or acquaintance, that at the end of the first month he thought of
leaving it; and yearned to go back to his native city. But he

had not funds enough to enable him to follow his inclinations,
and he accordingly remained in the great City, to work, to

persevere, and finally to prosper. He continued at Teape's for
about two years, living frugally, and even contriving to save a

little money.
He then thought of beginning business on his own account. The

small scale on which printing was carried on in those days
enabled him to make a start with comparatively little capital.

By means of his own savings and the help of his friends, he was
enabled to take a little printing-office in Villiers Street,

Strand, about the end of 1803; and there he began with one
printing press, and one assistant. His stock of type was so

small, that he was under the necessity of working it from day to
day like a banker's gold. When his first job came in, he

continued to work for the greater part of three nights, setting
the type during the day, and working it off at night, in order

that the type might be distributed for resetting on the following
morning. He succeeded, however, in executing his first job to

the entire satisfaction of his first customer.
His business gradually increased, and then, with his constantly

saved means, he was enabled to increase his stock of type, and to
undertake larger jobs. Industry always tells, and in the

long-run leads to prosperity. He married early, but he married
well. He was only twenty-four when he found his best fortune in

a good, affectionate wife. Through this lady's cousin, Mr.
Winchester, the young printer was shortly introduced to important

official business. His punctualexecution of orders, the
accuracy of his work, and the despatch with which he turned it

out soon brought him friends, and his obliging and kindly
disposition firmly secured them. Thus, in a few years, the

humble beginner with one press became a printer on a large scale.
The small concern expanded into a considerable printing-office in

Northumberland Court, which was furnished with many presses and a
large stock of type. The office was, unfortunately" target="_blank" title="ad.不幸；不朽；可惜">unfortunately, burnt down;

but a larger office rose in its place.
What Mr. Clowes principally aimed at, in carrying on his

business, was accuracy, speed, and quantity. He did not seek to
produce editions de luxe in limited numbers, but large

impressions of works in popular demand--travels, biographies,
histories, blue-books, and official reports, in any quantity.

For this purpose, he found the process of hand-printing too
tedious, as well as too costly; and hence he early turned his

attention to book printing by machine presses, driven by steam
power,--in this matter following the example of Mr. Walter of the

Times, who had for some years employed the same method for
newspaper printing.

Applegath & Cowper's machines had greatly advanced the art of
printing. They secured perfect inking and register; and the

sheets were printed off more neatly, regularly, and
expeditiously; and larger sheets could be printed on both sides,

than by any other method. In 1823, accordingly, Mr. Clowes
erected his first steam presses, and he soon found abundance of

work for them. But to produce steam requires boilers and
engines, the working of which occasions smoke and noise. Now, as

the printing-office, with its steam presses, was situated in
Northumberland Court, close to the palace of the Duke of

Northumberland, at Charing Cross, Mr. Clowes was required to
abate the nuisance, and to stop the noise and dirt occasioned by

the use of his engines. This he failed to do, and the Duke
commenced an action against him.

The case was tried in June, 1824, in the Court of Common Pleas.
It was ludicrous to hear the extravagant terms in which the

counsel for the plaintiff and his witnesses described the
nuisance--the noise made by the engine in the underground cellar,

some times like thunder, at other times like a thrashing-machine,
and then again like the rumbling of carts and waggons. The

printer had retained the Attorney-general, Mr. Copley, afterwards
Lord Lyndhurst, who conducted his case with surpassing ability.

The cross-examination of a foreign artist, employed by the Duke
to repaint some portraits of the Cornaro family by Titian, is

said to have been one of the finest things on record. The sly
and pungent humour, and the banter with which the counsel derided

and laughed down this witness, were inimitable. The printer won
his case; but he eventually consented to remove his steam presses

from the neighbourhood, on the Duke paying him a certain sum to
be determined by the award of arbitrators.

It happened, about this period, that a sort of murrain fell upon
the London publishers. After the failure of Constable at

Edinburgh, they came down one after another, like a pack of
cards. Authors are not the only people who lose labour and money

by publishers; there are also cases where publishers are ruined
by authors. Printers also now lost heavily. In one week, Mr.

Clowes sustained losses through the failure of London publishers
to the extent of about 25,000L. Happily, the large sum which the

arbitrators awarded him for the removal of his printing presses
enabled him to tide over the difficulty; he stood his ground

unshaken, and his character in the trade stood higher than ever.
In the following year Mr. Clowes removed to Duke Street,

Blackfriars, to premises until then occupied by Mr. Applegath, as
a printer; and much more extensive buildings and offices were now

erected. There his business transactions assumed a form of
unprecedented magnitude, and kept pace with the great demand for

popular information which set in with such force about fifty
years ago. In the course of ten years--as we find from the

'Encyclopaedia Metropolitana'--there were twenty of Applegath &
Cowper's machines, worked by two five-horse engines. From these

presses were issued the numerous admirable volumes and
publications of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful

Knowledge; the treatises on 'Physiology,' by Roget, and 'Animal
Mechanics,' by Charles Bell; the 'Elements of Physics,' by Neill

Arnott; 'The Pursuit of Knowledge under Difficulties,' by G. L.
Craik, a most fascinating book; the Library of Useful Knowledge;

the 'Penny Magazine,' the first illustrated publication; and the
'Penny Cyclopaedia,' that admirable compendium of knowledge and

science.
These publications were of great value. Some of them were

printed in unusual numbers. The 'Penny Magazine,' of which
Charles Knight was editor, was perhaps too good, because it was

too scientific. Nevertheless, it reached a circulation of
200,000 copies. The 'Penny Cyclopaedia' was still better. It

was original, and yet cheap. The articles were written by the
best men that could be found in their special departments of

knowledge. The sale was originally 75,000 weekly; but, as the
plan enlarged, the price was increased from 1d. to 2d., and then

to 4d. At the end of the second year, the circulation had fallen
to 44,000; and at the end of the third year, to 20,000.

It was unfortunate for Mr. Knight to be so much under the
influence of his Society. Had the Cyclopaedia been under his own

superintendence, it would have founded his fortune. As it was,
he lost over 30,000L. by the venture. The 'Penny Magazine' also

went down in circulation, until it became a non-paying
publication, and then it was discontinued. It is curious to

contrast the fortunes of William Chambers of Edinburgh with those
of Charles Knight of London. 'Chambers's Edinburgh Journal' was

begun in February, 1832, and the 'Penny Magazine' in March, 1832.
Chambers was perhaps shrewder than Knight. His journal was as

good, though without illustrations; but he contrived to mix up
amusement with useful knowledge. It may be a weakness, but the

public like to be entertained, even while they are feeding upon
better food. Hence Chambers succeeded, while Knight failed. The