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POSTSCRIPT.

constant superintendence ; and among them may be named Mr. Sliegh, Mr. Small-field, Mr. Clayton, Mr. Pozzi, Mr. Delamotte, Mr. Michael, Mr. Butler, Mr.Thomas, Mr. Maye, Mr. Rafter, Mr. Hayes, Mr. Pidgeon, Mr. Dalziel, Mr. Aglio,Mr. Humphreys, Mr. Vinter, and Mr. Millais . Some apprehension at first existedthat it would be impossible to procure a sufficient number of satisfactory drawingswithin the necessarily short time fixed upon for commencing the publication withouthaving recourse to foreign artists; but the energetic exertions and great ability of theabove - named gentlemen soon rendered it apparent that no such necessity wouldexist.

As soon as a certain number of drawings had been completed, the work oftransferring them to stone commenced; and, as many of our readers may possess butimperfect ideas of the labour involved in this operation, we shall dwell for a fewmoments on the processes which are indispensable.

For the purposes of Lithography the original drawing requires, in the first instance,to be carefully traced. It is then retraced, or transferred to the stone, by interposingbetween the surface of the latter and the drawing a sheet of thin paper, prepared onthe side next the stone with red chalk. The lithographer then draws upon the stonewith a greasy chalk or ink, as the case may be, the whole of the outline of thesubject, and as much of the shading as he may think necessary. On the conclusionof this drawing in black and white, the stone is sent to the printer, who, after chemicallypreparing it for the operation, takes off carefully as many impressions as there arecolours required to perfect the polychromy of the original drawing. These impres-sions on thin paper are laid, whilst yet moist, upon a corresponding number of sup-plementary or colour stones, and passed through the lithographic press. By thismeans the outline of the first or key-stone is printed off upon each of the remainingstones of the series, and the artist is provided with an outline upon the latter, identicalwith that which existed upon the key-stone. Carefully analysing the amount of eachcolour in the original drawing, and noting the points of its predominance,—where, insome cases, it is allowed to appear pure, and in others to enter only into the com-position of broken tints, — the artist proceeds to indicate upon each stone, in blackchalk or ink, the requisite amount for each separate colour. Great care is required tobear in mind the succession of these tints, and to make due allowance for it, since itis obvious that the last printed, by its greater or less degree of opacity, may tend tokill all that has been done before. Great attention is likewise required in order that,when the various stones are worked together, the filling in of one colour shall exactlymeet the space occupied by another, without either overlapping and producing darkedges, or leaving white lines or gaps between each tint.

Supposing the artist’s work to have been satisfactorily terminated, much now de-pends upon the printer. Considerable hazard is incurred in the chemical preparation