of Ossian's 'Poems.' David Hume's
own copy of 'Histoire du Gouvernement de Venise,' par le Sieur Amelot de
la Houssaie, 1677, was not dear at 6d., and at a similar price was
obtained an excessively rare volume (for which a well-known
book-collector had been on the look-out in vain for many years), whose
contents are little indicated by the title of 'Roman Tablets,' 1826, but
whose nature is at all events suggested by the sub-title of 'Facts,
Anecdotes, and Observations on the Manners, Customs, Ceremonies and
Government of Rome.' It is a terrific exposure (originally written in
French), for which the author was prosecuted at the solicitation of the
Pope's Nuncio at Paris. The late John Payne Collier has told of a
Holywell Street 'find' as far back as January 20, 1823, when he picked
up a very nice clean copy of Hughes' 'Calypso and Telemachus,' 1712, for
which he paid 2s. 6d. It was not, however, until he reached home that he
discovered the remarkable nature of his purchase, which had belonged to
Pope, who had inscribed in his own autograph thirty-eight couplets,
addressed 'To Mr. Hughes, On His Opera.' These are only a selection from
an extensive series of more or less interesting 'finds,' of which every
collector has a store.

Two of the earliest and best-known of the more important Holywell Street
booksellers passed away some years ago. 'Tommy' Arthur, who made a
respectable fortune out of the trade, and whose shop and connections are
now in the possession of W. Ridler, who is a successful trader, and a
man of considerable independence as regards the conventionalities of
appearances. (Our artist's portrait of this celebrity in his brougham,
indulging in the extravagance of a clay pipe, had not arrived at the
time of going to press, so it must be held over until the next edition
of this book.) Joseph Poole was another Holywell Street bookseller of an
original type, with his quaint semi-clerical attire. This bibliopole's
relatives still carry on business in this street, school-books being
with them a speciality. The _doyen_ of the street is Mr. Henry R. Hill,
whose two shops are at the extreme east end of the street. Mr. Hill has
been here for about forty years, and has seen many changes, not only in
the general character of the street, but also of the tastes in
book-fancies. Mr. Hill's shops, with Mrs. Lazarus's three hard by, are
full of interesting books, priced at very moderate figures. The latter
has been establish