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Article NOTES ON LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Notes On Literature, Science, And Art.
NOTES ON LITERATURE , SCIENCE , AND ART .
In the private diary of Richard , Duke' of Buckingham , Ave find the following ; relative to the origin of the tragedy of Othello : ¦ — " The Venetians know Othello . They have heaid of Shakespeare , ancl are in ecstacies at Rossini ' s opera . But the story is a curious one . They have , since Shakespeare Avroto ancl Rossini spoilt A \ 'hat he Avvote , thought it right to make inquiries
as to the foundation of the story of Othello ; hut no traces of it appear in any of the records of Venetian story . At length they have discovered Avhat , prohahly , is the origin of the story on Avhich Shakespeare AA-rote . There Avas , and is still , a noble Venetian family of' 11 jtforo . ' A story something like that of Othello is saicl to have happened in that family . The head of every noble A ' enetian family is usually spoken of in the third person ; and Shakespeare , having either heard or read of the
story as happening to ' 11 Moro , ' concluded that he Avas a ' Mauro , ' or Moor , and Avrote his play accordingly . " In the same work Ave meet Avith the following , as it would appear , prophetic dream of the fate of Stowe , Avhich Avas broken up in the time of the Duke's son . The Duke , at the time of this dream , Avas residing abroad in consequence of his difficulties : — "As for myselfI am ashamed to that I am more low than
, say I should dare confess to anyone , by a dream ivhich haunted me in my sleep , * , vith a degree of precision Avhich is really frightful . I AA ' . IS at Stowe , my dear and regretted home . All Avas desolate —not a soul appeared to receive me . My good dog met- me , and licked my hand . Accompanied hy him , I traversed all the apartments—all desolate and solitary : every room as I hacl left it . On my return from the state bedroom , I met my Avife ! She told me all my family were goneancl that she Avas left desolate
, —that even her little favourite dog , which had been her sole remaining companion , had died a feAV days ago . We Avenfc out at the north hall-door together , ancl all Avas solitude ancl desertion . I aivoke Avith the distress of the moment , and I slept no moro that night . I clo not like to confess , how much effect this has had upon me . I have not the slightest faith in dreams , bufc this has strongly accorded with the feelings and tone of my mind , aud I cannot shake it off . Those AVIIO will ever see this journal
Avill , 1 am sure , not laugh at my feelings . Mr . R . H . Patterson , in his recently published Essays in History and Art , thus speaks of slavery among the Chinese : — - " Slavery exists in China not as a relic of barbarism , nor from the prevalence of caste or the absence of industry , but simply , it Avould appear , as the effect of a redundant population : it is a man's last shift for employment . We can give a most pleasing
anecdote in connection with this point , which recently appeared in the Java Bode newspaper , published at Batavia , AA'here there is a large Chinese population- —which shows at once the good feeling of the Chinese in regard to the unfortunate objects of slavery , ancl the remarkable industry and self-relying spirit of the slaves themselves . In giving an account , of a sale of slaves at the Chinese camp , it says : —The slaves , AVIIO AA'ere twelve in numberhaving been placed upon the table of exposition
, , , arranged iu four lots , rattled some money in ther hands , and . addressed a few AVOVCIS , timidly ancl in low tones , to the assembly . A person AVIIO acted as their agent here stopped forward , and stated that his clients , having accumulated by long and painful labour some small savings , solicited the favour of being allowed to make a bidding- for the purchase of their own persons . No opposition was offered ; and the first lot of three , being put up to auctionmade au offerthrough their agentof fortfrancs .
, , , y No advance being made on this sum , the slaves were knocked down . to themselves . The next lot , encouraged by their predecessors' success , offered only twenty-four francs for themselves . The public preserved the same silence , and they likewise became their own purchasers . The third lot took the hint , and were even more fortunate , picking themselves up , a decided bargain , for the modest sum of ten francs ! The Java Bode rightly sees
in these facts signs of a great advance in civilisation among the Chinese , Avho constituted the great majority of the persons present . Superficial Avriters on China judge of the whole nation by Avhat they see of the population at Canton ; and are profuse in their charges of l ying , treachery and inhumanity , —as if it Avere even possible for four hundred millions of human brings to be nothing but one black mass of moral deformity ! Tho monstrosness of the idea ought to have been its own refutation .
