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Leader (1850-1860), 9th April 1859, Edition 1 of 2, Page 460, Untitled Article

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    • LITERATURE, SCIENCE, ART, <fcc.
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      Untitled Article

      LITERARY CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK . ? . . ^ ¦ It would be futile to deny that the most interestin & literature of the week is . to be found in those columns of the daily papers containing the addresses of honourable members , about to face- — and some with wry faces , too—the perils of a general election . One of these documents has , indeed , a direct literary- interest , as the work of

      no less a person than G . H . M ., the dining-out oracle , | in the Times , who astounded plain men , the other day , by the announcement of his great discovery of the four fundamental sauces . This epicurean . politician addresses the burgesses of Rochester in terms as mellifluous as an invitation to dinner , assuring them of his fondness for economy , and his " disposition to conserve "conserves , he should have said .

      The Association for obtaining the Repeal of the Taxes on Knowledge takes opportunity in time , and issues a manifesto , calling upon the constituencies to pledge every candidate'to support the repeal of the Paper Duty . As we are not aware that there is any constituency in England consisting entirely of newspaper nien * we do not anticipate much result from this appeal . The Newspaper Press Fund has held its first general meeting , and from the report issued its affairs seena to be in a slightly better form than

      Tvould appear from the prospectus lately referred to . The list of members now includes 105 names , and after payment of all expenses—which , being preliminary , are , of course , exceptionally heavy —there is a balance left of nearly 701 . The committeemen elected were Messrs . S . G . Hall , Stirling Coyne , Joseph Bee , and Edward Barrow ; Messrs . M . Cooke , D . Morier Evans , and James Lowe , wero elected auditors . The resolutions proposed for separating the funds arising from the members , from those collected from the public , Tvere also put and unanimously carried .

      The Libri sale is concluded , and the sum total obtained amounts to . £ 6 , 515 , quite as much as was expected by those who understood the value of the M ' SS . We are glad to know that some of the best lots have found their way into the national collection ; though not so many as was perhaps desirable . It is , however , impossible lor the Museum , with , only a very limited sum at the disposal of its agent , to compete with wealthy private collectors , who are determined to secure certain coveted gems ; and at this sale considerable difficulty was experienced , owing to the high bidding of Sir Thomas Phillips and other

      collectors ,. The choicest , lots sold during the week ¦ w ere the following ; - —A romance called "La Voue de Paonne" ( the vow of the Peacock ) , by Jacques de Longuion ( 619 ) . This was on vellum , and sold for S 8 l . A vellum copy of Lucretius de llermn Natura " Lib . VI ., with various readings of value ( 626 ); . this sold for 621 . A collection of old mathematical writers , a vellum MS . of the twelfth century ( 665 ) , fetched 1001 . A treatise on Fortification , by Robert Dudley , Duke of Northumberland , 1629 . ( 727 ) , bought for 51 / . A vellum of the tenth century , containing Commentaries , by Origen and Hieronymus , illuminated ( 744 ) , brought 95 * . 1 . 1 s . A velhuncopy of Ovid ' s Fasti of the fifteenth century ( 7 fil ) , 601 . 10 s .

      A vellum copy of Persiua' Satires , of the tqnth century , 601 . A beautiful vellum MS . of the fourteenth contury , containing poems of Petrarch and Dante , beautifully executed and illuminated ; this ¦ was a perfect gem , and fetched the enormous price of 250 / . Another beautiful MS . of Petrarch sold for 781 . Two collections of charts and maps , by Portulano , sold , one for 61 / . and the other for 91 / . As we have before stated , this is one of the most important sales of manuscripts that has taken place for some years , or is likely to take p lace for fipmo time to come . M . Libri's splendid collec-• tion , of rn . ro , and other printed books , ia oxpoototl to bo offered for competition about the beginning of Juno .

