New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-19
LITERARY NOTES.

Mr. Dobson objects to explorations Of his per
| sonaIity but he has submitted to the repr0duc-
| ton OF his portrait and Of his book plate Hence
we have no hesitation in printing the latter, one
| Of the gracefulest and quantest designs Ho"m
| Abbey ever made
When the Sengtore Comparetu published his
two great volumes on VIRGIL IN INC ,,r MrTE
| traditions Of the poet Believing the contrsay,
Mr.. Charles Godfrey Leland consulted MS irleho
| Maddelena, that woman or the fomagna IoS
| cana from whom, readers or his delignttui
| Italian legends know. he has obtained extIaof-
binary stories Of folklore Maddelena' says
Mr.. Leland in one OF his volumes, was NOT
only skilled in fortune-tellng, but 1nheriteo as
q family gift from generations skill In WITCH
| craft-that is. a knowledge OF mystical cures
| the relieving Of people who were bewftcheo'
| the making OF amulets, and had Wlthal q MEM
| cry stocked with a literally incredible number
| OF tales and names Of spirits. with the inVo.
cations to them and strange rites and charms
Mr. Leland started this woman off on the roaos
| for Virgana. The result was astonishing ln,.
She collected seventy stories. exceeding In DuiK
| all that have hitherto been known and gener-
| ally quite different.
| What is important in this is that the legends
| Maddeena collected evidently contain a great
| deal Of old Roman folklore and minor myth
| ology which escaped Ovid and other classic
writers. who thought more OF books than OF
| the people as sources Of such information In
private letter Mr.. Leland states that he has
| written out these legends and has also COM
piled a collection of stories similar to those In
| his Legends Of Florence" but not specially
| local. He is putting the finishing touches. too.
! to lesser work entitled "Wayside WANDER
ers.- and devoted to gypsies. thinkers. basket
makers and itinerant musicians. TO this II
added a translation OF old book or about
| 1860 on Italian vagabonds. by one Frianoro. In
a book on THE Simplest Musical Instruments
and How to Make Them" Mr.. Leland describes
more than a score OF musical or noise making
Instruments which have never before been men,
toned In the literature Of the subject This
last book is the only which promises 10
appear eXpcditiously. For the rest, foiklore Is
not popular novels OF sentiment. and the
books remain In manuscript. Readers or Mr..
Lelands numerous works on the subject VIII be
glad however. when these new works do APP
pear. The Virgiliana will be particularly wei
come.
Mr. +. s Dcenbaugh sends us the following
letter
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: In no carping spirit. but In the interest
Of accuracy. it seems to me desirable to cail at
teution to an error on the first page OF Colonel
Inman's invaluable addition 10 the literature OF
Western United states History. The Old Sante
Fe Trail" He asccbes the discovery Of the
narrative Of Alvar Nunez Cabeca de Vaca con-
corning his extraordinary wanderings with
three companions during the seven or eight
years Immediately preceding 1886. to Bucking-
ham Smith in 1851 and dates historical knowl-
edge Of the wanderings to Mr.. Smiths transla-
ton into English. The facts are these: The
narrative was first published at Iamora, 1542:
reprinted at Valladold. 100; translated BY
kamuSlO into ldlldn, loo, ny FurChaS
in English. 1913: reprinted by Barcia In Span
ish l749: translated by Ternaux COmpans Into
French 1851. translated by buckingham Smith
into English. 1851. Yours truly.
F. s DELLENBAUGH.
No 50 Washington Place. New-York. Dec Ii.
1891
The letters which Gilbert White sent from Sell
borne Priory to his friend Thomas Pennant
and which when returned 70 White. formed the
basis of his Natural History OF Selborne were
sold the other day In London They have been
in the possession OF the White family ever since
their writer's death. and are In much better
preservation than Is the famous Prory. The
building has fallen into grievous decay. and Is
tenanted only by a mild hammered caretaker.
atn do L. RI he