improve when he amused." Mr. Bates will, we hope,
pardon us if we say that this is not quite the fact. George
Cruikshank in truth was no better or worse than his satirical
brothers, and his tone necessarily improved from the moment he took
to illustrating books.

[3] Since the above was written, strange to say, caricature appears
to be showing symptoms of revival.

[4] "The Fine Arts," by William Hazlett, p. 29.

[5] "Critical and Historical Essays," vol. iii., p. 574.

[6] We can scarcely call the wonderful series of historical cartoons
which he executed at sixteen _caricatures_, even in the modern sense
of the word. Whatever humour they possess is neutralized by the grim
irony which, even at this early period, characterized his work.

[7] "Etching and Etchers," by Philip Gilbert Hamerton, third edition,
p. 246.

[8] Thomas Hood's "Etching Moralized," in _New Monthly Magazine_, 1843,
vol. lxvii. p. 4, and _seq._

CHAPTER II.

_MISCELLANEOUS CARICATURES AND SUBJECTS OF CARICATURE, 1800-1811._

PROPOSED METHOD OF ARRANGEMENT.

Although Gillray began his work in 1769,--thirty years before our
century commenced, and Rowlandson five years later on, in 1774, their
labours were continued some years after 1799, and are so interwoven, so
to speak, with the work of their immediate successors, that it is almost
impossible in a work dealing with nineteenth century caricaturists to
omit all mention of them. In collecting too materials for the present
treatise, we necessarily met with many anonymous satires, without
signature, initials, or distinguishing style, which may be, and some of
which are probably due to artists whose pencils were at work before the
century began. Even if equal in all cases to the task of assigning these
satires to the particular hands which designed and executed them, we
submit that little real service would be rendered to the cause of
graphic satire. It appears to us therefore that the most convenient
method will be to indicate in this and the following chapters _some_ of
the leading topics of caricature during the first thirty years of the
century, and to cite in illustration of our subject such of the work of
anonymous or other artists, for which no better place can be assigned in
other divisions of the work.

[Illustration:
JAMES GILLRAY. _June 20th, 1789._

SHAKSPEARE SACRIFICED, OR THE OFFERING TO AVARICE.

Alderman B