      Two Critio oommunioates the following interesting itoma of literary intelligence ;—A roprint of tlio first four editions of the

      " Divina Comrnedia" of Dante has just made its appearance in the shape of a handsome volume , privately printed by the Messrs . Boone , at the expense of Lord Vernon , and under the superintendence of Mr . Panizzi , who has prefixed to it a highly interesting bibliographical preface . These early editions of Dante were published at Eoligno , Jesi , Mantua , and Naples , respectively . The editions of Foligno and Jesi both appeared in the year 1472 ; that of Mantua bears the same date , and may have

      been published earlier even than the Foligno edition , which passes for being the editio princeps , while that of Naples , which is without date , could not have been published , according to Mr . Panizzi , before 1475 . All these editions are of such excessive rarity that bibliophiles in general , and Danlophiles in particular , will doubtless feel themselves much indebted to the munificence of Lord Vernon for having reprinted them in this highly convenient form .

      A new edition of the Russian Imperial Code has just been published in fifteen volumes , a cop } ' of which , handsomely bound , having been presented by the Russian Government to the Foreign Office , is now deposited in the Library of the British Museum . Our Canadian Government has published a collection of the several Jesuit" Relations " concerning the missions in Canada , or " New France , " as it was called in the seventeenth century . This work is in three volumes , handsomely printed , but not on the best paper , and is entitled " Relations des Jesuites cbntenant ce qui s ' est passo de plus remarquable dans , 10 s . Missions des Pores de la Compagnie de Jesus dans la Nouvelle-France . " Quebec : A . Cote . The " Relations" extend from 1611 to 1672 , and are highly interesting .

      Messrs . Hurst and Blackett have favoured us with their list of literary novelties for the coming season . Among them we note : — " Sixteen Years of an' Artist ' s Life in Morocco , Spain , and the Canary Islands , " by Mrs Elizabeth Murray , with coloured illustrations ; " Lectures on Art , Literature , and Social Science , " by Cardinal Wiseman ; " Realities of Paris Life , " by the author of " Flemish Interiors , " &c . ; " The Life and Times of George Villiers , First Duke of Buckingham , " by Mrs . Thomson ; " The Jews in the . East , " from the German , by the Rev . P . Beaton , M . A . ; " Nathalie , " by Julia Kavariagh , forming the fourth volume of Hurst and Blackett ' s Standard

      Library . Messrs . Hurst and Blackett also announce , the following new works of fiction : ¦—' * A Life for a Life , " by the author of " John Halifax , Gentleman ; " " Woodleigh , " by the author of " Wildflower ; " " A Good Time Coming , " by the author of " Mathew Paxton ; " * ' Newton Dogvane , " by Francis ' Francis , with illustrations by Leech ; " A Mpthei *' s Trial , " one vol ., by the author of " The Discipline of Life , " &c . ; " Through the Shadows , " by the author of " Sidney Grey , " &c . ; Miriam Copley , " by Mr . JeafFreson ; and a new story by the author " Mai'garet and her Bridesmaids . "

      Messrs . Smith , Elder , and Co . announce that they will publish during the present Spring : — " Memorials of the late Percy Byssho Shelley , " edited , by Lady Shelley ; " " Life and Liberty in America , " by Dr . Charles Mackay , with eight tinted illustrations ; A new Volume of Lectures , by Mr . Buskin ; " The Fool of Quality , " by Henry Brooke , new and revised edition , with Biographical Preface by the Rev . C . Kingsloy , Hector of Evcrsloy , with a portrait of the author ; " Spanish Scenes , ^ ' by G . W . Thornbury , with illustrations 5 "A' Curate ' s Confidences , " by the author of " Rita . "

