A LITERARY CORNER

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7039, 29 January 1910, Page 9

A LITERARY CORNER

BOOKS. (BY "LIBER.") THE LEGISLATION OF THE EMPIRE "The Lenislation of the Empire, being » mirvrv (if t : io l<"'i-iative enactments sin \f.> m i.n i ~' tent of the iSritisb Dominions iroin lKb to WOT." Edited, under the direction of the Society of Comparative Legislation, by C. JO. A. 111-dwell; wijh a preface bv '•''?"* - tl ' )I1 - lil ? J ' a , l-1 of UvM-boi-. and .'in introduction. by Sir .loin. CIS.. L.LD. Foil;' vpliiiii'-;. f.'ind.-.n: Huttcnvorth and Co. It is safe to i.(iv flint no moro important "work than i"' one tho title of which i« given above, has been issued by any i'rm <-f lav: publishers for s-onic years 'past, and Lord Kosebory in his intei-0.-tiit" preface- way well claim. a» Pros-id-ut of th-> Sot-iety by wlxxc members tli» ■.•:■.!■;-. has been compiled, that

no pubi -.- !''i:;i:v of any importance, nor Govern:,!'at ci.iee within the confines of tho Eiiir. .:. cm afford to be without it. I The piirp-...-:- of the work is to give a Bumm:;:.v •;!' Hie chief legislation of all Parliament :.nd Legislative Assemblies iu all tliu Irtish Dominions between. 1808 and 1007, laws made for some four hundred million.- of men and women, tho largest number of persons living under one political organisation. Tho object has been to set out tho features of importance, general interest, and novelty in each new law. The editor points out that no aro now in an ora when tho more important portion of tho laws that aire passed aro laws of construction —laws aimed at moulding human society in a particular and beneficent direction; but it is. he says, an ora most fertile of stumbling blocks. It is. or should be, of tho most vital importance to legislators, those constantly engaged iu tho work of construction, that each branch of the great Motherland should knowexactly how any particular subject is being dealt by tho other nations which go to make up the great Imperial family, and it is ta supply this knowledge that tho Society of Comparative Legislation has gathered together the information ombodied in tho four volumes of which the work under notice is composed. In this great undertaking thero are marshalled, so to speak, before our eyes, the enactments of imoro than eighty eeparato Legislative Assemblies. The services of over fifty contributors, including judges., law officer** of the Crown, and others having expert knowledge of the laws in several official capacities, have been enlisted in order to carry out this important, enterprise, and somo idea of the magnitude tof the task undertaken by the compilers and editor may be gathered from tho fact that more than eighteen thousand Statutes and Ordinances have been examined. The nature of the legislation dealt with is most varied, as may be seen by the following list of a few of the principal subject headings :—Trend of legislation, licencing, betting land gambling, immigration; advertisements (defacement of scenery, etc.): crime (all branches), laws affecting children; colonial forces, volunteers, etc.; health in its many aspects; administration of justice: noxious animals and plants; industrial disputes, and labour legislation generally; education; 6alo of tobacco to minors; "curfew" acts; monopolies and "dumping"; control of theatres, etc., etc. Volume 1 ds devoted to the British Isles, North lAmerica (including all the Canadian provincial legislatures, Newfoundland, Yukon Territory, and Bermuda), and Australasia. In Volume 11. the Australasian section is.continued. New Zealand and Fiji being here dealt with. In this volume are also to be' found synopses of all the British-African laws, the laws' of the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Orange River Colony, Ehodesia, and the Transvaal; also the Ordinances and Proclamations iu force in tho West African possessions. Vol. 111. is devoted to British India, the Eastern Colonies, such as Ceylon, the Straits Settlements, Hongkong, and the Federated Malay States; Central and Eastern Africa, the West Indies, the South Atlantic (Guiana, British Honduras, and even tho Falkland Islee and tiny St. Helena). Here also are the Mediterranean possessions,; Malta, Gibraltar, and Cyprus. Volume IV. contains an index, which is a per-j feet triumph of careful and comprehen-i sive work. The immensity- of the ground, covered, the careful and exhaustive sum- ' mary of the laws passed in various partsj of the Empire, dealing -with the samei subject, the recognised standing of the expert contributors, and the laudable' clearness with which all this informa-,' tion is presented, may well embolden the : publishers to claim that no such comprehensive summary of legislation has yet been issued. The price of the work is 12s 6d per volume. THE FARMER'S LEGAL GUIDE "Farmers' Law in New Zealand," being a. reprint of Statutes, containing the Land Act, the Lands for Settlement! Act, tho Dairy Industry Act, thoj Fencing Act, the Impounding Act, I the Noxious Weeds Act, the' Orohard' and Garden Pests Act, the Stock Act, and other Acts affecting the subject. Edited (by permission) by William Jolliffe, Law Draftsman. Wellington: Ferguson and Hicks. Mr Jolliffe'e previous compilations of 'the law 3 affecting local government in boroughs and counties, and a similar work dealing with the Licensing Legislation of the Dominion, were so well received that their author has been encouraged to prepare the work now before us, in which every conceivable legal enactment in 'which the farmers and country settlers generally aro interested is presented in a compact and handy form, with notes by the -compiler, in which are embodied the rulings, given in all cases of interest which liavo been brought under tho Acts contained in the volume. As may be seen by the full title of the book, the scope of the work is very wide, and a reference to the full list _of contents will show that Mr Jolliffe has gone much further than the acts therein specified. The index, which extends over no fewer than fourteen pages, and is a marvel of painstaking arrangement, makes reference to each and every point upon which the farmer may desiro to see "how the lawstands" remarkably .rapid and easy. It is difficult to imagine a work of greater practical utility to tba man on tho land, whether he be large land owner or small leaseholder, stockman, orchardist. or even labourer, Reference- to such a work a 9 this would, we believe, save many a farmer the trouble and annoyance of being hauled before a court for some real or alleged breach of a law, with the provisions of which he could otherwise have no acquaintance. We warmly commend Mr Jollifies most useful compilation to our country readors. It is a work of which every farmer should possess a copy, for wherever farmers are to be found its practical value as a work of reference is sure to be recognised.

