New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-03-04
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
MP & s. cox.

III, Cox has some Of the qualifications of good |
maker of books of travel lie has quick eye
lively temper and an enthusiastic love OF nature |
Hedoes not measure everything by the narrow stand
srd of his personal habits and prejudlees He is not
r.rpetually reminding that the free and glorious
rpuptry Of which he las the distinguished honor OF
Aeing one Of the governing powers Is infinitely
spperior to all the rest of the world. lie bears the
petfy miseries of travel with good temper. we
sieht say that be looks resolutely upon the bright
ssde Of the way: but the truth Is he pulposey con-
kncd his tour ~ the sunncst spots, ana IN thaV
bright part Of the world TO which this BOOK
relates he must be morose man lnue'u
whe could not preserve a sunny temper MI CoH
has theories about sunbcams. winch, though Iou""'u
upon approved scientific principles arc pusheu 40"
and then 70 the point of extravaganza Inc pelul-
mary chapter devoted 10 rhapsody on the meo'c"i
efficacy of light explains why he selected TINS CIT
emit Of travel around 1.-THE sun-llt and sea-kissed
shares of the Mediterranean" Ii was journey ior
health; but fortunately 10 took MT Cox oot Oh INC
familiar path OF the toUTist,-not into new lands
tbere are no new lands nowa-daysl but into regions
Of which not too much has been written lie begins
his journal with the Rivera that semi-ercular strp
of coast which lies between the Mediterranean ana
the foot OF the Alps and stretches from lyeres to
Leghorn. Thus he is enabled to tell US something OF
hfe and scenery about Nice, Mentone, and Cannes
and 10 sketch the curious little principally of
Monaco whose only industrial pursuit seems TO be
gambling. Thence he went into Corsica, and after
an excursion among the mountains of the interior OF
the island crossed over to Marseilles and took pas
sac .or Algers Summer in Spain completed ms
foreign experiences.
We have said that Mr.. Cox has some Of the neces-
sary qualifications for turning his experiences into
an entertaining book; but the essential qualification
Of = good style lie certainly has not. lie has nearly
NIL the small vices Of sp-shod writer for low peri
oiicals preference for big words; weakness for
bad puns and cheap foreign phrases; forced Vvacy
which is not sparklng effort 20 be funny without
the indispensable prerequisite of humOr and habit
Of using words in wrong senses, and laundering
IN his syntax not from ignorance so much as natten-
ton His style in fact, is thoroughly vulgar one
Take the following extract aSpecmcn OF his wit:
"The old Dey lost his temper, aud slapped the Con-
sul in the facowith ms fan Ii was all Dey with
him then. The Consul retired without saying good
Dey' and Of may be again permitted the pros
poets Of that Dcy were not afterward so brilliant In
fact they were cloudod The French went after him
and got him. This might do for Yankee NOt'onsoI Inc
Tkuay IIciI0C hut how foolish 1t looks in book OF
travels! 1t is worse than the cavorting of a donkey
which Mr Cox saw exhibiting " the playful j9coSCn@s
of a kitten" OF the women of Seville, whom be
calls a celebrity =" he writes: - As there is no clIo-
biological on other order fOT tie treatment of UiS
most exquisite OF Seville dccacies will reserve II
till see Hc1 in the national dauces-undcr the bill
liant light moving TO the Geographic click of the
castanct the twauging tukle of the guitar and the
mouufully sweet roundelay of the gauna." "Tcle-
graphic click and twaugng tinllle y are good. lie
sees the women in the national dance and one whom
he calls the fair fat, fatty Fatima," asounds him
by raising herself toe heT Oeaginous rotun-
dty i'm the air Smoking allowed in the dancing
room. because the junction Is not an exceptional
place" which We can well believe Junction not be-
ing place al an, hut performance. bcggar
kissing a piece oil money is described as
covering the coin with his aba delights" The
Guadaquiyr sounds mCllihuOusly0 It's name
"glides gbly from the liquid larynx and triDmg
tongue" but Spenser wrong to call it into his
huyial symposium" A liquid larynX' must be
almost great curiosity as jocose kitten. Mr..
Cox stumbled across the tomb Of Ferdinand CCum-
bus at Seville. and thus he describes the incident
NY eye catches the pavement view Of two |
caIaves at any feet! Ihi, is sngular look closely
Colon columbus! As an Americana Columbian, |
and rs a navigator having been in every continent |
and having lived in a city of that name [wbat
name. Dir Cox III step back! Columbus. No; it |
cannot be. / saw, his tomb in Cuba. know that !
ms body is buried in that old grey ivcd cathedral at
the Havana. look closely, for the letters are worn
On with my glasses Down On my knees On with |
the dust" etc. etc. This is rather frantic, perhaps
but il is better than another of the authors |
TCmaIks about Seville: " Ii from hence, rather
than from Cadiz that the great discoveries OF Column
bus and his coaboratouis in navigation experienced
that attention and spirit Of adventure which made !
SPAN the sixteenth century rich in silver and /
gold. Which anybody may translate who feels equal
20 tie task MI COAo chapters Seville full of
strange things. Perhaps they may De accounted for
Ly an accident which betcll him when he mounted |
The cathedral tower. Ii YOU cannot look calmly |
down from that hight, he says TO the future visitor,
lt your tC9d ,rid doicD Gi:-iIy mine did, upon
the orange cour bclow,-down upon the fountains
wall, bGttGc,,eS e.. pillars etc.
MI CoN's head seems 10 have bumped al over the
city. hitting the Aic,lar and the Exchange, rolling
into the buli-rug, and bringing up at the shop of
Figaro j thnE after such q iIgLt,' he SINS, I'VE
nIay ro,t AT Fi-JIo>;' and Tor once we
heartily agree with him. Ia the cathedral
aiscs, whore the uucOutamnatcd ciiucncc oi tod
is untaintcd with the impurities Of mortality lie
concludes that rightly To have described this su-
preme wonder OF cathedral architecture one
should be entirely alone the great hush of it,
stony heart" One might ask what i the cidueuce
Vi God. aud wonder whether uncontaminatcd clir-
encca axe ever tainted bat purpose in citing
this very absurd passage 10 point oui the singular
tumble oi tense, IN the last part Of H. Why Is X
necessary to le shut up in tue hush Of marble
heart Ipw. ju ogdeI that one may bavo rightly de-
scIibcd the chulUh at former time? This is an
example Of Nh. CON bad grammar; there Is another
IN the statement " our bacony--in fact rooms
are a part of the balcony overlook tke paza't aud
Jne sin wOrr, in the description Of domestic
Bfe anong The Al2clines: " They The wiycsl
are very much more docile and dutiful when they