take me there,
Before the leaf falls from the willow.

Farewell, ye homes of living men!
I have no relish for your pleasures--
In the human face I nothing ken
That with my spirit's yearning measures.
I long for onward bliss to be,
A day of joy, a brighter morrow;
And from this bondage to be free,
Farewell thou world of sin and sorrow!

_Blackwood's Magazine._

* * * * *

BEWICK, THE ENGRAVER.

By a Correspondent of the _Magazine of Natural History_.

Bewick's first tendency to drawing was noticed by his chalking the
floors and grave-stones with all manner of fantastic figures, and by
sketching the outline of any known character of the village, dogs, or
horses, which were instantly recognised as faithful portraits. The
halfpence he got were always laid out in chalk or coarse pencils; with
which, when taken to church, he scrawled over the ledges of the bench
ludicrous caricatures of the parson, clerk, and the more prominent of
the congregation. These boards are now in the possession of the Duke
of Northumberland, by whom they were replaced; and when his chalk
was exhausted, he resorted to a pin or a nail as a substitute. In
consequence of this propensity to drawing, some liberal people, of whom
he says, there were many in Newcastle, got him bound apprentice to a Mr.
Bielby, an engraver on copper and brass. During this period he walked
most Sundays to Ovingham (ten miles,) to see his parents; and, if the
Tyne was low, crossed it on stilts; but, if high-flowing, hollaed across
to inquire their health, and returned. This infant genius (but it was
the infant Hercules struggling with the snakes) was bound down by his
master to cut clock-faces and door-knockers--ay, clock-faces and
door-knockers!--and he actually showed me several in the streets of
Newcastle he had cut. At this time he was employed by Bielby to cut
on wood the blocks for Dr. Hutton's great work on _Mensuration_.
Hutton was then a schoolmaster at Newcastle (1770.)

After his apprenticeship, he worked a short time for a person in Hatton
Garden; but he disliked London extremely, still panting for his native
home, to whose braes and bonny banks he joyously returned; where he was
occupied in cutting figures and ornaments for books; and now received
his first prize from the Society of Arts for the "Old Hound," in an
edition of Gay's _Fables_. A glance at this cut will show what a
low state