Such writers might as Avell conclude that the Avhole abyss of ocean is a turbid mass , because its fringing Avaves are ' gross with sand . ' In truth , their conclusions are as unjust as if one Avere to judge of our own nation solely by the doings of the Avreckers of Cornwall or the mobs of our great cities . The inhabitants of Canton are termed the ' Southern boors ' by their OAVU countrymen ; and it may safely be stated of the people of Fokien and
the southern coast of China , Avifh whom alone foreigners come in contact , that they are all more or less addicted to piracy and . smuggling , and have adopted the nefarious habits Avhich commerce invariably engenders ivhen carried on between nations ivho despise , and whose only desire is to overreach oneanother . "
At her Majesty ' s desire Mr . P . Holl was recently employed to engrave , for her private pleasure , a very fine portrait of the late Prince Consort . The ivork is of peculiar interest , for it AA'as not only executed under the Prince's own eye , bufc was "touched" ' with his own hand . Mr . Holl's ivork was most admirably performed ; the drawing perfect , the lighfc and shade pleasantly
disposed , the character ancl expression ivell preserved . To say thafc it presents the Prince with the truth of photography and the brilliancy of engraving , is praise ivhich it Avell deserves .. Hitherto , the plate has remained in the custody of " Privy Purse , " and the prints from it have been treated as an exclusively family possession . But her Majesty has graciously
allowed a thousand impressions to be struck off , which the public may obtain from Messrs . Graves and Co ., or from Messrs .. Colnaghi and Co . It is distinctly understood that the plate remains her Majesty's property , and that Mr . Holl must return , it to " Privy Purse" at the end of this year . The Illustrated Times says Messrs . Groombridge announce a . neiv periodical called tho Intellectual Observer . A hasty
perusal of the title might lead one to confound the new corner ivith an old-established Sunday journal . If , however , the promise held out in the adjective be only kept , there will nofc be the slightest ; danger of making a mistake . A Shahspere Cyclopadia is projected by Mr . James H . Fennell , to be published in twenty shilling parts . It will consist of a classified summary of Shakspere's knowledge of the phenomena
of nature , and of his allusions to zoology , botany , mineralogy , meteorology , medicine , agriculture , hunting , falconry , & c . Thefirst part is promised in March , and will contain " Shakspere ' s Natural History of Man . " The Army Lists of Charles I . and of Oliver Cromwell during Civil War will shortly be published by Mr . Hotten , of Piccadily ,
printed by Whittingham . The lists will be edited with notes- - hy Mr . Edward Peacock , P . S . A ., from the comparatively unknown originals . As illustrations of county history , and to genealogists and antiquaries , the volume must prove highly interesting as showing on ivhich side the gentleman of England ivere to be found 'luring the great conflict between the King , and Parliament .
Mr . Francis Galton , when last spring he published Vacation Tourists in 1860 , " promised that , should the volume prove successful , the publication might be continued annually . We are glad , therefore , to learn that Mr . Galton has a volume of Vacation Towiists in 1861 in preparation , which ivill comprisepapers on the Canadian Frontier ; the Amazouand Rio Madera ;
Eastern Caucasus ; Zoological Notes in Spain ; Geological Notes on Auvergne ; the Monks of Mount Afchos ; Sfc . Petersburg and Moscow ; Prom Vienna to Corfu , including interesting details of the present political and Social Condition of Southern Austria ; the Modern Samaritans , & c . The late Duke of Wellington , in 1125 , sent Major General
Sir James Carmichael Smyth to Canada to make a report on the state of the defences of thafc colony . The report made by Sir James the Duke ordered to be printed for confidential circu-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Notes On Literature, Science, And Art.
