every Saturday, to see if any had been sold, and to leave more. His most successful shop was the sign of the "Cricket-bat," in Duke'scourt, St. Martin's-lane, where he found he had sold as many as came to five shillings and sixpence. With this success he was so pleased, that, wishing to invite the shopkeeper to continue in his interest, he laid out the money in a silver pencil-case; which article, after he had related the above anecdote, he took out of his pocket, and assured me he never would part with. He then favoured me with the following history of Woollett's plate of the Niobe; and, as it is interesting, I shall endeavour to relate it in Mr. Boydell's own words.

"When I got a little forward in the world,” said the venerable Alderman, "I took a whole shop, for at my commencement I kept only half a one. In the course of one year I imported numerous impressions of Vernet's celebrated Storm, so admirably engraved by Lerpiniére; for which I was obliged to pay in hard cash, as the French took none of our prints in return. Upón Mr. Woollett's expressing himself highly delighted with this print of the Storm, I was induced, knowing his ability as an engraver, to ask him if he thought he could produce a print of the same size, which I could send over, so that in future I could avoid payment in money,

and prove to the French nation that an Englishman could produce a print of equal merit; upon which he immediately declared that he should like much to try.

"At this time, the principal conversation among artists was upon Mr. Wilson's grand picture of Niobe, which had just arrived from Rome. I, therefore, immediately applied to his Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, its owner, and procured permission for Woollett to engrave it. But before he ventured upon the task, I requested to know what idea he had as to the expense, and, after some consideration, he said he thought he could engrave it for one hundred guineas. This sum, small as it may now appear, was to me," observed the Alderman, "an unheard-of price, being considerably more than I had given for any copper-plate. However, serious as the sum was, I bade him get to work, and he proceeded with all possible cheerfulness, for, as he went on, I advanced him money; and though he lost no time, I found that he had received nearly the whole amount before he had half finished his task. I frequently called upon him, and found him struggling with serious difficulties, with his wife and family, in an upper lodging in Green'scourt, Castle-street, Leicester-fields; for there he lived before he went into Green-street. How

ever, I encouraged him, by allowing him to draw upon me to the extent of twenty-five pounds more; and, at length, that sum was paid, and I was unavoidably under the necessity of saying, • Mr. Woollett, I find we have made too close a bargain with each other; you have exerted yourself, and I fear I have gone beyond my strength, or, indeed, what I ought to have risked, as we neither of us can be aware of the success of the speculation. However, I am determined, whatever the event may be, to enable you to finish it to your wish; at least to allow you to work upon it as long as another twentyfive pounds can extend, but there we positively must stop.' The plate was finished; and, after taking a very few proofs, I published the print at five shillings, and it succeeded so much beyond my expectation, that I immediately employed Mr. Woollett upon another engraving, from another picture by Wilson; and I am now thoroughly convinced, that had I continued in publishing subjects of their description, my fortune would have been increased tenfold."

Of Woollett's glorious engraving of Niobe, we have a most brilliant proof on India paper in the British Museum, a similar one to which has been sold for fifty pounds. Should this page meet the eyes of Mr. Burke, and such liberal

gentlemen who are willing to persevere in their encouragement of Modern Art, I trust, for the honour of England, should our Landscape-Engravers possess talent and inclination to produce similar works to those of Woollett's Niobe, Phaeton, Celadon and Amelia, Ceyx and Alcyone,-productions hitherto standing alone,that they will sanction the labours of artists who have, as well as our respectable publishers, so seriously of late felt an unprecedented depression, in consequence of the most glaring misconduct of several speculators: and I hope a time will soon arrive, when the grand pictures of Turner, Callcott, Arnald, &c. will be selected by some spirited publishers, for the purpose of producing other Woolletts.

As Mr. Strutt, in his Dictionary of Engravers, has neither given the time of Vivares's birth, death, nor place of burial, it will be some information to state, that Francis Vivares was born in the village of St. John, in France, July 11th, 1709; that he came to England in 1718, where for some years he followed the trade of a tailor; and that he died November 26th, 1780, and was buried at Paddington.

William Woollett was born at Maidstone August 27th, 1735, and died May 23d, 1785, being buried in the church-yard of the old church of St. Pancras.

ZUCCARELLI.

ZUCCARELLI was a native of Piligliano, near Sienna. After studying under Morandi and Nelli, he was much noticed by Mr. Smith, the British Consul, who encouraged him to visit England, where he was employed at the Operahouse as a Scene-painter; though he soon quitted that employment for the patronage of the late King, and some of the first nobility.* Most of his pictures were painted in turpentine only, I covered with a coat of varnish, which always produces a cheerful effect. The late venerable President, Mr. West, who first met him at the English Coffee-house at Rome, informed me that he died at Florence, the 30th of December, 1788, at the advanced age of eighty-six.

Zuccarelli was one of the first members of the Royal Academy; and during the first three years of its exhibition, resided in Piccadilly. He is wholly unmentioned by Fuseli, in the Appendix to his edition of Pilkington's Dictionary.

* Frederick Prince of Wales collected his pictures; and those large circles which were engraved by Vivares, and many others formerly at Kew, are now in the royal apartments at Windsor; in which splendid palace there are also many by Canaletti in his finest style. It is a curious fact, that the latter Artist frequently painted the buildings in Zuccarelli's Landscapes.