12 NOVEMBER 1921

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Last Sunday night the Belfast police rescued a man who

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had been secretly kept a prisoner by Sinn Feiners in the very heart of the city. Tho police rushed the Republican armed guards outside the prison and carried off the prisoner,...

If people in this country who ardently desire peace in

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Ireland— as who does not ?—ask why Ulstermen should be so pernickety about their rights, and should not inhale and be grateful for the genial atmosphere which the Prime Minister...

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

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T HE arrivalin London of the Northern Irish Cabinet proves that the negotiations of Sinn Fein have at last reached the inevitable crux—the Ulster question. Unless the informa-...

Many newspapers have been displaying a great deal of interest

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in the intentions of Mr. Bonar Law as regards Ireland. "A. P. N.," writing in the Daily Chronicle of Thursday, says that Mr. Boner Law feels himself honourably bound by his...

The =northern Cabinet met on Wednesday morning in London, and

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according to " A. P. N." in the Daily Chronicle, who is always in close touch with affairs, decided that no useful purpose would be served by entering into the Conference as...

At the Guildhall banquet on Wednesday night the Prima Minister

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made his customary speech. Hi3 thoughts were perhaps coloured by the agreeableness of the occasion. At least, we wish we could be as hopeful as ho was about the national...

There is nb use in blinking the fact that North-East

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Ulster is, after all, being blandly coerced by the pickets to hand over the essential conditions of her security. Under the Home Rule Act she has complete immunity from...

TO OUR READERS.

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Readers experiencing difficulty in obtaining the " Spectator " regularly and promptly through the aboli- tion of the Sunday post or other causes should become yearly...

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The House of Commons on Thursday; November 3rd, dis- cussed

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and adopted a Supplementary E t stieutte of £350,00 0 for - the Colonial Office, to be partly devoted to the work of settling ex-Service men hr the Domitriong. The debate was...

The recent Wiesbaden agreement between France and Germany for the

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supply of materials for the reconstruction of the ruined departments has seriously affected the rights of the other Allies to a share in the reparation to be made by Germany....

Mr. Gandhi, as the India Office- announces, on Friday, November

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4th, definitely challenged the authority of the Indian Government. He caused the Alt.-India Congress Com- mittee to adopt a resolution declaring that as there were only a few...

The American Ambassador, in an address to the Liverpool Chamber

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of Commerce on Thursday, November 3rd, declared that Lord Derby's hopes, expressed in a speech two days earlier, for a Franco-British Alliance which the United States might join...

We have written elsewhere - about the case Of Sir Basil Thomson.

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Here we should like to suggest the possibility that Sir Basil Thomson might do yet - another service to the public if, after carefully reviewing the facts, he thought it...

Another favourable symptom was the fact that we were now

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beginning to enjoy the reward of having punished ourselves in the matter of taxation. He pointed *out that the exports in October were bettor than they had been since March. "...

The German exchange collapsed last week. The mark, nominally worth

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a shilling, was quoted at 962 to the pou n d sterling last Saturday. This week its value is still lower. On Tuesday the rate was at one moment 1,275 marks to the pound, On...

Japan has lost a capable statesman in Mr. Hera, the

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Premier, who was foully murdered at the Tokyo railway station on Friday, November 4th. He was about to enter a train when he was stabbed to the heart by a young signalman, who...

The ex-Emperor Charles and his wife were taken lash week

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in the British monitor ' Glowworm ' down the Danube to Orsova, and thence by land to Galati, where they embarked on the British cruiser ' Cardiff.' They will, it is understood,...

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Sir Robert Home went on to say that the revenue

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would fail to provide the £80,000,000 required for sinking fund. Allowing for the bonds surrendered in payment of excess profits duty, he would have to borrow about £60,000,000...

The Prison Commissioners report that during the year 1920-21 the

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number of prisoners increased by nearly 10,000 as compared with the previous year. The criminals munbered 42,802, or 8,500 more than in 1919-20. The unlucky people imprisoned...

A resolution expressing warm approval of the Washington Conference was

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adopted, on the motion of Mr. Clynes, by the House of Commons on Friday, November 4th, after a debate in which all the speakers were in substantial agreement. Mr. Chamberlain...

We may be allowed to offer a word of greeting

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and good wishes to the Westminster Gazette in its new form. It has become a morning newspaper, and has put off its familiar green garb and taken on an ordinary white dress. We...

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the House on Wednesday,

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made an important and by no means encouraging statement on the state of the finances. He had estimated for a surplus of £177,000,000, subject to a liability of £80,000,000 for...

