Books Of The Day.

BOOKS OF THE DAY .

— : o : — Book * , Music , & c . intended for review , should be addressed to the Eli ( or of the Freemason ' s Chronicle , at Fleet Works , New Barnet . At the Gates of Song :. Sonnets , by Lloyd Mifflin . —Henry Frowde .

WE are not fond of a quarrel ; but we have a bone to pick with the critic who , in the " Literary World " has penned a notice of this volume that savours of the supercilious . "We could have wished from Mr . Lloyd Mifflin a smaller number of sonnets and workmanship less faulty . " We notice that the critic in question has pointed out no instance of faulty workmanshin . But let it pass : criticism is

indeed easy , though Art is difficult . It is supremely difficult to write a good sonnet . This is , perhaps , a truism , but its truth is seldom appreciated . The hand of the m'aster craftsman has left its impress upon most of these 150 sonnets ; most indelibly , we think , upon the last fifty , entitled "In Quiet Fields . " They are possibly too pastoral and too purely descriptive to elicit applause from all schools of

criticism ; but many of them are exquisitely finished and contain lines which—as Mr . Coulson Kernahan says of some lines by Rossetti— " might haunt one in Heaven . " To Rossetti , indeed , we think Mr . Lloyd Mifflin bears no small resemblance in the beauty of many isolated sentences or lines , e . g . " where ripe wheat yellows all the hills of June , " "from up-piled splendours of some crimson cloud , storm-based with d ' ark" and •" the beauteous river ' s long ,

unrippled blue . In the former portion of this volume two noteworthy sonnets are those " To an old Venetian wineglass " and on " Milton . " The latter is well conceived and skilfully expressed ; it is less remote than the well known sonnet bv F . W . H . Myers and is , we think , more wholly poetical than that by Wordsworth . We spent a pleasant hour in dipping into these sonnets one morning , and shall take an early opportunity of further cultivating their acquaintance .

The Words of Wellington . Collected from his despatches , letters , and speeches , with anecdotes , & c . Compiled by Edith Walford . —Sampson Low and Co . THERE can hardly be two opinions regarding the merit of this little volume . Most persons have long since decided that the words of Wellington were usually as wise as his actions were brilliant . We

have here , m brief but sufficient compass , some of the most pregnant utterances of the Iron Duke . Perhaos the chief truth brought to the front is that Wellington never discussed matters about which he knew little , and this is probably one of the rarest traits anywhere to be met with . Miss Walford has . cited an admirable anecdote to prove this characteristic . The Duke , in reply to an enquiry , once wrote

" the Duke of Wellington can give no opinion upon that of which he knows nothing . " As these pages further show , the Duke , naturally enough , spoke and wrote much of warfare , and invariably spoke and wrote well . He had a rare knack of putting much in a few words . as in his remarks upon M . Choumara's strictures upon the Battle of Toulouse . The passages selected by Miss Walford , which touch

upon English politics and the press , will not suit everybody ' s views in these days , but it must always . be borne in mind that the hero of Waterloo was a strong Tory . This beautifully decorated pocket volume would be a splendid present for a boy , and will doubtless be largely purchased for that purpose . It should , moreover , form a valuable comment in the hands of readers already acquainted with the histories of the Peninsular War b y Southey and Napier .

The Mayor of Littlejoy . Being a faithful narrative of the strange experiences which befell Mr . Josiah Pettierew , Mayor of Littlejoy , during his term of Office . By Fred . C . Smale . Illustrated by Will Owen ( 6 s ) . —Ward , Lock and Co ., Limited . MR . SMALE has written a story which is in many respects witty , spontaneous and amusing , although we are not disposed to class

stories of this character among the elite of literature . Mr . Smale , however , probably knew quite - well what he was about when he planned "The Mayor of Littlejoy" and , on the whole , he may be congratulated upon having discharged bis undertaking successfully . Alderman Pettigrew is not the most singular old gentleman who ever came into a mayoralty ; nor is he the only person who

, upon instituting enquiries as to his pedigree , has been considerably surprised at the result . Rosabel , the ••shadow , ' who plays so extraordinary a part in this comedy , is a lady who should have been defunct in earnest a' century ago , but lives and moves and has her being still , much to the bewilderment of Mr . Pettigrewand in the

, narration of her eccentricities Mr . Smale has given us some- smart writing . The illustrations by "Will Owen" are so good that we prefer them to the text ; they express much , but they hint more Between author and artist an agreeable hour may be spent with " The Mayor of Littlejoy . "

New Century Library ( 2 s net per vol . ) . —T . Nelson and Sons . The Works of SIR WALTER SCOTT , BART . Vol . iv ., Rob Roy . THE reviewer ' s work is usually rendered easv by the fact that he receives good books and bad , and consequently ' has to temper justice with mercy , and soften his blame with praise . Sir Walter Scott , however , is in this respect a stumbling block of offence for

you must perforce " love him , or leave him alone , " as Wordsworth advised the robin whom he saw chasing a butterfl y . To quarrel with the intellectual menu while " Rob Roy " is before you is a procedure fit only for such wretched hacks as were wont to scribble venom and nonsense in the pages of the old "Monthly Review . " Every sane reader feels interested in the adventures of -Rashlei gh and if he does not fall in love with Miss Vernon at first sight he must be

Books Of The Day.

singularly insensible to female charms . "Rob Roy" is peculiarly a Scotchman ' s novel , but we never met with anybody personally who would speak of it in tones of disparagement . We are glad to see that the printing of these handy little volumes is as carefully looked to as ever . " Wattie Scott" is worthy of every attention from his innumerable admirers , be they readers or printers .

