" The inventor of this useful art was J. Vander Mey, father of the well-known painter of that name. About the end of the sixteenth century he resided at Ley den With the assistance of Muller, the clergyman of the German congregation there, who carefully superintended the correction, he prepared and cast the plates for the above-mentioned quarto Bible. This Bible he published also in folio, with large margins, ornamented with figures ; the forms of which are still in the hands of Elwe, bookseller at Am sterdam : also an English New Testa ment, and Schaaf's Syriac Dictionary ; the forms of which were melted down : likewise a small Greek Testament, in 18mo.
" ks far as is known, Vander Mey printed nothing else in this manner ; and the art of preparing solid blocks was lost at his death, or at least was not afterwards employed." The Dutch editor supposes that the reason why Vander Mey's inven tion was dropped was, that, " though this process in itself is very advantageous, it is far more expensive than the usual me thod of printing, except in those cases where such works are to be printed as are indispensably necessary, and of stand ing worth." Mr. Tilloch, however, is of a directly contrary opinion.
In the year 1781 was printed, by and for J. Nichols, London, a very interesting pamphlet, entitled Biographical Memoirs of William Ged ; including a particular account of his progress in the art of block-printing. The first part of the pamphlet was printed from a MS., dic tated by Ged some time before his death ; the second part was written by his daugh ter, for whose benefit the profits of the publication were intended; the third is a copy of proposals that had been publish ed by Mr. Ged's son, in 1751, for reviving his father's art, and to the whole is added Mr. Mores's Narrative of Block Printing It apears from this publication, that, in the year 1725, Mr. Ged began to prose cute plate-printing. In 1727, he entered into a contract with a person who had a little capital, but who, on conversing with some printer, got so intimidated, that, at the end of two years, he had laid out only twenty-two pounds. In 1729, he entered into a new contract with a Mr Fenner, Thomas James, a type-foun der, and John James, the architect. Some time after, a privilege was obtained from the University of Cambridge, to print bibles and prayer-books ; but it ap pears, that one of his partners was ac tually averse to the success of the plan, and engaged such people for the work as he thought most likely to spoil it. A straggling workman, who had wrought with them, informed Mr. Mores, that both bibles and common prayer-books had been printed ; but that the composi tors, when they corrected one 'fault,, made purposely half a dozen more ; and the pressmen, when the masters were ab sent, battered the letter in aid of the compositors. In consequence of these base proceedings, the books were sup pressed by authority, and the plates sent to the King's printing-house, and from thence to Mr. Caslon's foundry. " After
much ill usage," says Mr. Tilloch, "Ged, who appears to have been a person of great honesty and simplicity, returned to Edinburgh. His friends were anxious that a specimen of his art should be pub lished, which was at last done by sub scription. His son, James Ged, who had been apprenticed to a printer, with the consent of his master, set up the forms in the night-time, when the other composi tors were gone, for his father to cast the plates from ; by which means Sallust was finished in 1736." Mr. Tilloch has not only a copy of this work, but also " the plate of one of the pages." Besides Sal lust, Mr. Tilloch has another work, printed some years after, from plates of Mr. Ged's manufacture. The book is The Life of God in the Soul of Man, printed on a writing pot, 121no,. and with the following imprint: "Newcastle, print ed and sold by John White, from plates made by William Ged, Goldsmith in Edinburgh, 1742." Fifty years after the invention of plate printing by Mr. Ged, Mr. Tilloch made a similar discovery, without having, at the time, any knowledge of Ged's invention. In perfecting the invention, Mr. Tilloch had the assistance and joint labour of Mr. Foulis, printer to the University of Glas gow. After great labour, and many ex periments, these gentlemen " overcame every difficulty, and were able to pro duce plates, the impressions from which could. not be distinguished from those taken from the types from which they were cast." "Though we had reason to fear," says Mr. Tilloch, "from what we [afterwards] found Ged had met with, that our efforts would experience a simi lar opposition, from prejudice and igno rance, we persevered in our object for a considerable time, and at last resolved to take out patents for England and Scot land, to secure ourselves, for the usual term, the benefits of our invention ; for the discovery was still as much our own as if nothing similar had been practised before. Ged's knowledge of the art hav ing died with his son, whose proposals for reviving it, published in 1751, not having been followed with success, he went to Jamaica, where he died. The patents were accordingly obtained ; nay, they are even expired ; and yet we, hear people, who only began their stereotype labours yesterday, taking to themselves the merit of being the first inventors !" " Owing to circumstances of a private na ture," not, however, connected with the stereotype art, the business was laid aside. for a time ; and Mr. Tilloch, having re moved from Glasgow to London, the con cern was dropped altogether ; not, how ever, till several small volumes had been stereotyped and printed, under the di rection of Messrs Tilloch and Foulis.