340
NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 s. x. OCT. 25, 1902.
not unprecedented, was arduous and dangerous ;
the conspirators were young and hampered by
their desire to preserve the king as a hostage, and
to some extent, it would appear, by the timidity
of their associates, and the engineers were hoist
by their own petard.
Mr. Lang holds it as virtually proven that the " Bonny Earl " and his brother, then only nineteen, laid, for what purpose remains uncertain, a trap for King James and " fell into the pit which they had digged." This conclusion he establishes on the strength of a close study of materials already exist- ing and new evidence extracted from records in the possession of the Marquis of Salisbury and the Earl of Haddington, whose fine collection has not, we fancy, in spite of the liberality with which it is placed at the disposal of scholars, been fully ex- plored. The method of investigation employed by Mr. Lang resembles, as he owns, that employed by Browning in ' The Ring and the Book.' It is a pleasant task to congratulate the author upon the close manner in which he follows the scent and the inexorable logic of his conclusions. It would be pleasanter still, were it not beyond the reach of possibility under many pages, to illustrate the process. All that is necessary is to accept evidence which satisfies some of the best authorities, and the conclusion is inevitable and the mystery is solved. No weariness is involved in following Mr. Lang through his fascinating pages, and his oook must be regarded as an invaluable addition to our knowledge of Scottish history. A frontispiece to the volume gives in colours the Gowries coat of arms. Photogravures of James VI. and Queen Anne are also supplied, and other illustrations of Falkland Palace, Dirleton Castle, Restalrig House and village, Fastcastle, facsimiles of handwriting, and plans of Gowrie House add greatly to the attrac- tions and value of the work. We had at the outset a hope of being able to show the method of treat- ment applied to Robert Oliphant, Logan of Restal- rig, and especially to Sprot, whose cross-exami- nation is masterly, but the task, pleasant and edifying as it would be, is obviously and wholly beyond our limits. Students of history will need no commendation to a volume which they may not neglect.
The. Coronation Boole of Edward VII., King of all the Britains and Emperor of India. By W. J. Loftie, B.A., F.S.A. 6 parts. (Cassell & Co.) SOUVENIRS of the Coronation of the King and Queen abound, and numbers of such are preserved in the libraries and homes of Greater Britain. That by Mr. Loftie, the concluding part of which has now appeared, may claim to be the most con- venient in shape and the most elaborate in orna- mentation. With its numerous coloured engravings representing the main features in the ceremony, its views of streets, arches, processions, and other objects of interest, it brings with remarkable vivid- ness before the eyes of the public the principal features of the most august ceremonial witnessed by the present generation, and constitutes an un- surpassable record of the most startling display of spontaneous loyalty that recent centuries have witnessed, an occasion that seems to give monarchy itself a new lease of life, it not a regeneration. Mr. Loftie's work is not, moreover, confined to the solemnities still fresh in our memories. It is a history of English coronations in general, and fur- nishes opportunities for comparison between the
forms of ceremonial adopted from Plantagenet
times until to-day. Over a score of superbly exe-
cuted coloured engravings and some hundreds of
others are found in the attractive volume, which
should brighten every home and preserve for
generations the memory of an unequalled occasion.
Those who bind the numbers must not forget to
bind in the heraldic covers.
The Photominiature. (Daw barn & Ward.) WE have received many consecutive numbers of this interesting record of photographic progress. For those who, either as professionals or amateurs, follow the art of photography the work overflows with valuable information. We come in neither category, though the avowal may subject us to damaging comment. We, however, contemplate results with astonishment and delight, and know not to what the art may not lead. The fourth volume is now in progress. Let those who wish to see the nature of the work that is being accom- plished look at the parts dealing with 'Film Pho- tography' and ' Platinotype Modification,' 'Copying Methods ' and ' Colo[u]r Photography.'
WE have received with pleasure, and regard with much gratification, a photographic reproduction by Messrs. T. & R. Annan & Sous of the portrait by William Barr of Robert Burns, which has been mentioned in our columns apropos of the Britannia Magazine. The execution of this has the softness of an engraving, and the portrait is worthy of a place in the portfolio, or even of a frame.
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