OUR LONDON LETTER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7783, 29 January 1887, Page 6 (Supplement)

OUR LONDON LETTER.

(FfiOii Odk London Cobrkspondkjit.)

London, December 19,

O. A. S. AND THE CREStE DE BOOSIE. Upwards of lOOcolonial and Indian representatives were recently invited to inspect the wive cellars of Messrs \V. aud A. Gilbey, whose fame as wine merchants needs no mention The guests assembled at the Pantheon ', Messrs Gilbey's premises in Oxford street, nud were takeu theuce in carriages to view their cellars, which occupy upwards of seven acrts ot ground m Camden Town. Several gentlemen interested in colonial wines were present, and they could not restrain their admiration at the magnitude of Messrs Gilbey's operations After the wine stores from cellar to garret had been duly inspected, the guests returned to the Pantheon, where an excellent luncheon was set out before them. Mr G. A. Bala was one of the guests; and-Mr Henry Gilbey, the senior partner of the firm, who occupied the chair, called upon G. A. S. to respond to the toast or "The Visitors," remarking at the same time that he was a gentleman who had always shown the greatest favour towards the wine trade. Mr Sala excels in neat after-dhmer oratory, and his reply on this occasion was iv bis best style. He told his audience that not long ago he was present at a banquet near Montreal, iv Canada He and his companion were the only two white men present, auvl the host was a dusky Indian chiet. The viands consisted of conger eel, molasses, and Indian corn, served up in a z i nc slop pail Atter tho meal was ended Mr Sala proposed, and h« friend seconded, the toast to the health of their kind entertainer, who acknowledged the compliment by saying,» Me very glad that everybody help myself. God save the Queen; so there" The sentiment contained m this speech Mr Sala said.was irreproachable, whatever the language may have been, aud he felt that he could not do better than adopt it iv returuing thauks on behalf of the visitors for the splendid hospitality which Messrs Gilbey had shown to them. The occasion was an appropriate one, he said, for alluding to the hearty welcome which had beeu accorded to him in his recent tour in the colonies. He intended shortly to publish another book upon his exoeriunces iv Greater Britain beyond the Seas, and this would perhaps be tho last venture which he would pace upon the literary world. Mr Gilbey's complimentary allusion to him as one who had always shown the greatest favour towards the wive trade reminded him of alittleiucident which happened to him m Melbourne. He was present at the opening of a fancy gipsy encampment which was followed by a luncheon. Amongst the beverages on the table at this repast was a brand denominated crime de boosie. Curiosity led him to pour out a glass and raise it to his lips. But before he could taste it his host rushed up to turn with consternation depicted on every feature of his countenance, clutched hold of his arm aud iv horror-strickeu accents whispered m his ear: "For sake, Sala, don't drink that."

Mr Sala also made the announcement that, together with his friend, Lieuteuant-colonel Laurie, he intended to start a syndicate for the sale iv England of Australian wines, and he hoped m no great length of time to " bust up the show of Messrs Gilbey." This, however, must bs taken as one of " gala's little jokes "

Messrs Macmillat. and (Jo.'s publications?^ Mr Stewart Aubrey has adopted a plan which one wonders has never betn tried before He has made the experiment of treating the Iliad of Humer after the same fashion as Charles Lamb dealt with the plays of Shakespeare, and iv his "Tale of Troy " has given us a book similar to Lamb s " Tales from Shakespeare." The most exciting luculents related ia Homer's Iliad are related in simple Eugli-h prose, giviug as far a* possible a literal rendering of the Greek origiual, and in this form the story of the Trojau war is told in about an hour's pleasant reading. "Four Wind's Farm" is anoiher of Mrs Molesworth's delightful stories for children. This time Mrs Molesworth turns her attention towards children of the male sex and produces a book which no hoy could read without interest and profit. " Mme. Tabby's Establishment " by Kari, is presumably a book for children, but fairy tales in which the lower animals are made to talk and act like human beings require to be well done iv order to prevent producing even on the miud of a child reader a painful sense of incongruity. " Our National Institutions" is a book of a solidly serious, but none the less useful type. Its avowed object is tos provide for school use a simple outline of the rise, expansion, and present form of tho3e national institutions of which English children are the heirs apparent. The book rorins part of Messrs Macmillau's series of shilhug primers, and is in effect a condensation of the well-known " English Citizen " series of that firm.

