New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-01-24
ENGLISH LITERARY NOTES.

ENGLISH LITERARY NOTES.
A THIRD EDITION or MR.. BLACKS PRINCESS op
THULE"-A NEW EDITION or JOHN STUART
MILLS ESSAYS ON POLITICAL EcoNOMY-LAsr
VOLUME OF FOSTERS "LIFE OF DICKENS" TO BIZ
PUBLISHED AT THE END OF JANUARY.
lFRoN THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
LONDON. Jan. 1.--Mr. William Blacks Princess Of
Thule" which ran through Macmillaa's Magazine
during last year. and appeared in guinea and a-haf
book form only tho other day, has already reached
third edition. 1t is, on the whole. Mr. Blacks best
work, more original and at the Same time more
finished than either the Daughter of Heth," or the
Adventures of Phaeton" As for Shella. we are
all in love with her, and for her sake broke good
rule not to read novels in numbers, and did not
regret it, There are few heroines in recent fiction
in which sweetness and force Of character are no
well blended. and when called the novel original
was thinking mainly Of her and her fortunes.
Around this Highland maiden is thrown charm
which you cannot escape any moro than You can
divine what her fate is to be, whether her story IL
to end in sadness or joy. Beauty and grace are the
property Of numberless heroines of romance. To
these Sheila adds traits of piquant loveness HAT
all her own, q noble simplicity, delicacy that
comes of nature and not of culture, and where she
enters, the freshness and perfume Of her island
home seem TO enter with her. The construction Of
the story is sklful than suspects at first
sight There are at least two persons in
il beside Sheila, in whom you must take
an eager interest And it ia throughout study in
styles by no means always faultless, but showing in
numerous passages mastery of descriptive English,
and everywhere easy flowing and picturesque. II
there were any doubt about it before this book puts
Mr.. Black distinctly at the head-and very far at
the head-of the younger generation of English
al n nll hp IN kppp
he will not overtask his strength in the desire OF
producing too much
new edition, the third, of Mr.. John Stuart Mills
Essays on Some Unsettled Questions of Political
Economy" is announced by Messrs. Longmans an
nearly ready. OF Mr. MilPs complete works there H.
as yet uniform edition. nor are they all to be had
even in volumes of the same size. We might have
the latter if Messrs. Longmans would but reprint
the Essays on Liberty, on The Subsection OF Women,
and perhaps one other volume, in octave. Theodore
Parkers d" Discourse on Matters pertaining to Re-
ligion has been issued by this house. with Preface
by the Rev. c. Voysey, the clergyman whom tho
world and the church, Furnishes for being too LIBERAL
Mr.. Anthony lrollope, treadng in the footsteps OF
Mr.. Dickens will publish his next novel as serial
in twenty monthly parts at a shilling each, the first
of which appears on the 3lst of this month, with
two illustrations. From its title, "The Way We
Live Now" one might guess that il lis to be satire
on modern society, theory which is confirmed by
the devices on the cover, of which have seen what
suppose to be copy. There is depicted an image
of the globe with the original conception Of Father
Time with his hour glass and scythe. The old
fellow is seated and covers his face with his hand,
and plainly thinks things are not going well. Mr..
Trollope seems TO have pretty much run through his
good characters. if we may Judge from his Lady
Anna, and means to chastlse us with bad ones.
The third and happily last volume of Forster's
life of Dickens will be published by Messrs.
Chapman a Hall at the end of this month. say
happily. but Mr. Dickens's friends might rejoice il
Mr. Forster would add two OF three more volumes,
and insure the final failure of the book with pos
terty by its mere length and weight The future
biographer of Mr.. Dickens will find in it, no doubt.
some materials for a real life. There would be still
more for life Of Mr.. Forster should future ages by
chance desire information about him. Two moro
volumes of what is called the illustrated library
edition of Charles Dickens's works are out, but
cannot recommend anybody who wants handsome
books to buy them. The paper is still inferior, and
some of the illustrations in state pltful to
look at.
The same publishers are completing the peoples
edition. of Mr.. Carlyles works by an Index, and
by adding as to the library edition. the Transa-
tons from the German. 1t may be true, though
do not believe it, that Mr. Caryes influence is de-
clininp but the number of his readers plainly does
| not decline The simultaneous publication OF two
complete editions of his works in thirtytbree vol
umes is pretty clear proof of that The people'a
| edition is really what it pretends to be, cheap.
| The second installment of letters from Elizabeth
! Barrett Browning published by Orion" Horne in
the Contemporary Reriesc, not much more remark
able than the first which clearly Disappointing
to the poets admirers. The letters are indeed, tho
letters of woman of genius, but not Of q genius
for letter writing We should have lost little had
Mr. Horne kept them TO himself, and the letters
would have gained something bv competent editing.
Here and there may be CLEANED an opinion OF some
interest OF TennysOn Mrs. Browning says lwrtin
in Is43) He is divine poet but have found
difficult in the examination of my own thoughts OF
him. to anayze his divinity and TO determine, even
to myself his particular aspect as writer why
should she Poet and critic are two Ia the Same
am 50 glad to hear that nothing really very bad is tho
matter with Tennyson. IL anything were u happen t0
Tenny sou. the world should 20 into mourning. Did
ever tell you that once wrote to him, and had note
me last year a newspaper containing u review of his
poetry and requested to forward 1t to him. knowing
what TO do and more especially as the review was
cautious in ts admiration At last wrote brief state
was quite ashamed of myself and my newspaper bus
be was good enough to forgive me for an involuntary
think that we In England all live In house together
particularly we who write books The idea Of the 40.
tine idea OF distance.
She is indignant because somebody called Jenny
son pretty" and cries out. Did ever tell you
that heard a lady-a countess by the ordeS Of ~.
Louis The latter part Of Homer Is certainty
very pretty These are your critics o Israel OK
Agnes Strickland and her Queens Of England, Mrs.
the Memoirs and no wonder But Miss Milford NJ
dear Miss Milford, with 4" a melodious feeling for
poetry and the sweeter melody Of her kindliness."
Still higher praise has Mrs Browning for Miss mar
tineau, whom she calls the noblest female intel-
gence between the seas as sweet Spring. as ocean
dan ~ lLure he further Letfern Oh Engllnh