Welsh Journals

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JOHN WARWICK' SMITH AND THE SOTHEBY FAMILY. The association of John Warwick' Smith (1789-1831), the artist, with William Sotheby1 (1757-1833: D.N.B. liii, 265) has long been known. In 1794 Sotheby, by this time a rich and benevolent patron of all the arts, issued a quarto version of A Tour through Parts of Wales2 expressly for the purpose of helping Smith. This he did by including in his book thirteen aquatint views by S. Alken after Smith's originals. Sotheby says in his Preface The author of the following Poems thinks proper to signify, that the present edition is published solely for the emolument of the artist, who has stamped a value on the descriptive parts of the Welsh Tour, by the embellishments of his accurate, and masterly pencil. That Smith was also in contact with other members of the Sotheby family is not generally known. This fact, however, is revealed by a manuscript in the National Library (N.L.W. MS. 6497)-an account of A Tour through Monmouthshire and Glamorgan- shire "-for interleaved among the 113 numbered pages of the manuscript are 35 drawings, some of which (competent water-colours) are by Rose Sotheby and are after originals by Smith. As the originals are unpublished, and are roughly contemporary with the manuscript, it is fairly safe to assume that Miss Sotheby had recourse to them through personal communication with Smith. The assumption is the safer, moreover, because Rose was the sister of the above William (see Burke's Landed Gentry, Centenary Edition, 1937, s.n. Sotheby of Ecton). To judge from the lettering on the spine, "WELSH /Tour/ E.S. 1782," the manuscript is the work of another sister, Elizabeth, who, like Rose, died unmarried. In the D.N.B. account of Sotheby his correspondence is stated to be still (i.e. 1898) preserved at Ecton a search through it may throw light on a period of Smith's life about which little at present is known. H. N. JERMAN. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LOG BOOKS. In March, 1936, the Librarian sent a circular letter to Directors of Education and Clerks of Education Authorities in Wales calling their attention to the importance of elementary school log books as educational records. They were urged to collect and pre- serve in central repositories all expired log books of schools within their jurisdiction, and to compile surveys of their contents. Thirty circulars were issued, but the response was disappointing. Six authorities replied either stating the position in their areas or convey- ing terms of resolutions adopted upon the reading of the letter, seven others merely acknowledged the receipt of the letter, while the remainder took no action. Two authori- ties sent lists of log books in central custody, and others intimated that all their log books not in current use would be collected and preserved in county muniment rooms. The Library has in its custody over one hundred log books mainly of schools in Cardiganshire and non-provided schools in the diocese of St. Davids. As there is no room for log books in the Diocesan Muniment Room at Abergwili the Lord Bishop of St. Davids, after con- sultation with the Carmarthenshire Education Authority, sought the co-operation of the 1 Two autograph letters by Sotheby are in N.L.W. MS. 12,900. One, without date, is to an unknown recipient, and refuses an invitation the other, dated 25 April, 1828, thanks Miss Berry, Petersham, for a present. 2 The book originally appeared in 1790 as an octavo. It was Sotheby's first published work.