Occurrence connected with the visit of Sir Walter Scott and his party to the shop of the eminent bookseller, Mr. Bolster, during their stay in Cork, in the autumn of 1825.

'Maclise, then a mere boy, conLeived the idea of making a sketch of Sir Walter; and having placed himself unobserved in a part of the shop which afforded him an admirable opportunity, he made in a few minutes three outline sketches, each in a different position. Having selected that one which he considered the best, he worked at it all night, and next morning brought to Bolster a highly-finished pen-and-ink drawing, handled with all the elaborate minuteness of a line engraving. Bolster placed it in a conspicuons part of his shop; and Sir Walter and his friends having again called during the day, it attracted his attention when he entered. He was struck with the exquisite finish and fidelity of the drawing, and at once inquired the name of the artist who had executed it. Maclise, who was standing in a remote part of the shop, was at once brought forward, and introduced to Sir Walter. The great author took him kindly by the hand, and expressed his astonishment that a mere boy could have achieved such a work, and predicated that he would yet distinguish himself. Walter then asked for a pen, and wrote with his own hand, "Walter Scott" at the foot of the sketch. Maclise was advised by Bolster to have it lithographed; but there was no lithographic press in Cork, and but one in Dublin. Maclise himself prepared the tracings for transferring the drawing to the slate. Five hundred copies were struck off, and sold as rapidly as they were printed. One of the original sketches, with the study in oils, for the 'Spirit of Justice,' and some early drawings of the artist, were to be seen in the National Exhibition at Cork in 1852."

Sir

Never did a youth of talent un

66

dergo such fatigue for a time as the praised one" of Sir Walter Scott. He charged but a guinea and a-half for portraits in pencil- the size, say, nine inches by seven, backgrounds and accessories worked in as carefully as face, hands, and hair.

"The system involved such an amount of mere mechanical labour, each lady or gentleman-sitter being anxious to have her or his own selection of a background, that when his time became of more consequence, and the number of his sitters increased, he wholly discarded the elaborate backgrounds, which had become as tedious and distasteful to him as the straw yards to George Morland. He thenceforth adopted the vignette style of finishing his portraits: the effect was infinitely better, and the manual labour vastly lessened."

So the

An increase of pay accompanied this lessening of labour. years 1825 and 1826 were passed painting portraits, and making sketches of scenery and ruins when he could escape from the studio. He was gifted with an incredible facility and correctness in conveyiug outlines of objects to his sketchbook, grotesque and ludicrous groups being as acceptable as picturesque or sublime ones. Indeed, on one occasion his love of the ludicrous seems to have made him lose sight of that "eternal fitness of things" so lauded by philosopher SQUARE. Accompanied by his biographer on a sketching excursion, they came in sight of their provision-bearing youth, up to his arm-pits in the river, the provant basket on his head, and his distended eyes taking in the figure of a furious bull on the bank, with eyes, horns, hoofs, and tail suggestive of an impending charge, averted only by his dislike to the depth of the pool. The artist's friend would have hastened at once to the animal's owner, in order to shift the disagreeable scene; but the artist would not agree till he had fixed the

situation on paper. He introduced the group at a later day among illustrations on a pack of playing-cards, and a most laughable group it was.

His influential friends, Sainthill, Croker, Sir Thomas Deane, &c., began to think that the best course to be adopted by him, was to proceed to London, and enter himself as pupil at the Royal Academy. They were ready to provide funds for the purpose; but the artist possessing an independent spirit, would not hear of receiving pecuniary assistance. He worked on, and added these five guineas to those, until he had put together a sum sufficient to guarantee his support in a strange place for a reasonable time.

In the spring of 1827, having sent a pencil drawing to Somerset House, with the object of getting admission as a pupil, and being furnished with an earnest recommendation to Mr. Croker from Mr. Sainthill, he arrived in London, and took up his residence in Newman Street, Oxford Street. Though he neither would nor did accept of any assistance in money from Mr. Croker, his friendship was of material advantage. He was a frequent guest at his table, and there made profitable acquaintance with Mr. and Mrs. Hall, Miss Landon, Rogers, Miss Edgeworth, Barham (Thomas Ingoldsby), Planché, Rev. Mr. Mahony (Father Prout), and other literary notabilities whom it was pleasant and profitable to know.

The following curious circumstance, connected with his departure from Ireland, is given in Mr. O'Driscoll's words :

"He had made a very fine fulllength drawing of a lady, to which he had devoted an extraordinary amount of his time. It was one of his most finished efforts. For some reason never explained, it never was paid for, and it remained in his studio until the eve of his departure from Cork. The husband of the lady was communicated with, but he declined to receive it. Maclise

was too proud to insist on payment, as he might have done; but he resolved to render it a medium for the display of his peculiar powers over the pencil. Slightly obliterating the prominent parts of the face, but preserving the exquisite outline, he contrived to envelope the face and bust in a delicately-wrought veil. It was a marvel of art. The fine figure and face were discernible through the folds of the veil, but every feature of resemblance was wholly destroyed. This Veiled Lady' was for some time in his studio in London. It was afterwards sold at a considerable price."