      Tho press necrology of the week includes , wo regret to say , the , name of a respected veteran— - the JEdinbiirgh Advertiser , one of tho oldest of tho Conservative journals , having attained the ripe age of ninety-five years . Our contemporary , it is said , died of Conservatism , aggravated by a serious _ attack _ of pennypaporism—a now ; disease which is proving very fatal to many of our provincial , and borne ot our metropolitan friends . Romdeacfit in pace I The Publiahortf Circular announces , with regret , that the Canadians have imposed a duty of 10 per cent , upon the importation of books . What may bo tho moaning of this , wo do not ) -very woll

      understand , for it is scarcely ; possible that tliey can entertain a hope of supporting an independent literary existence for some time to come , at least . So far as we can foresee the consequences of such a measure , we agree with Our contemporary in regarding it as one to be deeply deplored . It is some satisfaction , however , to leai * n from the same source that our American cousins are about to commit , at least , one act of justice , by contracting with Mr . Dickens for the sale of the copyright' of his new tale'i Whether this will be a complete protection to the enterprising arid honest publisher who has consented to this , we doubt ; because

      Avhateyer precautions may be taken for bringing the numbers out in New York as early as possible , there is no perfect security that some piratical individual , who does not pay for his copyright ,--will not step in and reap all the profits . " When Messrs . Harper and Son contracted with Mr . Dickens to pay him" a good sum for stereotyped plates of " Bleak House , " and brought it out in New York as early as its issue in England , the conductors of a well-known New York daily paper managed to get ¦ early copies of every number , and to bring out the numbers in their columns almost as early as

      the authorised edition . A trap was laid by dome insignificant alterations of the text , and the paper was convicted , but the rejoinder was , that it-was done to punish Messrs . Harper for their past transgressions against English author ? , and the public , only too well accustomed to such transaction ? , htuglied at and applauded the successful " dodge . " According to the latest accounts . from America , ¦ the coming spring trade in books will be-rather dull ; not so much for lack of-books ! , as because the leading publishers are becoming more inclined to adopt the English plan , and make their own arrangements with the book trade , rather than

      leave it to the auctioneer . From France we receive an account of the reception of the new Academician , -M . Lapradc . The comparative insignificance of this acquisition to The Forty" is such as to warrant fully the insinuation of tiron , when lie wrote tbr his owr epitaph : — Ci git Piron , qui ne jut rien , Pas mtjme Acadeinicicn . M . Laprade is a poet of inferior merit , recognised as a pupil of the school of Lamartine . This gentleman succeeded to the chair of Alfred de Musset , a poet of undoubted genius , although soiled with some of the grosser stains of humanity . novelties

      Among the most notable of literary may be mentioned the third volume of " L'llistoirc dn Goxivernment Parlementaire on Franco , by M . Duvergier de Hauranne ; and the second yavtoi M . Albert de Broglie ' s " I / Jfyylisp ct 1 Liupire Romnin au I ^ e Sttclc . " M . Victor Bonnet has put forward a work of some financial interest m these times , entitled , " Questions Economi < iuM et Financiers a propos des Crises ; " and M . Leon Aiu-oc another on the condition of tho small rural communities in France , called * " 1 ) 08 Sections do Communes . " It will be observed that nil ¦ tl'cop works have an interest almost exclusively political , Works of fancy and genius arc not now to op looked for in France .

      Untitled Article

      HUGH MILLER'S LECTURES ON GEOLOGY . Sketch-hook oj Popular Geology f . veiny « Series oj Zee tares delivered before tho Philosophical Institution of Edinburgh . By Hugh Miller , with an Introductory Pro&co by Mrs . Miller . Edinburgh : Constable to to . Tins is tho last of tho posthumous works or Huali Millor ; and it fully sustains his reputation . ! {>« only fault of any hnportunoo wo can urge is , tlio titilo given to tho volume ( wo , presume by JVU'b . Millor , ) It is inadequate , by being too gcncroi and pretentious . Tho lectures do not ' , ns tno title page would load ono to oxjioot , systema tically lay clown tho rudiments of tho science of geology ' They are a series of addressotf , delivered to " people of Edinburgh , in which the whole pnnonwno of geology , principally of the palwozoio ana mosojeoio periods , ¦ & unfolded , in connexion w ) ti >

      Literature, Science, Art, &Lt;Fcc.

      LITERATURE , SCIENCE , ART , < fcc .

      Untitled Article

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  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), April 9, 1859, page 460, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2289/page/12/