MEMOIRS of the LIFE of the LATE JOHN MYTTON, Esq

o en en J en O si G (75 o E- ^3 a > > U 1 ^^li % M Ji ^ r '^r:^^ \ ".i S&i m Ci,y^^/.'j//yrrP, Cor.vrrASttrS.iioj'.t.'jlfgJtrojrxrjf. .i.vj> M.Lro/t rjr i/n: . ]f'//// S///y'J/.i/l//f Yi/'//rr//t/// Cf/ffr////: wdth Nonces of Iiis — im:?:TirxG, shootikg, X>mvi>-g, IiiACi>T,, Eccciiulc. and Exn-avagaiii Exploits. ^ Willi Xumcr.ius Illusuauoiis, by H.ALKEN ami T.J.RAWLINS. ;.. I.ll'i' fifl''' /'' /" /,,,,.^ V.«''' ' -'•'A.,.';.-. /ir/i/////)Y/ fir//// ii'//.i/Wi/vf/i/i . /'//f///f'i>//.v/ //f/// t//f I,o.^'/> o .^' 'aEGAN PAITL.TREl-rra.TRtTHNBR f.C"-l-ro NOTE ON HENRY ALKEN'S "MYTTON" ILLUSTRATIONS '""I ^HE Memoirs of Jack Mytton," both as regards the madcap adventures of the redoubtable hero, the far-famed Squire of Halston, as recorded by his biographer, and the spirited pictures drawn by Henry Aiken, must be pronounced unique. Probably even the imagination of a sporting novelist would be unequal to the invention of hairbreadth escapes or deeds so utterly reckless as the every-day feats of the dauntless Mytton ; and no romances or fictions of the hunting-field as yet given to readers who revel in such moving incidents, afford the sporting de- lineator equal opportunities for a similar display of his spirited pencil. The book was there—the hero a living personage, whose daring escapades were familiarly discussed and wondered over amongst his hunting contemporaries, the lovers of sporting adventures. Nimrod himself was the ideal literary hand, by every congenial quali- fication predestined to chronicle those extraordinary '" a ALKEN'S ILLUSTRATIONS. performances of which he happened to be an in- terested eye-witness. This combination happened most happily, it must be allowed. So much for circumstances, which in the first instance led to these dashing "Memoirs" making their appearance in the columns of The Neiv Sporting Magazine in the palmy days of sporting literature.* As is easily understood, Nimrod's stirring narrative was eagerly devoured at the time of publication, and Ackermann, the enterprising pubHsher, conceived the happy idea of presenting the veracious Memoirs in a form worthy of their sporting character. For this purpose the very man was at hand, and to Apperley, as historian, was added, as artistic collabor-atetir, the ingenious Henry Aiken to furnish illustrations; an unsurpassable combination to which the present work owes its origin. Both artists stand alone, and as yet have found no successors in their respective branches, with the brilliant exception furnished by the later * "The Life of Mytton" began in October, 1834, in The New Sporting Iifaga::hie, having been announced by Ninirod in the previous " number. His letter concluded thus : I hope you will make a start with poor John Mytton on the ist of October—a melancholy reverse, by the way, of his usual start that in on day the Halston— covers. But how true the ma-xim, ^ Nil violentiinn est perpetuum'' '7>V the pace ihat kilts." ALKEN' S ILL USTRA TIONS. collaboration of Surtees with John Leech. The original Henry Aiken was designing sporting pictures for Ackermann at the date of Mytton's Memoirs; his innumerable productions in this field stand unrivalled, and in our own day are proportionately esteemed by collectors and amateurs whose tastes incline to sporting delineations. Like his literary confrere, Aiken was on the spot at the right moment ; and never, it may be safely averred, did this genius in sporting illustrations enjoy so tempting a commission, or one more congenial to his special talents. The publishers of the present extra-illustrated " edition of the " Memoirs of the Life of Jack Mytton have invited me to record a few particulars concern- ing the "illustrative embellishments," as Ackermann characterised them, when that excellent sporting publisher in the "early Thirties" enlisted the graphic powers of Henry Aiken. The numerous editions treasured by sporting collectors attest the interest these pictures have excited. Nowadays early editions with the amazing hand- coloured plates are not only keenly sought after but are rare, and proportionately costly. Aiken seems to have designed some twenty leading pictures for the embellishment of Nimrod's narrative ; the entire ALKEN'S ILLUSTRATIONS. gallery is now for the first time published together as a complete series. Ackermann favoured the sporting public with his first illustrated edition in 1835; and the collection proved successful beyond his expectations. The first edition has long been rarissime ; it consists of but no printed pages, and contains twelve plates by Henry Aiken. So scarce is this version—a thin little volume— that I do not remember to have seen half a dozen copies in a lifetime. Its current value may be estimated at fifteen guineas, though it would not be possible to secure more than a fugitive copy at that figure. The first series of twelve plates were etched by the designer, Henry Aiken, and