"We have also received conies of the first annual supplements to Mr Jollifies previous works* "Local Government in Boroughs" and "Local Government in Counties.'* These supplements include the Acta pa.ss.ed Inst -ession, and thus bring tho works mentioned up-to-date.

THE CURRENCY QUESTION. Metallic Money and Paper Currency Historical!v Contrasted. By John Voung. Wellington: "N.Z. Times" (.'•mipany. In his preface to what is a most m-tn-iviliiig and in main- ways meet valuable ciiiti-ibiiti'iu to the never-ending discussion ot tint mo-t impoi'tunt question, the ic.-i'.o of a paper currency by the Stale, -Mr John Young, whose many writings on political, educational, and social reforms have made iii.s name wellknown to the citizens of Wellington, sayri : We are still piling up debt; we now cannot be iar short of seventy millions, and in two or three decades at the farthest, we -shall have reached one hundred million.-). It appear* to me to b::- high time that we took si-oc'.: oi our position. If wo must have money, which goes without saying, is there no lens expensive wav. and less ruinous to all concerned, to obtain the "where-with-all" than this eternal borrowing. I think there is, and in that opinion 1 urn well aware- that I am not alone. Did it. ever oc.-ar to my reader.; that if the State can borrow all these million*, on its own .security, it can. with c-nual safetv to all concerned, issue its own money, be it in bonds, debentures, or paper money?

in a succession of well written chapters iii' Young then proceeds to deal ivith the complicated question of metallic a strongly worded and logically argued ih-st txajiuucs the question from an historical point of view, discusses the problem of the world's supply of money in relation to its demands, reviews ancient and modern systems of banking, deals with financial crises, their frequency, causes and prevention, with national' borrowing, with tho State Bank proposal, with fiduciary money, and, finally, with a paper currency. Ho examines iu detail tho various objections, some transparently foolish, others worthy of serious consideration, which are from time to time urged against the issue of paper money. Whether ho makes out a strong, an unassailable case for his proposal that tho State should, under proper safeguards, issue paper money, we must leave it to our readers to decide. This is a. Literary, not a Political or a Financial page. Certain it is that the author writes with vigour, and is desperately in earnest, and that he must bo credited with having given tho public, a very strongly and logically worded exposition of his .particular point of view on a question which deserves to be treated seriously and which is every year more, and more agitating- the pubiio mind. From Mr Young's final chapter wo select one passage, which fairly summarises the author's main contention :

There are three fundamental principles which must, of necessity, characterise and accompany every issue of paper money. These three elements being'present there can be no danger to tho. State or to the individual by tho circulation of the State's notes. These conditions are, first, a strong Government. In this case, by a strong Government is meant tho ruling authority of a strong State. Second, tho issuo must be within strictlv prescribed limits, as ta /the amount to be put into circulation. Third, strict supervision will be required on the part of the authorities to seo that all regulations appertaining to the issuo are properly carried out, and loyallv adhered to. Taken for granted the faithful adherence to these three particulars, and paper money is a safe medium of exchange, and would speedily, in any community, becomo as popular as gold. Mr Young lias the courage of his opinions, and 'even those who differ from; the views he sets forth and the principle ho advocates will, we feel sure, readily acknowledge that he has presented the easo for a paper currency with very marked ability. The price of the booklet is oh© shilling.