Patrons of Hawkins' Street Theatre, when its manager, the late Mr. W. Cole (Calcraft)-good performer, good writer, and perfect Irish Gentleman, -was in his prime, remember the first appearance of the younger Kean on its boards (end of 1827). Some of the surviving playgoers at least enjoyed the performance of father and son in the "New Way to Pay Old Debts," a couple of years later. The general feeling of the Dublin folk at that time was, that the young man was a careful and judicious performer; but a mere copyist of his father's style, and thoroughly devoid of originality. With every succeeding visit he arose some degrees in their favour. A striking and rapidly-executed portrait of Charles as "Young Norval" brought the youthful Cork artist. into as much favour with the London folk, as did his sketch of Scott with the inhabitants of the "Beautiful City." The actor was obliged perforce to suspend speech and action under a torrent of applause, and

"Whilst he stood for a few moments, as it were, transfixed with feelings of pride and graceful embarrassment, Maclise made the sketch: he executed a finished drawing from it that night. Mr. Croker had it lithographed, and published next day, and the sale of

the copies at ten shillings each was very large. It was an interesting episode in the lives of these distinguished men, each struggling forward at the same moment, but by different paths to the goal of fame. Commissions for portraits in pencil and water-colours now flowed in on him, and he began to be known as a rising young artist."

Meantime his progress in his academical studies and exercises "was rapid and successful beyond all precedent. Every honour which the Academy could confer was gained by Maclise, inter alia its highest prize. This was the gold medal with which he was presented, in the year 1829, for the best historical composition, the subject selected being The Choice of Hercules.' "

Great was his ecstacy, as may be imagined, at this attainment of his dearest wishes; but alas! every temporal triumph has its shadow. Crowding of friends, a leetle indulgence in champagne, a wetting, a consequent cold, pills, basins of gruel, &c., considerably tempered his exultation. He acknowledges in a letter that on the next Sunday he was wretchedly dull, and yawned fearfully all day, "not feeling the triumph half as much as he would have felt the failure."

Lovers of pictures and prints have long been familiar with the appearance of Malvolio, as possessed with fatuitous conceit, he kisses his hand, and displays his yellow, cross-gartered hose to the astonished and indignant eyes of Olivia. This was his first exhibited picture, 1829. We had the gratification of seeing it in the Dublin Society's Exhibition some years since, but it had then lost some of its original freshness. It belongs to the Vernon Gallery Collection. The archness in the countenance of Maria, the dignity in Olivia's, and the sweetness and gentleness in both, possess great

attraction for every one blessed with good taste. Mr. O'Driscoll says of the painting, "It would be difficult to discover in his later efforts, anything more graceful and pleasing or more beautiful in point of colouring than this picture."

In 1830 he exhibited seven pictures, including portraits of Mrs. S. C. Hall, Miss Landon (L.E.L.), and Thomas Campbell; and in 1832, "Puck disenchanting Bottom," and "Oberon and Titania reconciled," and in the same year he revisited his native city.

After transferring to his sketchbooks many an outline of the enchanting scenery round Killarney, and generally in the "Kingdom of Kerry," he had the good fortune to fall in with Rev. Matthew Hogan, of Blarney, and a visit paid to him, on October 31st, originated the national picture of "All - Hallow Eve," of which all our readers have seen copies in some style of reproduction; and thus it came about :—

"The good old priest held a social gathering on All-Hallow Eve, when persons of superior position in society were to be found unaffectedly mingling with the poorest peasantry of the parish. Crofton Croker and Maclise were invited to this entertainment; and whilst the young artist, charmed with the novelty of the scene, surrendered himself heart and soul to the enjoy ment of the night, and joined in the harmless hilarity that prevailed, he contrived to sketch every group in the barn."

Commencing his picture on his return, he had it ready for the exhibition of 1833. It was the largest painting in oil produced by him up to that time. We trust that there are but few of our readers who have not by heart the various joyous and earnest groups, striving to secure the apple, or get a glimpse of the future, or tire their partners in the dance.

"The principal characters are

portraits of Sir W. Scott, Crofton Croker, the sisters of the artist, Percival Banks, who was married to the younger sister, and the old clergyman who appears in the background, compelling two of his boys,' who had been trying their shillelahs on each other's heads, to shake hands and be friends."

"Mokanna revealing his hideous countenance to Zelica," exhibited in 1833, ought not to have been painted. The horrible or disgusting should never be presented in play, poem, or picture. In the poem of the "Veiled Prophet," the effect alone is touched on; the ghastly object is left undescribed.

