y handsome,
the work finished with care. Varnish, although wanting the delicacy of
that of Stainer, is generally of good quality; its colour is mostly
pale red. Nearly all his instruments are branded with the initials
inside. His name has frequently been spelt Withalm.

WITTING, J. G., Mittenwald, about 1775.

WYEMANN, Cornelius, Amsterdam, 18th century.

ZWERGER, Antoni, Mittenwald, about 1750. Neat work, good wood, varnish
of the character of that seen on the instruments of Kloz.

SECTION XI
The English School

It is somewhat remarkable that the Continental writers on the Violin
should have omitted to mention any English maker, either ancient or
modern. Such an omission must have occurred either from want of
information concerning our best makers, or, if known, they must have
been deemed unworthy of the notice of our foreign friends. There is no
mention of an English maker in the work of Fetis, "Antoine
Stradivari," 1856, although numerous very inferior German and Italian
makers are quoted. The same omission is also conspicuous in
"Luthomonographie Historique et Raisonne," 1856, and Otto's "Ueber den
Bau der Bogeninstrumente," &c., 1828. It may be that Continental
connoisseurs have credited themselves with the works of our best
makers, and expatriated them, while they have inexorably allowed bad
English Fiddles to retain their nationality. However, it is my desire
that my foreign brothers should be enlightened on this point, and in
all candour informed of the array of makers that England has at
different times produced, and is yet capable of producing, did but the
new Violin command the price that would be a fair return for the time
and skill required in the production of an instrument at once useful
and artistic. It will be my endeavour to show forth the qualities of
those of our makers whose names, as yet, seem never to have crossed
the Channel, so that when these pages on the English School are read
by distant connoisseurs, and the merits and shortcomings of the makers
therein are fairly weighed by them, the good shall be found so to
outweigh the indifferent as to entirely change the opinions formed of
us as makers of the leading instrument.

Until the early nineteenth century makers of Violins in England would
appear to have been comparatively numerous, if we take into
consideration the undeveloped state of stringed instrument music at
that period in this country. Among those makers were men of no