New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-18
LITERARY NOTES.

A novel of New-Oreans life, written by Mrs.
M. F. NJ. Davis. is coming from the press of
Queens Garden" and it tells the love story Of a
young girl quarantined In fever stricken house
This quantity put paragraph comes from Dix
on's Graphite: 'Thoreau is an American ciaS-
sic full of individuality unlike any else
He is the associate of Emerson. Lowell and
Hawthorne. and lived in the town. His
half dozen books seem to survive and do not
finch before the cruel advance of time. When
David Harum is forgotten. Thoreaus Life at
Walden Will be every bookshelf. Now this
same Thoreau made lead pencils have one
before 1t is a plain cedar, warped, knot
holed and stamped j. ThOreau e. Son, Concord.
Mass He. Henry D.. was the son. He was
crank. money maker. always poor. and when
Now Henry's poverty will cease But no;
having made pencils he dropped the work,
saying: 4 cannot afford to waste time in doing
and over again the same thing Thus the
'Thoreau' pencils came and disappeared as
quickly"
Miss katharine Wormeley has translated the
Letters Of Bazac to Nine Hanska, the lady
who became the novelists wife. and her transla-
ton will soon be added to her beautiful edition
If Balzac's works In PREDATORY essay the
translator has defended the author from the I'M
IutatiOns cast upon his memory by the editor
IF the French edition Of the Letters
The late Richard Blackmore it is understood.
once wrote a comedy. the scene of which was
laid in Spain in medieval times.
1t is said of Mr.. Blackmore that he is per-
haps. the solitary instance in recent days Of a
successful practising barriser giving up his pro
fession for literature lie turned his knowl-
edge Of law to excellent account in his novels.
BIacknore was d man OF sunny ana equapIe
temper the true garden lover must be. One
of the few things that thoroughly rufled him
was to be asked to submit himself to the ordeal
of interview His wrath came to the surface
also when a cheap edition of Lorna Doone" APP
ment Blanks cocoa is the best" on the back
q kinds @
mentS on his books, and he instantly wrote an
indignant letter of protest to the publisher Be
sides he ended, Il have had to drink choco-
late for some time, and l know Blanks cocoa
IS the worst
1t is said that Mr.. Blackmore not espe-
ciay fond of his delightful Lorna seeming
to regard the work as slightly saccharine. An
acquaintance writes: once | inquired of him,
Was there really Jan Ridd in DeVOnShire?'
oh. yes he said, filling his pipe anew. And
he the glorious sort of chap he's made out
10 he in Lorna Doone"?' Certainly not said
Mr.. BlackmOre; he was a coarse brute Then,
remembering that Mr.. Blackmore was of a sin
gularly iimpid nature, thought that perhaps he
might be regretting that he had panOplied
churl in the Immortality of Incompatible viz
tue"
His Lordship's Leopard" is the title OF
forthcoming story, "a wild extravaganza. by
Mr.. David Dwight Wells, author of that clever
piece of fun, Her Ladyship's Elephant" Those
who enjoyed that little book will be curious to
see if Mr.. Wells has hit his goal twice
Some interesting facts concerning State his
torical collections in the Northwest set down
In the course of article in The Forum"
1t shows that Ohio. Indiana, Illinois, Michigan,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and
Kansas all have historical societies and rich
collections, and all but the first and second
States named make annual legislative apprO-
priatiOnS for the uses of their historical depart
ments. Wisconsin leads the roll of honor in the
extent and Importance of her contributions to
history. She has taken upon herself the entire
financial burden of the historical sOcietys work.
is just completing a splendid historical library
building at her capital, and is apprOpriating
$4,000 a year for the historical work to be done
therein Iowa is also erecting a beautiful his
torical building at her capital, and has ap-
propriated for her historical work the sum of
$4,000 annually. The Kansas society receives an
appropriation of over $1,000. and is supposed to
possess in its fifteen thousand volumes Of Kan
sas periodicals the largest library of local his
tCricai material of the kind in any State in the
Union.
Minnesota appropriates $4,000 annually. and
proposes to house her collections in her
Capitol building. The State Historical Library
of Illinois has an annual appropriation of 5000.
1t lately received from the Sangamon County
records all papers in the handwriting of Abra-
ham Lincoln all papers in which his name is
mentioned and several which refer him in
directly. His marriage license is also included
in the collection. The original Ms. copy of the
Emancipation Proclamation, which in the
collection of the Chicago Historical Society
destroyed in the first great Chicago fire.
Ouida's forthcoming novel embodies an attack
the modern Italian Government. The plot