next chapter. He should also possess a firmness of character not easily intimidated, with urbanity of manners, which will assuredly gain him the esteem and respect of all about him.

Sorts not in common use, furniture, chases, leads, &c. should be under his care and lock, that they may be in readiness for delivery when wanted; and, in the meantime, be saved from plunder-prevention is better than punishment. A memorandum book, in which particular sorts are entered, would be found highly useful.

It should be the business of the Overseer to revise the proofs for press; in doing which he will be careful not only to ascertain whether all the corrections marked in the proof are made, but also to cast his eye carefully over the sides, head, and bottom of each page, as it frequently happens that the folios or catch-words drop out of the forme in lifting it off the imposing stone; also in leaded matter, letters at the beginning and end of lines frequently fall out of their proper place, and by their standing crooked, have a slovenly appearance. Before the revise is given to the compositor, the number of the press for which it is intended should be marked at the bottom of an even page. It should be an invariable rule with the Overseer to require a second revise, or fair sheet, before proceeding, in order to see if all the corrections have been made which were marked in the first; this is indispensably necessary, particularly with foul compositors, as no sort of dependance can be placed on them.

He should, where there is not a person engaged expressly for the purpose, go regularly round, about every quarter of an hour, to the different presses; and examine their work, point out defects, if any, and glance again over the heads, sides and bottoms of the pages, to see if any thing has been drawn out by the balls or rollers, which frequently occurs, from bad justification of the lines, and careless and improper locking-up of the forme: he should turn up the heap to see that both sides are kept of the same degree of colour; and that the set-off sheet is changed as often as may be necessary. An active and conscientious Overseer will not be content with merely managing the concerns of the composing-room and pressroom; he will also see that the business of the warehouse is attended to with regularity and accuracy; and that the warehouseman, errand boys, and apprentices do their duty.

It will be difficult for the Overseer, even with the strictest

attention on his own part to the foregoing advice, to preserve order and regularity without some fixed regulations, either generally understood, or particularly specified, and which it may be very well to have either written or printed, and hung up in a conspicuous part of the office. I submit the following, the major part of which have been adopted by various offices.

RULES AND REGULATIONS PROPER TO BE OBSERVED IN A PRINTING-OFFICE.

Compositors.

1. Compositors to receive their cases from the Overseer, or other person appointed by him, free from all pie, or other heterogeneous matter, with clean quadrat and space boxes to both roman and italic, which they are to return to him in the same clean state.

2. When a Compositor receives letter, furniture, &c. from the Overseer, he is to return what he does not use, in a satisfactory

state.

3. Compositors to impose their matter when desired by the Employer or Overseer; and the same for proofs that are desired to be corrected; unless in either case it shall appear that all the stones are engaged.

4. When the Compositor imposes from a forme, he is directly to tie up the pages of loose matter.

5. Formes, immediately after they are imposed, to be carried to the proof-press; and the proofs, when pulled, to be given to the Reader, or carried into the reading-closet, with, if a first proof, the copy; and, if a second, the foul proof.

6. No Compositor shall leave a foul stone, either of letter, furniture, &c.

7. No Compositor to detain an imposing stone longer than the nature of the business may require.

8. When any cases are taken out of the racks, the Compositor is to return them into their proper place immediately after he has done with the same.

9. No cases to be placed over others, or under the frames.

10. Galleys with head-lines, or other useful materials, during the course of a piece of work, to be cleared at furthest the day after the work is all completely at press.

11. When a work is finishing, the Compositor, or Compositors concerned shall, as the formes are finally worked, clear them away, taking from them the head-lines, white-lines, and direction-lines, as also the leads and reglets, which, with the furniture of each sheet, the matter being properly tied up for papering, are to be given to the Overseer, or any person he may appoint.

12. Sweepings of frames to be cleared away before one o'clock every day. Matter broken by accident to be cleared away on the same day.

13. No Compositor to mix two separate founts, without an express order from the Overseer.

14. When a Compositor carries his forme down for press, he is not to put two formes together without a partition between them.

