, 1866-11-07

nv YNT@rfN@-
IRON AM
Our London Letter,
THE BOOK SEASON IN ENGLAND.


LONDON, october ~, 1sG6.
There is great hustle just now in our print
Ing Offices much reading Of proofs - des-
rcratc complaints Of authors and artists
delays; angry letters to and fro between
a ritter and publisher, and all the turmoil aud
confusion which accompany the closing
preparations for the London book season.
Next month and December will witness the
itsuc Of some hundreds Of new works, and
these arc ut this moment receiving the Inst
touches from the various authorities engaged
in the production. You will see catalogue
of the chief works in our daily papers, but
the record is cold and dry. / have there
fore determined to-day to devote my letter
solely to the consideration Of this coming
flood, hoping to give explanations and state.
mcnts which will inform the readers mind,
IS we'll as whet his curiosity.
The first set Of announcements relate to
POLITICAL WORKS.
blr. Disraeli, cur enigmatical Chancellor
Of the E1chequer, when driven hard by po-
litlcal events, is fond Of suddenly turning
and protesting that the impending change
had always been foresecn by him, and that
Ae only opposed it when 1t was brought for
wnrd under peculiar circumstances, now
happily absent. In other words, he opposes
improvement until it is inevitable, when he
says, "now, the proper time has come" The
volume Of speeches upon parliamentary re-
form which he is about to send from tue
press, is intended to prepare the way for his
Reform Bill. OF course it will be but Sc.
lection. Give nc the task to do, and 1 would
pick out addresses of his which ho can re-
concile with NO possible measure Of e!octo-
raj change. No man has more cause to wish
the pages Of Uaaxard-thc ofllclal record Of
Parliamentary dcbatce-at tue bottom Of the
seq. He never defended good cause, and
very rarely opposed bad one. He Is the
synonym, as statesman, Of failurc. And
on this subject, Ar. Gladstone also, in the
lot Of speeches which lie too Is Rbout to
print, must pick and choose with no little
cnre. The il1ustrious chief knows best what
to do; but If were consulted, my advice
would strongly be that he should limit his
cuttings to the last session.
Earl Russell docs not shine as an author,
though le scarcely merits the ridiculc with
which he is pursued by the gentlemen of the
Saturday Rtrtcso. The noble Earl mistakes,
us in his foreign dispatches, rudeness for
tcrscuess OF expression, and his works are,
for the most part, a series ofport paragraphs
which might have been spoken with effect
from bench In the Legislature, but are
simply Irritating In print. Whether the
Third and fourth volumes of his "Life of
Chas. James Fox'' will be Of moro solid
vnluc than their predecessors Is doubtful,
for the noble Lord does not get stronger with
age fear the wish OF the Whigs who are
left with us will continue to be that his Lord.
ship had entrusted the materials at his COM
'nand to u younger man, and one Of ac-
knowlclged literary skill. He is not like Sir
1lcnry Lytton Bulwer, who Is about to pub
lisl-in need Of material rccompense Sir
Henry is an able diplomatist, md
in his private circumstances has
had frequent occasion to exercise
the peculiar talent which distinguishes
him. He Is usually surrounded by creditors,
and yet there lias been no public scandal, SO
that his genius has stood him good service in
lis crises. His brother, Lord Lytton, has re-
ceiycd certainly no less than sloO, 600 for his
works, and is rich but the dip1omatist has
been less fortunate and less thrifty. Its not
yet stated whether his new book will relate
to the East, with which he is very familiar,
hut whatever the subject, IL it is as good as
his work many years ago upon France, It is
sure Of friendly reception.
Mr.. Bancroft is in bad odor in England, but
this It is 10 be hoped will hare no effect up.
on the character Of the criticisms which
await his new volume of the History Of Amer
lea. uc himself would probably have liked
to stop for tie volumes with which Nj. Murray
has been tantaltzins us for the past two
years, viz: "The Correspondence Of Kin:
George the Third with Lord North during
the American War, 1769-s2. Edited from
the originals in Windsor Castle, with Notes
! and lntl oduction, by ". Bodham Donnc.''
This has been advertised repeatedly, mud I
had begun to despair Of seeing it, but sup
pose the obstacles are now removed. 1t is q
great pity that 3fr. Bancroft should have
missed 1t.
The late German war Is acquiring the
name in hist Org Of "thc Seven Weeks War"
this being the title chosen by Captain Hozicr,
The military correspondent of the Times with
tho Frnsstan army, for hie forthcoming mar
| rative. Maps and plans will form part OF
tho work, and clash Of debate will be
heard in the mcss-rooms at military quarters
when the pages are formally before the
| world.
WORKS OF FICTION.
a rcaction must come some dag, and that
ere long. We are being overdone with fic.
! tlon. Novel reading is universal. The old
arc carried away by IT as easily as the young.
was In railway carriage yesterday with a
gentleman, his mother md his sister. lie was
reading "The Race for Wealth." his sister
"Dcnnis Donnc," and his aged parent, q
venerable old lady Of eevcnty-positiyely,
! and am telling you an actual occurrence
was following through her spectaclcs the
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