The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-04-30
RECENT LITERARY NEWS.
"RECORD-UNION" NOTES OF
BOOKS AND AUTHORS.
Historic Matters-New Works
Bookmen Of the World
Critical Comment.

which is in itself a valuable bit OF III
erary criticism, and shows at the same
| time the tender side of the great novel,
lists nature. 1t is taken from the thlr-
teenth and last volume of the biograph-
zeal edition of 'Thackeray's Complete
Works. published by Harper & Bros.
Why writes Thackeray, ARE your
verses SO very, very gray and sad. l
have been reading them this morning
till the sky has got a Grape over it.
Other folks prose I have heard has
sometimes like dismal effect, one
mans especially, mean, with whom I
am pretty intimate, and who writes
very glumly, though I believe he is in
wardly cheerful, wine ibbing, easy
going person. liking the wicked world
pretty well in spite of all his grumbling.
We can't help what we write, though;
an unknown something works within us
and makes us write SO and SO. I'm put
ting this case de me (as usual and de
te don't like to think you half so
sad as your verses. l like some of them
very much indeed, especially the little
tender bits. All the illusions to chill
dren are full of a sweet, natural COM
passionateness; and you sit in your
poems like gray nun with three or
four little prattlers nesting round your
knees and smiling at you, and a thin
hand laid upon the golden heads of one
or two of them: and having smoothed
them and patted them, and told them a
little story, and given them bonbon,
the gray nun walks into the gray twi-
light, taking up her own sad thoughts
and leaving the parvulos silent and
wistful. There goes the Angelus! There
they are, lighting up the chapel Go
nome, little children, to your bread and
butter and teas, and kneel at your bed
side in crisp little nightgowns
r
Some interesting notes left by Lord
Tennyson in calculation of his I'm Me-
moriam' are being prepared for early
publication.
Sidney Lee. author of the Life of
Shakespeare recently crowned by the
London Academy, has made a public
appeal to Englishmen owning copies of
the first folios of Shakespeare to keep
firm grip upon them as England is
being rapidly drained of such treasures
by the United States
The Saturday Review: A biblio-
graphical treasure of singular interest
has recently found its way to Sothebys
1t has hitherto been supposed that there
IS only one copy in existence of the
1871 quarto of the two parts of THE
Troublesome Reign of King john" the
lold plays on which Shakespeare's drama
was founded-namely, the Cappell copy
now in the library of Trinity College.
Cambridge. But here is a second and
in finer condition that Capelrs copy It's
sole defect is that it wants the title page
to the first part as it begins in A
With the verses to the Gentlemen Read
ers- For the rest it is in magnificent
preservation, having the headlines not
shaved off, as they have been in the
Capell copy, but, with one or two ex-
cepuons where they have been slightly
cut into, quite intact. The result of
collation. with DR.. Furnivans facsimile
of the Capeu copy has been to show
that, though the text is practically
identical with Capelrs, there are many
highly interesting variants.
The Poet Laureate of England has not
aroused enthusiasm ON this side of the
water by his lyrical outbursts on in
ternational themes On the other hand
his recent letter to Secretary Hay on
the copyright question has been re-
ceived everywhere with sympathy. This
suggests that not only England. but all
the nations, might as well establish an
office like unto that which Mr.. Austin
now fills in it's State significance. but
n fQ1-i7, i,1+ I,a+ ~
Obliged to express himself in prose
Such an Official, corresponding with for
elgn Governments on all public ques-
tons relating to art, literature, music
or the drama. would doubtless be able
to render signal service to the world.
France has Minister who looks after
artistic matters to a considerable ex-
tent; the Latin nations have ALWAYS
given more or less official standing TO
the aesthetic interests of the people, and
semi-public societies have also exercised
useful functions of the sort we are dis
GUESSING in all countries: but a spokes-
man such as Mr.. Austin has just shown
himself to be is nevertheless needed
wherever there is a national feeling for
the development of culture.
"Espiritu Santo'' is the first book the
daughter Of Richard H. Dana has pub
Hshed since 1878. In 1874 she was
pupil of the Convent of the Assumption
at Auteuil in Paris. Among her init
mate friends was the Princess Mercedes
of Orleans, who afterwards became
Queen of Spain. The author of ''Es-
piritu Santo" wrote letters to her faith
er, in which she described the young
Queen and her school life Mr. Dana
recognized the great merit of his daugh-
ter'S letters as literature, and he sent
them to DR.. Holland. editor of the old
''Scribner's," who published them under
the title of "a Queen at School," They
were afterwards translated into French
and Spanish, We're republished entire
in the Revue Britannique," in part in
the Paris Figaro and in the "Epoca"
of Madrid. Mr.. Lowell, at that time
Minister to Spain, wrote to Mr.. Dana
of the interest the King had taken in
the letters. 1t seems strange that Mrs.
Skinner, after such a success, should
have given up literature entirely for
twenty years.
Sir Richard Tangye is an Englshman
who has craze" about Cromwell and
who has been collecting for twenty yea. 8
mass of portraits books and other
relics connected with the commonwealth
period. He has 400 framed engravings
of that period 200 of them being por-
traits of Cromwell. He has, moreover,
600 volumes relating to the common
wealth, four Cromwell letters, several
manuscripts of the time and various
letters written by Cromwell's sons. He