200
NOTES AND QUERIES. [io* s. m. MARCH 11, IDQB.
progress. As a sign thereof, Ainsworth is the subject
of a long and, in the main, appreciative article in
'The Fortnightly. In the same periodical Miss May
Bateman writes on ' A Forgotten Soldier-Poet,'
advancing as entitled to that appellation Jean de
la Taille, one of three brothers, all of them poets,
but two of whom died early of the plague. Jean
was a Huguenot and a close friend of Henry of
INavarre. He is said in the article to have been
the author of the first original French tragedy
and comedy statements we have not at present
time to dispute, but which strike us as open to
question. The dramatic works of Jean de la
Taille, like those of his brother Jacques, belong
to about 1573, whereas the tragedies of Jodelle
- are twenty odd years previous, and so - called
comedies may be found a decade earlier still. As .a stage presumably in the direction of establishing that Shakespeare is Eicon, Mr. Stronach asks 'Was Bacon a Poet?' In his 'French Life and the French Stage ' Mr. Macdonald deals with ' La JMassiere' of Jules Lemaitre, the grim 'Hotel de 1'Ouest, Chambre 22,' of Jean Lorrain, and "* L'Escalade ' of Maurice D-mnay. Mr. William Archer writes on the letters of Ibsen. In The Nineteenth Century Sir Philip Burne-Jones speaks, without much respect, concerning ' The Experiment of Impressionism.' The doctrines of "Impression- dsm," it is held, " are exerting a bad influence upon the rank and file of the artistic profession to-day, .as well as upon students. Its theories find ready ^acceptance among those to whom talking is easier "than painting and their name is legion." Sir William B. Richmond writes with much enthu- >siasm about George Frederick Watts. A pleasing article is that of Cornelia Sorabji entitled ' Portraits of some Indian Women.' Very striking is what is said, though the author's real significance is not easily understood. Mr. Slade Butler's 'Greek Mysteries and the Gospel Narrative" is a curious study in comparative mythology. Sir Wemyss Reid's "* Last Month ' appears, with no reference to the death of the writer, which is too recent to have obtained mention. The article of most interest in The , National Review is the species of apologia, by M. Emile Combes, entitled ' Republican Policy and the Catholic Church during M. Combes's Ministry.' Unfortunately, like most of the contents of the Meriew, it is too political and controversial to be dealt with in our columns. Under the title of 'The Great Dominion' Lady Minto describes and praises Canada. 'An Eton Correspondence' deals with many Eton habits and superstitions, and is of quite modern date. In 'Street Music' Miss 'Virginia Lewis has some remarkable observations and suggestions. She holds that if "at each street corner the melodies of Beethoven and Brahms and Mozart could be heard, it is pro- bable that all crime and quarrelling would soon be unknown "a cheap way, indeed, of bringing about the millennium. One of the most interesting and painful articles of modern days is that of Palamedes in The Cornhill entitled ' The Deserted Village.' It is inexpressibly saddening. Mr. Thomas Hardy has some verses entitled 'The Noble Lady's Tale.' Mr. D. G. Hogarth gives an interesting account of 'The Nile Fens,' a district in which much that is primitively Oriental still lingers, and for which the writer foresees what
- some will call a bright future. Canon Ainger has
.,a good article on 'Conversation,' which can scarcely have received its author's final supervision, if we
may judge by its split 'infinitives and other inele-
gancies. ' Barbados the Loyal ' supplies some infor-
mation. We would gladly have had more. Mr. Page-
Roberts wrote for The Gentleman's enthusiastically
concerning William Barnes, but died without being
able to revise his contribution. Mr. F. Watson's
'Examination of Wits' shows more erudition than
is common among the purveyors of magazine litera-
ture. Part iii. of Mr. Holden Mac-Michael's ' Charing
Cross and its Immediate Neighbourhood ' overflows
with curious information. Mr. W. A. Atkinson
deals with the old tax upon windows. When we
were very young it was a custom to paint over a
window the word " Dairy," which exempted it
from taxation. The window tax was, of course,
wholly insanitary in influence. Under the title of
' London at Prayer ' Mr. Charles Morley deals, in
the Pall Mall, with Salvation Army refuges.
Mr. Shepstone shows the processes of build-
ing Dover Harbour ; and Mr. Charles Dawbarn
describes personalities of the Paris Press. In a
similar line is ' Personalities of Parliament.' Mr.
Joseph Conrad continues his 'Mirror of the Sea,'
and Mr. James Douglas writes on 'Some Popular
Novels, and why they are Popular.' Fiction
seems to occupy an increasing space in the maga-
zine. In 'At the Sign of the Ship,' in Longman'*,
Mr. Lang treats very humorously the description
in Mr. Douglas's recently published volume of Mr.
Watts-Dunton's eyes and his colouring generally,
matters which, indeed, interest us more in the fair
sex than in those of less delicate build and com-
plexion. In some other matters, however, Mr.
Lang seems to have misread or been deceived, the
eulogist of Mr. Watts- Dun ton being innocent of
the allegations against him. 'A Port of Stranded
Pride ' is Rye.
Utolkes to Cflmsjjflttbnda,
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