delicately finished in aquatint in imitation of water-colour drawings by another clever artist, E. Duncan. The impressions were issued carefully coloured by hand after the original aqicarclUs, and are by connoisseurs esteemed highly superior examples of this class of work, the closest facsintiles of the water-colour drawings obtainable by the method of reproduction de- scribed. But with all their excellence, they necessarily fail to reproduce exactly those spontaneous and dashing qualities, and the delightful feeling for landscape which were the elder Aiken's specialities. ALKEN'S ILLUSTRATIONS. The popular appreciation which encouraged the publisher's first venture, emboldened Ackermann to follow up this little volume by a more ambitious work, issued two years later. This second edition appeared in 1837 ; the text was printed in bolder type, making a more imposing-looking volume as to bulk, with an engraved pictorial title-page, and em- bellished with eighteen coloured illustrations. These plates are also, for the most part, after original drawings by Henry Aiken, etched by that competent hand, and carefully finished in aquatint by E. Duncan after the originals. As has been mentioned, the first- named artist produced in all twenty "Mytton" designs which have come into the writer's possession. Of these some few were executed after suggestions by T. J. Rawlins, as stated on the plates in question, though to all intents and purposes the drawings thus designated are characteristic examples of Aiken's special art. Beyond these there were included two designs by T. J. Rawlins, "A Nick, or the nearest way home, with back view of Halston House," and "Heron shooting — A cooler after a big drink!" These plates were etched by Aiken with the others, and have thus acquired a share of artistic merit, but the actual designs are commonplace, stiff and poor ALKEN'S ILLUSTRATIONS. in comparison with Aiken's original water-colour drawings, and the present publishers have felt that the above-mentioned pair of plates are uninteresting and spiritless, as lacking the strikingly noteworthy characteristics of the Aiken series reproduced in the present edition. The two Rawlins designs were probably merely slight suggestions offered to be worked out by Aiken's hand, and as these sketches have not been preserved with the interesting original S7iite of highly finished water-colour pictures (which became the property of Ackermann in 1835-7), they are accordingly excluded from the present series of facsimiles after Aiken ; but it is supplemented by a further subject representing one of Mytton's wildest equestrian escapades, putting his horse at a leap down a bank "high as a house." This capital draw- ing, hitherto unpublished, was evidently designed for the illustration of the first issue. It may be of interest to notify alterations and modifications as collated from a comparison of the original drawings, herein reproduced, with the twelve plates of the 1835 first edition, and the eighteen plates of the second edition as published in 1837. The frontispiece to the earliest edition was " ' The Meet,' with Lord Derby's staghounds," applying to — " — ALKEN'S ILLUSTRATIONS. page 14 of this first version, and given opposite to page 25 of the second edition. Three strongly characteristic plates, which vi^ere included amongst the twelve first engraved versions of Aiken's "Mytton" Series, are not repeated in the second edition or in subsequent issues. These are restored in the present comprehensive series, reproduced in facsimile direct from the original water-colour drawings. These three subjects are entitled : Mytton shooting in winter. Blood and the bull-dog. Mytton masters the savage dog. Nine of the plates originally given in the first edition were included in the second edition, as is seen from the notes which follow, summarising the illustrations which appeared in the 1835 and 1837 editions respectively. 1S37 edition: " The Meet," with Lord Derby's staghounds. Mytton wild duck shooting. "What ! never upset in a gig?" — !" A new hunter "Tally-ho ! Tally-ho Stand and deliver. The Oaks filly. Light come, light go. Mytton on " Baronet " clears nine yards of water. " Damn this hiccup ! It must be pointed out that two of these earlier plates in the first instance represented the redoubt- ALKEN'S ILLUSTRATIONS. able hero in a nightcap. Whilst lying out on the ice at night, stalking flocks of wild ducks, Mytton, in addition to his single garment, a shirt, is pictured adorned with a nightcap, and a similar covering appears on his head when setting fire to the aforesaid solitary garment in the plate, showing that mistaken worthy carrying out his novel theory of frightening " " away that d d hiccup ! Subsequent knowledge that Mytton was unfamiliar with the use of pocket- handkerchiefs and of nightcaps alike, possibly induced the artist to make alterations, and to remove the nightcaps.

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