NOTES ON LITERATURE , SCIENCE , AND ART .
In the private diary of Richard , Duke' of Buckingham , Ave find the following ; relative to the origin of the tragedy of Othello : ¦ — " The Venetians know Othello . They have heaid of Shakespeare , ancl are in ecstacies at Rossini ' s opera . But the story is a curious one . They have , since Shakespeare Avroto ancl Rossini spoilt A \ 'hat he Avvote , thought it right to make inquiries
as to the foundation of the story of Othello ; hut no traces of it appear in any of the records of Venetian story . At length they have discovered Avhat , prohahly , is the origin of the story on Avhich Shakespeare AA-rote . There Avas , and is still , a noble Venetian family of' 11 jtforo . ' A story something like that of Othello is saicl to have happened in that family . The head of every noble A ' enetian family is usually spoken of in the third person ; and Shakespeare , having either heard or read of the
story as happening to ' 11 Moro , ' concluded that he Avas a ' Mauro , ' or Moor , and Avrote his play accordingly . " In the same work Ave meet Avith the following , as it would appear , prophetic dream of the fate of Stowe , Avhich Avas broken up in the time of the Duke's son . The Duke , at the time of this dream , Avas residing abroad in consequence of his difficulties : — "As for myselfI am ashamed to that I am more low than
, say I should dare confess to anyone , by a dream ivhich haunted me in my sleep , * , vith a degree of precision Avhich is really frightful . I AA ' . IS at Stowe , my dear and regretted home . All Avas desolate —not a soul appeared to receive me . My good dog met- me , and licked my hand . Accompanied hy him , I traversed all the apartments—all desolate and solitary : every room as I hacl left it . On my return from the state bedroom , I met my Avife ! She told me all my family were goneancl that she Avas left desolate
, —that even her little favourite dog , which had been her sole remaining companion , had died a feAV days ago . We Avenfc out at the north hall-door together , ancl all Avas solitude ancl desertion . I aivoke Avith the distress of the moment , and I slept no moro that night . I clo not like to confess , how much effect this has had upon me . I have not the slightest faith in dreams , bufc this has strongly accorded with the feelings and tone of my mind , aud I cannot shake it off . Those AVIIO will ever see this journal
Avill , 1 am sure , not laugh at my feelings . Mr . R . H . Patterson , in his recently published Essays in History and Art , thus speaks of slavery among the Chinese : — - " Slavery exists in China not as a relic of barbarism , nor from the prevalence of caste or the absence of industry , but simply , it Avould appear , as the effect of a redundant population : it is a man's last shift for employment . We can give a most pleasing
anecdote in connection with this point , which recently appeared in the Java Bode newspaper , published at Batavia , AA'here there is a large Chinese population- —which shows at once the good feeling of the Chinese in regard to the unfortunate objects of slavery , ancl the remarkable industry and self-relying spirit of the slaves themselves . In giving an account , of a sale of slaves at the Chinese camp , it says : —The slaves , AVIIO AA'ere twelve in numberhaving been placed upon the table of exposition
, , , arranged iu four lots , rattled some money in ther hands , and . addressed a few AVOVCIS , timidly ancl in low tones , to the assembly . A person AVIIO acted as their agent here stopped forward , and stated that his clients , having accumulated by long and painful labour some small savings , solicited the favour of being allowed to make a bidding- for the purchase of their own persons . No opposition was offered ; and the first lot of three , being put up to auctionmade au offerthrough their agentof fortfrancs .
, , , y No advance being made on this sum , the slaves were knocked down . to themselves . The next lot , encouraged by their predecessors' success , offered only twenty-four francs for themselves . The public preserved the same silence , and they likewise became their own purchasers . The third lot took the hint , and were even more fortunate , picking themselves up , a decided bargain , for the modest sum of ten francs ! The Java Bode rightly sees
in these facts signs of a great advance in civilisation among the Chinese , Avho constituted the great majority of the persons present . Superficial Avriters on China judge of the whole nation by Avhat they see of the population at Canton ; and are profuse in their charges of l ying , treachery and inhumanity , —as if it Avere even possible for four hundred millions of human brings to be nothing but one black mass of moral deformity ! Tho monstrosness of the idea ought to have been its own refutation .