It is worth while noting that tho " Century " magazine contains the first instalment of " The Authorised Life of Abraham Lincoln," by his secretaries, Mr John Nicolay and Colonel John Hay. It deßls with the picturesque period of Western pioneer life in which President Lincoln was born and grew up to manhood, and very interesting reading it is. Judging by the first specimen of their work, there seems every prospect of the authors fulfilling their promise of providing an " absolutely honest history of a great man and a great time." The illustrations accompanying the first chapters are admirable both m selection and execution, and add greatly to the value aud interest of the work.

"Australian Pictures, Drawn by Pen and Pencil," by Howard Willoughby (Religious .tract society).—lbis is a companion book to " Canadian Pictures," published by the Marquis of Lome some years ago, and has been compiled by Mr Willoughby, of the Melbourne Argus staff, who will be known in New Zealand for his having acted as special correspondent for the Argus during one of the Maori wars. Mr Willoughby writes with a colonial experience of 30 years, and has produced a most admirable book. The work embraces the five colonies of Australia, together with a sketch of Tasmania Tho publication by Professor Norton of the early lettersof, Oarlyle (Macmillan and Co.) datine from 1814 to 1821 has created considerable seusation in the literary world, inasmuch as these letters tend materially to modify tho impression of Oarlyle's character which had b«en produced by Mr Froude's brilliant but one-sided biography of the Chelsea philosopher Prof Norton alleges that Mr Froude has done great injustice to the fame of the man whose portrait he undertook to delineate for the benefit of posterity, and he has pubiished this selection of Carlyle's early letters for the purpose of subt^tautiating his allegation. It cannot be denied that in this endeavour Professor Norton has achieved a degree of success which militates very strougly against Mr Froude's literary reputation. The correspondence which Professor Norton publishes—or, more correctly, republishes—has all passed through the hands of Mr Froude, and if that gentleman has n°*be, en 8u5% °f wilful misrepresentation ot Oarlyle s character, he has unquestionably executed his task in so slipshod and inaccurate a manner as almost to amount to culpable misstatement of fact. Professor Norton not only shows that Mr Froude drew incorrect inferences From Oarlyle's correspondence—particularly that with Miss Jane Welsh,—but thatfwheuquothic -•xtracts from Oftrlyle's letters, ho has misquoted important passages and omitted others The explanation which, since the appearance of Mr Norton's book, Mr Froude has volunteered as to his method of dealing with Carlyle's letters can only be described as very insufficient. In fact the so-called "great historian ;> appears to have edited his biography of Oarlyle in much the same haphazard, happy-go-lucky spirit as he wrote that inaccurate production " Oceana." One circumstance is placed beyond all doubt by Profossor Norton'sbook—namely, that whatever Carlyle may have become in after life, in early manhood he was one of the most generous, kindly, and open-hearted men that ever lived and it is greatly to be regretted that there xhould havo been so much delay in doing justice to his memory. Another volume of Macmillan and Co's " English Men of Letters " has just appeared. It is written fey Mr J. A. Symonds, and covers the exceptionally interesting career of Sir Philip Sidney, who for three centuries has been recoe.uised by the English nation as its highest human impersonation of manly excellence. Mr Symouds finds it difficult to account for the singular celebrity Sir Philip enjoyed during life, and for the fame which has attended his memory; but in the course of a masterly analysis of the character of the chivalrous soldier and statesman he discloses many qualities which go far to justify the selection of Sir Philip as the ideal of his generation. The Christmas number of Truth is worth glancing at even in distant New Zealand. It is written with humour, and its political cartoons are wonderfully clever. The portraits of s.-me 300 celebrities in the political, legal, clerical, literary, journalistic, artistic, world are introduced in a satirical panoroma of English society. The Prince of Wales is represented " tooling " the exhibition coach, which is full of colonial notabilities ; Sir Julius, disguised as a Maori chief profusely tattooed, is a prominent figure