Smith had completed details of every thing he wished. An opinion having been entertained that Mr. Smith's work was intended as a rival to the one published by the Society of Antiquaries, from Mr. Smirke's drawings, the transaction was explained in some letters to the Gentleman's Magazine from Mr. J. Sidney Hawkins, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Smirke. See vol. LXXIII. pp. 32, 118, 204, 318, 423. The description of the Plates was begun by John Sidney Hawkins, Esq. F.S.A., who wrote the preface and the first 144 pages, besides other portions, as enumerated in Mr. Smith's advertisement to the volume; but an unfortunate dispute arising between these gentlemen (a circumstance much to be regretted) the work was completed by the latter. Mr. Hawkins wrote and published a pamphlet in answer to Mr. Smith's Preface; this produced a "Vindication," in reply, which is occasionally to be found bound at the end of the volume. Before this "Vindication" was published, a fire at Mr. Bensley's printing office destroyed 400 remaining copies of the work, with 5,600 prints, 2000 of which were coloured and elaborately gilt by Mr. Smith and his wife. By this fire Mr. Smith sustained a severe loss (estimated at £3,000) as the work was his entire property, having been published at his sole expense, aided by an unusually liberal subscription; Mr. Hawkins having no further interest or concern in it than furnishing gratuitously the greater portion of the descriptions. Mr. Smith afterwards published "Sixty-two additional Plates" to his "Antiquities of Westminster;"[1] but without any description, or even a list of them; for which however see Upcott's Account of English Topography, vol. ii. p. 839.