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of Apollo, from Claude, and two premium pictures from the Smiths of Chichester, were amongst the first large works which this excellent artist engraved; but the Niobe and the Phaeton, from Wilson, established his fame. the first of them the alderman agreed to give the engraver fifty guineas, and when it was completed paid him a hundred. The second, the artist agreed to engrave for fifty guineas, and the alderman paid him one hundred and twenty. The two prints were published by subscription, at five shillings each. Proof prints were not at that time considered as having any particular value; the few that were taken off to examine the progress of the plate were delivered to such subscribers as chose to have them, at the subscription price. Several of these have since that time been sold at public auctions, at ten and eleven guineas each. By these and similar publications he had the satisfaction to see in his own time the beneficial effects of his exertions. We have before observed, that previous to his establishing a continental correspondence for the exportation of prints, immense sums were annually sent out of the country for the purchase of those that were engraved abroad; but he changed the course of the current, and for many of the later years of his life, the balance of the print-trade with the continent was very much in favour of Great Britain.

On the 5th of August 1782, Mr. Boydell was chosen alderman of London, for the ward of Cheap, in the room of alderman Crichton, deceased. In the year 1785 he served the office of sheriff; and in 1790, was chosen lord. mayor of London, an office of which he discharged the duties and the honours with a diligence, uprightness, and liberality, that may be equalled, but will rarely be exceeded.

Having been so successful in promoting the art of engraving in this country, he resolved to direct his next efforts to the establishing an English school of historical painting; and justly conceiving that no subject could be more appropriate for such a national attempt than England's inspired poet, and great painter of nature, Shakspeare, he projected, and just lived to see completed, a most splendid edition of the works of that author, illustrated by engravings from paintings of the first artists that the country could furnish, and of which the expence was prodigious. These paintings afterwards formed what was VOL. VI.

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termed "The Shakspeare gallery," in Pall Mall; and we believe there are few individuals possessed of the least taste, or even curiosity, who have not inspected and been delighted by them.

It is always interesting to trace the origin of a great undertaking. The Shakspeare gallery arose from a conversation at the dining-table of Mr. Josiah Boydell (the alder man's nephew and successor) in November 1786, in the presence of Mr. West, Mr. Romney, and Mr. P. Sandby, artists, and Mr. Hayley, Mr. Hoole, Mr. Braithwaite, Mr. Nicol, and the alderman. The literary part of the company were joining with the professional gentlemen in complimenting the alderman on, having lived to see the whole tide of the commerce in prints with the continent entirely changed from importing to exporting, and that effected in the space of one life, by the alderman's great and munificent exertions. The only answer the alderman made to these compliments was, that he was not yet satisfied with what he had done; and that, old as he was, he should like to wipe away the stigma which all foreign critics threw on this nation, "that we had no genius for historical painting." He said he was certain from his success in encouraging engraving, that Englishmen wanted nothing but proper encouragement and subjects to excel in historical painting, and this encouragement he himself would endeavour to find, if a proper subject was pointed out. Mr. Nicol (his majesty's bookseller, and afterwards the alderman's nephew by marriage) replied that there was one great national subject, concerning which there could be no difference of opinion, and mentioned SHAKSPEARE! The proposition was received with acclamation by the alderman and the whole company; and on December 1 of the same year, the plan being considered, was laid before the public in a printed prospectus.

After having expended in his favourite plan of advancing the fine arts in England no less a sum than 350,000l. this worthy and venerable character was necessitated, by the stoppage of his foreign trade during a dozen years of war, to apply to parliament, in the beginning of 1804, for permission to dispose of the Shakspeare gallery, and his other collections of pictures and prints, by way of lottery. His letter to sir John William Anderson, bart. on the occasion of his introducing a petition for that purpose to the house of commons, is a document of too much curiosity and in

terest to the feelings to be omitted. We have therefore thrown it into a note. *

The act of parliament being passed to sanction this lottery, the worthy alderman had the gratification of living

to see every ticket sold. We are, at first sight, inclined to lament that he did not live to see the prizes drawn, and the whole terminated. But for him to have witnessed his gallery transferred to other hands, besides a number of pictures, for the painting of which he had paid immense sums, scattered like the Sybill's leaves, might possibly have given him many a heart-rending pang. It may be sufficient in this place to notice that the gallery of paintings, in one lot, and consequently the highest prize, became the property of Mr. Tassie, of Leicester-square, nephew to the late well-known imitator of ancient cameos and intaglios, and by him the pictures were afterwards sold by auction.

