LITERARY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 177, 25 July 1908, Page 12

LITERARY.

"The Historical Records of New Zealand," edited by the Hon. E. McNab, are not designed to supersede the work of the historian, but are intended to furnish the materials from which histories may hereafter be written. There exist among the Imperial dispatches relating to this Dominion and Australia many documents of great interest and value; and these are quite inaccessible to the general public. Among the most valuable State papers relating to the beginnings of New Zealand colonization are those connected with the establishment of a convict settlement at Sydney, and Mr. McNab has, therefore, very wisely begun his labours by a search through th-e archives of New South Wales. It was from this source that the materials contained in the first volume now issued were almost exclusively drawn. Those relating to events prior to ISII were taken from printed records; those after that date from MS. records lying in Sydney, which were courteously placed at the disposal of the New Zealand Government by the State of New South Wales. The book opens with Captain Cook's dispatch, written on the '"Endeavour," at Batavia, in 1770. announcing his first visit to New Zealand. This is followed by subsequent dispatches relating to the discoveries of the great navigator. Among the most graphic of the ear'y pictures of the primitive settlement in New South Wales are those given in the letters of Captain Phillip to the Secretary of State. In one' of these, describing the difficulty in checking crime among the ill-assorted community under his jurisdiction, occurs a suggestion that the punishment for murder or sodomy should be the confinement of the offender "till an opportunity offered for delivering him as a prisoner to the natives of New Zealand, and let them eat him." Captain Phillip expressed the opinion that "the dread of this will operate much stronger than the fear of death.' . Interesting dispatches are given regarding the mutiny of the "Bounty," the massacre of the Boyd. the Rev. S. Marsden's visit to New Zealand, and the operations of the Church Missionary Society, the early dealings with flax and timber, the work of Mr. Busby, and the steps taken by Captain Hobson to establish British sovereignty over the islands. The method followed by the editor is to quote these despatches in full, with such explanatory notes as are required to make them clear. Mr. McNab is proceeding with this useful work, and thinks that another volume will be ready ji two years. Sir Charles Pantley has rendered a good service to the profession which he has adorned for so long a period, by the publication of his little book. "The Art of Singing and Vocal Declamation." In a concise form, it offers some excellent advice to students of tile vocal art. and the author's suggestions are illustrated by some interesting anecdotal reminiscences of incidents in his own career. Briefly stated, it is the opinion of Sir Charles that modern methods of teaching lack thoroughness, and he denounces in no measured terms the prevalence of incompetency and quackery among professed teachers of singing. He insists that to qualify any man to teach singing he must be, or must have been, a good singer; he must be able to illustrate practically what he teaches. Speaking of his own experience. Sir Charles says: — "Had I followed the commands of my first musical instructor, to keep to the tenor cleff or the advice of wouhl-ue instructors when I adopted tm/bass clef, the inevitable rcsuH would have been ruin to, or total loss of, my voice. I owe the preservation of my voice to the , study of the best vocal exercises 1 could find —the scudy of the result of study, in the work of the great singers it was my privilege to hear from an earK- age, and to my good fortune in being able to use my voice in its proper register, with slight deviation, for a number of years. Since I have been a singing masI ter. I have found that these two great I requisites to form a vocal artiste, viz., the study of vocal exercises and the study of the work of great artistes, are almost universally neglected. A few ejeercises are got through, not studied, and the pupil is in too short a time I launched into the study (if it can be j called study where the preparation for study is lacking) of difficult music." The book is published by Macmillan and Co.

Dr. Helen Bourchier, in her novel " A Great Renunciation" (Hutcliinson's Colonial Library), makes a gloomy chateau on the coast of Brittany the scene of a series of startling and mysterious events. The chief actors are an English lady who was ruar.y years before married to a Russian count, who i s exiled to Siberia for a political offence; their daughter Beatrice, and her lover. Through the agency of a Russian noble who has devoted his life to the work of liberating prisoners from the gaols of Siberia. Beatrice's father has been brought to this lonely chateau placed at the dispo=al of Russian exiles by a sympathetic French count. Beatrice has been kept in ignorance of her parentage, and is puzzled by the mystery pervading the inner life of the chateau. With her English lover she sets out to find out what is going on, and makes some amazing discoveries. Incidentally, Cupid sets the lovers at cross-purposes, ani ay curious tangle ensues, which, however, in the end is righted, the story closing to the music of wedding-bella.

Some months ago a length}' and capable review of "The Principles of Heredity," by Archdall Reid, was published in the "New Zealand Graphic" below the pen-name "Rangatira." The review was prompted by an interest in the subject, and an appreciation of the manner in which it was handled by the author, and was not suggested by any knowledge of the personality of the writer. Some person who was rather more behind the scenes in this respect forwarded the author copies of the paper, and an acknowledgment, addressed simply to "Rangatira." care of this office, develops a most curious coincidence. After an expression of thanks for the papers (which, as already stated, were sent by some one else), Mr. Reid continues: —"For mc the interest of the review is enhanced by the fact that the happiest years of my life were spent in Auckland. In the early eighties I was a farm boy in the Papakura Valley, a bank clerk in the town and at" the Thames, and for three years the schoolmaster of Te Arai. I "daresay some of the people of the latter place will remember mc, though the children whom I taught, am] whom I remember with singular afTeetion. have long grown up. I recollect I lived in a little old tumbledown, weather-board house, with a bi" chimney, round which the children who were near neighbours used to ait while I told them stories. I had always intended to return, if only for a visit, but as yet have never had time."

