were published at three guineas; and lastly, there
is the rare first edition, containing all the plates by Seymour and
"Phiz," supplemented by the two "suppressed" etchings, which are
credited (wrongly) to the hand of Buss.

Among the etchers of book illustration after 1836, we may name ROBERT
WILLIAM BUSS, whose etchings will be found in Mrs. Trollope's "Widow
Married" (a sequel to her "Widow Barnaby"), which made its appearance in
the "New Monthly Magazine" of 1839, and whose hand will also be found in
Marryat's "Peter Simple," "Jacob Faithful," Harrison Ainsworth's "Court
of King James II.," etc. Although his designs lack the genius, the
artistic power, the finish and the comic invention of Leech or
Cruikshank, they show nevertheless that as an etcher and designer he was
possessed of exceptional talent and ability. The first experience,
however, of this able artist as an etcher was peculiarly unfortunate and
vexatious.

When poor Seymour shot himself in 1836, the draughtsman first called in
to supply his place was Robert William Buss. He had been recommended to
Messrs. Chapman and Hall by John Jackson, the wood-engraver, but does
not seem at that time to have had any practical experience of etching,
as he himself explained to the member of the firm who called upon him.
Mr. Buss, in fact, was decidedly indisposed to undertake the work, being
then engaged on a picture he was preparing for exhibition, and he
undertook it only after considerable pressure. He immediately began to
practise the various operations of etching and biting in, and produced a
plate with which the publishers expressed themselves satisfied. Two
subjects were then selected for illustration, _The Cricket Match_, and
_The Fat Boy Watching Mr. Tupman and Miss Wardle_. When, however, Mr.
Buss began to etch them on the plate, he found, having had little or no
experience in laying his ground, that it holed up under the etching
point; and as time was precious, he placed the plates in the hands of an
experienced engraver to be etched and bitten in. Had opportunity been
given him, his son (from whom we take this account) tells us he would
have cancelled these plates and issued fresh ones of his own etching.
Designs were prepared by him for the following number, when he received
an intimation that the work of illustrating the "Pickwick Papers" had
been placed in other hands. The illustrations referred to were
suppressed, and the collectors who are so anxious