New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-24

| The descriptions OF Roman magnihcence WIFI
| which 1t abounds are we'll drawn vivid wIthou
| false color. precise without tiresome detail. II
berus in his fortresspalace, surrounded by court
! iers panders and richly -garbed women Apcius al
| his last and greatest banquet. where he poisons
himself because he can no longer afford q fortune
| for dinner; Scjanus and ivia, knights. Senators,
| prmtorians artisans, slaves and cut-throats-
these the actors In Mr.. Graham's
drama and they all make q str king appearance.
The story is one Of crimes and mysteries, with an
undercurrent of love, and IL is unfolded with a
plenty of exciting incident in which tho vices and
csprices of the Emperor have a conspicuous part.
Some of The scenes in tho island of Capree. such
as the imprisonment and subjugaiou Of Plautia
and the defence of Nenra in C@sar's presence by
her lover Martialis, are powerfully set forth. The
construction too. is generally careful ath ough 1t
may be objected that the conclusion is force d.
the tange of affairs is ii aily loosed by surprising
exhibition of clemency and justice the part of
Tiberius. for which no adequate explanation is at
tempted,
The now issue of George Merediths novels may
be supposed to indicate the continued popularity OF
a writer who certainly has many claims upon our
attention. His most striking quality. 1t seems TO
u.s. is the versatility of his fancy. He presents TO
MS in " Sandra Belloni" an extraordinary array of
characters. distinguished from one another by
marked differences, and nearly all of them exhibit
ing individual II not original, traits; and rs they
all kept in active motion the effect is that OF an
extremely varied and lively show. But If his versa
ttv is what impresses first, his best quality is
really his humor For his moralizing critical
cynical, satircal, hight and easy, deep and cutting
or what you will-we do not care There is too
much Of IT. and it is too painfully peppered with
eplgram. But when he drops himself. and allows
his characters to speak. he IS sometimes delightful
Mrs. Chump is farcicai conception,
tempted TO say of the first order. That would
be an exaggeration. for she has been
surpassed by many Of her prototypes.
She is nevertheless lnfailing source of muse
ment. Even her vuIgartv does not become tire
somc and several of the situations in which she
figures show high comic talent There is hdmor of
very different Kind not without little touch of
pathos in the account of some of Saudras esca-
padcs aud there q commoner sort of humOr. not
drOl bnt satlrical in the sketches Of ambitious
semi-genteeI society. L Ie heroine, Sandra, Is an
attractive creature Of impulse half Italian half
English. gifted with an extr lortioary voice and
rare musical susccpiibilItics capable of violent
and unreasonable love which bears so much that
we turn from it with WEAKNESS. Bat If she il IN
tercsting, it is rather interest of curiosity than
of sympathy that sine exc te% II we try u anhlyze
her are not long IN discovering that she has no
character VIII itever. no sense OF heIOism, and IN
fine; n, moral quIli'icS That ls the fault
are clearly disrngushabe from One another
By superficial traits. but none has essential quail
TIES of character. We watch them chatti Z. tlrt-
ing. Guarrcling, name vrlng. like the crOwd at 4
fai cv BAIL and we get no glimpse of real men and
women undcr the DISCUSSES Nor can 1t be said
that the construction the story is any more sue
ce>siul than the de|Ig1 of fhe aracters There Is
bnstle without much progress, mel ient Without
deve opmeni, and a the close Ier' are left IN a
vague condlt Ioh for which not ling account but
the failure Of the an hOr's Invention.