The

disappoint the anticipations of his employers and of the public For two-and-forty successive days (Sundays excepted) were the voice and hammer of Mr. Evans heard with equal efficacy. throng and press both of idle spectators and determined buyers was unprecedented."

From his success in this memorable sale, Mr. Evans was induced to undertake frequent auctions, in addition to his trade as general bookseller, which after a time became less an object of his attention. During the early years of his wielding the hammer, he was employed in the dispersion of the Stanley, Alchorne, and Townley libraries, those of Mr. J. Edwards, the Duke of Grafton, Field-Marshal Junot, and the Borromeo collection; and subse. quently, among others we may not recal to memory, he sold the celebrated White Knights collection, and those of Bindley, Dent, Hibbert, North, and the most valuable portions of the vast accumulations of Mr. Heber. It may be safely affirmed, that in the series of Mr. Evans's sale catalogues will be found by far the largest portion of the best libraries sold between the years 1812 and 1847; and we have the satisfaction to add, that his own marked set was about two years ago deposited in the British Museum, as some time before had been the much longer series of the house of Baker, Leigh, Sotheby, and Co.

Mr. Evans was qualified for his profession by an excellent memory and by a vast fund of information. It was always a pleasure to hear him discourse on the intrinsic merits or the antecedent history of whatever articles of mark he had to pass sub hasta. He omitted no comments or arguments that might tend to encourage the competition of bidders, and they were sometimes so frequent and so prolonged as to extend the day's sale to an hour inconveniently late.

In private intercourse his communications were no less ready and no less remarkable; for, such was his acquaintance with what may be termed our political literature, that many men of high standing in public life, and in particular the late Sir Robert Peel, have frequently profited by his information.

With all these qualifications, however, and practical success, Mr. Evans, from inattention to the vital point of finance, was at length unsuccessful; nor, when he was re-established in Bondstreet, where his two sons were his partners, did he recover a permanent standing.

Mr. Evans engaged in several literary tasks, besides the excellent bibliographical notes of his Catalogues. He edited a new edition of Hakluyt's Voyages, in 4to. adding a fifth volume, which contained reprints of some of the rarest tracts. He produced a new edition of his father's Collection of Ballads; and, in conjunction with Mr. Thomas Wright, he furnished the explanations to Gilray's Caricatures, republished by Mr. Henry G. Bohn.

An excellent portrait of Mr. Evans was given in Dr. Dibdin's Decameron, vol. III. p. 51, drawn by W. Behnes (now the eminent sculptor), and engraved by Freeman.

ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS TO VOL. III.

continued from p. 463.

P. 66. The inscription in the book presented to Harward College, appears to have been as follows:

Collegio Harvardensi,

Novi Orbis Decori et Ornamento,
Veteris Admirationi,

Academiciis Britannicis virtute
et moribus minus æmulo

quam exemplo,
Munusculum hoc donat
GULIELMUS BOWYER.

P. 397, 1. 13. In March 1763, Dr. Johnson sent a truly kind letter of advice to his young friend Mr. George Strahan, then aged 19, and prosecuting his studies under the Rev. Mr. Bright at Abingdon. The original letter was given in 1824 to Miss Hole, of Highbury.

P. 579. It was always customary for the Aldermen of London to be of one of the Twelve Superior Companies; if not so already, they were translated to one of them. The following proceedings of the Court of the Stationers took place on the election of Mr. Barber as Alderman :

"At a Court held 6th June, 1732.

"Our Master acquainted the Court, that there was an order from the Court of Lord Mayor and Aldermen, for six members of this Company to attend the Court of Lord Mayor and Aldermen this day, in order to translate Mr. Alderman Barber from this Company to the Company of Goldsmiths."

"Ordered, That the Master and Wardens, Mr. Walther, Mr. Innys, and Mr. Brewer, do attend the Court of Lord Mayor and Aldermen this day at one o'clock in the afternoon, and consent that Mr. Alderman Barber be translated from this Company to the Company of Goldsmiths."

"4th July, 1732.

"The Master acquainted the Court, that the Master and Wardens, and the other gentlemen appointed by the order of the 6th of June last, did, on the same day, attend the Court of Lord Mayor and Aldermen, and consented, on behalf of this Company, that Mr. Alderman Barber should be translated to the Goldsmiths' Company; and the Alderman was translated accordingly, whereby he ceased to continue a member of this Company."