"The Settler: A Tale of the Saskatchewan." By Ralph Connor. London: Hodder and Stoughton. Wellington: S. and W. Mackay and Whitcombe and Tonibs, Ltd. A new storv iby ithe author of "Black Rock" and "The Sky Pilot" is always sure of a hearty welcome from a host of iNew Zealand" readers, and Mr Con-.' nor's latest novel should certainly not disappoint 'his old admirers but gain him. many new ones. We would not go to .far its to call it a. novel with a purposo, [tout from its pages Canadians may learn; (much .that is useful as.to the bast way; I'in which the .problem, of the alien im-: 1 migrant, and especially the immigrant; (of .Slavonic origin, can best be dealt(with. For New Zealanders a chief merit Of the story lies in its carefully drawn' pictures of .peoplo and scenes, having no, 'prototypes or counterparts in this Do-,' tainion, 'but apart from these considera-| tions. the story, as a story pure and simple, is decidedly fresh and fascinating. It deals with the life of a young 'Russian, or Russian Pole, whose father, •a. Nihilist, has been sent to Siberia through the .machinations of a' preten- ] ded friend, a rascally'Jew named Rosen-: blatt, who, when the story opens^ —the; isccne being the Gallician quarter inj 'Winnipeg—holds the lad's stepmother in ■a vicious bondage. Kalmar, the fathar,| a .gentleman by birth, appears on the, scene very unexpectedly, and, learning: •how villainously Rosenblatt ha 6 used hie' wife and her stepchildren, attempts to| murder his old enemy. He is impri-; soned, Ibut escapes and disappears. A good woman of Winnipeg rescues young Kalmar from his degraded surroundings and sends him out West, and the.story then resolves itself into an account of tho gradual transformation of a young barbarian into a prosperous Canadian farmer, .mine-owner, and all-round good citizen. Rosenblatt, the evil genius of the family, turns up again in the final chapter, as too does the escaped Kalmar, and the result is tragedy. But the son is saved, and. from the most unpromising material a splendid useful Canadian settler is evolved. The young Gallicion's love story, in which the daughter of a Scots baronet plays the part of heroine, 'is told very prettily, and provides a pleasing if a trifle oversentimental foil to-the grim realism of the earlier episodes. "The Settler." which, by the way. so we notice, is published in America under the title of "The Foreigner." is a very readable story which cannot fail ito please the many admirers of its author's previous novels.

"Rose of the River." By Kate Douglas Wiggin, with illustrations in tint by George Wright. London: Hodder and Stoughton. AVellington : S. and W. Mackay.

Mrs Kigg's amusing and very charming story was originally published some five years ago, and at that time reviewed at length in this journal. The story has achieved a permanent popularity, and there will he many, no doubt, who have read it before, who -will be. glad to .possess a copy of this new edition, tho special feature of which is a series of excellent illustrations, printed in tint from drawings 'by Mr Georgo Wright. There is both a vigorous and a graceful touch in these drawings, which are admirablv in keeping with tho tone of Mrs Kiggs' story. As for the story itself avo have re-read, it -with great -pleasure, a pleasure which prompts the equally agreeable duty of commending it to "all who have l yet to make acauaintanco with this amusing and wholesome little tale. NOVEL NOTES "The Caravaners." By the author of "Elizabeth and Her German Garden." London: Geo. Bell and Sons. Wellington : Whitcombe and Tombs. If "Elizabeth's" latest novel he not regarded in Germany as a "pin-prick" of the worst kind, then is the latterday Teuton the most tolerant and lor-

giving of men. "The Caruvaners" is assuredly a most amusing etory—for English readors—but it would be interesting to know tho exact verdict passed upon it by "Elizabeth's," otherwise the Countess Von Arnhim's, German friends and relations. For it is this much can be said at once, and without fear of contradiction tho most mischievously humourous satiro upon the German, or wo should perhaps eav. the Prussian nobleman, which could be possibly conceived. The story is narrated in the first person by tho Baron Otto Von Ottliuger Von Storchwedor, an officer in tho Gorman army, who, with his wife, Edelgard ("one of the Mecklenburg Lunewitw*, the elder and. infinitely superior branch"), decides to join a friend, Fran Von Eckthum, and some English friends of the latter m a "caravaning" and camping tour through Kent and Sussex. The experiences, very varied experiences, of the party, are described in great detail by the Baron himself, who is, without being in the least aware of the fact himself, about tho most conceited fool, consummate, egotist and domestic tyrant that could bo imagined. The Baron's glorious self-confidence, his conviction that the German is the first and almost the only person on earth worth serious consideration, his stupendous persona vanity, his arrant selfishness, his abominable laziness and greediness, aro all drawn with a mercilessly cruel hand, and tho joke of the whole thing lies in the fact that it is this really atrocious snob who draws his own iportrait for us—and is blissfully unaware that he is doing so. The gradual "awakening" of the hitherto most devoted, self-abnega-ting model German wife, Edelgard, who is a very charming woman, far too good for her husband, is almost a revolution in the Ottlinger menage. It is an awakening which is largely the result 01 her contact with English society, and the starv of its gradual development makes most amusing reading. Tho Baron, on his side, believes that Frau Von Eckthum is passionately enamoured of him, and his disgust, when she is carried off by an English M.P., who is of the party, is irresistibly mirth-provoking. "Caravaning" involves a "give and take" attitude in many small ways, and it is siraplv deplorable to tho mind of tho "high "and well born" Otto that Englishmen should actually prefer to do "washing up"—and make him share in it—than hand all such duties over to the "pious—and properly—well-brought-up ' Edelgard and tho other ladies. What the story loses in style—the old "Elizabeth and Her German Garden' it .gains in fun, but one cannot help feeling that here and thero the picture of this egotistical German snob is just a trifle too cruel in its satire, nay, even a little spiteful. Satire apart, tho story is full of really interesting descriptions of English rural scenery, but these, one feels, would have been better done had "Elizabeth" herself, and not her puppet, been entrusted with the task of cicerone.

