The Critic and record., 1891-04-18
OUR BOOK TABLE.

HANNA ! WO WORKS m one vol
umc. By Caleb Harlan, NJ. ID. Phil.
adelphia Porter N Coates. Cloth, 81.
This is the third edition Of n little vol.
ume I'm which Mcssrs. Porter a Coates
have brought together two very pretty
stories in verse by Dr. Caleb Harlan.
They have received the highest enco-
miums from euCh competent critics as
Professor Il. w. Lands, who says In
letter 90 the author.
II could not put it down until had de-
voured 1t ALTO the very last line. ! am
greatly pleased With 1t. The plot style,
and execution all have interested me
greatly. Your vcrsiiicatian has nothing
10 fear from a comparison even with Dry
den You have his flow, cadence and
rhythm. Your power Of description is
equal to his oWnN
MEMOIRS or THE PRINCE DE
TALLGRAND.' Edited by the Dlc
dc Brogie. New York: G.. =. Pat
nams Sons. Washington: Robert
Beall. Cloth, with portraits, $3.50.
This is the second volume Of the Talley-
rand memoirs, SO long and eagerly looked
for so iraught with an interest that has
Lost nothing of its edge by the passage of
time and that must ever invest that dra-
matte period with peculiar charm, The
preface and notes to the publication are
by the Due de BrOglie, the Introduction
by Hon. Whitelaw Reid and the English
translation by Raphael Lclos de Beau
fort, Fellow of the Royal Historical So
cioty. No more valuable contribution 20
the History of Napoleon and his times
has ever been made or is likely TO be
made in the future. Every library with
any pretcnsions TO completeness should
have this remarkable work
PurLsHERs' NoTE.-The authenticity of
the Memoirs having been called into ques.
ton by certain newspaper reports, the
publishers think il worth while to direct
attention to the TACT that the present pub
licatiQn is made from an attestcd copy of
the original Memoirs of Talleyrand as left
in the hands OF his executors, NJ, Ad. de
Bacourt and the Duchesse de Talleyrand
ct de Sagan.
The editor of the Memoirs, the Due de
Broglic, makes the following statement in
his preface
mo procaution whatever was thought
superfuous by the Duchessc de Talley-
rand and NJ. de Bacourt and, in order
to render all challenge or confusion i'm
possible, NJ, de Bacourt undertook to
transCrlbe with his own hand the text of
Memoirs as he had received il from NJ. de
Talleyrand, with the Complementary notes
and documents.
This copy is mentioned in the in
vcntOry OF the papers of NJ. de BacOurt,
subioincd to his will in the following
terms:
"Four volumes bound in leather.
which form the only complete and
authentic copy of Prince Talleyrand's 5
Memoirs, done by NJ. de Bacourt from the
original manuscripts, dictated documents,
and copies whose purpose VI. de Ialley-
rand had indicated TO him.
"FurthermOre, the first of these fOur
volumes bears on its last page the follow
ing declaration:
~ the undersigned, testamontary
CXCCutuX of my late uncle, Charles Mau.
rice, Prince de Taleyrand, declare and
certify that the present folio volume, con-
tanning five hundred and one and-written
pages, comprises the only original, com.
plete and faithful copy OF the first five
parts OF his Memoirs, and of a fragment
on the Due de Choiseul left by the Prince
lie Talleyrand. Pcrigord.
DoEoTHEE DE CoURLAEDE,
'Duchesse de Tallcyrand ct de Sagan.
'Sagan, May 20, 1855
"A declaration similar in all respects
and bearing the same signature, closes
| the seco'i 4 volume.
AT the end OF the third, it is NJ. de
| Bacourt, sole survivor, who thus expresses
| himself
"I, the undersigned testamentary ex.
| eCutor of the late Prince Charles Maurice
de Talleyrand-Perigord, and of the
| Duchesse de Talleyrand ct de Sagan, Prin-
cesse de Courlande, declare and certify
that the present folio volume of 500
manuscript pages comprises the sole
original, complete and authentic COPY OF
the eighth, ninth and tenth parts OF the
Memoirs left by Prince CharlesMaurice
de Talleyrand-Perigord.
"'AD. DE BAcouRr.
"'Baden, January 20, 1863
mo declaration is found at the end OF
the fourth volume, for the reason that
the last part OF this volume was to have
been completed by subjoined extracts
whose complete transcription was not ac
complished when death overlook NJ. dt
BacOurt.
at is from the text prepared for pres,
by the very people whom NJ. de Talley,
rand had charged with doing so, and ac
| cordiDg to the instructions that they held
OF him, that the present publication il
made. Neither suppression, nor even
toning down, have in any degree been
| allowed"
So good literary authority as the New
York Times, in referring to this matter
says: "The accuracy and fidelity of the
Memoirs have been disputed, Dut we SEE
nogood reason for doubting them. They
are vouched for in the most formal man
| ner by the present editor and by NJ. dC
Bacourt, the immediate custodian of thu
manuscripts, named by Talleyrand him
self"
A cablegram from Paris to the New York
Tribune, dated April s, 1891, gives the fol
lowing statement by the Hon. Whitelav
Reid, the American Minister to France
Here is the whole matter in a nutshell
NJ. Bacourt and the Duchess Dinot, thu
literary executors of Talleyrand, copiel
the originals for reasons having no ma
terial bearing on the matter, and declared
the copy exact. The statement of the Dut
de Brogie that he has perfect faith in tn,
genuineness of the memoirs ought to havt
great weight. have been brought int
| personal relation with the Due de Brogli,
and his honesty is beyond question"