather oddly expressed.-It is monstrous,
he says, that Penzance Chapel, and
every thing belonging to it, should re-
main as they were for a year and
eight months (now five years and a half);
but whether he means, by
66 every
thing belonging to it," the organ and
pulpit furniture, the pews and pew
doors, the tablets and monuments, the
hatchinents and inscriptions within;
or the rails and shrubs without, placed
and planted there only a few years
ago; or the weather cock on the
steeple, is not quite clear. This
is expressed in such a manner as might
almost lead one to suppose that it
insinuated the opinion of P. T., if
be were an ill-disposed person, that
these things ought not to remain as
they were at that time; and that he
probably would have no objection to
cause an alteration to be made in (or
even a demolition of) some of them;
without considering how far that would
be an approach to sacrilege; and al-
leging, on one pretence or other, that,
according to his ideas, it would be a
deserved one; without consulting the
wishes of the owners, or the declara-
tions, possibly, that with their consent

ALLUSION having been lately it should not be made.
made in a provincial paper (see
the Cornwall Gazette of Aug. 21,

I am, Sir, a sincere well-wisher to
your Magazine,
J. R.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]
[graphic][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[blocks in formation]

MEMOIR OF WILLIAM BULMER, ESQ.

With a Portrait.

Tith all that is correct and beauHE name of BULMER is associated tiful in Typography. By him the art was matured, and brought to its present high state of perfection. In our last number it was our painful duty to record the death of this worthy individual: we must now be allowed to dilate on his merits as a printer some. what at large.

This celebrated typographer was a native of Newcastle on Tyne, where he was apprenticed to Mr. Thompson, in the Burnt House Entry, St. Nicholas' Church-yard, from whom he received the first rudiments of his art. During his apprenticeship he formed a friendship with Thomas Bewick, the celebrated engraver on wood, which lasted with great cordiality throughout life. It was their practice whilst youths to visit together every morning a farmhouse at Elswick, a small village about two miles from Newcastle, and indulge in Goody Coxen's hot rye-cake and butter-milk, who used to prepare these dainties for such of the Newcastle youths who were inclined to enjoy an early morning walk before the business of the day commenced.

During the period of the joint ap prenticeships of these young aspirants for fame, Bulmer invariably took off the first impressions of Bewick's blocks, at his master's printing-office at Newcastle, where Bulmer printed the engraving of the Huntsman and Old Hound, which obtained for Bewick the premium from the Society of Arts in London. Mr. Bulmer afterwards suggested to his friend Bewick an improvement, of which he availed himself, of lowering the surfaces of the blocks where the distance or lighter parts of the engraving were to be shown to perfection.

When Mr. Bulmer first came to London, his services were engaged by Mr. John Bell, who was then publishing his beautiful miniature editions of the Poets, Shakspeare, &c. About 1787, an accidental circumstance introduced Mr. Bulmer to the late Geo.

Nicol, esq. bookseller to King George III. who was then considering the best method of carrying into effect the projected magnificent national edition of Shakspeare, which he had suggested

GENT. MAG. October, 1830.

305

to Messrs. Boydell, ornamented with designs by the first artists of this country. Mr. Nicol had previously enMartin, of Birmingham, in cutting sets gaged the skilful talents of Mr. Wm.

of types, after approved models, in imitation of the sharp and fine letter used by the French and Italian printers; which Mr. Nicol for a length of time caused to be carried on in his own house.

Premises were then engaged in Cleveland-row, St. James's, and the "Shakspeare Press" was established under the firm of "W. Bulmer and Co." This establishment soon evinced how judicious a choice Mr. Nicol had made in Mr. Bulmer to raise the reputation of his favourite project.

"This magnificent edition (says Dr. Dibdin), which is worthy of the unrivalled compositions of our great Dramatic Bard, will remain as long as those compositions shall be admired, an honourable testimony of the taste and skill of the individuals who planned and conducted it to its completion. The text was revised by G. Steevens and Isaac Reed. Mr. Bulmer possessed the proof sheets of the whole work, on which are many curious remarks by Steevens, not always of the most courteous description; also some original sonnets, a scene for a burlesque tragedy, some graphic sketches, &c."

