Webb is good in his descriptive text but for the deep sky objects he says relatively little. This is where Smyth is more rewarding as his notes are much more extensive. The style and language are similar. Smyth and Webb definitely knew each other, they will have met at the RAS and were certainly in correspondence. Smyth mentions observations of Albireo by Webb in his Sidereal Chromatics published in 1864.
British Astronomical Association
Supporting amateur astronomers since 1890