[Illustration: THE EARL OF LEICESTER'S LEVEE.
FROM THE ABBOTSFORD EDITION OF "KENNILWORTH."
_By permission of Messrs. Adam & Charles Black._]
[1] With very trifling exceptions there was no railway traveling in England at that time, and only one steam vessel, the _Hylton Jolliffe_, sailed between Newcastle and the Metropolis, so that George Dalziel made the journey in a small trading vessel of some three or four hundred tons burden. The weather being calm and warm for the season, the little ship went pleasantly along until it had performed about half the journey, when, through negligence on the part of the chief mate, who was in charge at the time, the vessel was allowed to run aground upon a sand bank when nearly opposite Yarmouth. It was a beautiful sunny morning, and the ship was quickly surrounded by a great many fishing boats offering their services to take out part of the cargo, and so lighten it sufficiently that it might float again when the tide rose. This was done, and having gone a little further out to sea, the cargo was again put on board and the ship sailed away to London, where she finally cast anchor in the Thames nearly opposite the Tower, on a bright, fresh, Sunday morning, having occupied nearly a whole week in the journey.
_CHARLES KNIGHT, SIR WILLIAM ALLAN, R.A., P.R.S.A, JOHN FRANKLIN, WILLIAM MULREADY, R.A., GEORGE ROUTLEDGE, SIR JOHN TENNIEL, GEORGE CRUIKSHANK, W. E. FROST, R.A., F. R. PICKERSGILL, R.A., FRED WALKER, A.R.A., R.W.S., SIR JOHN GILBERT, R.A., P.R.W.S., RICHARD DOYLE, AND W. M. THACKERAY._
Very early in our career we were, through our friend William Harvey, introduced to Charles Knight, the eminent publisher who did so much as a pioneer in introducing cheap and good literature to the people, as his "Penny Magazine," "Penny Cyclopædia," "Charles Knight's History of England," and many other kindred works bear ample evidence. And not only in literature but in art as well he took a bold and leading part: see his elaborately illustrated edition of Shakespeare's Works, the Bible, "The Land we Live in," and many highly interesting and instructive books. Perhaps the most beautiful of all was the illustrated edition of Lane's "Arabian Nights' Entertainments," a book which must always hold a foremost place among the most tastefully decorated volumes this country has produced.