The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1868-12-11
John Estes. Cookies .s,e.o .y,oyei.


.JOh,, Esfcsa Cookies .Tesc .S'0cet.
MoHus; or, the last Day. Of Lee and his Psiadins-
Final mcioirs Of .isN !hccr ssyyng in Virginia :
From the MSS Of Col curry, uf EaglesN Nest by John
Esten Co.ke author If FURRY OF Eagles Nest" New
York FIJI, untipgton Co., 46o Brooine street, 1865
vol IL noppp. s09 ~
As it easier to pull down AZ edce than to put one
mp 50 easier 10 criticize novel dispsragingy than
tpwre oaP 60 true lie this that. in every hundred
favorable crtqncs that penned, there may be
one the writer of which could himself compose tale as
interesting rs tho one severely handled Yet none
the less, for this has every one who reads book the
right to deliver his sndd opinion of IL. either In the
Journals " IN conversation his tasto inclination
mag dictate and IL is to impartial and dispassionaie
criticism thnu TO any other source that an author
s indebted for bis Of Improvement The fair crit
10 H. therefore, the authors host friend apd in tn,
prcssnt Instance, we shall cndeayor 70 10 fair fn. 81
MoHyS is the third Ct Mr.. Cookies novels o. ntleod
bis late etions may lie elasticity which va hayo had
the peassro Of reading SINCE tho close Of the war and
sorry 10 say, That instead Of the progressive i'm
provement which had hoped for apdcertainly expect
cd. We fni gradual falling oG His rst book, surry.
l. decidedly the most entertaining Of tho trio but
even Of 'surry with all Tho pleasure We derived from
Its pcrisa candpr conpps 70 spt, that II abounds IN
rapidly or does erase boldly enough during revision
IN revising, ono should have no orcy on the wsskor
offspring Of his brain Mr.. Cooke does not Seem TO be
nwaro that thore born every writer Thousands
ideas whose introduction tho public would be m In
suit to it's intsgenee Instead of being perpetuated
such ideas should, Of course be unrecntingy blotted
out OF sxistepre. }yl4 u n "a sr lIsd
We cannot but think it unfortunate for, nv. Cooke
that his first novel, "sums" vss 90 suocssafpi-that Il
was What the publishers call IA decided hiL" Eyidept,
~ written with much iacy-being, IN faci, an almost
spontaneous Representations of the trying scenes through
which he had inst passedits great has mado
him lamentably cateess in his subsequent efforts.
rSurry" may be likened 10 badly tillcd foworgar-
den which is attractive in spite Of lis many woods In
"Hilt to Hthis garden Of the succeeding year--the
weeds are allowed to usup much larger poportionate
space quoth The gardener to himself ther rearing
Is so very easy and not last years weedy growth
greatly admired by the public r." We do not know what
degree Of success alt to iilta met WITH but we pro-
sumo the public patronage have been considerable In
asmueh the author treats us this year. to "Mohun"
parerre In which the weeds are 80 ranki In the asce-
dani that at the rate Of Increase they WILL in tho
next growth fear have quito chokcd the beautiful
flowers. ,yi@JElhsmsu 911a i7IT9I d Roftbt
Mr. Cooke forte lies not as he seems to suppose In
describing battles, skirmisos and single combats The
frequent recurrence Of certain stereoyped phrases Of the
exaggerated and horrible SORT with which be assays to
s...-. =. =. .,a, -. s.s,,,,,. 900, $500 !.
20. ..,, s,',, r.n,,',s ..,,,x :, a." 49,
- pass ~" 80 ~. 80
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60, a.. ., .. ,h., ~ ca,'a H.. u, ~,
49,. 800 - -, Z, 4, 4,
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~ Id =. *.
.saH ps,.,,.a,,,, aN;,,l,,ae, .,n..,..,
as,s ,I.sss,,lss ris OF Ss. win N
lora,sp fsfr. blockade. s,, ernie Mon, ,rno
p,i,ad tss oontsfaracyr ii-Is AZ I1ns F.ftf agrlF
agoue t,,s minor thing. vbc, ara an
.ho readers sonsiu,iesis mr. oookss passion nor