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Gardeners' Chronicle.

(The Times' of Horticulture.)

IT HAS AN INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION FOR ITS ILLUSTRATIONS OF PLANTS.

"The Gardeners' Chronicle has faithfully held to its promises. It is still, to-day, the best gardening journal, being indispensable equally to the practical gardener and the man of science, because each finds in it something useful. We wish the journal still further success.”—Garten Flora, Berlin, Jan. 15.

"The Gardeners' Chronicle is the leading horticultural journal of the world, and an historical publication. It has always excited our respectful admiration. A country is honoured by the possession of such a publication, and the greatest honour we can aspire to is to furnish our own country with a journal as admirably conducted."-La Semaine Horticole, Feb. 13, 1897.

"The Gardeners' Chronicle is the most important horticultural journal in the world, and the most generally acknowledged authority."-Le Moniteur d'Horticulture, Sept., 1898.

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Published Weekly by JOHN C. FRANCIS and J. EDWARD FRANCIS, Bream's Buildings, Chancery Lane E.C.: and Printed by J. EDWARD FRANCIS, Athenæum Press, Bream's Buildings, Chancery Lane, E.C.-Saturday, July 16, 1910.

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THE ATHENÆUM

JOURNAL OF ENGLISH AND FOREIGN LITERATURE, SCIENCE,
THE FINE ARTS, MUSIC, AND THE DRAMA.

THIS WEEK'S ATHENÆUM contains Articles on

THE PRESENT STATE OF THE SHORT STORY.

CORRESPONDENCE ON CHURCH AND RELIGION OF WILLIAM EWART GLADSTONE.
THE BOOK OF GORLEY.

NEW NOVELS:-MARTIN EDEN; DIANA OF DREAMS; MARGARET RUTLAND; A CORN
OF WHEAT; HER HONOUR'S PAWN; PROMISE; SAMUEL THE SEEKER; HELEN
OF ALL TIME.
HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY:-LIFE OF REGINALD POLE; LANCELOT ANDREWES AND
THE REACTION; THE FALL OF THE OLD ORDER; THE SCOTS PEERAGE.
OUR LIBRARY TABLE:-GENERAL GATACRE; THE BRASSBOUNDER; FORTY YEARS
AGO AND AFTER; ALMANACH DE ST. PETERSBOURG: COUR, MONDE, ET
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CAMP BUCKSHAW; MAMMA; THE SOLITARY SUMMER; A BELEAGUERED CITY;
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THE GREEN BOOK OF LONDON SOCIETY.

SCIENCE:-FOSSIL PLANTS; THE MINERAL KINGDOM; CAUSAL GEOLOGY; FLORA OF
CORNWALL.

FINE ARTS:-SCULPTURE OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY AND ELSEWHERE.
MUSIC.

DRAMA.

LAST WEEK'S ATHENÆUM contains Articles on

LORD GLENESK AND 'THE MORNING POST.'

BESS OF HARDWICK AND HER CIRCLE.

THE FOURTH GOSPEL IN RESEARCH AND DEBATE.

HINCHINGBROOKE.

NEW NOVELS :-A Life for a Life; The Twisted Foot; The Other Side; The Cradle of a Poet; The Crimson Gate; The Way Up; The Affair of the Envelope.

Princess

RECORDS:-Bishop Baldock's Register; Records of the City of Norwich; Speed's History of
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OUR LIBRARY TABLE:-The_Statesman's Year-Book; The Russian Road to China ;
Caroline Murat's Memoirs; La Guerre de 1870; The Duc d'Aumale and Cuvillier-Fleury; The
Duchesse de Dino's Memoirs; Books that Marked Epochs; Dictionary of English History.
MAJOR HUME; DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI; SALES.
LIST OF NEW BOOKS.

LITERARY GOSSIP.

SCIENCE:-Science from an Easy Chair; Unconscious Memory; Common Weeds; The Ideal Garden ; Research Notes; Dr. Galle; Meetings Next Week; Gossip.