15. The saw, saw-block, bowl, sponge, letter-brush, sheers, bellows, &c. to be returned to their respective places as soon as done with.

16. No person to take a candlestick, bodkin, snuffers, composing-stick, &c. not his own, without permission of the owner. 17. No person to misplace cases in the rack, or take an upper without the lower case, or vice versa.

18. Pie of any sort, on boards, windows, frames, &c. to be cleared after five minutes' notice.

19. No person to take sorts from the frames or cases of another without leave; nor to hoard useful sorts, not immediately wanting them.

20. No person (except the Master or Overseer) to call off the errand boy while he is sweeping his rooms.

21. No candle to be left by any one, except in charge of some proper person; and the boundaries of the office to be considered, in all cases, the open air.

22. Jobs to be cleared away immediately after notice having been given by the Overseer.

23. These regulations, in cases of extreme hurry of business, by leave from the Master or Overseer, may be suspended; but, when that has ceased, to be immediately resumed.

Pressmen.

1. All proofs to be pulled within five minutes after notice, by the Pressmen who are in proofs.

2. Immediately after pulling a proof, the Pressmen to rub over the formes and chases with a ley-brush, and place them against the Compositor's frame to whom they belong, where they are to leave the proof.

3. Not to work without a figure unless particularly ordered.

4. As soon as a forme is wrought off, the Pressman to carry it to the ley trough, and there completely rub it over with ley, rinse it with water, and then carry it to the wrought-off place, or to the end of the Compositor's frame it belongs to.

5. Not to leave the ley-jar uncovered.

As to enforcing such rules by fines, as recommended by Mr. Stower, in his Printer's Grammar, I very much disapprove of it. If the Master possesses a proper portion of the suaviter in modo blended with the fortiter in re, he will command the observance of such necessary regulations in his own house; and the odium of inflicting fines may be dispensed with. If he have not these qualities, the tribunal necessary to be erected in his office for the cognizance of delinquencies of this sort will be such a fertile source of destruction of time, creating of party, encouraging spite, and promoting chapelling and combination, that his office would be better if altogether without laws. The foregoing regulations are, therefore, retained without the penalties, since every one can add them at his pleasure. Pecuniary fines are not likely to bind those to the interest of an employer whom honour fails to influence: and, from my own practice, I feel authorized in recommending suitable firmness in the Master and his Overseers, as more likely to operate serviceably on the good sense of the men and boys, than any exactions can do. Journeymen are not likely to be so scarce as to make it necessary to keep those who will not conform to reasonable rules, framed for the good of all; and apprentices must obey them at the order of a Master, or abide by the consequences of the alternative.

THE READER, &c.

CHAPTER X.

Corrections of Proofs-Marks of Corrections-Correcting in MetalQUALIFICATIONS AND DUTIES OF A READer.

IT has ever been, and ever ought to be, the chief object of eminent printers to aim at accuracy; so that while they have especial care to render what issues from their press as free as possible from professional faults, they will be still more assiduous in avoiding literary errors. The office of Corrector should, therefore, be conferred on one who has not only a perfect judgment of his mother tongue, but who has some knowledge of such languages as are in frequent use, viz. the Latin, French, Italian, Hebrew, Greek, &c., and who possesses, moreover, a quick and discerning eye. These are the accomplishments by which a Cor. rector may raise his own and his employer's credit; for it ought to be a consideration with booksellers to give their works to be done by printers whom they know to be either able correctors themselves, or who employ persons properly qualified by liberal education and general knowledge. It is certainly the author's province to see that his book be correctly published, either by delivering his copy very accurately and fairly written, or by carefully perusing the proof sheets: but the advantage is great in having the aid of a well-qualified Corrector, who may detect the inaccuracies in thought or language of the author, and by judicious suggestions contribute to the perfection of his work.

If a printer be aware that the copy put into his hands is incorrectly written or badly digested, he should either refer it to the author for revisal, or, if the incorrectness be such as he may venture to rectify himself, it should be done before it is wanted by