NOTES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14658, 27 January 1912, Page 1 (Supplement)

NOTES.

The two poems which we give &t the Ik'jiil of this vohiuju, of whi-h the lii.-jc i.s taken from the ,latest Mnyi-sh "■Spe. iuior," and xlio second was List pu'jii.viicu i>y Air birred .Noyes about Live y ca 4 --; provide an ccJiip;iri.>L>n. It seems to be an ajvji*;'Sing tendency of minor poets to imitate ono unothcr's sounds, a.s well as feci be. isut Mr Noyes's piensaut dxtio vVv d tlio com pi i rnc nt. Tlio late Meredith Townsend had an affection for fecotfcmen as contributors to the "Spectator," of wli-ch Tie was for so muuy years proprietor and coeditor. Mr. Townsend's liking for tiio was hated on an experience bo had in I/ciih when a boy. lift was on holiday, and lind run short of money ifrr hi.s return to I.ondon. He boldly boarded a Lcndon passenger boat, Uitnmited his do-\r-:> to tb»-> ."'mtain to ; stated tlrtt he wus without iunds. Seeminidy favourably impressed by .the Ipd's tnie .'tnd appearance., the captain (a Scot) .said thul would be ai! right, and Showed him to a cabin. "But," sa d vouulj Towns-end. :: th?<? is a saloon. _ As tilings are stnerago would <lo aH riyht. ' "X:>. inij my manui-e/ 3 :;av:l the captain, 'it I trust ye at all, I*ll trust ye. first-elasi!" Most characteristic of tlio literary memorials in an exhibition of autograph letters, •inam-i'cr.nts. and nor- , tra:fcs held la.st mouth at the Modern Gal lory, New Bond-Street, London, was a hitherto unpublished note in . tlio hand-writing of .Robert Louis fcleyonson (says an English paper). It > obviously refers to the nubloation of h-.< "Travolo witii a Donkey.'" and 05 the book has been delayed in the pn-oi, he writes to ?d-cssrs Black, '"What has become of me and my donkey? She was never a fast traveller, but she has taken lonizer to conjo through Jrlanover-.vtro-et than to c!'o«i the Gevaudan. '.I here must be carrots in your office. Plea.ve see to it and let nie hear." Tjl a particularly interesting sale 1 held at Sotheby ? s last month tlio final lot was Foxe's "Book of Martyrs." he—longing to tiie Rcdford Literary Institute. On the titie-paLio of each of the volumes is . the name ".John Lunyan,' he having used tho hook during his _ incarceration in Bedford Gaol. Ay will be remembered, in cou«»onenr,-. of the action of the AUcrwoyi General, thvs relic was withdrawn from sale last May. Last month bidding wa.s quite the reverse of spirited. Beginning at £3OO. nlVer* up to £SOO were made, but at £6OO the work was bought in. and back to Bedford. The British Museum, :.t is understood was not represented in the bidding! Iho amazing sum of .€3-10 was paid for »• copy of the first editi-mi, 1805, of Charles Lamb's "'iho I£in<r and Queen of Hearts." This booklet, the plates m which are attributed to Mid ready, was issued at ls Gd. Two otiier examples only, dated lS'lfi and 1809, appear to have occurred at auction. Walton's "Compleat Anxiety'* lGStf-Tfi, two vols;., made £7o0; an imperfect com* of the first folio Shakespeare. :€of)0; tho last Bible pr.ntod bv ineld before t!K> "Restoration, £3OO j j and the writing desk iteed bv Stevcnc sou a? a younjf man in Kdinbur'd). £l2o. " ' The "Dominion Year Book and Alni.'Ua-'' iSi.sned by Mes.sis and 'loni')s ior 1912. pres-nnts new features as compared with its predecessors. The official list of the Doriinion. summarios of Acts, agricultural. statistics, a ealon-.lar w-th 0 anniversaries, esportti. census leturns, • parliamejitary and dn»art;nontal j»remilations, iiicotne ta:: and: hrad tax. may bo quoted a.s representing only a 7>ortion of its contents. There, if pfobably no other book which provides between two covers so much detailed information in connection with the Dominion. Tne net prie-e is is. ; A specimen copy comes to or ■'he : rc( oik! nun-her (Januai-y) of a. yhw review of literature. and, in ft less decree music anil drama, .vhu'h Mr A. G. Stephens, of the "Red PJl^ran, ,, is publishing in Sydjiey. It keeps the nam.?, "The Bookfo'ilow.-' -whi-.-h <otc ered an •admirable series of literary criti«"|Uoy and c?s*ays l\v Mr . '-Stophans, >inT>l l'CfcnMy m If-admg New Zealand ne-wspa.j>.'rs. Mr Stephens is a writer wlioso inincl cffcrvesf«3 wiik idons. ' lift is a discrimijwtiiis I'ncl . suggestive critic, who allows himself at timps to hn i>rovo:Uit:ye, irat uevor ; (hi!!. Hir. magrizino 5s like "tie ivoxk j j wo have teen toiuglit always "to oxprct I from him. The reviews fover all j vnrir'tins ,of output. from the hdest ; fir j. : ;ni I.'. the Are- ! jiioir.''." of Fretlevio Hnrrisnn. and they oro all hrifflii'y. inflividu.il. Tl.'e niKival !" EuWrmt : on for tliis monthly 's 6s, " and pnVes are offered for literary competitions.