The chief incidents In Mrs. H. H. Penrose's story "Given Proof" (Laurie's Colonial Library) occur in Florida., although the initial chapters relate to events in England. Theodosia Dare, the daughter of a clergyman, marries George Wynne, a wealthy suitor, mainly to help her family. She subsequently becomes acquainted with a young poet named Stanford, a friend of her husband, both having property interests in Florida. They resolve on a visit to the United States, taking with them Theodosia's brother Cyril, a young clergyman in an advanced stage of consumption. They make a long journey into the interior, and Mrs. Wynne takes her brother to live among the pine forests. Although love becomes develojffed between Stanford and Mrs. Wynne, the latter remains true to her husband, whose conduct is the reverse of exemplary. Stanford discovers that his agent has fraudulently disposed of his land, on which phosphates had been discovered, and he takes summary vengeance upon the unjust steward. This leads to reprisals in that primitive society, which have a tragic ending.

"Stolen Banns," by L. Winstansley (Hutchinson's Colonial Library), is a story of English village life. Frances Ormthwaite is besieged by two lovers, but is indifferent to both. Her mother, an invalid, anxious to see her daughter well settled, urges the suit of James Selby, the well-to-do agent for a great county land-owner. The domineering and masterful manner of this lover, however, inspire Frances with apprehension, and she rejects his suit. Determined to compel her submission, Selby. by misrepresentation, induces the vicar of the parish to proclaim the banns in church, which leads to certain important consequences. The moral of the story is the misery which overbearing intolerance in domestic life is capable of inflicting, when a reasonable course of conduct might ensure happiness.

The folly of attempting to fashion the lives of others upon some theoretical scheme of our own is the theme of Tom Gallon's book. "Judy—and the Philosophers" (Hutchinson's Colonial Library). Two elderly men, who have spoiled their own lives, and vainly attempted to cover their failure by a sordid devotion to business in the City of London, endeavour to wreck the happiness of Judy, the niece of one. and Harry, the son of the other. But these two", falling in love, resolve to work out their own destinies. and as a preliminary enter into a secret marriage. Discovery of this act of defiance "results !n their expulsion from home, penniless. Then these old curmudgeons begin separately to find that they have hearts, and each is wishful to help the erring pair, but fears to do so because of the disapproval of the other. So matters drift along disastrously for all. despite various ingenious devices by Judy to bring about happier conditions. An "old clerk named Wakerley befriends the disowned couple in their extremity. There is some pretty by-play between the partners in their efforts to maintain before each other a stern and uncompromising attitude towards the offenders, this comedy being prolonged to the end.

In " Dun's Review" for May there are admirable articles dealing with the trade of Singapore and Moroc-co, and current notes on the financial situation in the United States, Great Britain and various European countries. Mr. John Ball, Chief of the United States Bureau of Trade Relations, reviews "Colonial Tariffs," in continuation of his series of articles on "The Tariff Systems of the Commercial World." The number contains a large amount of other matter relating to commercial topics.

The July number of the "Pall Mall Magazine" devotes its first article to the celebration of the three-hundredth birthday of Quebec, with portraits of the most eminent rulers of that city. Mr Frank H. Mason contributes some artistic notes on Venice, and Mr H. D. G. LevensonGower discusses unorthodox cricket. Mr 11. C. Bailey's historical series, "The Pageant of England," describes the invasion of William the Norman, and the fateful battle of Hastings. Mr A. E. Johnson gives an account of the modern Olympic games in Greece. There are other interesting articles, short stories, and serial chapters of Mr H. G. Wells' stirring novel, "The War in the Air," the current instalment describing the destruction of New York.

"The Young Man's Magazine" for Julycontains an excellent article on the genius of Leonardo da Vinci. Mr lvo Bertram offers some seasonable advice on

"Strength." The Rev. W. Gray Dixon gives an interesting account of his visit to Rio, illustrated by photos, and the B.C. department, as usual, receives special attention.

The fine-art feature of the June "Windsor" includes seventeen beautiful reproductions of the animal paintings of Mr Arthur Wardle—one of which is given as a tinted plate. General Sir George Wolseley. G.C.8.. contributes an interesting article on "The Andaman Islands": and the technicalities of the new MonoRail invention, "The Gyroscope," are explained with many interesting illustrations of its possible development in future traffic by land and sea. The verses of the number include notable contributions by Dora SSgerson Shorter and Charles G. D. Roberts, and there is the usual collection of short stories by popular writers.

In the June number of the "Empire Review," Viscount Milnor contributes some notes on Egyptian Nationalism, in the course of which he shows that at the present time the Egyptian Government, in its higher ranks, is conducted mainly by Egyptians. In 190G, out of 13.279 members of the Egyptian Civil Service, only 1,252 were Europeans, and a great many of these were occupants of posts requiring technical and engineering skill, which even a purely native Government would have to employ Europeans to fill. He believes that the retention of British control is essential to the welfare of the Egyptians themselves as well as of the important European interests which have become established in that country, and that Nationalist agitation, although a serious and growing embarrassment, must be steadfastly resisted. Sir Charles Elliott, in an article on "The New Danger in India," attributes much of the present trouble to the failure of the Government to control the vernacular Press, despite many warnings by persons well acquainted with native feelings. Mr. Edward Dicey, in an article on the King's visit to Russia, affirms his opinion that the vast majority of the people of that country prefer the autocratic rule of the Czar to the rule of a Constitutional Parliament. Mrs. Trench Gascoigne contributes some interesting

"Impressions of the Malay from a Motor Car," her observations shewing the existence of much happiness, contentment and great prosperity. Other notable articles are *The Empire and Its Future," by E. T. Stuart-Linton, and "Tariff Re.form," by George Levick.