New-York tribune., 1898-11-21

Volumes Of essays are not popular in London.
and publishers as a rule. "hght shy" OF them.
The critic Of The Pail Mall Gazette" says that
the only genuine success obtained by an essay
,st nure and simple within his recollection fell
10 Mr. Blrreil.
Mr.. William Watson in a letter TO "The Lon
don Chronicle" repeats Mr.. Hamertons assef-
ton that "the stupid lay figure Of John Bull is
responsible for a good deal Of foreign misunoer-
standing Of the English character rossiDi''
he says at less wide OF the marx at soihe
former period, when we were more prepo"oe'
antly an agricultural people than now thoush
the general evidence OF historic English portra'-
ure hardly supports the surmse Possioy aiso
II may have had greater apparent verisiif''-
tudo for foreign eyes at a time when the House
Of Commons was largely recruited rro" 'ne
ranks Of the Squire Westerns. But at any rate
the stupid lay figure Of John Bull is no. no"
an image Of the characteristic Enghshmah'
Too bucolic TO typify a nation so variously COM
mercial and industrial as ourselves the John
Bulr Of the comic papers. a burly. honest dos-
cedlv straight forward but essentially pig-heaoeu
person no more stands for the mental GUAM
ties OF the average contemporary Enshshiiaii
than does the worthy villager In Adam heue'
who assured a congenial audience OF MS iei-
lows that Frenchmcn were scarcely ever inoie
than four feet high. Have we not too long ac-
ouiesced In a parody Of ourselves which. II II
ever had the leaven Of truth that even parody
requires is now. at all events. obsolete'
Mr.. Sidney Lees forthcoming Life Of Will
Ian, Shakespeare" will contain two portraits OF
the poet. various facsiniles OF his known
signatures. and portrait Of Lord Southampton
The biographer says in his preface:
have cndeavorcd to set before my readers a
plain and practical narrative Of the great drama
tlst's personal history as COncisely as the needs
OF c,earness and completeness would permit l
haye sought 10 provide students Of Shakespeare
with a fun record Of the duly attested facts and
dates Of their masters career snake
spcarian literature as far as IT is known 10 me-
SIN lacks a book that shall supply within
brief compass an exhaustive and wel!-arrangeo
statement of the facts Of Shakespeare's career
achievement and reputation. that shaI' reduce
conjecture 70 The smallest dimensions consistent
with coherencc. ard shall give verifabe reier-
cncos to all the original sources OF Information.
After studying EliZabethan literature. history
ard blnli0graphy for more than eighteen Nears.
J believed that I might. without exposing my
self 20 a charge OF presumption, attempt some
thing In the way of filling this gap. ana that l
might be able to supply. at least Tentatively,
ruiaeSool; TO ShakespeaTe's life and work tha'
should be, within IT'S limits, compete ana nus'-
worthy.
There has lust been sold at auction in London
a letter from John Keats to Miss jeffrey IN
which he argues hat zone of the great reasons
that the English have produced the finest
writer's in the world is that the English world
has nl-treated them during their lives and los
tered them after their deaths"
In the same sale copy Of Moral Emblems,
one Of the rare llttle pamphlets printed at Davos
and illustrated by r. L. Stevenson, brought the
sum Of so. Sixty dollars was paid for let
Ter Of matrimonial infeiicity in which John
Wesley said to his wife: If YOU were to live
q thousand years YOU could not undo the mis-
chief what you have done. And till you have
done all you can toward it bid you farewell.
Dean Pigon in his recently published volume
o. "reminiscences describes some meetings OF
the Royal Geographical Society. At one or
them Mr.. Spoke. who was painfully nervous.
gave his account Of the discovery OF the sources
Of the Nile He stood upon the table, pulling
there with him small Uganda boy. "Speke
rested his hand on this little niggers head, and
as he spoke. kept moving the lads skulcap
over his eyes. The boy. evidently thinking ne
had b.en brought over for a show. rolled his
black eyes and put out his tongue as far as II
would go. He was exactly like one of those
pulling about the limbs with a piece Of string.
We were in fits Of laughter Here, said Speke'
we arrived at Lake Tangi-something. Peals
Of laughter We proceeded further next day
and came to Lake Bangi- -something.' Again a
burst Of laughter. The fact was that, uncon-
sciously to Speke the Uganda hoy was making
such frightful grmaces and so distorting his
whole body under the pressure Of Speke's hama
that laughter was irresistible. l believe that
Speko never could divine why tho narration of
the discovery Of the source Of the Nile, not un~
attended with much risk Of life caused such
merriment."
A corresporGen. Of The London Chronicle
has drawn that papers attention to an ex'raoF-
dinarv similarity between some passages In
Mr. J. II. McCarthy's romance The Ro!ai
Christopher and some passages in Dampef
Account OF New Holland Tho Chronicle
prints the parallel passages and calls on M
Mccarthy for an explanation
.