The times., 1899-12-24

be interesting to anyone who cares for the /
history Of music in this country Boston: .
L. c. Page & Co. $1,000
"Rosamuud Queen Of the Lombards" is /.
the title Of tragedy by Swinburue. now /
published in slender volume. daintily /
bound and clearly printed. (New York; /
Dodd, Mead & Coz
Drake and His Yeomeu," by James 7
Barnes, author of Yankee Ships and Yam /
kee Sailors, For King .Souutry." and /
other works of the same sort. is a historical !
romance Of the days of Sir Francis Drake /
illustrated by Carlton T. Chapman. The |
story is supposed to be tq.d by Sir Mat
thew Maunsell, the friend and follower OF
the great captain, and a great deal of the
narrators private li.tury is naturally
mixed up with the Narrative New York:
The Macmillan Company. $L50)
BLUE Beard: A Contribution to History
and Folklore" -by>ThSnas Wilson, LII.
d., is the history u "atles de Retz of Brit
tany, the original I;iutbeard. The story Of
this infamous character does not CORE
spond very closely to that OF the villain Of
the folklore tale. but it is interesting n
itself, and might easily form the basis OF
most thrilling ana blood-curdiiEg sensa
tion novel.
GILES de Retz belonged to the -aimous
family of MontmorenCy Laval, and his frs
prominent appearance in French history is
at the siege Of Saint-Jean- de BeuvTon. He
fought under Jeanne dare, and after the
wars We're over retired to his own estates,
where he proceeded to lead such a life of
crime and iendish depreciation as was not
common even in the fifteenth century He
seems to have been curious combination
of superstition, cunning. iron -nervcd cru
city, and abjeCt cowardice, and he is not
in any way, an agreeable picture for the
sensitive modern reader to look upon. He
was passionately fond Of music, and of the
drama, crude as IT then was; and he estab-
lished on his estate a complete religious
hierarchy. Meanwhile he was engaged in
the commission Of crimes enough to dis
grace an iroquOis Indian. As Mr.. Wilson
says:
Beginning in the year 1892, a district com
prisng a large portion OF western France, in
Guiding the southern part OF the province OF
Brittany the western part Of the province OF
Maine and the northern part of the province Of
Potion, became excited by underlined fear
which, increased by its uncertainty and vague
ness, produced in the people feeling akin to
terror 1t was not the fear Of war, for the pc0
pie had had an intimate acquaintance with war
for many years; IL the fear of cpl
dCmic nor OF sudden death; and il not easy
10 tell with eNIctuCss what IL was IL was so
indefinite that belief ia il was at first refused
It was considered by many 10 be the result OF
superstition; some declared 1t 10 be something
Ot the vampire race which, by some sort OF re-
surection had changed its horrible character
that 1t did not wait 20 prey upon the dead but
made it, attacks upon the living, choosing young
children and m9idens, and timing the place and
manner of attack so that not only was there no
defence, but there was also no opportunity fer
pursuit recovery ON all sides, right ana lett,
east aud we.t north and south, within this
terror stricken district. sometimes each day for
% s..a. sometimes not again for month. then
.#. |r t.rdr. and again not for SIX months or
M rH.Ht % these intervals came the
section 20 the other of the dis
.HHu1I hv Cuchautment, Of
% tender age. No apparent
ols made, but the subjects
always Young, say from SIX 10
rII enough 10 20 about the farm
.ru ta another. possibly from one
....r when. without warming, appd-
rl .ar-e. without the slightest evI-
.... FL. .r. means used. and without leaving
r.r Iz.t.-t tla.a OF the tragedy. suddenly
0t4Ia U.- gone. 40 one knew or could ind in
e.at direction % bad gone, or how It had been
taken. AiI that the terrOr-stUlcken parents anC
family knew was that their child was here today
and now be- or she was mott was playing about
the door only half hour since no" ll was
gone gone as completely as though swallowed
by the earth.
After a time. by enquiry, search, and
comparing of notes, it was found that some
of Giles de Retz's servants were seen in the
neighborhood before the disappearance Of
children, and, by putting this and that to-
gether suspicion was finally directed to-
ward the castle in which this infamous
creature lived. He was charged with the
crime. and tried, and eventually made a full
confession that he had caused the children
to be abducted that their bodies might be
used in experiments which an Italian priest,
Prelati was making in his behalf, tending
toward the changing OF metals into gold
Ii is said that more than 150 children per-
ished by the orders of this diabolical eX-
perimenter. De RetZ was eventually found
guilty and condemned to be hanged and
burned at the same time, and died in great
confidence that his soul would be saved.
| The story is a new Illustration Of the old
saying that truth is stranger than fiction.
/ tNew York G p. Putnams SOnsJ
THE Hygiene of Transmissible Diseases"
is a work by A. c. Abbott. NJ. d.. which
Will be a useful addition to public libraries,
and interesting to those who make a study
of these subjects. There is nothing in il
too technical for the average reader, and
much useful advice regarding proper pre-
| ventiye measures to be taken in connection
! with any epidemic or other contagious dis
| ease. In short, since this is a world where
| microbes of a mischevous kind are preva-
! lent. the book will be useful TO anybody
who is not Christian Scientist lPhila-
! delphia w. B. Saunders)
Patents. and How to Make Money Out
! of Them, is a small and useful book by
| w B. Hutchinson, of the New York bar.
! 1t is divided into three chapters and an
! appendix. The first chapter contains in
/ formation on the origin and nature OF pat
| ents, and the general conditions under
/ which they may be obtained; the. second
/ gives instructions as TO the proper legal
| formalities to be observed and the third
! tells what 10 invent, how 10 invent, and
1 how to sell the article after it is patented.
/ 1t is NOT technical in its language and to
! the youthful inventor who is rather in the
| dark on this subject, it Will be very val
uable (New York: d. Van NOstrand
! Company
Little Bermuda by Maria Louise Pool
1 is a story for girls, the scene of which. as
/ one may infer. is laid in Bermuda The
book. however, takes its name from that
/ of the heroine. the little daughter of q
retired officer of the British navy The
story is original in plot as might be eA-
/ pected Of any work of this author and
/ will prove interesting to girls of from ten
to twelve years of age. lBoston: l.. C..
/ Page & Coz
The Book of knight and Barbara" is
described on the title page as a series Of
! stories told TO children. corrected, and il
[ lustrated by the children and The author,
David Starr Jordan. dedicates il 10 the
/ many children of California who with
| Knight and Barbara, have given this little
book its best excuse for being
The orig = Of The volume is decidedly
| interestiug and certainly unique It's nu-
cleus was a collection OF tales told to the
authors own children, and then to other
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