Such writers might as Avell conclude that the Avhole abyss of ocean is a turbid mass , because its fringing Avaves are ' gross with sand . ' In truth , their conclusions are as unjust as if one Avere to judge of our own nation solely by the doings of the Avreckers of Cornwall or the mobs of our great cities . The inhabitants of Canton are termed the ' Southern boors ' by their OAVU countrymen ; and it may safely be stated of the people of Fokien and
the southern coast of China , Avifh whom alone foreigners come in contact , that they are all more or less addicted to piracy and . smuggling , and have adopted the nefarious habits Avhich commerce invariably engenders ivhen carried on between nations ivho despise , and whose only desire is to overreach oneanother . "
At her Majesty ' s desire Mr . P . Holl was recently employed to engrave , for her private pleasure , a very fine portrait of the late Prince Consort . The ivork is of peculiar interest , for it AA'as not only executed under the Prince's own eye , bufc was "touched" ' with his own hand . Mr . Holl's ivork was most admirably performed ; the drawing perfect , the lighfc and shade pleasantly
disposed , the character ancl expression ivell preserved . To say thafc it presents the Prince with the truth of photography and the brilliancy of engraving , is praise ivhich it Avell deserves .. Hitherto , the plate has remained in the custody of " Privy Purse , " and the prints from it have been treated as an exclusively family possession . But her Majesty has graciously
allowed a thousand impressions to be struck off , which the public may obtain from Messrs . Graves and Co ., or from Messrs .. Colnaghi and Co . It is distinctly understood that the plate remains her Majesty's property , and that Mr . Holl must return , it to " Privy Purse" at the end of this year . The Illustrated Times says Messrs . Groombridge announce a . neiv periodical called tho Intellectual Observer . A hasty
perusal of the title might lead one to confound the new corner ivith an old-established Sunday journal . If , however , the promise held out in the adjective be only kept , there will nofc be the slightest ; danger of making a mistake . A Shahspere Cyclopadia is projected by Mr . James H . Fennell , to be published in twenty shilling parts . It will consist of a classified summary of Shakspere's knowledge of the phenomena
of nature , and of his allusions to zoology , botany , mineralogy , meteorology , medicine , agriculture , hunting , falconry , & c . Thefirst part is promised in March , and will contain " Shakspere ' s Natural History of Man . " The Army Lists of Charles I . and of Oliver Cromwell during Civil War will shortly be published by Mr . Hotten , of Piccadily ,
printed by Whittingham . The lists will be edited with notes- - hy Mr . Edward Peacock , P . S . A ., from the comparatively unknown originals . As illustrations of county history , and to genealogists and antiquaries , the volume must prove highly interesting as showing on ivhich side the gentleman of England ivere to be found 'luring the great conflict between the King , and Parliament .
Mr . Francis Galton , when last spring he published Vacation Tourists in 1860 , " promised that , should the volume prove successful , the publication might be continued annually . We are glad , therefore , to learn that Mr . Galton has a volume of Vacation Towiists in 1861 in preparation , which ivill comprisepapers on the Canadian Frontier ; the Amazouand Rio Madera ;
Eastern Caucasus ; Zoological Notes in Spain ; Geological Notes on Auvergne ; the Monks of Mount Afchos ; Sfc . Petersburg and Moscow ; Prom Vienna to Corfu , including interesting details of the present political and Social Condition of Southern Austria ; the Modern Samaritans , & c . The late Duke of Wellington , in 1125 , sent Major General
Sir James Carmichael Smyth to Canada to make a report on the state of the defences of thafc colony . The report made by Sir James the Duke ordered to be printed for confidential circu-