Mr. Boydell's death was occasioned at last by a too scrupulous attention to his official duties. Always early

"You will excuse, I am sure, my dear Sir, some warmth in an old man on this subject, when I inform you that this unhappy revolution has cut up by the roots that revenue from the continent which enabled me to undertake such considerable works in this country. At the same time, as I am laying my case fairly before you, it should not be disguised, that my na'tural enthusiasm for promoting the fine arts (perhaps buoyed up by success) made me improvident. For had I laid by but ten pounds out of every hundred pounds my plates produced, I should not now have had occasion to trouble my friends, or appeal to the public; but, on the contrary, I flew with impatience to employ some new artist, with the whole gains of my former undertakings. I see too late my error; for I have thereby decreased my ready money, and increased my stock of copper-plates to such a size, that all the print-sellers in Europe could not purchase it, especially at these times, so unfavourable to the arts.

"Having thus candidly owned my error, I have but one word to say in extenuation. My receipts from abroad had been so large, and continued so regular, that I at all times found them fully adequate to support my undertakings at home.-I could not calculate on the present crisis, which has totally annihilated them.-I certainly calculated on some defalcation of these receipts, by a French or Spanish war, or both; but with France or Spain I carried on but little commerce. Flan

ders, Holland, and Germany, (and these countries no doubt supplied the rest of Europe) were the great marts; but, alas! they are now no more. The convulsion that has disjointed and ruined the whole continent I did not foresee-I know no man that did. On that head, therefore, though it has nearly ruined me and mine, I can take but little blame to myself.

"In this state of things I throw myself with confidence upon that public who have always been but too partial to my poor endeavours, for the disposal of that, which, in happier days, I flattered myself to have presented to them.

"I know of no means by which that can be effected, just now, but by a Lottery; and if the legislature will have the goodness to grant a permission for that purpose, they will at least have the assurance of the even tenour of a long life, that it will be fairly and honourably conducted. The objects of it are my pictures, galleries, drawings, &c. &c. which, unconnected with my copper-plates and trade, are much more than sufficient to pay, if properly dis posed of, all I owe in the world.

"I hope you, my dear Sir, and every honest man, at any age, will feel for my anxiety to discharge my debts; but at my advanced age, of eighty-five, I feel it becomes doubly desirable.

"I am, Dear Sir, with great regard, Your obedient and obliged Servant, JOHN BOYDELA.".

in his attendance on public business, he arrived at the sessions-house in the Old Bailey, on Friday the 7th December, 1804, before any of the other magistrates, and before the fires were lighted. Standing near a grate while this was done, the damps were drawn out, and he took a cold this produced an inflammation of the lungs, which terminated his life on the Tuesday following. He was interred with great civic pomp (the spontaneous result of private friendship and public respect), on the 19th of the same month, in the church of St. Olave, Jewry; leaving behind him for the instruction of mankind a striking example to what heights of fame and fortune men may attain by the united efforts of persevering industry, prudent enterprize, and honourable dealing.

The alderman had long before his death arrived at that period of life which demands additional repose; and certain it is, he could not have carried on his business in the manner it was carried on, without the active and unremitting exertions of his nephew and partner, Mr. Josiah Boydell; whose professional qualifications enabled him to appreciate the value and merits of the different works submitted to his inspection; and to point out the errors which ought to be corrected; and whose own productions, even at the very early period when he made a great number of drawings from the Orford collection, gave weight to his

remonstrances.

It yet remains to be added to the character of alderman. Boydell, that in his magisterial capacity, though inflexibly just, he was constitutionally merciful; and when masters came before him with complaints of their apprentices, or husbands with complaints of their wives, he always attempted, and very often successfully, to accommodate their differences; and, when he could with propriety, usually recommended the complaining party to amend his own conduct, as an example to those whom he accused. Wishing to disseminate a taste for the fine arts, he has within these few years presented to the corporation of the city of London, several valuable pictures, which now ornament the council chamber at Guildhall. Some of them commemorate the actions of our military distinguished characters, and others are calculated to impress upon the minds of the rising generation, the sentiments of industry, prudence, and virtue. Several of these well-imagined allegorical delineations by Rigaud, Smirke, Westall, &c. he