"Tho King's Mignon." By J. Bloundollc Burton. London: Geo. Bell and Sons. Wellington: AVhitcombe and Tombs.

Mr Bloundelle-Burton is a practised story-teller, who is always at his best in a romance of the "cape and sword" class. In "The King's Mignon" he challenges comparison with Dumas, whose "Forty-Five" deals with, much the same period of French history in which figure the characters of Mr Burton's novel, and emerges from the. ordeal with no small success. The hero—hero and villain in one—of the story, is the Marquis de Saint Malines. a ruffianly nobleman, who has been a Leaguer, but who now serves the last of the Valois Kings. Henri Til., the weak, vicious, superstitious, and cruel son of Catherine de Medecis. Saint Malines has married a beautiful woman, Gracienne, v.-hoso father practically sells the giTl. 'to her scoundrelly husband. Gracienne the murder of tho Due de Guise by his quondam follower. SaintMalines. and other of Henri the Third's paid ruffians at the castle of Blois, .and-, -flees to Paris, where she meets a young Englishman she had met and loved be-' fore her forced marriage. Once in Paris sensation is piled upon sensation. Saint, -Malines imagines that he has discovered his lost wife masquerading as a young gallant, but when this latter challenges him to a duel—a. duel-a-mort —it is Qracienne's twin brother who avenges rhisi sister's wrongs, and the murder of his leader, the Due de Guise, and the story ends with the marriage of Gracienne and her Englishman. Mr Burton evidently "got up" his period very ca/re-. fully, and the result 16 a very stirring! and really excellent historical romance.] The grim tragedy which is enacted atl ißlois, and which, is avenged a few! months later by the fanatic. Jacques) Clermont, who is induced by the Duchesse de Montpensier to assassinate Henri! 'the Third, is intensely dramatic in its' Igrim realism. "The King's Mignon"! 'would make a very fine drama-. Mean-: while, it is a very fine novel, the bestj we have had from" Mr Burton's pen for' some time. ■

"Barry Gordon." By W. F. Pavson (London: Gay and Hancock. Melbourne : George Robertson).

Yet another American novel in which an inherited craving for drink plays a prominent part in the plot. Barry Gordon, a young Virginian, comes of a long line of ancestors who have been too 'fond of old port and old "Bourbon," and this hereditary curse well nigh. proves his ruin. A wild, daring young fellow, he falls into disgrace at College, and next offends and loses for ever, so he thinks, the love of a charming girl, Muriel Beekman, the daughter of his guardian. Barry now goes off on a tour of the world, and wanders about for some time, returning to find that his brother, whom he supposes is loved by Muriel, has gone to Morocco, and been kidnapped and taken away into tho desert. He sets off to rescue his brother, his old lovo for Muriel still being strong. A spirit of self-sacrifice prompts him to do a noble deed, and in the end, having conquered 'his failing, he is rewarded, although aotly in what manner he learns that he has in reality never lost Muriel's love it would be unfair to the author to say. The action of the 6tory is rapid, and both the American and African scenes—'especially the latter—aro full of a vividIv dramatic colour. There is a complete freedom from that • namby-pambyism 'which taints so many American novela, and the story, as a whole, is decidedly above the average. Tho illustrations, by Harry Townsend, are particularly good.

"Candles in the Wind." By Maud Diver. Edinburgh: Wm. Blackwood and Sons.

