New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-07
NEW BOOKS AND NEW EDITIONS

Anil 17zs The time vas one Of stirring activity.
chcclsered fortune and prevailing anNleN' an" "
its episodes numbered the surrender OF hursoS "o nv"
vas ample reason for uncaSnc'S SUN ''>'
Amonc other troubIes Washington had to encounter
the beginnings of Conway's conspiracy against n','
and in this volume occurs the 'omma'"o :"
strong letter to Lee upon the wclIsio"'iu'" ''i w.
Conway was to DO made major genera wv wv -
of MANY older and better officers. im' was o"o ~
those political promotions which nave III "i"o' ''F
,r,.,c. prodnced the worst results; bur congress
Though IL had timely information oil "a'n'ns''"
ing in the matter. proceeded to carry o"' ~ '
Judged and misclievOus programme WIN "
,rh,c, might have been expected from hh""'uSe
y, copwav.s character and anteoedehtS' Inc q""'i'
,.u,o., washington and Gate, belongs ais" !" thS
neriod and the former, correspondence i pu"'''"
A. usual with rccurTcnt complaints anu po''''
ic tho urgent needs of the American troops their
lack of clothing and proper supplies Oh al n'' "'
the exa,peratiug neglect with when the Po'''',! ",
r,ments 81 the Government treated them WORDS
were cheap and plenty with Congress, but ho'hS eise
was offered.
rov and enlarged edition Of the Poetry Of t'e
Anti.Jacobn edited with notes. by Charles EdmohoS
10 p Putnam's sons, has been issued l's 'o'o'
tion of political and >atircal VERSE We"
preservation. ii is quite the best Oh IL h'u' ~
sbarplv distinguished from the feroconN poHu'al u"S
gercl of which swift master. "e'fge '""',rN'
IIoobh,r, Erero " Pitt the Marquis Wellesley, fIi''
Clifford the Earl Of Carlisle and DINER or'u'a"' '"'
polshed men produced. for the columns OF tine INV,
Iocobin the brightest. wittieNt, most 'ieFer an" ~
sned satlres and parOdieS known TO poitl'al Hc'"'
II is only necessary to mention "e"'sc '"'''s
veedv Knife Grinder" the celebrated Lover oil inv
Trangles@ and the inimitable bureSque nPo" ''
German sentimental drama of the period 10 ue"''
stratc the singularly high level OF these shi'N' "'
NJ fhc adaptations from the Latin and the paNu"N VI
,ueu known pocms are wonderfully clever. whhe 'ho
nrosc text +, full Of pungent but never 'oaiS" "
brutal humor and sarcasm. the cNpia'd'o,S ,
of Mr. Edmond doubt necessary aic' ' 10Y
of fine and they are sufficiently full ana oear 10
remove every obScurity. The original rd''o'"
c;;l,rav arc reproduced the present cdlu"h "i''"
IS in all respects crcditable to the editor ana pnDo'N
Arthur Harvard Noll has written short History
~ Mexico" Chicago: \. G. McClurS Cob the preface
90 which scarcely explains the book. The author >c>
ont with the remark that the history OF McA''o'
suhseauent the conquest by the Sp"li''u9 ''''N "a
tle sixteenth century. l. scarcely kho"H "u'N'", "
that country General histories pass over Inc thIt
centpries Of spanish rule the long struggle Tor hue
nendencc the establishment of shoTt-lved empire
followed bv a nominal republic. and the rise ana id ol
second empire subjects Of but little interest anu
without giving very accurate Information icSa'u'"-
them. II any comprehensive history OF N.Aico ~
lists in the English language its name fails t" appear
in any Of the long list Of books on Mexico "h''l INV
nresent writer has diligently searched How diech
this search may be judged from the authorN apparent
ignorance of the existence Of Mr. H. H. h"n''oi'
History of Mexico" which contains everything M
NoJl declares he has unable 10 find; whi'h u'"''
extensively with the modern period OF McN'Hh NJ
tory bringing II down in full detail TO the present
day and which for accuracy and authority leaves
nothing to he desired. A. for the volume beioic U.s.
