The New York herald., 1879-08-25

and "smaler German fry" The form was some
thing like this:-"vctoria. by the grace OF God
Queen of the United Kingdom Of Great Britain and
Ireland and Defender of the Faith. Empress OF India.
&c, to her good brother the Emperor of Russia
sendeth greeting! We have received your letter OF
the 10Th inst in which you inform ns OF the
birth OF -. We thank you for this commun-
cation. And SO we recommend you TO the
protection of the Almighty. Then the date is gwen
and the document signed. "Your good sister VIC
toria r. and 1. To our good brother. His Imperial
Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias." In the
case OF a Republic he says. .We used common fools
cap and the formula ran :'Victoria, by the grace
OF God. &C., &C., &c TO the President OF the hep"p
lie of the United States OF America. sendcth greet
ing. Our good friondl We have received your let
ter of the 9th ult notifying your elevation to the
sovereign power. &c. &C.. &c. And SO We recon-
mend you to the protection of the Almighty. &c''
&c. tSigned.l Your good TREND Victoria r. aud T.
The little republics OF America" we're. says
this writer, "a pest to the Office. They always
eecting fresh Presidents. Her Majesty's relation
ship with the various sovereigns OF the Vaterland
were a of great trouble and necessitated an
accurate knowledge of the connection between the
regning houses Some or these soverejgns the Queen
would address her "dear sister, cousin. aunt.
When the letter finished Mr.. Marvin says that he
touched it up to make it look neat and pretty.
and wrote i'll pencil, Your good sister. Victoria H.
and l. and placing an obong piece OF blotting paper
the document, locked it up in despatch box
and sent it OF to the Queen. On its return with
the Queen autograph appended, the pencil mark
was rubbed out the sheet folded and placed in
a square envelope OF very unpretentious appear
and the letter addressed to "Our Good
Brother" SISTER" the sovereign in question.
sent OFT to the English representative abroad. The
Queens seal. by the way. is common little iron
SEAL fresh slip Of blotting paper was sent with
every document despatched to Her Majesty to sign.
1t is said that the Queen Of such blotting
slips every year. AS they bear distinct impression
of Her Majestys autograph they are eagerly sought
for by the clerks in the Office The letters addressed
to the Queen from the United States said to be
the worst written that reach the Office. The letters
and dispatches from Washington are "always
coarsely written inferior paper. and were re-
markable for their clumsy composition. The first
time Victoria signed herself "R. and l." there
great hue and cry rased but the astute Official at the
head of the department silenced all murmurng by
observing that .f the old lady wished to sign her.
self r. and l. why shouldn't she?"
AFTERNOONS WITH THE POETS"
very unconventional and pleasant book is Mr..
Charles d. Deshler's Afternoons with the Poets
(Harper & Brothers). In this volume Mr. Deshler.
who, although engaged in mercantile pursuits. is
the literary critic of weekly paper Of this city.
takes up his subjects and discusses them with
friend styled the Professor. We told in the
dedication to Mr.. II. NJ Alden. editor OF Hayper's
Magazine, that the conversations not altogether
imaginary. Mr. Deshler's style is easy and of
hand which will probably make his book read by
volume of poeticsl criticism. The book is divided
into afternoons instead Of chapters. The first
afternoon is devoted to the sonnet. the origin of
which is defined. and its early italian and English
writer's and its influence English literature dis
cussed.
In discussing Mrs. Hemans the Professor re-
marked that her translation Of ''Tasso was an in
stance of her rarely exceptional amatory sonnets.
At which Mr.. Deshler inquiries whether she was
singular i'll her abstinence whether other female
poets have been much addicted to love sonnets or
poems of any kind" To which the Professor re-
plies:-
1 may say in reply that generally female poets
indeed. the indelicacy-of their writing poetry
warmly amatory kind; and. to avoid the difficulty
the i'm pro priety they have seldom INDUCED in those
glowing wanton descrp ptions persons and stua-
lions which have been elaborated with such
minuteness by poets of our own persuasion.
OF impurity by them. No woman, for instance
ut least no pure woman. or who wished to pass tor
one-could have written the "Troilus and Cresseide"
OF Chaucer. the "Venus and Adonis' of Shake
speare, the Hero and Leander'' of Marlowe and
Chapman. even the love poems and sonnets of
Spenser Shakespeare, Herrick and others that might
be named. Almost without exception. therefore,
they have rigidly excluded from their poetry what
ever Is supersensuous or suggestive OF vouptuous
feelings, or provocative of passionate desire,
and whenever tney have been tempted to
give frecr rein to their muse and to paint the
operation of the master passion they have usually
cast their poems in narrative form, or have
sorted to from the bolder and less scru
pulous Even in her reserved verse; it
seems incompatible that woman should feign
mans passion. aud rave about another womun's
golden tresses. charming eyes, and .'beauteous
tints" OF the "amorous zephyrs" that played
around her person; but 1t would be- absurdly ruicu-
lous II she were to write of man as . man may
write of woman-celebrating those special provoc-
ative vrile graces charms beauties aud attractions
of person which excite the sensibiites the
passions of woman. Nor have any of our female
poets with whose writings am familiar been guilty
OF an absurdity so gross or an indelicacy SO un-
womanly.
We think that the Professor has rather evaded the
question. Mr.. Deshier asks IL 'other female poets
have been much addicted to love sonnets poems
of any kindy' And the Professor goes off into
dissertation upon 'heshly" poetry. II Mrs. Brown
ing not addicted TO love sonnets" we do not
know the meaning of the term. Hef sonnets from
the Portuguese are among the most passionate love
poems we have ever read. Take the one beginning,
First Time He Kissed Me-" or GLOW do Love
Him., take any OF the forty -four in fact and il
they do not express tho master passion" in 'words
thai burn" we are at loss to find any that do. BY
the way, neither of the Brownings appear In these
pages. Bryant. Tennyson and Long, gfellow. Mr. Desh-
Ter pronounces "the greatest of living poets for he
cannot bring himself to class the former among the
dead yet while. Stedmens sonnets he thinks are
the result of onger and exacting study before
their composition and they finished with greater
elaboration than Lowcll's." While we do not think
Mr.. Desher is a very astute critic, and while we
should hardly like to recommend his taste in all
instances. we think he has made quito . readable
book.
CHOW TWO GIRLS TRIED FARMING"
''How Two Girls Tried Farming" I'd. Lothrop &
no NJ fhe d,la