"The establishment of the Shakspeare Press (continues Dr. Dibdin), was unquestionably an honour both to the founders in particular, and to the public at large. Our greatest poet, our greatest painter, and two of our most respectable publishers and printers, were all embarked in one common cause; were generally and jointly amalgamated, as it were, in one common white-hot crucible; from which issued so pure and brilliant a flame or fusion, that it gladdened all eyes and hearts, and threw a new and revivifying lustre on the threefold arts of painting, engraving, and printing. The nation appeared to be not less struck than astonished; and our venerable Monarch George the Third, felt anxious not only to give such a magnificent establishment every degree of royal support, but, infected with the matrix and puncheon mania, he had even contemplated the creation of a royal printing office within the walls of his own palace!"

One of his Majesty's principal hopes and wishes was, for his own country to rival the celebrity of Parma in the productions of Bodoni; and Dr. Dibdin pleasantly alludes to what he calls the Bodoni Hum,-of "his Majesty being completely and joyfully taken in, by bestowing upon the efforts of Mr. Bulmer's press, that eulogy which he had supposed was due exclusively to Bodoni's."

The first number of the Shakspeare appeared in January 1791; and at once established Mr. Bulmer's fame as the first practical printer of the day.

Dr. Dibdin has given (Bibliographical Decameron, ii. 384-395,) a curious and copious list of the "Books printed at the Shakspeare Press," with judicious remarks, to which we must refer our readers; contenting ourselves with noticing some of the articles, chiefly those not printed for general

sale.

1. Auli Persii Flacci Satyre, with Brewster's translation, 1790, 4to. This we believe to be the first publication of Mr. Bulmer's press. It never was published.

2. The Shakspeare, 9 vols. folio, 1791-1805, before noticed.

3. Contemplatio Philosophica, a post humous work of the late Brook Taylor, with his Life, by his relative the late Sir W. Young, Bart. 1793, 8vo, privately printed.

4. Claudiani Opera, 1793-6, small 8vo, never published. One copy ON

VELLUM.

5. Next to the Shakspeare, perhaps the Edition of The Poetical Works of John Milton, in 3 vols. folio, 17931797, is the finest production of Mr. Bulmer's press. Dr. Dibdin seems to prefer this work even to the Shakspeare itself.

6. In 1795 Mr. Bulmer printed a beautiful edition in 4to. of the " Poems of Goldsmith and Parnell," one copy on WHITE SATIN, and three on VELLUM. The volume is dedicated to the Founders of the Shakspeare PrintingOffice, Messrs. Boydells and Nicol. "The present volume," says Mr. Bulmer, in his Advertisement," in addition to the SHAKSPEARE, the MILTON, and many other valuable works of elegance, which have already been given to the world, through the medium of the Shakspeare Press, are [is] particularly meant to combine the va

rious beauties of PRINTING, TYPEFOUNDING, ENGRAVING, and PAPERMAKING; as well with a view to ascertain the near approach to perfection which those arts have attained in this country, as to invite a fair competition with the best Typographical productions of other nations. How far the different artists, who have contributed their exertions to this great object, have succeeded in the attempt, the public will now be fully able to judge. Much pains have been bestowed on the present publication, to render it a complete Specimen of the Arts of Type and Block-printing.

"The whole of the Types with which this work has been printed, are executed by Mr. William Martin, in the house of my friend Mr. George Nicol, whose unceasing endeavours to improve the Art of Printing, and its relative branches, are too well known to require any thing to be said on the present occasion; he has particularly patronized Mr. Martin, a very inge nious young Artist, who has resided with him seven years, and who is at this time forming a Foundery, by which he will shortly be enabled to offer to the world a Specimen of Types, that will in a very eminent degree unite utility, elegance, and beauty.*

"The ornaments are all engraved on blocks of wood, by two of my earliest acquaintances, Messrs. Bewicks,t of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and London, after designs from the most interesting passages of the Poems they embellish. They have been executed with great care, and I may venture to say, without being supposed to be influenced by ancient friendship, that they form the most extraordinary effort of the art of engraving upon wood, that ever was produced in any age, or

William Martin was brother of Robert Martin, the apprentice of Baskerville. He afterwards set up a foundry in Duke-street, St. James's. His Roman and Italic types were decided imitations of Baskerville's; but his Greeks and Orientals formed the most valuable part of his collection. His foundry in 1817 was united to the Caslon. (Hansard's Typographia, p. 360.) This ingenious letter-founder died in the summer of 1815, and was buried in St. James's Church, Westminster.

+ See a good memoir of Mr. Thomas Bewick, the elder brother, with a portrait, in vol. XCIX. pt. i. pp. 17, 132.

[ocr errors]
« PreviousContinue »