is mere sketch Of little or no use to the udcnt' con
tanning no references and recognizing oTS Nv" -''er
.sn writer's one of whom is the author Of guide book
@sbakespeare's Sonnetsn (scribner 4 Welford) 10y
Thomas Tyler NJ A. is another attempt Ia solve the
problem which has baficd 20 many ingenious hquNrs
The anthor. however, is genuine investigators "o.
crank and to give chapter ana verse ''
his conclusions. lie holds the william Herbert t"FI
of Pembroke theory, and has further persuaded hlhen
that Mistress Mary Elton, one Of Queen tH'he'h
Maids of Honor. and a celebrated beauty oil t4e 'lc'
vas the MOI impossible she supposed 10 IT, NIeF'"
to 10 often in the sonnets The one conspicuous YEA"
ness of Mr. Tylcr'S argument is his excessive pT"'"
csuty He must always hunt down concrete facts.
II Shakespeare mentions a woman III H. s"hhe'S'
real living woman must be identified win the i'i-
erence. II Shakespeare uses terms which MAY De
interpreted a. having reference to some los OF pnbc
estimation suffered by himself, genuine scandal mast
he materialzed. Mr.. Tylcr's FiOn hypothesis = cldr
ac,erized by abundant ingenuity. but nothing IN The
shane of valid proof is forthcoming when all has been
said Neither il be said that the author ADDS any
4 thing in the way Of demonstration TO the william Her
bert theory which has indeed been already worried
almost to death zcaOus and enthusiastic critical de
tectives Apart from his central ny p0thc'es MI Tyler
is we'll worth reading. His remarks upon the Sonnet>
generally are judicious and show long and earnest
study and he is honest lover and reSpectcr Of his
tsvorite poet.
We have from the Bancroft Company (san Fran
,isco, a modest booklet bearing the somewhat am
bitious ttc a Code Of Morals by Mr. Joh =
Uittcll. There is indeed valid reason WHY
sufficient code of mOra- should be set down within
Che space of fifty four 1smo pages though a. rule
ohio onI,or
Mr. Uittell manages 20 get five chapters into his
booklet and the whole moral code is divided into
forty five sections. 1t might not be easy TO character
iye the system Of ethics pursued. Mr. Ilittc simply
observes that lie has tried TO do for his what
EpictetlIs and Marcus Aureus did for theirs OF
course he Is too modest express opinion concern
ing the measure Of his success in this somewhat
arduous undertaking. Certainly lie has produced
code of morals which nobody could fail to distinguish
from the works Of Marcus AureuS and Epictctus lis
chief recommendation is that any one can master
1t in half hour. IT is also simple to the verge Of
badness and it is for the most part based upon
common sense. Mr.. Iittcll appears to have no hlu-
sons and very few beliefs. lie is rcfre>hlngy pro
noInced against Communism and Anarchy, yet rather
inconsstenty eulOgistc Of the mental processes which
are apt to issue in one the other Altogether 1t is
queer little book, and in a sense original.
Houghton, MNlin Co. publish Robert Browning.
Personalis.7 BY Edmund Gossc 1t consists mainly
of an article which Mr.. GOsse contributed 20 an
American magazine several years ago. but which de
serves 70 be given a permanent form nasmuch a. IL
is the only Of Browning written with the
consent and cooperation of the poet and published
with his approval. In fact he asked Mr.. GO,sc
10 write it expressly 10 countcract
number of fictitious biographies Of him which had
been printed and which exaSpcrated him 10y their
gross misrepresentation. TO this reproduction
added a few pages Of personal Impressions 80
guarded and rcstrained-nO doubt by feelings Of deli
cacy aud revcIencethat they do not throw much new
light upon Brownng's personality Pending the APP
pearance Of Memoir Of Browning however these
scraps Of information have their value and il Is the
greater because the writer's impressions have been set
down at once. and have been allowed TO fade or