New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-31
LITERARY NOTES.

f1rrns the impression that IL ~ Ai'eiN'
petition that has sent up the prices OF the ea'i'
editions Of interesting English books from 'i,e
DAVIS OF Shakespeare 10 those Of Stevenson IL
adds:
One American collector Is credited with no
fewer than twenty Shakespeare Quartos, anothel
with duplicate sets Of the first four eult'onS %
Walton's Complete Angler ana tle NM 20
collectors are as numerous in the case %
americana English bookmen Of moderate
means can hardly be expected 10 welcome ~ ~
influx Of rich competitors very conten.euly nuS
the Americans who love English DOCKS seauors
d,sl,ka F,nglisnmen and tie patient motner ot
many nations may well be content 10 snare u,'o
particular pastme with her chidren TOT VIC
sake Of the pleasant sympathies WHICH II ''ea'
II IL understood that the edition de luxe OF
tn. new Murray edition Of Byron has been sue
cessful In this country, as In England Inc
Gcribners are said to have received iafse au-
vance orders.
Captain Mahan. writing OF the Armada IN the
Iura ..Century," declares in modern terms the
causes Of the defeat Of the so-called 'Invincioie
fee, TO be these:
/. The failure to prescribe the effectual Grip
ping Of the English navy as conoIIoh pre-.
dent to any attempt at INVASION =. ne 1,tn
70 secure beforehand q suitable point loi ihakne
the function with the army. Combinations thu9
intrusted to chance have no right 10 expeet SUI
cess ). The several actions win the hhsIlsn
power only close TO the enemy. were neither SO
fast nor handy as the latter Only those VINO
have the advantage OF range can "a, a'1 tba A.
lantic were due either to original unseaworthi,
ness or to damage received in action or 70 Dau
Judgment in taking unweatherly shps 700 cIo, ,
10 the shores OF Ireland where strong westerly
gales prevailed. and the coast was Inhospitapie'
All these conditions were preventahie ny hu-
man foresight and skill: but am Ear from deny
ing the current idea that the reactionary des-
~
Providence. The assignment or human reasons
for failure only shifts the ultimate cause step
back Whom the gods would destroy they nrst
make mad"
How much Charles Lamb loved the most de-
lightful Of all Anglers may be seen In letter
lust published for the first time. which he wrote
to his young friend Robert Lloyd. i snail ex-
pect you." he says TO bring me a brimful ac-
count OF the pleasure which Walton mas given
you when You come to town:
1t must square with yoIr mind The delight
full innocence and healthfulness OF the Angler
mind will have blown upon yours Ike zephyr.
Don't you already feel your spirit niied Win
the scenes?-the banks OF rivers, the cowsl!p
beds the pastoral scenes. the real alehouses. and
hostesses and miknads-as far exceeding Vlrg,i
and Pope the Holy Living" Is beyond
Thomas Kempis? Are not the eating and
6rin king Joys painted TO the life?-do they not
Inspire you with an animated hunger? Are not
you ambitious Of being made an Angler? what
cation nave you eOt'--lS ~ tt""n
plates Of Piscator. etc? That sells very dear i
have only beeL able TO purchase the last Edi-
ton without the old plates which pleased my
childhood. the plates being worn out and the old
edition difficult and expensive TO procure. The
Complete Angler is TIE only Treatise written
IN Dialogues that Is worth halfpenny. Many
elegant dialogues have been written (such as
Pishop Rerkeley's Minute Philosopher'O but
in all of them the Interocutors are merely abb
etract arguments personify'd. not living ORA
matte characters as in Walton. where every
thing is alive. the fishes are absolutely char
actered and birds and animals are as interest
ing men and women.
The fastest boat in the world Is said to be the
Turblnia. which makes thirty-hve knots an hour.
An Illustrated paper this boat is to be pub
I.shed soon In "McClure's Magazine"
General Fitzhugh Lee IN his article in NC
Clure's" on Cuba under Spanish rule. describes
his efforts to bring General Weyler to an OBJ
servance Of treaty obligations in the treatment
Of American prisoners For some time these
efforts In vain:
The situation, however. remained unchanged
until. finally. DR.. Ruiz. an American dentist who
practising his profession In town called
Guanabacoa. some four miles from Havana
was arrested. railroad train between Havana
and this town had been captured by the IN
surgents, and the next day the Spanish au-
thorities arrested large number OF persons In
Guanabacoa, charging them with giving infor-
nation which enabled the troops. under their
enterprising young leader, Aranguren. 10 make
the capture: and among these persons arrested
was this American. He was strongly built,
athletic man, who confined himself strictly 70
the practice of his profession and let politics
severely alone He had nothing to do with the
train being captured, but that night was visit
ing neighbor opposite until D or ~ o'clock,
when he returned to his house and went TO bed.
He arrested by the police the next morn
ing; thrown into an 'incomunicado' cell; kept
there some three hundred and fifty or sixty
aDd fpa (uhon lf-CroZe6 ~
horrible Imprisonment and calling for his wife
and children) struck over the head with
"billy'' In the hands Of a brutal TALLER. and died
from its effects. Ruiz went into that cell an
unusually healthy and vigorous man. and came
out corpse.
After this tragedy determined to submit 20 no
more violations Of the treaty rights Of American
citizens, and. therefore. after viewing this dead
body went 10 my office and, finding that there
American named Scott who had been
arrested and already 'incomunicadO' a
much longer time than the prescribed limit Of
seventy-two hours. l demanded that he be re-
leased from "incomunicado" and at the end
Of three days he was released, and since the
hour I made the issue American cti3ns
have been thrown into "incomuncado' cells,
and all Americans who were arrested afterward
for supposed offences or captured in the IN
surgsnt ranks were invariably turned over TO
me, and sent them TO tho United States.
During ali this period the war. If the conflict
going on IN the island could be so dignifed. was
dragging its slow length along. So slow was
the progress to suppress the insurrectop that
at last the Spanish authorities In Madrid began
TO despair Of terminating II successfully. For
this reason. ard IN my opinion this reason alone.
the Canovas Ministry decided upon new Cuban
policy. and proclaimed that they would put into
operation certain reforms which would give the
Cuban people more power to regulate their do
mestic concerns After a great deal had been
written and said the subject. the proposed
reforms at last were sent to General Weyler.
who was obliged to appear favorable to the ac-
ton Of the Spanish Ministry. though II was
we'll known he was not in favor Of termna ting
the war except AZ the swords point. Early IL
became manifest that the Cubans with or with
out arms. did not propose 10 accept such re-
forms. In the first place they had no conf
dence that they would ever be put into practical
operation after their firearms had been stacked.
and In the next. they considered ii too late to
adopt any such measures. Six months ago the
Canovas reforms were buried in the same grave