The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1886-01-03
LITERARY NOTES.


as writer Of agreeable fiction through his Mill
tary History" OF the late Gen. Grant ana other |
works, which viii pave the way for his" Conspiracy;
a Cuban Romance" NEW York. n. wofthbetoh, |
pubilshefl The tslled romance Is largely one OF
those oldfashioned ahd savage lampoons that used
ID be Written frequently during the past century by
those who had grievance against persons In power,
but which have rather died out under the mllder
manners prevailing In the latter ha,f OF the nine |
tcenth century Gen. Badeau spares NO one, old or
young, male or female, from the President down. In
his anxiety 70 strike, under very thin dsgulses OF
bei eisonalIty, at those who he claims injured him
while he was Consul General at Havana. There is a
love story in the book, OF young Cuban girl with
two suItors, one Spanish or,cer, the other revo
lutionist; but this Ia really subordinate In Interest,
especially for Washington readers, to the very open
and indeed interruptions attacks upon recent ad-
mnstration. The real hero OF the book Ia one
Ernest by name and earnest by nature" the au.
thor would perhaps scarcely care to be described as
Adam Badeau by naurc) who is Consul General at
Havana at the time Of the story. We are told OF
Vice President al washington who, by the "slck-
ness aud death OF the President, succeeds to the
highest once, and whose qualifications for 1t are
summed up in no gentle terms Then there is q lady
in the case, "Mlss Adelaide HARRISON" whose
luscious beauty Ia portrayed In glowing language.
BY bold stroke OF the Imagination the President s
described as failing In love with aud marrying her,
though Gen. Badeau misses great opportunity by
falling to settle the etiquette that ought to prevail on
an occasion which has thu, far been without prece
dent In actual llie This woud have had great In
terest for feminine readers, at least the case Is
again a possibility. The Secretary OF State
is "Mr. L,ttieton." who has son
named Bainbrldge Lililetop,' with whom the peer
less Adelaide is really In love even when she marrles
the President Though there Is no improprlety sug-
gested In their relations her interest In the young
man is so great that she secures his appointment
Assistant Secretary OF State to hls father, and main
talns him there at all hazards, even after he goes to
Cuba during the absence Of the consul general, ne
gotiates an improper treaty with the crafty Spanish
| officials, and otherwise gets into trouble. When
Mr. Ernest protests against all this, the whole power
OF the Government Is used to " crush him, result
which he avoids by resgnIne in hurry. Then, re-
turning to the United States, by paradlng his griev
auoss In print he siDgc-handed defeats the nomlna
| ion OF the Vice Presidential President for another
term and relsgates him and his ambitious wife to
obscurity. There Is Just enough semblance OF fact
In all this to give IL certain zest for those who
know the inside history Of current events, though
the point which 1t Is dicult or rather impossible to
forgive Is the apparent attempt TO lnjure lady.
This what makes the book SAVIOR OF the feroclous
methods ofthe last century ana the days when boot
(Bute) and petcoat on poles were favorite en-
blems In political professions In Merry England.
The chief clerk Under "Mr. Llttleton" is thus de-
scrbedi
"Go.Bright was q person Of prodigous i'm
IN IN Se % o whes We se ve e M pe
and saw ns them no'' a many he OF was
consulate He must be consulted on ali points a Of
petty detail; and as most Of the business at the
had come BY degrees TO managing the entire system
IN the Ignorance o. MS superors, his advice was
10 ana his MS wy Sa
person, unknown to the country or the law, rivaed
Ia power many Of the highest functlonaries in the
!, Government 1he consuls discovered that his sug-
geston settled points OF pay and allowance, and the
discreet ones paid their court assiduously. They
they 5 ns
compliment, @ ana appealed 70 him as IL he we're in
course, lively sense of his own importance, bui
ruled his kingdom mildly on the whole. His despot
, Ism was pat paternal ML one. but he expected proper
Q abject before his own master, and demanded hli
j. dues In return"
y subjolned Is highly fancfu description of
l. scene in the White Housc between the imaginary
r Chief Magistrate and his bride:
. As soon as the last guest had left she wen. up tc
her husband as he stood under the great chandelier
!, In the East Room. The immense apartment wal
u ablaze with light, and still warm from the presenc,
}. brilliant with the color of flowers and ornaments
Adelaide was dressed in white sain with tiara ant
necklace aud bracelets Of diamonds she fairly bazet
with the jewels, which set on her stmptuous bosom
her sa There e was ~ othe
ornanient-not nower, nor bit Of lace On he
o gown.
e She asked like one who gives a command and sh,
Il spoke to the equal Of monarchs.