FINE ARTS:-Cracovie; The Etched Work of Jozef Israëls; Nature and Ornament; Manuscript and Inscription Letters; The London Salon of the Allied Artists' Association; Exhibitions of Egyptian Antiquities; British Archæological Association at Warwick; Picture Sale; The Meinertzhagen Engravings; Coin Sale; Gossip; Exhibitions.

MUSIC:-Feuersnot; Gossip; Performances Next Week.

DRAMA:-The Third Part of Henry VI.; Love and Honour and the Siege of Rhodes; The Oxford
Amateurs; The London Shakespeares.

The ATHENEUM, every SATURDAY, price THREEPENCE, of
JOHN C. FRANCIS and J. EDWARD FRANCIS,

Athenæum Office, Bream's Buildings, Chancery Lane, E.C. And of all Newsagents.

NOTES:-Skeat Bibliography, 61-Peacock on Fashionable Literature, 62-South African Slang, 63-Sir W. Godbold, 64-Jeremy Taylor and Petronius-Royal Tombs at St. Denis Boys in Petticoats, 65-"Vote early and vote often"-"Obsess "-"Dispense Bar"-Dalmatian Night Spectres, 66.

QUERIES:-General Haug-St. Leodegarius and the St.
Leger-Jane Shore,' 66-Holy Crows at Lisbon-Ben
Jonson-C. Gordon, Publisher-American Words and
Phrases, 67-Licence to Eat Flesh-Prince Bishop of
Basle-Egerton Leigh-F. Peck-Reverberations'-
E.L.C.'s Marine Service-Mrs. Fitzherbert's Sale-Wind-
sor Stationmaster, 68-"Seersucker" Coat-Warren and
Waller Families-Egyptian Literary Association-John
Brooke-J. Faber-Thompson, R.A., 69.
REPLIES:-Clergy retiring from the Dinner Table, 69-
Edwards, Kings of England Princes of Wales, 70-
Arabian Horses-"Denizen," 71-Chapel le Frith
Earthenware Tombstone, 72-Ansgar, Master of Horse
Sir M. Philip - Manchester Volunteers, 73-Sir Isaac's
Walk-Beke's Diary-Sir J. Robinson-Maginn's Writings,
74-Heworth-Donne's Poems, 75-' Lovers' Vows'-Dame
Elizabeth Irwin-B. Rotch-Authors Wanted-Andro-
nicus Lascaris, 76-" British Glory Revived"-City Poll-
Books-Merry Wives of Windsor' Lieut. Pigott, 77-
Botany-Doge's Hat-Folly -
printed with Bibles-Mark Twain, 78-Robin Hood's Men
Newspapers
"Scribble"-Toasts and Sentiments-Princess Clara
Emilia of Bohemia, 79.

NOTES ON BOOKS:-Leadam's 'History of England, 1702-60'-Jamieson's Scottish Dictionary.

78. Early English Proverbs. Oxford, 1910. 8vo, pp. xxiv, 147.

The following are later editions of books first published before 1896, and not noticed in the former list :

35. (d) Elfric's Lives of Saints. Part. IV. (E.E.T.S.) Vol. II; concluding part. 1900.. Pp. lxiii, 225-474.

38. (D) An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. Third edition. Oxford, 1898. 4to, pp. xxxiv, 844. (E) The same; New edition, revised and enlarged. Oxford, 1910. 4to, pp. xliv, 780.

re

39. (E) A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. New edition; written and rearranged. Oxford, 1901. 8vo, pp. xv, 663.

Crown

40. (B) The Tale of Gamelyn; with notes and Second edition. a glossary. Oxford, 1893. Extra fcap. 8vo, pp. xl, 64. 46. (B) Chaucer: the Minor Poems. Oxford, 1896. Second and enlarged edition. Crown. 8vo, pp. lxxxvi, 502.

50. (B) A Primer of English Etymology. Second edition. Oxford, 1895. (C) Third edition, 1898. (D) Fourth edition, 1904. (E) Fifth edition, 1910. WALTER W. SKEAT.