"Captain Desmond. V.C." and "The [Great Amulet" were both, excellent novels, and "Candles in the Wind/' the .'concluding story of a trilogy designed, so the author tells us, with a. view to giving a fuller presentment of the varied vicissitudes of life and work on tho Indian frontier, is equally well written. Tho heroine, Lyndsay Videlle, is tho wife of a doctor, whose father has been a Scots tea planter in Ceylon, and whose mother was a Hindu woman. Videlle has married his w-ife in England, concealing tho fact that he is a half-caste', and accounting for hie dark complexion by the alleged fact that his mother had Spanish blood in her veins. The pair go to India, where, at Peshawar, Lynd-: say accidentally learns the truth, a truth which means so much in AngloIndian society, and which for her soon spells misery. A gallant and honourable English officer. Alan Laurence, loves her, and she, though an honest woman and faithful wife, recognises the .mistake she has made, and knows that she returns his affection. The reader cannot hell) being sorry for poor Jim Videlle. wayward, morbid, brutal, though he may be, but the clash between East and West is inevitable, and when at last/ the husband dies frem plague, the feeling is one of relief, for a double tragedy. imight otherwise have come about. Mrs' Diver gives a very vivid description of

frontier warfare, and her English officers aro fine follows. There is an English member of Parliament, of the "Paget, M.P." type, who is an amusing figure, and the stjory contains many lively pictures of .military society in the frontier cities. A very readable novel. "The Pasque Flower." By Jane Wardle. London : Edward Arnold. A new story by. the author of that very original, and very amusing novel, "Margery Pigeon." Miss Wardle now introduces us to quite a different world to that depicted in her first effort in fiction. Her hero is a young architect and antiquary, who, whilst on a walking tour in Sussex, comes across" an old manor house, whose owner, an eccontric old gentleman named Palverson, a .poor but proud descendant of the Pallavioinis, a mediaeval Italian family of noble origin and much renown, dreams 'ever of restoring the family fortunes and enriching his spoilt and wayward daughter, Bianca, by finding a long hidden treasure. Paul Blundell goes far—to Germany—in search of the Pallavioini treasure, which, by the way, when found turns out to be no treasure at all, but ho finally succeeds in winning the impulsive Bianca, who hides a loving heart under an exterior of impulsive waywardness which, at times, leads her lover to imagine she ..is almost a shrew The German scenes are most amusing, for Paul falls a victim, temporarily, to the blue eyes and other charms' of a typically sentimental young fTenton lads', his cousin, Fiora Von Stromiberc. whose, father, a highly successful and most materialistic manufacllurer of motor cars, is a real good fellow, with a most hearty contempt for the treasure of the Palversons, late Pallavicinis. Those who read "Margery Pigeon" do not need to be told that Mces Wardle's stvle is vivacious and wittyThere is some excellent fun in The Pasque Flower," and the whole story is bright and original. Old Palverston's faithful servant, Hoskins. is a delightful creation, and the way in which Paul clears the household of a host of sponging parasites, who. have deluded Bianca into imagining they are celebrities, is narrated with much genuine humour. The slyly satirical portrait of a minor poet must surely have been drawn from a living original. "The Pasque Flower" 16 a capital story. "The Mystery of the Yellow Room." By Gaston Leroux. London: Edward , Arnold. '

There can be no need now for French translations of English detective stories of the "Sherlock Holmes' 'type, for Mr Gaston X,otoux is quite aff clever as th'oee friends of our youth. Messieurs Gaboriau and De Boisgobey, and proves himHelf a. very worthy rival of Conan Doyle. "The Mystery of the Tel low Room" can be commended with confidence to all who enjoy a. well-told detective story. Joseph Kouleta.bnlle, a younpr journalist who specialises in "crime stories," is really a most amusing gentleman, as

