Enfield, Feb. 23, 1721.

" DEAR SIR, "I received your kind present of Fowl, and return you my hearty thanks for it, and your judicious and friendly advice. I cannot yet get free of my indisposition;-my family would persuade me I get ground of it, but, I think, I have little reason to believe them. While my distemper was in the extreme parts, it was favourable, and of short continuance but quick returns; and I did nothing to disturb it: but since it has reached my head it is very troublesome and obstinate, and gives me many restless nights and some days. I am not wanting to myself in observing punctually the directions of my kind and learned Friends of the Faculty, to whom I am much obliged. I find no alteration in my stomach. As I never in my life was a good trencherman, I eat not a great deal, and but once in a day, but as much as I used to do when perfectly well, and my meal sits as easy; neither am I nice in my diet, but use common family food, avoiding only any salt meats, which I cannot think proper in my case, though they would be grateful to me; and deny not myself a glass of generous wine, which is not only allowed but recommended to me. This is my present case; and whether Eighty shall conquer, or Distemper, God only knows; and I acquiesce in his appointment. You may believe my Garden suffers as well as I; though I have hands enough, yet not one of them understands any thing of the matter, and I can seldom go to give them directions, and they are not often taken. I am forewarned of hazarding catching cold, which makes me very cautious of venturing out, or staying long in the open air. All the exercise

I can take is rumbling about four or five miles every day before dinner in my chariot, which a little refreshes me ;—but I fear I have tired you. I can, notwithstanding, enjoy a little pleasure in turning over my Hortus Siccus, to which you have been so great a benefactor; and cannot but beg the continuance of your correspondence, for you are now the only correspondent I have, as I have not had a line from any other Botanic Friend for above four months last past, which is no pleasant remark to me. Your kindness must make up my disappointment. "Adieu, and continue your friendship to

"Your obliged friend and servant,

ROB. UVEDALE *."

*This was one of the last of the good Doctor's Letters. He died Aug. 17, 1722. See the "Literary Anecdotes," vol. IX. pp. 485, 755, 816.

LETTERS

LETTERS to RICHARD RICHARDSON, Esq. Continued from vol. I. p. 816.

Dr. WILLIAM HIRD to Mr. RICHARDSON.

"KIND SIR,

Leeds, May 14, 1764. "My whole time has been so fully taken up, between the necessary and increasing calls of my Profession, and the little leisure I can devote to a cultivation of my talent in the Fine Arts, that I have not been able to gratify my wish of visiting you. The Picture you so obligingly lent me was finished some time ago (the copy I mean), and would have been sent back, had not Mr. Eagle informed me that you desired I would keep it till you could come to Leeds, and compare them together. Mine will fall greatly in the comparison, although it has something of the air of an original; however, it has had this effect, of not only improving my discernment, but my execution; and my next productions will be much the better for my labour. In this I have got much more facility in the management of my pencils, and the arrangement of my colours, two acquisitions of importance. I am now painting a sweet little Picture from a Disciple of Rembrandt, as fine as any thing of his, and exquisite for harmony of colouring, and a most delicious Chiaro Scuro. I am infinitely pleased with it, for it is all melody. My industry in copying your Veronese has enabled me to make this essay a capital performance, I mean of mine; and I shall be glad to receive your judgment upon it. The preservation and care I kept your picture with will induce you, I am sure, to lend me more. At the distance I am from the Seat of Arts, and from any Master in them, and the total want of one single lesson as a direction of study, makes me have recourse to the collections of those who honour me with their friendship; and I have found them liberal in lending. Besides, there are so few who know or love painting hereabout, that, had I not almost an infinite fund of affection to it myself, and a propelling ardour, I will not say of genius, but of inclination to execute, I should certainly lay all aside. My spirits are of the active kind, and must

* Dr. William Hird, a respectable Physician at Leeds, and very successful as an Amateur Artist. He was Author of "Remarks on Pestilence and Pestilential Disease, 1753," 8vo; and married, Oct. 19, 1773, the widow of Abraham Tilley, esq. of Warrington.

have some object, either of business, study, or amusement. Artists of all degrees feel a pleasure in the visits and applause of the judicious, that flatter them into such Herculean efforts as will in time cleanse the Augean Stables; and the labours of Painting are, I am sure, even with all the aid of genius, vast and comprehensive. I see it clearly; and, to do any thing meritorious in it, a man must have united in him an unbounded imagination, a correcting and chaste judgment, a complete knowledge of men and manners, a coup d'œil, that can seize on the moments of things, and trace the finest distinctions in Nature (where other inen see nothing but uniformity), her choice colourings, heightenings, and shadowing, her ineffable harmony and variety; - a sublime faculty of selection, which adopts and disposes objects that are proper, and refuses those that are not :-he must have affections nicely sensible to every approach, turning, and combination of the passions. These, and many more, must enter into the composition of my idea of a Painter, and without which he cannot excel; besides, he must have indefatigable attention, and a hand finely disposed to execute the purposes of the will, and taught dexterity from the cradle.—I am only telling you what passes in your own mind. You will readily excuse me, as you know me. "I beg my compliments to Mrs. Richardson; and am,

Yours respectfully,

WM. HIRD."

Rev. Dr. CYRIL JACKSON to Mr. RICHARDSON; inclosing a Letter of Mr. SMEAton.

