The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1885-03-19
oLEANEp From MANY souRoEs.

works attributed to William Shakespeare
Tho book will bo termed Tho Great Cryp.
togram," and will be ready for the publish
ers this summer, probably by August. He
says that about five years ago. believing
that Bacon was the real author of Shaks-
peare's plays, he conceived the idea that
Bacon might have left In tho plays somo
statement in cipher in which he as
serted his authorship. He was led to this
view by the fact that he knew Bacon was
of necretive nature that ho was very fond
of ciphers; that he had discussed tho sub
ject Of ciphers at length in his philosophi-
cal works; that ho had invented several
ciphers; that IL was an age whom no man
dared express his opinions openly, other on
politics or religion, without fear of the rack
and the block. Bacon had left In one OF his
works, the "De Augmentis,n description
of cipher Of words, where the secret story
is infolded In q larger body of words,
holding quintuple relation to tho writ
ing infolded, omnia per onlnia," and Mr.
Donnelly proceeded to find the clue to the
cipher In tho first part of Henry w."
After great labor he has solved the problem,
and finds that instead of brief message,
such as ho had anticipated, the plays fro m
beginning to end are one marvellous Mosaic
work Of Internal narrative, arranged by q
system as accurate, unvarying and precise
as sum in arithmetic.
The story as bo has so far worked It out,
for ho has crossed the track of the cipher
midway, gives the inside history of tho
stormy conspiracy of the Essex faction
against the Cecil faction, for the possession
of power, which eliminated in the treason
able actions which cost Essex his head. In-
cidentally, the story is given of the pro-
duclion.of the plays, and the whole literary
history OF the Elizabothian age the bio
al. 81 kaI-
portant side-chapter Of this story his rob-
berry of Sir Thomas Lucy's orchard the
riot referred to in the "Merry Wives of
Windsor" the killing Of the deer the beat
ing of tho game-koeper the flight to Lon
don tho pursuit Shakspearo's first en-
counter with Henry Percy, the servant of
Bacon he was then poor, ragged and
begging at the door of the playhouses
Mr. Donnelly found in the plays many
evidences of the existence Of q cipher story.
In the first part Of Henry w." he found
all the words necessary to make out sucn
sentence as this: Francis Bacon of ST. AL
bans, Sir Nicholas Bacon's son, master of
the Exchequer Of Eugland and Lord Keeper
of the Great Seal" Mr.. Donnelly processes
to find In Shakspearo's writings much cor
roborative evidence that he was not the
author of the works credited to him. This
evidence 10 merely what has been repeat
edly given-the fact that Shakespeare was
not learned man, while his works show
that their author must have been learned,
etc, etc.
Five of the twenty-one Presidents of the
United States were of the Scotch Irish
lineage Jackson, Polk. Buchanan, John
son and Arthur; two of Scotch-Grant and
Hayes; one of Welsh-Jelferson and one Of
Dutch-Nan Buren. The remaining twelve
were Of English descent.
Nottoway County, in Virginia, the re.
gion inhabited by the first settlers, is an
old country made Interesting by reminis-
cences Of Captain John Smith and Pocl-
hontas, but, deprived of all modern energy
and industry, IL is fast turning back to its
primeval condition. I'm twenty-five years
it will be wilderness" prophesies visitor.
The residents are old and sad. The young
have gone to- more promising. regions
Deer browse where cattlo fed, and the oak
and pine cover great plantations where the
negro once cultivated corn and tobacco.
Robert Laird Collier says that courtships
in England arc short and engagements are
long. No sooner is it understood that
young man and n young woman are In love
than it is given out that they are engaged.
The American custom of leaving young
Hitu anu WUultu lTCc tu dSSOCldLb bDpGJDGr
and keep company with each other for an
indefinite length Of time without declaring
their intentions is almost unknown in any
country of Europe. IL is not long after a
young man begins to show the daughter at
tentions before the father gives intimatlon
that he wishes to know what 1t means, and
either the youth declares his intentions or
is notified to "cut sticks" Whatever the
advantages of tho English view of this
matter may have it has, at least one most
obvious disadvantage, and that is it leads
to engagements upon too short an acquaint.
ance, and 1t makes of the engagement the
courting time rather than mere prepara-
tion for marriage. When once engaged the
young people are thrown together in tho
freest fashion and may be left to themselves
at all times and in all places almost as
though they were man aud wife, Iu the
general society of America marriage is
deemed tho vitally important event In life,
but In English society the engagement Is
looked upon as the most important aud
really is a sort Of first stage 10 matrimony,
or the personal uniting OF the lives only
awaiting the legal ceremony
The New York Sun complains that the
New York Tribune Is audaclously misrop.
reseDtiDg the monetary situation in order
to help along the theory that financial
crisis Is the inevitable result of continu-
ing the coinage of silver dollars. day
or two ago, says the SIN, the Tiijune
writer asserted that millions of gold had
been boarded in New York in trust COM
panies and in private hiding places, or
had been sent 10 Europe. On Sunday he
made an understatement by SO, 100000 of
the amount Of gold in the United States
treasury available for the redemption of
legal tenders. Monday he coolly reversed
the figures of Saturdays weekly bank
statement and declared that tho banks of
New York had lost during the week
$3,OO0OOO in gold, whereas the fast is that
they gained S2,000,000 1t strikes the SIN
that contraction which has to be de-
monstrated in this fashion is not much to
be feared.
There were some very interesting cere-
monies last evening at tho armOry of the
Seventh Regiment in New York. Tho reg
iment paraded in full uniform aud was re-
viewed by General Duryee and Colonel
Bremuer, tho only living cx-colonels of
the regiment, The event of the evening
was the presentation Of the cross of honor.
The officers and members who received tho
cross paraded in their usual positions with
the regiment, and after the review the war
veterans and exempt members left their
seats and formed in lines, single rank,
facing the centre of the regiment, taking
their places in the order of rank held in
the United States service or in the Ma
tional Guard He was then presented by
the officers Of the regiment. TO general
officers by field officers, to field officers by
staff officers, to captains by captains TO
lieutenants by first lieutenants, to non
commissioned officers bv sppnnd linutenants