The times., 1899-07-09
LITERARY NOTES.

intimate friend during q long course of
years. In the opening chapter Mr.
O'Brien traces the history of the ParnelI
family from the reign of James / to the
present time. He tells the story of Par
nell's boyhood and incidents of his early
life. and gives the causes which influence
ed him to enter the field of politics and
take up the cudgel in behalf of Ireland.
Mr. O'Brien's biography narrate5 at length
how Parnel conceived his life purpose,
and how his sole ambition was to see Ire
land separated from England. His sud-
den ambition aroused all the dormant en-
ergy of the man, and he threw himself
into politics with characteristic ardor, al
though public life was exceedingly dis
tasteful to him. 1t was the only means by
which he could attain his desired end, and
no obstacles daunted him. He was poor
orator by nature, but before he left Par
Lament he could speak with great fiuency
and magnetism. The biography, as is
natural, comprises most of the important
events of English politics during the last
quarter of century-Parnells personal
and political relations with Gladstone,
Chamberlain, Bright, Mccarthy, and Cecil
Rhodes. There is an account of the Irish
societies-the Fenians and the Gamma
Gael-and Parnell's connection with and
sympathy for them. Mr.. O'Brien's work
contains much matter of purely personal
nature, and gives an adequate idea of Par
nell the man as he was among his friends
and in its own home. Mr.. Gladstone is q
leading figure throughout the two large
volumes, and Chamberlain, Bright. and
Cecil Rhodes are also very prominent.
Miss Anna Robson Brown, author of
"a Cosmopolitan Comedy" just issued by
d. Appleton & Co., is a daughter of the
orator, Henry Armitt Brown, of Philadel-
phia, and the great-niece of Charles Brock
den Brown. Miss Brown published her first
long story, IAN American Historical Ro-
nance" in 1895, and it was followed up by
''Sir Mark" which has met with an ap-
proval warranted to encourage the author
TO further effort.
The Frederick A. Stokes Company have
just ready "Pabo, the Priest" by ]. Bar
ing Gould. and IAN Eclipse of Memory"
by DR.. Morton Grinnell.
The work of transcribing the old Dutch
records relating to the colonial history of
New York State and their preparation for
publication will begin July l. The records
which are to be transcribed are copies OF
documents from the ecclesiastical archives
of Amsterdam and The Hague, and were
secured by representatives of the Dutch
Reformed Church, who sent DR.. Corwin to
fifteen months abroad and brought back
fifteen volumes of manuscript, which will
be converted into about two volumes of
English. Much valuable data relating to
the early history of New York was found.
and the last Legislature made an appropria-
ton of $1,000 in order that the results OF
DR.. Corwins labors might be secured for
the State historians department. The work
of preparing the records for publication
will take about two years.
little book containing list of Wa
termarks," made up in six sections, show
ing the watermarks of manufacturers and
those Of dealers in Boston, Chicago; New
York, and Philadelphia, and of some mis-
cellaneous" cities, has just been published
by W. Quackenbush, John Street, New
York.
The July number of "Lppincott's Maga-
zine" contains a posthumous tale by
the author OF David Harum," entitled \
THE Teller"
"Reminiscences of the King Of Rouma-
nia," published by the Harpers, is a histo-
ry of the development of a European ma
ton during a period of twenty-five years.
1t begins with the time when the young
Hohenzollern, Charles, the son of a family
who had given their possessions to the
cause of Prussian unity, is suddenly called
from his inconspicuous position as lieuten-
ant in a guard regiment of his cousin, the
German Emperor to assume the rule of a
principality whose very name had come
to be synonymous with defeat, occupation,
change, and dissension. No more difficult
task was ever set before young monarch |
than that which faced Prince Charles. i
For almost a century a great portion OF
his territory had been undergoing series
of Russian occupations and Turkish recon-
quests. He was surrounded by petty pow
ers whose governments were even more
unstable than that of Roumania had been,
and, above all, in every act tending to-
ward the regeneration of his principality
the attitude of Russia and the Porte had
to be considered.
1t was imperative that France, at that
time herself in a troublous state, should |
be conciliated, and England, Austra-H
gary Greece and Italy all entered the dip
lomatic controversy which centred about |
Roumania. Out of such chaos, borne down
by debt and financial inability to carry his
railroad and other schemes to a successful
issue, the young prince gradually brought |
Roumania to its present position. 1t is
the story of the slow and difficult steps by |
which this was accomplished that is told
in a curiously impersonal way in the
"reminiscences" The chapters dwell to |
some extent on his eminently happy mar
riage to the Princess Elizabeth of Wied
(the Carmen Sylvia of letters and his fami-
ly life They contain his personal and po-
litical correspondence with Bismarck, Ma
poleon III, Queen Victoria, Prince Charles |
Anthony. his father, and the German En-
peror. The book is edited from the origi- |
nal. with an introduction by Sidney Whit
man. |
"In the Market Place" by Harold Fred
eric, is now in its third edition.
The July number of the Engineering |
Magazine" opens with a timely article on |
English and American Locomotive Build |
ing" written by Mr.. Charles Rous-Marten, |
and very fully illustrated with typical en- |
gines from both sides OF the Atlantic, and |
discussing the reasons which have led to |
the placing of extensive orders in the Unit |
ed States for locomotives for British rail /
ways.
In the July Critic is printed Mr.. |
NJ. H. Spielmans attack on the authentici-
ty OF the Thackeray papers and .llustra
tions now Icing printed in that magazine.
In the same number is printed the re-