Of late years the Company of Stationers has had its full share of Aldermen, without the necessity of losing their worthy members on election to that office.

P. 641, 1. 15, r. Peter Mainwaring, of Manchester, M.P. He died Dec. 30, 1786, aged 90.

P. 655, 1. 20. Dr. Samuel Croxall died Feb. 13, 1739. See Nichols's Collection of Poems, vol. VII.; and Chalmers's Biographical Dictionary.

P. 665, notes, 1. 15. Mr. Benjamin Uphill died July 12, 1809, aged 42. See some Verses to his Memory by Mr. Lemoine in Gent. Mag. 1809, p. 729.

P. 672. Mr. Thomas Browne, bookseller, died April 27, 1801, aged 81. He was 30 years librarian to the Hull Subscription Library; and author of Poetical Pieces first printed in the Hull Advertiser, and afterwards in a separate volume.

P. 721. Thomas Gent was born at Dublin, and was apprenticed to Mr. Powell, a printer there. On his arrival in London, he was employed by Daniel Midwinter and Mr. Meares, in Blackfriars. April 20, 1714, he left London, and walked to York in six days, where he was employed by Mr. White, for one year, and then visited Dublin, and found work with Mr. Thomas Hume in Copper Alley; but returned to London in 1716, and worked with Mr. Wilkins in Little Britain, in company with Samuel Negus. He then again worked with Mr. Watts. In 1718 he again visited Dublin, and commenced master. In 1724 Gent removed to York, and married a relative of Mr. White. See "The Life of Mr. Thomas Gent, Printer, of York, written by Himself. London. Printed for Thomas Thorpe, 1832." This little work contains a good portrait of Gent; and much curious minute information. For "Mr. Dodd,” r. “Mr. Benjamin Dod." Mrs. Walkden died at Old Windsor, Dec. 3,

P. 727, 1. 18. P. 739, 1. 26. 1828.

P. 743, 1. 7. The account of the Rev. William Holwell is mixed up with some dates and events belonging to his son. The Rev. William Holwell was of Christ Church; M.A. 1748; B.D. 1766; Vicar of Thornbury; Prebendary of Exeter; and Chaplain to his Majesty, and a distinguished scholar. His son was of Exeter College, Oxford; M.A. 1784: B.D. 1790; Vicar of Menhinnot 1791; married May 18, 1797, to Lady Charlotte Hay, daughter of the late Earl of Errol. He died March 13, 1798.

P. 753, 1. 16 from bottom, for " Churk," r. " Churle."

P. 28, 1. 7, note t. Rev. Stephen Weston, the misery of death!"

VOLUME IV.

The Syriac line was thus translated by the "God of exalted glory, defend thee from

P. 33, 1. 1. See a good History of Literary Journals in "The Journal of Science," &c., by Mr. S. Parkes, published by Murray, Nos. XXV. and XXVI.

"The English

P. 34, note, l. 6 from bottom, and p. 38, 1. 5. Mercurie, 1588." This is one of the most extraordinary deceptions ever known. It seems to have been written by the second Earl of Hardwicke, then a young man, aged 21, with the knowledge of his brother Charles, and probably of Dr. Birch. What was the object it is not easy to settle. It seems never to have been

brought forward to deceive the public. A copy of it was deposited in the British Museum, and was considered a genuine newspaper. It was trumpeted forth as a great discovery by Mr. George Chalmers (see vol. IV. p. 34); Mr. Nichols unfortu nately admitted it into his list of newspapers; and even the acute Mr. D'Israeli fell into the same error. The first discoverer of the mistake was Mr. Thomas Watts, of the British Museum, in his letter to Mr. Panizzi. See an able review of this pamphlet in the Gentleman's Magazine for June 1840, p. 61. But, the error creeping into fresh circulation, Mr. Watts addressed a letter to the Gentleman's Magazine for May 1850, with many interesting particulars of the discovery of the forgery; and also some satisfactory account of the origin of newspapers.

