Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 6.djvu/340

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [n s. vi. OCT. 5, 1912.

reply (here published for the first time) to the Russian and Italian ambassadors who sought for the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Servia two years after the assassination of King Alexander and Queen Draga. ' Thackeray's "Punch" Table-Talk' from Henry Silver's Dinner Diary had, of course, to be printed, and Mr. E. V. Lucas sets it out satisfactorily, though in itself it does not amount to much. The best of the stories are not concerned with Thackeray. Maeterlinck's ' The Insect's Homer ' is an essay, as the entomologist may guess, on J. H. Fabre's ' Souvenirs entomologiques.' M. Maeterlinck per- haps assumes an even greater ignorance as to the ways of insects than actually exists, presenting to us as marvels to be observed for the first time the doings of the Egyptian scarab and the leaf- cutter bee ; but he makes them almost appear new by the grace of his telling, and very welcome are the extracts of charming prose which he gives from Fabre's own work. ' The Young Idea 'twixt Square and Thwackum,' by Mr. T. H. S. Escott, is elaborated on a fairly ingenious ground plan, and in itself to some purpose. The estimates of Mrs. Sher- wood and Maria Edgeworth are good ; we should say that in summing up Charlotte Yonge there were several of her numerous works that had, for the moment, dropped out of the writer's recollection. Carducci's ' Odi Barbare ' may well tempt the translator, but we cannot congratulate Mr. John Bailey on the success of his renderings. He misses points, adds jejune amplifications, and is most infelicitous in his choice of metres. To give but one instance : the whole of ' Miramar ' works up to the last word " Massimiliano." Not only is the name which clinches the whole entirely omitted from the English, but we end on

Thy beauty now, thy youth, thy strength

To him I consecrate,

where the emphasis is diverted from Maximilian to Ghiatimozino. ' Life and Death : a Dis- cursive Dialogue ' surrounds with a pleasant old- fashioned atmosphere as if it came out of one of Maria Edgeworth's books a discussion which ends according to the latest utterances of modern practical philosophy. There wants but " Enter a Pragmatist." We found Mr. Basil de Selin- court on Auguste Angellier more than a thought long-winded ; in the midst of so many rich and redundant expatiations the French poet almost dis- appears from ken. Rather unfortunate too, as illustration, is that sonnet, aptly rejected by M. Legouis, so obviously written for the sake of working in a translation of " eras amet qui nunquam amavit " in the closing lines. Mr. Crackanthorpe's ' Friends and Foes of Eugenics ' would, we think, have been a stronger and more convincing bit of work if it had been first an exposition of the writer's view of the matter, and only secondarily an attempt at refutation of the " foes." An unusually inter- esting number.

The Nineteenth Century has one article which should prove of special interest to readers of ' N. & Q.' in Mr. C. E. Stewart's 'Visit to London in the Year 1651,' where, from the, at rirst sight, slender data of a record of expenses, the writer constructs an entertaining and instructive story, rilled in with careful detail, of the peregrinations about London of a gentleman from the country. A facsimile of the document is given. Mrs. Lyttelton's ' Humours of Irish Servants,' necessarily rather

rambling, has a number of good stories, a fair pro- portion of which have the merit often lacking in Irish stories of holding good in chill black and white. Mr. S. M. Mitra has an interesting article on ' Christianity in Hinduism,' concerned with the resemblances between the ideal of the perfect life and character in the two religions. Another article concerned with India is Capt. Rolleston's ' Behind the Purda,' a vigorous exposition of the unhappy situation of Indian widows, more than once made before, but needing to be repeated until such time as the evils have been satisfactorily dealt with. Mr. Sydney Brooks, in ' The Problem of the New York Police,' sets forth in effective fashion one of the most extraordinary anomalies within the range of Western civilization. Mr. Stephen de Vere, in ' Social Aspects of Home Rule,' describes what is virtually another, though of so widely different a character.

' The Lost Industry of Novel- Writing ' may, it appears, yet be revived ; indeed, it seems rather the knack of publishing novels in a practical remunera- tive manner that is lost. Mr. Flowerdew, who deals with this question, finds the root of the trouble in the libraries and the private buyer having the new book offered them at one and the same price. He speaks rather disparagingly of serials issued subsequently as books, drawing a line between them and true books, oddly without a word of acknow- ledgment of the numerous English classics which have made their first appearance as serials.

A particularly interesting paper though bearing a title which is something of a misnomer is Mrs. Hall's ' The First Englishman Napoleon Ever Saw ' in reality the publication verbatim of the account of an interview with Napoleon which a son of the said Englishman was lucky enough to procure for himself at St. Helena. The narrative is precise, vivid, and unaffected. Capt. Kerr's ' The Spirit of Nelson ' ends appropriately with a line in large capitals. One might easily suppose that only the irre- levant necessity of keeping The Nineteenth Century within its usual limits prevented the whole paper from being so printed. Yet if the writer's enthu- siasm makes one smile, it is also not a little infectious : and what is the sense of listening too closely to a man's detractors? De mortuis, &c.

THE Ninth Edition of ' The International Directory of Booksellers and Bibliophile's Manual ' is announced by Mr. James Clegg of Rochdale. It will include a ' Select Bibliography of Biblio- graphies,' with index of authors, compiled by Mr. Daniel Hipwell, whose signature is familiar to readers of ' N. & Q.'

10

ON all communications must be written the name and address of the sender, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith.

WE beg leave to state that we decline to return communications which, for any reason, we do not print, and to this rule we can make no exception.

E. McPiKE (Chicago). Forwarded.

C. DRURY and M. L. FERKAR ("Churchyard Inscriptions "). Forwarded.

JOHN T. LOOMIS. Many thanks for reply on Silphium laciniatum, anticipated at p. 254.