"SIR, Halifax. July 14, 1759. "In obedience to your request, you receive inclosed an exact copy of that Letter I mentioned when I had the pleasure of visiting you at Bierley, relating to the conduct of the works at the Edystone; to which I have added a paragraph or two from subsequent Letters from Mr. Smeaton, relating to the same subject. "I promise myself the pleasure of waiting upon you some time shortly, but cannot at present fix upon a day.

"I beg my compliments to your Lady; and am, with great esteem, Sir, your most obedient servant, CYR. JACKSON."

"To Dr. JACKSON, Halifax. Yorkshire.

"DEAR SIR,

Plymouth, Aug. 15, 1758.

"As you seem desirous of knowing the general method of conducting the Edystone works, the subject of the present letter shall be to give you as concise an account thereof as I can.

"When I first came down hither, it was with a commission from the Gentlemen Proprietors, to employ a Deputy Surveyor, a Clerk, and such a number of foremen, artificers, seamen, and labourers, and at such wages, gratuities, or extra-encourage

VOL. III.

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ments,

ments, as I should think proper; with a power to reward on extraordinary occasions, or dismiss any person employed in the service, even without acquainting the Proprietors. To contract for stone, timber, and all kinds of materials, and whatever else might be necessary for the service, with such persons, and at such prices, as I should think proper. In short, that I should have power to do whatsoever I thought conducive to the good of the service. An account, by way of journal, weekly, of the state and progress of the works to be sent up to the Proprietors and also monthly the accounts to be brought to a balance; a duplicate thereof, with the vouchers, to be remitted in the same manner. All wages to be paid weekly, tradesmen's bills quarterly, and contracts as they became due.

"The Officers chose under me in consequence were, Deputy Surveyor, Clerk, Foreman of the Yard, and Foreman afloat. The business of the two first is obvious: that of the Foreman of the Yard is to superintend the workmen employed therein; to call them over morning and evening, and take account of their time; to set out each man's work, aud see that they worked according to the moulds, and that every man duly followed his business; to take an account of all materials brought into and carried out of the yard, and the repairs of tools by the smith; to try all the work together upon the platform, and to see that every thing was completed in the manner intended, ready to go out

to sea.

"The outwork, or business upon the rock, is conducted as follows. From the workmen of the yard are chose out two companies of twelve men each (six masons, and six labourers), all volunteers. At the head of one of those companies is the Foreman afloat; and of the other, the Deputy Surveyor. The business and duty of those upon the rock is much of the same nature as that of the Foreman of the Yard is ashore. These two compa

nies go out week for week alternately, to lodge in the store-vessel moored near the Edystone; but, as the weather does not always permit to change them upon the day appointed, that the outwork may suffer no interruption from absence of hands, the out-company always stays out till relieved by the other. The duty of those companies is, to take all opportunities that the weather af fords, to work upon the rock, whether night or day, Sunday or workday;-but, that every person may be at liberty every other Sunday, the regular day of exchange is Monday.

"The masons and labourers have the same wages at sea as in the yard, whether they have an opportunity of working on the rock or not. This is sufficient to furnish bread in case they should not be able to work at all, which is often the case; but, as there would be no procuring hands for this service upon the same terms as a-shore, the extra encouragements depend upon the work done upon the rock; so that the Proprietors are never at more expence than common wages, except when the work is actually advancing thereon. All hands, therefore, are, besides their

current

current wages above-mentioned, paid so much an hour for every hour's work done on the rock, viz. deputy or foreman 1s. masons 6d. and labourers 4d. per hour each.

"The navigation is performed by nine seamen, three of which attend on board the store-vessel, and upon the workmen when upon the rock; and are paid the same extra as the labourers. The other six are disposed of in three little sloops of about fifteen ton each, which carry out the stone and all materials; those have standing wages the same as the rest, but are paid so much extra upon the delivery of every cargo upon the rock. By this means it becomes the interest of every individual to do their utmost towards forwarding the building.

"In case of accident, the surgeon is paid, and the people maintained during the cure; but very little charge has accrued to the Proprietors from this quarter as yet.

"All the work in the yard has been done by day-work, that it might not be slighted.

"The ordinary wages of the yard is more than the wages of the country by sixpence per day; by which means we are never at a loss for the choice of the best hands, and it becomes a punishment to be discharged. It is further a rule never to employ any hand a second time that leaves the work unhandsomely, or that is discharged for any misbehaviour; by these means we are able to reduce even Cornish tinners into tolerable order.

"We have never had full fifty men in the employ at a time, officers and seamen included. The first and present Summer no more workmen than the two companies. The first stroke was struck the 5th of August 1756. That Summer was spent in cutting the rock, and making conveniencies ashore. Two months ago all the Portland stone was finished in the yard, and at present above three fourths of the whole quantity of moor-stone. Considerably more than half the whole quantity of stone is now together upon the rock. We are now going on with the seventeenth course, which, when finished, will raise the building to 25 feet above the first foundation, and 16 feet above high-water mark. present year we did not get to work till the 2d of July: since which time we have completed seven courses, containing 345 principal pieces, being one with another about a ton each; and yet till the last week we have never had a week without interruption, and more than once of ten days at a time.

The

"With respect to our money matters and accompts;—I take up money, as we want it, of a money-broker here, for which I give him bills upon one of the Proprietors and Co. in London.— I hinted before, that the Foreman of the Yard keeps an account of the men's time in the yard; and the Deputy and Foreman afloat of their respective companies at the rock. Those accounts are delivered in weekly, and the men's wages paid thereby. Those accounts are entered in two separate books, one for the yard, the other for the rock, which last includes the seamen. The method of both is nearly the same; the men's names and business

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