Welsh Mountaineer."

[Illustration]

At one time "Phiz" received an extraordinary commission to reproduce in
water-colour all his illustrations to the Novels of DICKENS. The Artist
reminded his patron of the magnitude of the undertaking, but the request
was persisted in, and the work duly executed.

His love of bracing air induced him to pay frequent visits to the
seaside; but on one occasion he lodged in a house not remarkable for its
odoriferous nature; and, in order to produce a current of fresh air in
his bed-room, he opened door and window, and slept in the draught caused
thereby. For many years before his death, he suffered from incipient
paralysis, the result, no doubt, of this incautious act, and to which
may be attributed his disappearance from the art world some fifteen
years ago.

"Phiz," notwithstanding his crippled condition, still worked hard with
admirable perseverance, though his difficulties were increased by an
injury to his thumb, which compelled him to hold his pencil between the
middle and fore fingers. His friends endeavoured to persuade him to draw
his pictures on a larger scale, in order that they might be photographed
to the required dimensions, but, with one or two exceptions, he refused
to act on this suggestion. He gradually lost that facility which
characterized his work, and latterly yielded to proposals to illustrate
boys' literature of a rather low class.

The time is past, no doubt, which encouraged the method of
book-illustration adopted by "Phiz." It has given place to
wood-engraving, and multifarious phototypic processes, that, perhaps,
are commercially preferable, but from an artistic standpoint much
inferior. We must, however, except the wonderful results some
wood-engravers have produced from time to time, which etchers, even,
cannot hope to excel.

Dr. Edgar Browne describes his father's indifference to the value of his
work, or the time and labour bestowed upon it:--"He never understood the
art of husbanding or developing his powers,--he never set to work to
learn any technical process; when he had a little leisure from
'illustration' work, he used to start a picture 'to get his hand
in'--generally taking some unimportant or trivial subject for this
purpose. His facility of hand both in large and minute work was
something marvellous. At one time, he produced a very remarkable series
of sketches in chalk made during a tour in Ireland. They are scattered
now, but are as fin