T. L. PEACOCK'S ‘ESSAY ON FASHIONABLE LITERATURE.'

(Concluded from p. 5.)

I NOW give the remainder of the first part of Peacock's Essay from MS. 36,815 in the British Museum :

The monthly publications are so numerous that the most indefatigable reader of desultory literature could not get through the whole of their contents in a month-a very happy circumstance, no doubt, for that not innumerous class of persons who make the reading of reviews and magazines the sole business of their lives. All these have their own little exclusive circles of favour and fashion, and it is very amusing to trace in any one of them half-a-dozen favoured names circling in the pre-eminence of glory in that little circle, and scarcely named or known out of it. Glory, it is said, is like a circle in the water that grows feebler and feebler as it recedes from the centre and expands with a wider circumference; but the glory of these little idols of little literary factions is like the many circles produced by the simultaneous splashing of a multitude of equal-sized pebbles, which each throws out for a few inches its own little series of concentric circles, limiting and limited by the small rings of its brother pebbles.

Each of these little instructions of genius has its own little audience of admirers, who, reading only those things belonging to their own party or gang, peep through these intellectual telescopes and think they have a complete view of the age, while they see only a minute fraction of it. Thus it fares with the insulated reader of a solitary review, the inhabitants of large towns, the frequenters of reading-rooms who consult them en masse.' In these publications the mutual flattery of 'learned correspondents' to their own 'inestim

carries the Tickle me, Mr. able miscellany' Hayley,' principle to a surprising extent. There is a systematical cant in criticism which passes with many for the language of superior intelligence; such, for instance, is that, which pronounces unintelligible whatever is in any degree obscure, more especially if it be really matter of deeper sense than the critic likes to be molested with. A critic is bound to study for an author's meaning, and not to make his own stupidity another's reproach.

Knight's Principle of Taste' is as admirable a piece of philosophical criticism as has appeared in any language. One of the best metaphysical and one of the best moral treatises in any language appeared at the same time. The period seemed to promise the revival of philosophy, but it has since fallen into deeper sleep than ever, and even classical literature seems sinking into the same The favourite journals of the day, only repose. within a very few years, were seldom without a classical and philosophical article for the fear of but now keeping up appearances : we have volume after volume without either, and almost without anything to remind us that such things were. Sir William Drummond complains that philosophy is neglected at the universities from an exclusive respect for classical literature. I wish the reason were so good. Philosophy is discouraged from fear of itself, not from love of the classics. There would be too much philosophy in the latter for the purposes of public education were it not happily neutralised by the very ingenious process of academical chemistry which separates reason from grammar, taste from prosody, philosophy from philology, and absorbs. all perception of the charms of the former in tedium and disgust at the drudgery of the latter Classical literature, thus discarded of all power to shake the dominion of venerable iniquity and hoary imposture, is used merely as a steppingstone to church preferment, and there, God knows

Small skill in Latin and still less in Greek

Is more than adequate to all we seek. "If periodical criticism were honestly and conscientiously conducted, it might be a question how far it has been beneficial or injurious to literature; but being, as it is, merely a fraudulent and exclusive tool of party and partiality, that it is highly detrimental to it none but a trading critic will deny. The success of a new work is made to depend, in a great measure, not on the degree of its intrinsic merit, but on the degree of interest the publisher may have with the periodical press. Works of weight and utility break through these flimsy obstacles, but on the light and transient literature of the day its effect is almost omnipotent. Personal or political alliance being the only passports to critical notice, the independence and high thinking that keeps an individual aloof from all the petty subdivisions There is a of fashion makes every gang his foe. common influence to which the periodical press is subservient: it has many ultras on the side of power, but none on the side of liberty (one or two. publications excepted). And this is from want of sufficient liberty of the press, which is ample to all purposes; it is from, want of an audience. There is a degree of spurious liberty a Whiggish moderation with which many will go hand in hand, but few have the courage to push enquiry to its limits. Now though there is no