Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 6.djvu/456

 380 NOTES AND QUERIES. [9"-s. vi. NOV. 10,1900. there is but too much justification for his com- plaint. Sir Squire Bancroft, who is, naturally, a competent judge, wrote to the same effect a week or two ago in the World. The worst is that this cUgringoladt is sure to be continuous. Facilities of travel and habits of advertisement seem as destruc- tive of simplicity and beauty as they are of mystery. Lady Guendolen Ramsden writes a protest, which, it is to be feared, will be unavailing, about ' Extravagance in Dress.' Mr. Samuel \ adding- ton's contribution concerning 'The Cradle of the Human Race," Mrs. Walter Creyke on ' Voice Culture," Mr. F. Harcourt Kitchin's 'Casualties of War and of Industry,' and Mr. Weale's ' The Van Eycks" repay attention.—An account in the /'"// Mail of ' Dunrobin Castle' is by Lord Ronald Suther- land-Gower, who naturally is familiar with the beauties of the spot. The illustrations from photo- graphs are admirably taken, and differ from those accompanying previous descriptions of the sanie kind by showing some of the spots covered with snow. A reproduction of a bust of Harriet, second Duchess of Sutherland, is excellent. There is also a striking and a little-known portrait of the Queen of Scots. The face in this is handsome and more powerful than any we recall. "The Circus' is another of Miss Nesbit's delightful pictures of child life and pursuits. 'Recreations of Prison' ia a novel subject, though many of the illustrations are familiar. ' Prima Donnas of the Past' leads us from Nell Gwynn (who was scarcely a prima donna), past Lavinia Fenton (Duchess of Bolton), Malibran, Pasta, Grisi, and others, to Jenny Lind. The letter press, by Mr. Le Grys Norgate, is accompanied "by some excellent portraits after Lely, Sir Joshua, Hogarth, and others. T. E. Brown is the subject of appreciative criticism by Mr. Henley in his ' Ex Libris." Mr. Street, in ' In a London Attic,' deals with Gibbon.—Part IF. of Mr. Henry Norman's 'Russia of To-day'lends conspicuous interest and value to Scribnern. No travel articles we recall give a better idea of the country traversed. The account of the Great Siberian Railway is very striking, and the pictures of the long, dreary, monotonous tracts aid admirably the imagination in summoning up the scene. Very striking are, moreover, the pictures of the peasants. Another excellent paper is that on 'The Cross Streets of New York.' Many of these are curiously homelike in appearance. Among many illustrations is one of Chinatown, with which we nave nothing to corre- spond, though we have quarters as quaint. ' The Landscape Features of the Paris Exposition' may be commended. One of the illustrations to ' The Field of Art' is a reproduction of Titian's glorious 'Assumption,' which Thackeray at one time con- sidered the finest picture in the world. Some coloured plates are effective in their way.—To the Conthill Mr. George M. Smith supplies some interesting memories of men of letters and others entitled 'In the Forties,' a time when, of course, the writer was in his early youth. Among those with whom he is principally concerned are Richard Hengist Home, the author of ' The Farthing Epic," and Leigh Hunt, about whom some character- istic particulars are preserved. Mr. Barry O'Brien writes on ' Sarsfield,' a hero little known in this country whose memory ia still cherished in Ireland. Mr. Max Beerbohm's ' Ichabod' is very humorous, and shows a good deal of insight into human nature. 'French Wit in the Eighteenth Century' is an inexhaustible subject, to which Mr. S. G. Tallentyre makes a slight, but readable con- tribution.—' The Real "Diana of the Crossways,"'in Temple Bar, is an account of the Hon. Mrs. Norton, who is vindicated from the charge often brought against her of having sold to the Timti a Cabinet secret. Everything about the bright, unhappy Heine is interesting, and Mr. E. B. Shuldham's ' Heine as an Impressionist' may be read with pleasure. ' Winter in a Great Wood' is one of the descriptive articles which have come into high favour during recent years.—Mr. H. Schutz Wilson sends to the Gentleman'* a good account of that curious book ' The Courtyer,'oy Baldassare Castig- lione. In the same publication appears ' The Creeds of Tzarland,' by Mr. Lowry. Mr. Ellard Gore writes on ' The Involution of the Stars.' ' Drift" is a good translation from the Danish. — Mr. Lang is as brilliant as usual in ' At the Sign of the Ship ' in Longman's. He breaks a fresh lance with Miss Marie Corelli, who is developing into as ardent a champion as Ouida. Incidentally Mr. Lang treats of spooks. In George Paston s interesting account of Mrs. Grant of Laggan one is rather startled to find the author talking of a " Sybil" (tic). Mr. Bradshaw writes on that saddest of subjects ' Indian Famines.' ' When Mary Queened the Scots' is the not quite satisfactory title given by Mr. Halliwell Sutcliffe to a species of capposed con- fession of Chatelard. Articles to be read are ' The Queerest Streets in England' and ' Some Extra- ordinary Auctions.' 'A Soldier's Bequest' deals with the Mayer Collection at Eton College Museum. to We must call special attention to the following notices:— 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 cannot undertake to answer queries privately. To secure insertion of communications corre- spondents must observe the following rules. Let each note, query, or reply be written on a separate slip of paper, with the signature of the writer and such address as he wishes to appear. When answer- ing queries, or making notes with regard to previous entries in the paper, contributors are requested to put in parentheses, immediately after the exact heading, the series, volume, and page or i>ages to which they refer. Correspondents who repeat queries are requested to head the second com- munication " Duplicate." N. ("Adieu, canaux, canards, canaille").—Sup- posed to be Voltaire. HADJI (" The spacious times of great Elizabeth "). —Tennyson, ' Dream of Fair Women." D. M. (" Odour of Negroes ").—See 9th S. iv. 94. CORRIGENDUM.—P. 336, col. 1,1.3, for " ca-pable " read cd'-pable. KOT1CE. Editorial Communications should be addressed to "The Editor of 'Notes and Queries'"—Advertise- ments and Business Letters to "The Publisher"— at the Office, Bream's Buildings, Chancery Lane, E.G. 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.