New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-01
ILLUSTRATED BOOKS.
WORKS FROM FRENCH SOURCES.

A CHRONICLE OF THE REIGN or CtA ILL., Ia Ten
.Xngrsvlngs Wood from Drawing. DI T'G T"Iio
$Ondouzc Translated by George salisbury r'iio'
DID, 800. Cassell Publishing 60. .
AT sUSA, THE ANCIENT CAPITAL or l i,n n fine
OF PERSIA. Narrative Of the eXpio1,'lee44 u So
T BX Madame Ia t io" Jane Denafoy. Chevar OF the
Legion Of Honor Translated by r. L. "'
dcphia: Gebbe d CO. . -, rnors
MARRIAGE FOR LOVE BY Lndoyc lIslcy ~ W IianS
lated by Frank F. Potter lIiusuauoGn n "' "-''
de Mesa. Ncw-York: Dodd. Mead d Go; D.
LA vIEILIE FRANCE: N oRMNNDlh' by ~
Robida. New York: j. W. bo"ton. .,,r M.
rvn~Srr1oy RETROSPECTIVE MllITAlRE Du
MXIsIEEE D.. IA new GTF fGrE T. J. " VI Boutcn
sAIov DE 1890 BY Maurice lIsihel. NeW-i orN'
j. W. Bouton.
Tho " Charles TX" is a companion volume TO MI.
saintsburv's translation of Balzacs 'houunS ~
s Handsomely printed. with large type upon heaFN
cIazcd papcr, and it has the ILLUSTRATIONS h'auc
nv Toudonzc for the french edition. pnoH>heu
nv Emile Testred in his "Coilecuoh Ar's'iq"c
~ AGO These illustrations are spirited and
mil Of local color. and the mechanism oil 'he
hoo,, ;s all that can be desired. As 10 Mr..
Ssintsbury's translation 1t is better than tha'
Of tho Chousns," and perhaps naturally So since
n,,zoc is an exceedingly difficult author 10 put
IN English while Merimce writes such SMOOTH
.n;grammatic and polished French that man oil
Mr. Saintsbury's culture and appreciation Oh
strle could hardly fail TO render him Adequately
The translator furnishes an introductloh' "ho'l
is q short biographical and critical es'lmaVe u
NIerimee, and should by no means he sKlppeu ~
tho general reader The book Itself oueh' ~
be better known by English-speaklng IeaueiS
than il probably is. II is one OF us au'"'i
earlier compositions, but il is in no sense c'u"o
or immature Regarded purely as a romance n'
Doubt fault NAV be found with II, out Meii'''o
did not write it purely as romance. NS "e
himself states, he had been Studying i" "'
literature of the period had saturated HIS '''''
with that literature, and threw MS iii'ii'''''"'
into this form of fiction natural consequence
This adds to its value, for IT Is IN great pau
study of epoch. ;.
Uorimco had his own ideas about the genesis
os - Bartholomew He held that the massacre
os NOT nromeditatDd but was the result oil s"uucu
;nnlso . and he brings forward some evidence III
s,nnor, of this position. The various scenes WIN"
.ro nointcd in the series of tableaus ra'her ina" "
tho story constituting the Chronicles OF 'hafItS
IN" are marked by all the au'hof nest ,"''
acterisics Each, one may say, Is Il pel'''' ''''
short story in itself. The scene Ill 'iI' '"'''O
The duel the affair of The two mohNS' ''' '"''
white magic, the interview pc'"c'" "'i-'
Mercy and the King. the eve OF Inc hl''S'C'' 80"
en;sodcs at La Rochellc-each ana All are ""''",
with exquisite care and taste No'"N'e '."
more incisive. vet restrained ina"
way of telling a story. There Is never >oP
auous ar a weak word. just enough Is sal" "
vixi(v the description, and no more vi
hurry suggests that George dc Mercy Hl'\ I'"' 80.
nvricisnl of the author himself ana '"i' !"
nossiblc: but il is always we'll I" rchehl'"i '"'
Mermcc was rather professional ina"
cvnic and those who Know his c'V''
,.,..., will recall many PASSAGES III which
~
feelings and beliefs such as he never showed 10 MS
;,;r,a,cc aroonc men. However this may ne 'hc
hool ;s classic in its way, and Issued IN So goo"
,r,rs1otiou and i'm so handsome and exemplary 1"
or :, de.crvcs. as II doubtless VIII have d
warm welcome.
Ton women only arc exempt from 'he pio>,','"o
NJ tho law in France which strlcuN pioi''''
~. ,ro.r;,o If masculine raiment 10y members oil
tho fair sex ard which punshes any lnii
Ne the statute with severe penalties as ms
s,,ooror Among the ten ladies entitled 10 'ilis
,.orIiar privilege the oldest is Rosa Bonhcnr' INV
.,.hrotod naintcr of enima life who Is now ID
- soven+ieth wear There are likewise 'hree
elderly DANES star" attractions OF tne ul"ic
shows 70 which they belong whose isoee a''
adorned with huge. bushy boards ana WIZ Sie
therefore permitted to dress as men. i'"'e !,
ro,nan who for twenty years past has eNcrclscn
,be trade Of master house painter; anu las'' p"'
mn. least there is Madame Jan" DenIa'oN' Wv
rouno and wcll-favored Oriental uaNellei' VIM
was invested n couple of years ago ny '''''
Carnot with the Cross of the Legion OF ''onoi W
hor sorvices in exploring on behalf of the frehch
Government, the ruins of Susa' 'he "no'e"' O'r'''
of the Biblical Kings of Persia.
s.. =. tho civ Of the Lilies" was founded oS
Dar;,s 10 described by IIerodotus ana DINER an
.;on, v.,i,ors rs having been the treasury OF th'
I.;or Fnn;rc. is mentioned in the BOOKS %
Dn;oI and Esther: was the scene oil 'hc mar
;ca of Alexander the Great: and was Hh"l-
con,urcd and destroyed. 80 t. &. DN AhuE"""S
More than two thousand years elapscu oeIo'' a.
at,empt was made. in 1879. by an fhpIlSh ME
sion. under Mr.. LOTUS, TO explore the r"'nS' WIN
had in the meantime become 50 coVereu up al"
obliterated by the sand that even the NeIA 'i'
had grown To be a matter of dispute b"lort III
had time to accomplish anything worth spenNii
nj Mr. Foftus was forced 10 NY from ieiSl" j
consequence of the fanatic rage ana eAcl'e" s"i"i
.,ition of The people, who were convinced Una
tho terrible epidemic Of cholera when deNaS'"'V
Persia about that time due 10 the anger
Allah. incurred by them in permitting lhho's
disturb the ruins of the ancient ana deao Guy
I, was not until 1855 that the work Of explore
tim 1ras resumed on behalf of the French "oN
eminent by VI. Marcel Deulafoy and his accom-
,lished wife Both were well htcd for the 'as'
having acquired an extensive acquaintance VIII
Oriental life during previous Visit L" Persia VI
dortakcn bv NJ Deulafoy al the request Of II
famous architect Niolet-le-Duc whose faNori'
pupiI and principal assistant he was oh 'l'
occasion his purpose was the discovery u. "
connecting link between Gothic and Oriental al
Madame Dieulafoy acted not only as her h'i
hands principal lieutenant, but also as the nj
Photographer of the Susa expedition, VINE
proved magnificent success. The descriptl'
Of the two years spent on the site
the famous City of the Lilies is charming
written. the necessarily scientific portion OF Il
work being relieved by thousand and one d
irh.fuI and characteristic trivialitles which go