" IL 1t about BainbrIdge?"
> "Yes. He must not lie asked to resign"
VI do not know what else is TO be done'
pus Se s Sea 1s nw d9 Sr
9 why are you SO aniloas7 Do ysu care for hin
y "Bainbrdge must not be stricken by my husband
e tell you, Mr.. President and she drew herself vi
proudly, and her eyes bazed with tremendou
power he had never seen in them before" yol
must save him." Then suddenly, with voice AM
1t "WiIl You save him ?''
e They paced up and down the long and l.lty hall
j. he In ADVANCE and she sweeping after him In he
%%ss s1s st$spsa saa
e You, 1 viii disgrace you. i am capable OF every
d thing. You shall not have your Will by crushing
: selashness viii not save you. Tho President VIII
;, mas this scandal about him that will make abou
you Will never spend second term In these halls
s Take your last look at them and at mel
He stopped short, stunned and amazed at the i'm
. . portunities which were almost imprecations. II
II her indeed capable of all she had threatened. II
feared her, and he loved herand he yielded. Balm
- bridge was saved.
:, "Along Alaskas Great Rver,"a popular acconn
OF the travels Of the Alaska Exploring Expedition
y, 1888, along the great Yukon River, from Its sourc
a to Its mouth, In the British Northwest Territory an
, , in Alaska, by Lieut.. Frederick Schwatka, OF tn
:, Army, commander Of the expedition, New York
- - Cassel & Co.. is volume not TO be lightly dli
missed, both on account Of Its elaborate preparatio
~ and the interest OF Its rectas. Tho Yukon (accer
on the rst syllable, 1t would sceml is the third rive
OF our country In magnitude, and 1t Is estimated az
tually discharges at Its mouth one.third more wate
II than the Mississippi. 1t pursues strange an
~ crooked course, starting in the southeast corner
- the Territory bending up into the Arctic circle, IN
- then winding back into Norton Sound far south q
:, Behring Strait, through gigantic delta Construc
ing large raft near the hcadwaters Lieut.. Schwatk
and his little party, seven In ALL sailed on this prim
tive craft through nearly $50 miles OF lakes, shot
number OF rapids, and foated along for over sc
miles, the longest raft Journey ever made In the In
A terest OF geographical science. The entire rive
N over 1000 miles In length, was traversed the part
= returning home by way of Behring'S Sea, touching
the Aleutlan Islands All the details OF the trip ar
OF absorbing interest," though the greatest peril wa
from the literal clouds Of savage mosquitoes, whc
E. are enough 10 qualify the Yukon as fashionabl
n summer resort, and the bad navigation, which wi
III make 1t magnificent subject for the River an
"a Harbor bill when Alaska Is admitted to the Unol
!. and to read OF which will make some Congressman
u mouths water even now. "There's millions In It,
'e and Lieut. Schwatka maintains that millions can
got out OF 1t by skllful miners The book Is pre-
d fusey illustrated from photographs taken by NJ
e. Charles A. Homan, of the Engineer Corps; sketcht
le by Sergeant Charles A. Goster, Of the Army; di
y grams and plans by the author and others, and ha
u "a large folding map. The narrative style Is d.
10 sgnedly popular and readable and well calculate
" to excite interest In this great possession and 4
p future main artery OF commerce with natives an
or possible mining and other settlers. II would be
pleasure to give elaborate review OF It's content
Of but In default OF this the best course Is refer n
public direct to the original paRes satisfy either