well as being as brilliant a detective, although an amateur, na was tho famous Lecccq himself. .Rouletabille—roll thy ball—is a. nickname- given 'to tho young reporter on account of his round head, "round as a bullet." As they Bay in France, ho had "une bonne billo" —a "good ball of a head," and that there wero clever brains therein is proved by the shrewdness and ingenuitv its owner displays in solving the mystery of a. crime which is committed at the country house of a famous scientist. There Is not a- dull page in this story of tho young reporter's investigation' of the Chateau de Glandier mystery, and the sooner M. Leroux gives novel readers a further instalment of Rouletabille's exploits as an amateur detective the better shall wo be pleased. "The Mysterv of the Yellow Room" is one of tho best stories of its kind we have read for this many a loner day. "Beyond Man's Strength." By 31; Hartley. Loudon : YVm. Heinemann. Mr Hartley's excellent story deals largely witb Italian political history, between the time of Napoleon and the raid-century of revolution, its leading figure is that well-meaning but unfortunate monarch, Carlo Alberto, of Sardinia, whose son, Victor Emmanuel, was destined to be tiie -first King of United Italy. The story opens in Sardinia, where Count Antoijie di Mocigno-Beau-vais is living with tho exiled Court. De Beauvais has married a Welsh lady, Diana. Kemys. and when, at the fall of -Napoleon, the Court returns to Turin, the Count and his wife go with them. Antoine, who is a Liberal in politics, offends his father and leaves Turin for .Florence, returning when the waT with Austria breaks out. Diana, a very noble character, is doomed to lose both husband and 60n in the strut-ale. but the story is not one of pervading gloom or sorrow, but includes many very entertaining descriptions of. Italian life political element is uppermost, and is, perhaps, just a trifle over emphasised. Wo get elimpses, however, of Cavour, Mazzini. Marshal Rodestky, the famous Austrian general, and even of Bvron and Shelley. Those who are acquainted with Italian history will find this a most interesting story, but apart from its historical interest, there is no small charm in its carefully wrought study of the Bcauvais family and connections. The contrast batween the ancien regime and the "Liberal" aspirations of "Young Italy"_ is very cleverly suggested, and there is a dash and vigour in the military episodes which is most captivating. "Ordinary People." By Una L. Silberrad. London : A. Constable and Co. Miss Silberrad'd pictures of society in a, somewhat old-fashioned London suburb are permeated by much quiet but very effective satire, a satire, however, which has nothing ill-natured about it. Her hero is a middle-aged merchant, John Cobham. who marries a lady, Catherine Sansterre, the daughter of an

aristocratic "waster." Poor Catherinelas a "past," for, as a mere girl, she has been betrayed by a man who treats her infamously. She is virtually forced into mairria.Ro with John Cobham. and although she does not lovo him, makes him an excellent wife. Unfortunately, a designing voung lady. Ada Hulbert, who had regarded her wealthy cousin as Tier legitimate prey, becomes possessed of poor Catherine's secret. Disappointment, and a natural spirit of malice, prompt Ada to mischief-making, and 'Catherine jcaves her husband. Later on, when he loses nearly all his wealth, she disguises her appearance and acts |as his tvpist. It is difficult to believe that Cobham would not have detected the ruse, but the author would have it =o. ai-d manages an awkward posit-on very cleverlv. 7n the cud, the wife tells her husband (lie truth, is forgiven, and there is a happv ending. Cobham is a very fine character, and the minor figures, notably certain lady members of the small "sociot.v" circle of Notherford, are all most carefully drawn, especially the mischief-making Ada, who is the very personification of suburban snobbery, and a Mrs Cavendish Wallop an exceedingly amusing if rather vulgar widow. WRITERS AND READERS, (BY "LIBEE.") 1 LET ME EXJOY. Song: Minor Key. I. Let me enjoy the Earth no less Because the >all-enacting Might That fashioned forth its loneliness Had other aims than my delight. 11. About my paths there flits a Fair Who throws me not a word or sign; I wilt find charm in her loth air, And laud those lips not meant for mine.

from -manuscripts of tender sor.g Inspired by scenes and souls unknown, I'll pour out ruptures that belong To others, as they were my inn. IV.

And some day hence, toward Paradise And. all its blest—if such should be— I will cast clad, afar-off eyes,' Though it contain no place for me. —Thomas Hardy (in "Putmun's .Magazine.")'

The portrait of Rudyard Kipling, given a fortnight ago, was reproduced from a woodcut by Mr Robert Bryden, published by Messrs Dent and. Co. The acknowledgment was accidentally omitted. a.nd I hasten to repair the omission. Owing to absence from Wellington one or two misprints crept into the article which accompanied the portrait. The lino which read, "Then, in 1901. came 'Kim,' a book worse than any other of Kipling's," etc., should have read, "more than any other of Kipling's," etc.

In a recent issue I drew attention to •the fact that the January number of the "Coraliill Magazine" would be specially worthy the notice of all who are interested in literary history, and more especially in Thackerayana, it being a special "Jubilee Number." Amongst other special features is an article on "The CornhiU's First Editor" (Thackeray), and the Founder (Mr G. W. Smith). The article, which is written bv T/adv Ritchie Thackeray's daughter, is illustrated by portraits of Thackeray and Geo. Smith, and facsimiles of two letters from the editor to his publisher, and concludes with an "Envoi," by Mrs Geo. Smith. Mr E. T. Cook writes on "The Jubilee of the 'Cornliill'" (with the facsimile of a proof corrected by Thnekerav). Other good features are an article, by Mr W. E. Norris. on "Leslie Stephen, Editor," and another on "James Payn, Editor" twith a facsimile letter), the author bcinrr Stanley Weyman. The "Jubilee Number" of the "Cornhill" should be well worth buying and preserving, just as was the "Centenary Number" of the "Quarterly Review," which appeared last year.