"The Installation of Captain Rock," 1834, presented a felicitous subject for description. It is thus particularised in the biography :"The scene is a country churchyard by moonlight. In the foreground is the corpse of the dead man lying on a tomb. The body is bared from the waist upwards, and the blood which has oozed from the bullet-wound is seen congealed round it. Standing beside the tomb, with his right hand placed on the body of the slain captain, is the newly-elected chief, opposite is the Nestor of the band, administering the oath of fidelity and vengeance. . . . . The felicitous arrangement of the several groups, the drinking party, the village orator, the excited crowd round the tomb, the stately ruins of the old abbey, the exquisite disposition of light and shade, the moonbeams struggling through the groined arches and carved mullions, and falling on the pallid features of the dead man, form a combination of extraordinary power and expression."

On November 2nd, 1836, the young Irish artist, then only twentyfour years old, had the honour of becoming an Associate of the Royal Academy. The same year he introduced his friend Macready, in the guise of Macbeth, into the Witches'

cavern.

We would gladly be possessors of "Olivia and Sophia fitting out Moses for the Fair," 1837, with his thunderand-lightning coat, much too short for the boy, his gosling-green waistcoat, cocking his hat with pins, and tying his hair with a black ribbon. Dickens must have enjoyed this picture greatly, as Moses, degraded into Bozey and Boz, was a household word in his family. While the picture was exhibited, at all events in the same year, Mr. Forster, the "mutual friend" of the two men introduced them to each other, and for a run of thirty years a cordial intimacy prevailed between them. Mr. O'Driscoll gives a specimen of their humorous correspondence:

"Mr. John Forster of Lincoln'sInn-Fields, and Mr. Charles Dickens, of universal popularity, request the favour of Mr. Maclise's company at the Parthenon Club to-night, at halfpast ten exactly.

"Thinking it possible that Mr. Maclise may have gone to Court at an early hour this morning, they address this letter both to his private house and the Athenæum; and but for the veneration due to their youthful sovereign, they would have forwarded a duplicate to the Palace at Pimlico."

What acquaintance of "Newman Noggs," "Mr. Squeers," and "The Cheeryble Brothers," can forget the portrait of the youthful Boz, which served as a frontispiece to their history? It was painted by his fast friend, who, on receiving a cheque for a considerable amount, by way of recompence for his pleasant labour, returned it with the following:

"My dear Dickens,-How could you think of sending me a cheque for what was to me a matter of gratification? I am almost inclined to be offended with you. May I not be permitted to give some proof of the value I attach to your friendship? I return the cheque, and regret that you should have thought it necessary to send it."

Dickens, however, was not to be overcome without some trouble. He thus replied:

"Do not be offended. I quite appreciate the feeling which induced you to return what I sent you. Notwithstanding, I must ask you to take it back again. If I could have contemplated for an instant the selfish engrossment of so much of your time and extraordinary powers, I should have had no need (knowing you, I knew that well) to resort to the little device I played off. I will take anything else from you, at any time that you will give any scrap from your hand, but I entreat you not to disturb this matter. I am willing to be your debtor for anything else in the whole wide range of your art, as you shall very readily find when you put me to the proof."

Mr. O'Driscoll remarks: "It does not appear how this friendly controversy terminated."

Maclise's descriptions to friends at home of what he saw and did in Paris are most graphic and amusing. Thirty years ago the Parisians expressed their contempt for their island neighbours much more openly and heartily than they do now. Latterly, if they enjoy a hearty laugh at the Briton's tall, rough-napped hat. weak eyes, solemn look, and extensive flaming whiskers, and Mees's antiquated dress and manly stride, they invest them with a halo of good nature and generosity, which changes the laugh into a smile of approbation. Here is Maclise's experience, in 1839, at the Hippodrome.

Like a true Anglaise, Maclise rejoiced to see how prostrated the poor Frenchmen were, viz maladie of sea, in their visits to perfidious Albion, but expressed a ludicrous indignation that he and other islanders were not in a bit better case.

It would be a treat to have witnessed the following scene between himself and a moneyed Mecanas, whose pockets were better furnished than his brain-pan, the subjects being his fine picture from "Hamlet," and the "Sea Maid changed to a Harp.” He tells his grievance in a note to Forster:

:

"My dear Forster,-Let me pour my woes into your friendly 'buzzum.' You saw two men come in here as you went out. One of them is a Mr. K—, a nouveau riche, who has lately begun to buzz about artists. He bought that large picture of ——. Well, sir, can you believe it? That man knew nothing of the play of Hamlet, neither did his pal. I felt myself a very spoon, even in explaining to them the plot and the meaning of the picture; and my soul fell down into my slippers, to think that that man is the representative of a thousand such. Oh, were you to see the puzzled, unintelligent look he used now to throw at me, and then on the picture, and then at his pal, who only looked at the tip of my nose. I swear to you he never took his eyes off me, and I believe never saw the picture at all. As for the Nymph,' I took up Moore, to read them a line in ex