ed before us,
distant cities coming into view one by one. First, we see Halberstadt
with its spires, then Magdeburg, then another city, and another.

"We have been so occupied with the distant prospect, and with the
objects of interest which give character to it, that we had almost
overlooked the charming composition and suggestive lines of this
wonderful view. There is an ancient castle on the heights, the town of
Blankenberg at our feet, a strange wall of perpendicular rocks in the
middle distance; there are the curves of the valleys, flat pastures,
undulating woods, and roads winding away across the plains. The
central point of interest is the church spire with its cluster of
houses spreading upwards towards the chateau, with its massive
terraces fringed with trees, &c., &c."

This was all very well in word-painting, but what a veil is lifted from
the reader's eyes by some such sketch as the one below.

[Illustration: VIEW ABOVE BLANKENBERG, HARZ MOUNTAINS.]

It should be mentioned that three photographic prints joined together
would hardly have given the picture, owing to the vast extent of this
inland view, and the varying atmospheric effects.

The last instance I can give here is an engraving from _Cassell's
Popular Educator_, where a picture is used to demonstrate the curvature
of the world's surface; thus imprinting, for once, and for always, on
the young reader's mind a fact which words fail to describe adequately.

[Illustration: THE CURVATURE OF THE WORLDS SURFACE.]

This is "The Art of Illustration" in the true sense of the word.

FOOTNOTES:

[3] The quotations are from a paper by the present writer, read
before the Society of Arts in March, 1875.

[4] This system of reporting rifle contests is now almost universal
in England.

[5] It seems strange that enterprising newspapers, with capital at
command, such as the _New York Herald_, _Daily Telegraph_, and _Pall
Mall Gazette_, should not have developed so obvious a method of
transmitting information. The _Pall Mall Gazette_ has been the most
active in this direction, but might do much more.

[6] It has been well said that if a building can be described in
words, it is not worth describing at all!

CHAPTER III.

ARTISTIC ILLUSTRATIONS.

In referring now to more artistic illustrations, we should notice first,
some of the changes which have taken place (since the meet