P. 37, 1. 6 from bottom. George Chalmers, Esq. F.R.S. and F.S.A. Chief Clerk of the office of the Board of Trade and Plantations, died May 31, 1825, at his house in James-street, Buckingham-gate, aged 82. He was a native of Scotland, and was educated at King's College, Aberdeen, principally under Dr. Reid. He afterwards removed to Edinburgh, and studied law, which he practised in America, until the Colonies declared themselves independent. Soon after his return to England, his extensive knowledge of commerce and colonial relations introduced him to a connexion with the Board of Trade. As an author, Mr. Chalmers's range of publications was very extensive. See a list and account

of Mr. Chalmers's works in Gent. Mag. for 1825, ii. 564.

The following character, by Mr. John Taylor, appeared in the Sun newspaper :

"Government has lost a zealous, intelligent, and most useful servant in this gentleman. He was always alive to the interests of the country, and suffered no subject of national importance to pass without due observation, and the full exertion of his endeavours to render it intelligible to the world at large. Commerce, Manufactures, the Bullion Question, &c. &c. were rendered easy of comprehension by his clear and strenuous elucidations. He seemed to have been born with an indefatigable zeal for the interests of mankind, but more particularly for those of the British Empire. He passed much of the earlier part of his life in America, and was thoroughly conversant with those principles which were best calculated to promote the interest of that country, and to secure harmony between it and the parent state. His disposition was social and cheerful, but his mind was always vigilantly directed towards the advantage of the community. His political principles were soundly constitutional. Scotland, of which he was a native, has lost in Mr. Chalmers a great and active friend, anxious to do honour to her on all occasions. His "Caledonia," of which three large quarto volumes have been published, contains the most valuable information respecting that country, and a fourth, which was nearly ready for the press, would have completed that extraordinary proof of elaborate research and unmitigable ardour in pursuit of knowledge. He had prepared materials for a Life of his

countryman Thomson the Poet, which would have contained much novel and interesting information respecting the history of the author of those "Seasons," which will live as long as the earth. Mr. Chalmers, in person, was tall, stout, and manly, so nearly resembling the late Lord Melville that they were often taken for each other. The writer of this humble tribute to his memory had the pleasure of passing a few hours with him a very few days before his death, and never found him in better spirits, or more likely, for a long time, notwithstanding his advanced age, to spare his friends the regret of losing so valuable a member of society."

An excellent portrait of this eminent author, engraved by R. Cooper, from a drawing by H. Edridge, was published in Cadell and Davies's British Gallery.

P. 38, note, l. 8, read thus: "It was originally compiled by Mr. Jansen, a Frisian; was written in Latin, and was printed in 8vo. in 1598," omitting the end of the sentence. L. 6 to 2 from bottom, omit the sentence beginning, "Thus, even," &c. and ending with, "Great Britain."

P. 39, 1. 26, add, Paris Gazette. Receuil des Gazettes Nouvelles, et Relations de toute l'Année 1633. Par Theophrasto Ranaudot. Paris, 1634. 532 pages.

The same for the year 1634. Paris, 1635. 556 pages.

The same for 1643.

The same for 1644.

1016 pages.

1064 pages.

This volume is dedicated to Cardinal Mazarin. In the "Estat General des Affaires," at the commencement of the volume, France is compared to the sun among the planets and stars of the firmament.

The same for 1645. 1218 pages.

[These Paris Gazettes contain very many curious articles relative to the Civil Wars of England.]

P. 39, 1. 3 from bottom, instead of this line, r. The Diurnall Occurrences, or Dayly Proceedings of both Houses of Parliament, in this Great and Happy Parliament, from 3d Nov. 1640, to 3d Nov. 1641. With Continuation of all the Speeches from June last to 3rd Nov. 1641. 4to. 429 pages.

The Heads of a Conference, delivered by Mr. Pymm, at a Committee of both Houses, June 24, 1641. 6 pages.

A Convocation Speech, by Mr. Thomas Warmstry, one of the Clerks for the Diocesse of Worcester: against Images, Altars, Crosses, the New Canons, and the Oaths, &c. London, 1641. 22 pages.

P. 41, note, l. 1, r. "Marchamont."

P. 43. Enlarge the account of the papers thus from copies in my possession:

Mercurius Aulicus; communicating the Intelligence and Affaires of the Court to the rest of the Kingdome, from March 30, 1644, to Sept. 6, 1708. Pages 903 to 1736.

Mercurius Academicus, a weekly paper. Printed at Oxford, from Dec. 15 to March 14, 1645. Fourteen weekly papers published on Saturdays.