The splendid appreciation of Meredith, written bv Mr .T. M. Banrie. for tho "Westminster Gazette" in May, last year, is to be issued in booklet form by Constable. This is another item which should be sna.pped up by discerning collectors interested in Victorian literature. Copies of Lady Cardigan's famous "Recollections" are now procurable in town. I have been dipping into the autobiography of the late Sir Henry M. Stanley, rccentlv published. The book is remarkable for the frankness with which the great explorer refers to his early struggles, struggles in a milieu, as discouraging as that concerning which Dickons opened hisheart so nathet'ically to his friend, John Farater. For Stanley was reared, from the ago of four to that of thirteen and a half, in the St. Asaph Union Workhouse, at the door of which he had. he says, been "treacherously left." Stanley's indictment of the British workhouse system is worth quoting: It ia an institution to which the aged poor and superfluous children of the pnTish are taken, to relieve.the respectabilities of the obnoxious ■ eigbt.of extreme poverty; and because civilisation knows no better method of disposing of the infirm and helpless than by imprisoning them within its walls. Once within, the aged are subjected to stern rules and useless tasks, while the children acre chastised and disciplined in" a manner that is contrary to j ustice and charity. ... It is a fearful fate, that of a British outcast, because the punishment afflicts the mind and breaks the heart. It is worse than that which overtakes the felonious convict, because , it appears so. unmerited and so contrary to that which the poor have a ril?ht to expect from a Christian and civilised people. Ages hence the nation will be wiser, and devise something more suited to the merits of the veteran toilers. It will convert those magnificent and spacious buildings intoi model houses for the poor, on the flat system, which may be done at little expense. The cruel walls which deprive the inmates of their liberty will be demolished, and the courts will be converted into grassy plots edged by flowering bushes. It is easy to remark that perhaps this very hardness of early training had a good deal to do with the formation of tanley's strenuous character—indeed, the autobiographer himself admits it—but it does not lessen the value of Stanley's attack on the cruelties of the workhouse system. Science, that hard-baked loaf, gets nowadays more and more of breaking urj into small and tasty bits for popular c6nsumption. Even the adepts in science do not look upon this popularising of their achievements with quite the same disdain and disapproval with which they considered it only a few years ago.—" New York Times. As the law now stands it would seem that the family or executor of a deceased letter-wiriter can bring an injunction to prevent the publication of correspondence, if they are .able to prove that there is anything in the said correspondence that is derogatory to the character of- the said- deceased letter-writer.— "C.K.S."in "The Sphere." There is not any enemy quite so deadly to the publisher as the laudator temporis act; —the benevolent gentleman who .declines to Teeognise any work by

a living author as a contribution to literature, and maintains an attitude of distant superiority, proclaiming far and wide that only the dead can really live. —"The Bodleian."

A Life of tho famous English doctor, Sir William Broadbent, has recently been published. Broadbent was of comparatively humble origin, but worked himself up by dint of sheer grit and determination until ho became medical adviser to a-oyalty, and held a very distinguished position, both professioiially and socially. Amongst his personal friends and staunch patrons were- the Gladstones. In October, ISSO. Dr Broadbent was summoned to Dalmcny to see Lady Eosebery, who was ill • with typhoid fever, and whilst he was thero Mr and Mrs Gladstone came over from Edinburgh. Both Mr and Sirs G. questioned mo (he wrote) about Lady K. But the first business was that Mr G. should plant a tree, and then a little boy born on the day of his visit hero on tho occasion of the first Midlothian campaign, and named after him, was presented. Mr and ill's G. then renewed their attack on mo. so to speak, and we must have looked like throe conspirators standing in the dusk, with our heads together, and speaking low on the damp lawn. Mrs G. was anxious, not only as to her illness, but as to what she was doing, and what consolation she was receiving in religious matters. Up to this time, famous though he had become. Dr Broadbent held no Court appointment. This followed on his attendance upon Prince George of AVales during an attack of typhoid and upon the Duko of-Clarence during the illness preceding b;s death at Saudringham. lie was subsequently sent for by Queen Victoria, at Osborne to tell her the story of the illness : • She was sitting in an ordinary chair at a writing-table, and of course 1 had to stand; I was there almost exactly an hour and a, quarter. I was then told that Princess Christian wanted to see me, and I was conducted to the Duchess of Connaught's room on the lloor above. I could hardly crawl upstairs. L.w«s kept standing another fifteen or twenty minutes talking to them and Princess Beatrice. They were very pleasant and cordial, but I was glad when the interview was over. Of Queen Alexandra's devotion to her son durine his illness, and of her unwearied and self-forgetful nursing, Miss Broadbent, who writes her . fathers Life, says her. father could- never speak without emotion. ; Mr Edward Hutton's "Home" (Methu-. en) is a.book which should provide good and useful reading for those fortunate New Zealanders who can afford to take a trip to the Old World and who intend to include "The Eternal City" in their itinerary. Here is a rather striking passago : . ■ All tho art of the world is really a stra'nger in-Roms; crowded -as it • is with works of art. the Eternal ■ City holds them all even to-day, as spoil. Her art was government; for the rest—and in this too wo are her kith'and kin—she had but contempt; with her art was a fashion that served to deck' her .triumphal progress or to commemorate what she had done. Nor was this attitude towards ' beauty, beauty as a part of the moral nature of man, confined to tho antique age; Her galleries to-day are full of the work of aliens.' Florentines,' Umbi-ians,,Sienese, and Neapolitans, while . her museums are crowded with her futile imitations of the matchless work of the Greeks. Her materialism has always been, almost transcendental. -In her strange heart Aphrodite was born again as Vonus, the' goddess of animal pleasure and fecundity. Ares was changed into Mars, the god, not of Virtue, but-of Fight. She stole the world from us to give it us again in her own likeness, and (refashioned the gods in the image of man. '

