LITERARY GOSSIP.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12569, 11 August 1906, Page 7

LITERARY GOSSIP.

Nea-ring his eightieth year, Frederic Mistral, the Provencal poet, is still 3'fung in mind (says'the Paris correspondent of "The Standard"), happily far removed yet from tho sixth ago of Shakespeare. Nevertheless ho is preparing his tomb. It will be put up in tho cemetery at Maillane, near h ; s house. It is to be a copy of tho wellknown ••Pavilion de la Heine Jeanne" at Baux. Tho care taken by the Provencal poet to mako it beautiful will be remembered for generations among the neighbouring peasantry. "It is, after all, tho tomb that is tho house wo live longest in; we must havo it beautiful," Mistral said the other day when somebody twitted him about his hobby. And ho docs the work himsoll with no mean skill, refusing all aid. Messrs Hurst and Blackett are bringing out shortly the first volume of the full and authoritative ''"History of tho War in South Africa, 1889-1002*" which has been compiled by direction of his Majesty's Government by Major-Gene-ral Sir Frederick Maurice, X.C.8., and a group of officers. It is proposed to complete tho narrative iv four volumes. The opening instalment deals with military operations in Natal up to and inclusive of Ooleuso. It describes Stormborg, General French's movements until he joined forces with Lord Roberts in February, 1900; Lord Methuon's battles in tho western portion of tho theatre of war, notably Belmont, Modder Raver, and Magersfontein. Tho record ends, for the present, with Lord Roberts's' arrival at Capetown, and his reorganisation of tho troops for the relief of Kimiberloy and the invasion of the Qrango Free State. Wo are promised that tho achievements of individual soldiers of all ranks who specially distinguished- themselves will be recorded. A distinguished committee, including Earl Crewe. Mr Balfour, Mr Georgo Wyndham, Mr Birrell, Mr J. M. Barrio, Mr George Meredith, and Lord Tennyson, is appealing for funds to purcliase the house in Rome wherein the poet Keats died, and to establish a permanent memorial to. Keats and Shelley. Tlio King hms had zomc practice as ns editor within the last few weeks (writes a London correspondent), having read tho proof sheets Of the felecrion of Queen Victoria's letters which Viscount EshcT and Mr A. C. Benson havo been making for some time under his supervision. Though not authorised to attempt a formal Life of the Queen, they havo employed in writing a good deal of explanatory matter of a biographical character, and it is no doubt to this that his Majesty's editorial eve has given most attention. The work will be published in several volumes. Tho first two aro to be ready for issue in September or October. The greater part of the writing has presumably been done by Mr'Benson, who is a literary artist o*f considerable distinction. Just where Viscount Eshcr comes into tho collaboration is not easy to gue«. His experience has been almost exclusively concerned with red tape and politics. Among many testimonies of appreciation of his rendering of Colonel _ Newcombe on tho vstage of His Majesty s Theatre (writes Mr Lucy), is a letter addressed to Mr Beorbohm Tree by Mrs Ritchie, after having sat out the play. Thackeray's only surviving_ daughter writes in* the warmest praise of Mr Tree's rendering of what (die speaks of as her father's favourite character. It is a long letter, marked by hereditary literary grace. In advance* of tho staging of tho play Mr Tret? was violently attacked from certain quarters on a charge of sacrilege in presunroig to deal with th© peerless character immortalised In* the novelist whoso creation contributed to the immortality of his own fame. Mrs Ritchie's letter, which, it is to be hoped, will some day be published, disposes of this fussy advocacy. It is odd (remarks an English writer) that tbe most popular of all the epigrams of Talleyrand is not his at all, if the bull may be allowed. Fournier. in his "L'Esprit dans l'Histoiro,'' says that Harel, when he wished to put an epigram into circulation, used to.connect it with some famous name on" the chajioe of reclaiming it, if it caught on. Thus, says Fournier, in the '-Nam Jauwe," Harel assigned" to Talleyrand tho famous phrase, ••Speech was giveoi to man to disguise his thoughts." But before Harel, Voltaire had said it, m his "Dialogue XIV.—Le Chapon et la Poulnrdo": "Men uso thought only te justify their wrong doingp and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts." Before Voltaire, Goldsmith had said it in tho third number of "Tlie Bee"; "The true use of speech is not so much to express our wants as to conceal them." Beforei Goldsmith, witty Bishop South had said it in a sermon

preached April 30th. 1676: "Sp.-ech was given to the ordinary sort of men wharoby to communicate their miud, but to-wise men wheieby to conceal it." And. l>efore South, Lloyd, in. his 'State Worthies" (IWJS) had controverted it: "Speech was made to open man to man, and not to hide him; to promote commerce, and not botrny it." Tlio following additions to tlie Brifi*rh Civil liet were announced the other day:— Mrs Merivale. wife of tlie late Herman Merivale, £50. Mrs Katlierine .S. Macquoid, the well-known novelist and author cf Iwoks of travel, £70. Mr Georgo Raractt Smith, historian, biographer, and litenateur, £70. Lady Laird Clowes, wife of Sir William Clowes, naval historian, £100. Mrs Emma Payne, wife of the late Edward J. Payne, £120. Commenting en tin's, the '•Tribune" remarks that ''the absence cf eminent names recalls a significant observation mad© by the American Amb*is«sidor at the last dinner of the Royal Literary Fund, which pa.serl almo.t unnoticed at the time. It was well known from the benefactions of tho fund aro distributed- with tho most absolute s:-crtcy. but- Mr Whitelaw lleid. as chairman of the annual dinner, ha:' of course, .-"-eon the list of recipient .

He* .said lie had been astonished to find iti it the nnm's of authors, and of tho dep.-uidaut.s of authors, whom he sliauld have thought to lie secure from Mie need of such a-ssistance. This il-lu-irate.-, ns the Ambiir,-iador said, the pivc-iriiiUs n:itur.? of the writer's calling, and at th;:- fame time it may help to explain the comparative obscurity of most of the new Civil List iH>nsionei-s. Authors of einiiicnce who fall on evil days shrink from tho nocesfiary publicity of a. Civil List pension, and prei'jr the silent and secret help of the Literary Fund, especially now that the old abuses of its administration hav-e bci-n reformed."