said I like the Americans very well, but there are two things I wish they would keep to themselves-their girls and their tinned lobster.' "I am ready to give up the lobster so you must be prepared to like the girl. Believe me, yours very truly, J. CHAMBERLAIN." Mr. Justin McCarthy wrote on 30th October 1911 : "My dear Lady Dorothy,-I send you-at last-the only souvenirs from Dublin of Parnell's funeral. I received them this morning. One represents the scene in the City Hall under the shadow of O'Connell's statue, the other the grave in Glasnevin. With kindest regards, very truly yours, JUSTIN MCCARTHY," Lady Dorothy Nevill also mentions having amongst her souvenirs a memorial card relating to the unfortunate Prince Imperial. "Upon it is inscribed He is gone and has left a stainless name behind, honoured and respected even by his adversaries '--words which, unlike a number of epitaphs, were absolutely true." A story of King Louis of Bavaria is also quoted :--- Resolving to relieve the needs of one of his poor but brave aide-de-camps he sent him a small portfolio, bound like a book, in which were deposited five hundred crowns. Some time afterwards he met the officer and said to him, 'Ah, well, how did you like the new work which I sent you?'” such "Excessively Sire," replied the officer. "I read it with interest that I expect the second volume with impatience." The king smiled and when the officer's birthday arrived he presented him with another portfolio, similar in every respect to the first, but with these words engraved upon it :-"This book is complete in two volumes." FELIX CHRISTIE-By Peggy Webling (Methuen's Colonial Library) is a book to read, a book to appreciate and yet almost a book to be disappointed in. The authoress fails in consistency and the result is that the details of the pictures she presents are out of harmony, very frequently, with the whole. Yet is the picture of the hero, Felix Christie, drawn with sincerity and insight, while his progress in a world which has rough lessons to teach roughly is sympathetically and carefully developed. The character of Pearl Henning, who holds Felix Christie in thrall through her appeal to his senses, is weak, the improbability of such a girl dominating the fineness and tenderness of the man being too obvious while the "right woman” is treated rather cavalierly by Miss Webling. The stoic character of Christie's supposed mother is strongly indicated in the earlier chapters, but the denouement where the true facts of his birth are revealed lacks strength and conviction. In every sense the book seems one of but partial achievement, the characters have been but inadequately grasped and there is an indefiniteness in their actions which jars. With greater experience Miss Webling will probably write a notable book, free from the blemishes which militate against the real success of this volume. THE SIGN-By Mrs. Romilly Fedden (Macmillan and Co.) conveys a wonderful picture of the romance and strangeness of the Breton landes and a strikingly original presentment of the life and aspirations of three artists who spend a summer at a small Breton village to paint. The three are perfect types, absolutely antagonistic in views, methods, outlook on life. Two women figure largely in the book, the mystic peasant girl, Monik, who is obsessed with the idea that she must be crucified to atone for the sins of the village, and Teckla Dorven, who loves one of the painters with a lawless passion which ends in tragedy. The character of Monik is poignantly pictured yet is there sufficient reserve to dignify the picture with strength and realism. Her case is a parallel one to Jean d'Arc and the heavenly voices, and no explanation is attempted in the book of Monik's death at the foot of the village cross with nail marks through the palms of her hands. If the book is somewhat gloomy it is yet unique,--as far from the commonplace and complacent as a book can well be. The incident of the wandering beggarsthe Guests of God-is dramatically used to intensify the strange atmosphere of the superstitious little Breton village. THE VICTORIES OF OLIVIA-By Evelyn Sharp (Macmillan and Co.) is a collection of short stories, some of which, we are told, have already appeared in The Girls' Realm. They make healthy reading matter for the young idea and have a pleasant charm of manner and a refreshing novelty of matter, but will scarcely be taken very seriously by the ordinary novel-reader. "Peggy and the Engineer-Man" is the lengthiest and most entertaining of the tales, and as a gift for a girl the volume could scarcely be bettered. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. Accounts relating to the Sea-borne Trade and Navigation of British India for the month of February 1912 and for the eleven months, 1st April 1911 to end of February 1912, compared with corresponding period of 1909-10 and 1910-11. Government of India. Accounts relating to the Sea-borne Trade and Navigation of British India for the month of March 1912 and for the twelve months, 1st April 1911 to 31st March 1912, compared with corresponding period of 1909-10 and 1910-11. Government of India. Accounts relating to the Sea-borne Trade and Navigation of British India for the month of May 1912 and for the two months, 1st April to 31st May 1912, compared with corresponding period of 1910 and 1911. Government of India. Accounts relating to the Sea-borne Trade and Navigation of British India for the month of June 1912, and for the three months, 1st April to 30th June 1912, compared with corresponding period of 1910 and 1911. Government of India. Accounts relating to the Trade by Land of British India with Foreign Countries for the twelve months, April 1911 to March 1912, compared with corresponding period of 1909-10 and 1910-11. Government of India. Agricultural Ledger, 1911-No. 4, Cinchona Bark. Government of India. Annual Report of the Civil Hospitals and Dispensaries of the United Provinces for the year ending 31st December 1911. United Provinces Government. Annual Report on the Chemical Examiner's Department, Bengal, for 1911. Bengal Government. Note on some Germination Tests with Sâl Seed (Shorea Robusta), Bulletin No. 8, 1912. Government of India. Notes on the Annual Statements of the Dispensaries and Charitable Institutions of the Punjab for the year 1911. Punjab Government. Mining and Geological Institute of India, 1912, Members' List. Honorary Secretary. Indian Antiquary for May and June 1912. Editor. Indian Antiquary Index, Vol. XL, 1911. Editor. Preliminary Forecast of the Jute Crop of Bengal, 1912. Bengal Government. Presidential Address at the second Vizagapatam District Industrial Conference, May 1912. Quarterly Civil List of Bengal, No. CLXXXIII, corrected up to April 1912. Bengal Government. Quarterly Civil List of Bengal, No. CLXXXIV, corrected up to 1st July 1912. Bengal Government. Records of the Geological Survey of India, Vol. XLII, Part 1, 1912. Government of India. Records of the Geological Survey of India, Vol. XLI, Part III, 1911. Government of India. Report on the Administration of the Jails in the Punjab, 1911. Punjab Government. Report on the Administration of Estates under the Court of Wards in the Punjab for the year ending 30th September 1911. Punjab Government. Report of the Chemical Examiner to Government, Punjab, for the year 1911. Punjab Government. Report on the Sanitary Administration of the Punjab and Proceedings of the Sanitary Board for the year 1911. Punjab Government. Report on the Maritime Trade of Bengal for the year 1911-12. Bengal Government. |