A little note on the social life of Home shows that Austria is still hated, ■■ if not by the Italian politicians "just now," at least by the Boaian people. Mr Hutton remarks: Seeing /how the Italians love the Austriaus, and how much store Germany lays thereby, it is interesting to recall a, custom of the "basEO popolo" of . the. Bterrlil City in these days when our eyes too are set on Germany and old customs are so'imhapniiy dying out. For'it is the custom of the "basso popolo" when one of their number dies and is buried,, not without ceremony,;by the "societu" to which he belonged, and all his comrades follow his coffin, as they. pass the r*alazzo V.enezia, the Austrian Embassy, to express their regret, not fc an undertone or ■whisper, that they are not following the coffin of His Excellency, the Austrian Ambassador. While • men have memories, that wish will be in tho hearts, if not on the tongues, not of the "basso popolo" alone.

A capital little magazine which is not, I fear, so well known in New Zealand as it-ought to be, is "Travel and Exploration," a shilling illustrated monthy, edited by E. Eeynolds-Ball, and published by Witherby and Co. •■ Its title explains _its general scope. Exploration, pure and simple, does not take quite so prominent a place as U6ual in tho December number. Eooin had to be found for reviews of unusually important yel books, such as Sir Ernest Shackleton's ' Heart of the Antarctic," Lady Stanley's ■ life of Sir H. M. Stanley Claude White's "Sikhim," etc. However' quality amply compensates for quantitv: and; MJra Bullock Workman's well-writ-ten description of her record ascents in •the Himalayas is well worthy of the place of honour. Another article, mainly, of sporting interest, is one. by. Captain Dudley Haekard, who gives an account, of his experiences of lion shooting in :Somaliland. He incidentally shows that the animal, popularly -regarded as' the. Kings, of Beasts, is regarded ; as very small beer, and treated with almost contemptuous toleration by the natives. Mr V. It. Salmon's graphic description of a tour .off the beaten track in Svria, is chiefly noteworthy on account 'of the singularly good illustrations from photographs taken by this expert photographer. Dr Scott Keltie's well-known name prepares us for a verv entertaining and instructive. article entitled "Travellers' Tales." Some very diverting experiences, garnered from the professional travels of the well-known Guide-book writer. .Mr A. E. Hope Moncrieff, are given in "A Traveller in Travel." The last article. "The> Magnetic South." is really a • clorified review of Sir Ernest Shackleton's remarkable Antarctic journey. " The publishers of the "Windsor Magazine," Messrs Ward, Lock and Co.. may well be iproud of the superb Christmas Number, a copv of which has been sent me by Messrs S. and W. Mackay. The

contents, both literary and artistic, ol this sumptuous Christmas number, are extraordinarily varied and attractive. Justus Miles Forman contributes a new serial story entitled "Bianca's Daughter." and the opening chapters promise well for a repetition" of the_ success of the author's ■■ previous serials, "The Quest" and "Tne Garden of Lies." A long story by A. E. \V,. Mason, and completo stories by such important authors as Cutliffe Hyne, .Robert Barr, Barry Pain. Eden Phillpots. Mrs Kathorine Tliursteu. Flora Annie Steel, and W. J. Locke, provide an amnio repast ior .readers of fiction. Fifteen finely printed coloured plates accompany tho various articles from masterpieces by Millais, W. Deuby Sadler, Lucy KenipAVekh, Sigismund Goetze, George Ilitcucsck, 13. W. Leader, R.A., Alfred Parlous, A.8.A.. and other distinguished painters. In addition to these, there is a lavish array of Black and White tal- \ ent by -well-known and distinguished artists, including Maurice Gveiflcnhagen. Pred Pegram L. Raven-Hill, Dudley Hard) 5 Gunning King, Victor Prout.