Mr . R . Norman , Silver , whose novel "Hate the Destroyer '' was noticed in these columns some weeks back , has written a sensational story of modern life , which is shortly to be published by Messrs . Jarrold and Sons . We shall look for this story with interest .

Messrs . George Newnes , Limited have just published German Life in Town and Country , " by Mr . W . H . Dawson . Now that we are all so busily engaged in weig hing the weakness and strength of each of the great powers" this book mav be expected to enjoy a very large sale .

Mr . Grant Richards has issued , or is about to issue , the last diaries of Marie Bashkirtseff , including her correspondence with Guy de Maupassant ; and a volume of short stories of the west country , entitled " Good Souls of Cider Land , " by Mr . Walter Raymond .

Some good books are announced for publication during the spring by Messrs . James Nisbet and Co ., amongst which we notice "The Evangelical School in the Church of England , " by Rev . H . C . G . Moule , D . D . ; "Alone in Africa : a Lady ' s Experiences , " by Madame Goy ; " Bolingbroke : a Study and a Vindication , " by Walter Sickel ; and " Treason and Plot : Catholics and Protestants in the last years of Oueen Elizabeth , " by Martin Hume .

Messrs . M ' acmillan and Co . are publishing two series of lectures bv Mr . W . J . Courthope , entitled respectively "Life in Poetry" and " Law in Taste . " It is hardly necessary to say that the author is an authority on these matters , and his volumes always command respect . One of the most interesting literary announcements that we have recently seen comes to us from Air . William Heinemann . It is a

prospectus of " The Dollar Library of American Fiction , " a series tobe issued monthly . The first volume , published on 1 st March , was " The Girl at the Halfway House , " by E . Hough ; the second , promised for rst April , is "Parlous Times , " by D . D . Wells . Among authors who are to contribute to this Library we notice the name of Mr . Hamlin Garland , whose book will bear the title " Her Mountain

Loves , " and will be issued on 1 st Jul y . It would be difficult for us to say how highly we appreciate much of the American literature which has recently come into our hands , and we heartily wish that Mr . Heinemann ' s venture may prove a phenomenal success . We hope to have an opportunity of estimating the merits of . " The Dollar Library " from time to time .

BOOKS RECEIVED . The Great Magician . By T . R . Threlfall . Illustrated by W S . Stacey ( 3 s 6 d ) . —Ward , Lock and Co ., Limited .

Holiday Arrangements.

HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENTS .

Midland Railway . ON Tuesday , 2 nd April , cheap excursion trains will be run from London to Londonderry , via Morecambe , by direct Steamer , returning , within 16 davs as per sailing bill .

On Wednesday , 3 rd , to Dublin , Cork , Killarney , & c , via Morecambe and via Liverpool , returning any week clay within 16 days ; also to Belfast , Londonderry , Portrush , & c , via Barrow and via Liverpool , available for returning any week day within 16 days . On Thursday , 4 th , cheap excursion trains will be run from London to Leicester , Nottingham , Newark , Lincoln , Birmingham ,

Burton , Derby , Manchester , Blackburn , Bolton , Rochdale , Oldham , Liverpool , Sheffield , Leeds , Bradford , Scarboro ' , Newcastle-on-Tyne , Barrow and the Furness and Lake District , Carlisle , & c ., & c , returning the following Monday or Tuesday ; and from London ( St . Pancras ) to Edinburgh , Glasgow , Greenock , Perth , Stirling ,

Aberdeen , Inverness , Nairn , Torres , Ballater , & c , returning Monday , Sth April , or Friday , 12 th April . Tickets will also be issued by the Scotch excursion at slightly more than the single ordinary third class fare for the double journey , available for returning on any day within 16 davs from and including date of issue .

On Thursday midnight , 4 th , a cheap excursion will be run to Leicester for 1 , 4 , or 5 days , and to Loughboro ' , Nottingham , Sheffield , and Manchester for 4 or 5 days . On Saturday night , 6 th April , to Leicester , Loughboro ' , Nottingham , Sheffield , Leeds , Bradford , Manchester , Liverpool , & c , for 2 , 3 . or 4 days , and on Monday , Sth April , to Leicester , Loughboro ' , and Nottingham for 1 , 2 , or 4 days .

On Easter Monday , Sth , cheap excursion trains will be run to St . Albans , Harpenden , Luton , and Bedford . Cheap week-end tickets will be issued on Thursday , Friday , and Saturday , 4 th , 5 th , and 6 th April , from London ( St . i'ancras ) to the

principal seaside and inland holiday resorts , including the Peak District of Derbyshire , Morecambe , the Lake District , Yorkshire , the North East Coast , Scotland , and other parts , available for return on any day up to and including Tuesday , 9 th April , except day of issue .

Cheap week-end and day excursion tickets will also be issued to Southend-on-Sea during the Easter holidays , for particulars of which see special bills . Tickets for joining the trains at St . Pancras Station can be obtained on the two days previous to the running of the trains at the offices of the Company .

Cheap excursion trains for three , five , or six days will be run on Thursday , 4 th April , to London from Carlisle . Bradford . Leeds , Sheffield , Liverpool , Manchester , Blackburn , Bolton , Blackpool , Preston , Lincoln , Newark , & c , and from Birmingham , Wolverhampton , Walsall ; ' & c . Passengers will be booked by these train ? at