New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-02-15
THE LONDON PRESS.
NUN o,,rcr1ov or CIRCULATION.

FARCE SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR THE BURNED BIH-
rtNGHAM LIBRARY.
trros qlIE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRiBUNE'l
IoNpoN. Jan %" There are three newspapers
IN this country said the Lord Chief Justice la'eiv'
'oue NJ which describes itself as the largest paper
in the world another "a having Worldwide clrcu-
lstioD and the third az having the largest crcula-
tion in tho world" This remark was made from the
bench with reference to the testimony OF witness
who spoke Of putting circulars; circulars which INC
Lori Chief Justice mildly described % little too
highly colored. and rather hard for advertisers to
swallow. II is The SioAdard which piacards
iteelf AS the largest daily paper The state
nent proves nothing except that the
autbor of II is imperfeCtly acquainted WIN
the principles Of superficial measurements Inc
paper " Worldwide" circulation IS The Dd'Iy
Revs. aud it is no doubt true that some copies OF
Tho paper are sent 70 many parts Of the hahltaOe
globe Bat tho bold assertion OF TIE Dag ice
UGph-whch is said to spend $4,000 year IN
bill-posfug all over the Kingdoms different
matter. Ii is not true that this journal has the
largest circulation III the world. There is at least
one weekly in London which has larger. II 1t be
meant TO limit the comparison 10 daily papers, the
Limitation should be expressed, and II IL
were expressed the statement would not
then be true. The Deity Tele0roDk claims
a circulation of over 100000 copies daily The
circulation of the Petit Journal. daily paper OF
Paris. is known to DO more than haif miihoh
daily 1t sometimes rises to 100000, it has at times
falen to to 400 900, but its average IS about 5OO
600 This fact, of course is not known TO the pro-
prietors of The Dairy Telegraph. 1t is, however,
matter of notoriey in Paris. where the journal or
the Lcvys keeps an Office and y stad of enterpTslng
correspondents. And 1t seems a pity that one OF
these gentlemen should not acquaint his employers
with fact 50 important TO them. He would thus
relieve them of the unjust and painful Suspicion
which people ignorant of <heir ignorance might en-
lortalu-of spreading abroad an assertion prohtahle
TO themselves. untrue in fact and known to them
10 be untrue.
From The Acalemy learn that an American has
had Tie presumption TO write Primer OF American
Literature "The European reader" gays the re-
view is sure to ask before opening this neat lltte
book Is there really enough of American literature
set 10 make q primer Of il desirable - Our crluc
thinks not; thinks we are too young; fears thaI
we have not had time to haze history lamcnts
that our annals are crowded with mediocre names
And complains that too many OF our winters are still
living. Presently We come to MIR. Richardson's real
fault-that he dismisses with a sneer aud in four
tcen lines tho greatest Of American poets. Who
is TIE man thu, shImcfully treated Is 1t HIyantf
OF Luuuf-now. or Whittier, OF Holmes. or Emerson.
az LoNclli Nc one OF these. bat Ldgar Poe. As for
Lowell, Nj. Richardson, we are told, IN dealing
with him, spares us the usual absurdlUe>" do
not know what the usual ahsur"ties arc, but
know that man who "a iuseu,Iblc 10 Lowell,
poetical genil, Is not good man 10 review Amcu-
can poetry. even though ne admire Poe.
What Will he say when hc comes TO see Nh T.
irr's two largo volumes which have just been puE-
lished in London and which bring tie Lis
tory of American literature only part way
through tls colonial peuoli Ga these the
British reviewer has not yet LARA hands,
nor val ! predict what ho may say wien
he does. But Mr. Tyler need not Dee chagr.ncd n Il
prove that the British reviewers first impression
be- a. in the ease of he Primer, one OF surprise,
mingled with incredibly. The Sydney Smit.
notion Of America is not yet extinct in England.
Some Of those who still cherish 1t have access To
critical journals. and reproduce it from time to
time, IN many varied FORMS Why should that be
surprisingly Why should it bc more surprising
than 10 hear of a literary paper setting out 10
Toy-ic,y a new edition Of Madame d'ATblay without
knowing that II was not q book, or that II had
once been handled by Macaulay2 That il what
lately happened not fer from the Office of the
weekly hcrciubcfore mentioned.
The Tnttd Service G0se Re. a weekly paper de-
voted To the Interests Of the Army ana Navy, has
lately passed into the hands of Captain Henry
HuzicY who viii henccforth edit 1t. lh.s paper has
been in existence fifty years. Ia tins part OF the
world where antiquity is sometimes more valued
than merit. nothing more would be needed to
recommend it. To the American officer 1t may DO
convenient TO know that Captain HozIcr IS very
accomplished soldier with reputation equally high
in the Army aud out oft. lie was he IimC's COR
respondent during the seven week, war be
tween Prussia and Austria, Of which he pub
lished later su excellent history. IS milf
tary writer he won much fame; which he
could haze extended had his superior oiicers-and
more particularly Lord Cardwcu, then Secretary ot
WAr-allowod him to resume ms pen IN 1870 In
his present work ne has such advantages a. come
from unusual professional requirements. nom access
to all sources Of information. from experience Ia
journalism and from that versatile AFFINITY which
counts for so much IN the making of good paper.
Captain HozIer means that The United Service
Gazette shall contain not only fuil news OF the two
services III England, but of military and naval mat
ters an over the world. Aud he Is quite aware that
military science Is longer the exclusive posses
sion of any ono country.
It's almost incredible but The Publishers Circular
Is authont, tor the statement that The lines, in
leading article Of January g. spoke Of the Hebrew IS
q language which possesses but single volume of
literature Mr.. Woodward theroupon writes to say
that the library of the British Museum contains not
less than 5000 books printed IN Hebrew. Stem
schneider's cat -ogae Of Hebrew books and manu-
scripts IN the Bod eian Library, is quartO eight
inches thick l. 1t because The Times Is edited W
professor of Arabic that Steinschneder and the Test
Of the book-wriung Jews are thus ignored
The birmingham people. with their usual public
spirit have already subscribed $4,000 out Of the
$50 900 they want IN order to restore taer burned
library. THIS is III addition to the 500 900 i'sur-
ance on books and a like sum the binding.
There was on awkward rumor that the insurance
policies had been allowed to lapse by non-paymcnt
OF the premium but this is cOntradIcted today on