The Prime Ministeereeeived the-miners' leaders on Wednesday. He told them

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that-the Government must decline to. ask Par- liament to devote the unexpended balance of the temporary aubsidy granted in July to the maintenance of miners' wages at an...

Sir Donald Maclean justly pointed out, in the brief debate

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which followed, that the Government had been unduly opti- mistic anclshould have faced the facts sooner. Many firms were Paying their income-tax by borrowing from the banks on...

A railway guard, who was asked the other day to

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include his tips in his income-tax return, resented the request. Sympathetio commentators suggested that the Inland Revenue authorities were going too far. But it was then...

Bank Rate, 5 per cent., changed from 5. per cent.

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Nov. 3, 1021 ; 5 per cent. War Loan was on Thursday, 8711; Thursday week, 88t ; a year ago, 83i.

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HOW ULSTER MIGHT BE WON.

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W E have treated in our first article the ignoble attempt to put the responsibility for a break-up of the Irish Conference, if it takes place, upon the shoulders of the men of...

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

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" THERE IS NO COMPULSION, ONLY YOU MUST." Tr iE Coalition hounds are still in full cry after North- East Ulster. The word appears to have been passed round that the section of...

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THE CASE OF SIR BASIL THOMSON. T HERE was a time

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in British politics when whatever might be the difficulties of a person who wanted to come to a right judgment he was not troubled by doubts as to the facts. If a Cabinet....

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THE FRANCO-TURKISH AGREEMENT.

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O N each occasion when there has been a serious diverg- ence of policy between France and Great Britain, a divergence which seemed to threaten the very existence of the Ente n...

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THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AS A VEHICLE FOR THE HUMANITIES.

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A COMMITTEE, among whose members were Sir Henry Newbolt, Mr. John Bailey and Sir Arthur QuiIler-Couch, was recently appointed by the President of the Board of Education. It was...

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NOISE. O NLY the other day the case was reported in

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a morning paper of an irate fowl-owner, living in a suburban street, who demanded to know whether, if it were not lawful for his cooks to crow, his hens would still be at...

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FINANCE—PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.

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SOME IMPROVEMENT. THE LOWER BANK .RATE--CURBING INFLATION— LARGE SALES OF TREASURY BONDS— INVESTMENT STOCKS KEEP FIRM—CHEAPER FOODSTUFFS—THE SLUMP IN THE MARK— REGAINING THE...

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR,—It is with

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the greatest satisfaction that all who care for the prevention of crime have read your plea for a Royal Commission to inquire into the working of the Borstal system. May I,...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

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[Letters of the length of one of our leading paragraphs are often more read,and therefore more effective, than those which fill treble the space.] BORSTAL. [To TUE EDITOR QF...

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[To THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR."] Sra,—The letter of

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"Palestina " on this matter, which appeared in your last issue, was evidently written before the question on it was put in the House of Lords by Lord Sydenham and answered so...

THE CASE OF THE GREEK PATRIARCHATE IN PALESTINE.

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[To THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR.") have read the letter of "Palestina." with special interest because on Wednesday last I endeavoured to obtain from the Government an...

'1.11R IRISH BORSTAL.

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[To l'HE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR,—I have read your article on the Borstal Institution in the issue of October 29th with much interest. There is one Borstal in Ireland,...

SIR BASIL THOMSON. [To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."]

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Sus,—The debate on Sir Basil Thomson's forced retirement from the important position of Director of the Criminal Investigation Special Department at Scotland Yard was con-...

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SOME ANGLO-AMERICAN QUESTIONS.

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[To THE EDITOR or TIIE SPECT/TOR."1 SLR,—Among the reactions since the War, one of the most unfortunate is the superficial irritation among the people of England toward the...

ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTING THE TRAINING AND SUPPLY . OF MIDWIVES.

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LTo THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SLR,—The death-rate of infants has been reduced in recent years from 150 to 80 per thousand births, a striking and cheering fact....

"ULSTER THE STUMBLING-BLOCK."

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ITO THE EDITOR OF TIIE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—" Why should Ulster be allowed to hinder the settlement of Ireland? " One hears this asked at times, even by some who have no -...

"LES PLAIES DE L'EMPIRE BRITANNIQUE." [To THE EDITOR OF THE

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"SPECTATOR."] Moxstsca,—La lettre do son Excellence Lord Sydenham du 29 Septembre dans le Morning Post doit etre be et reluo dans les quatre coins do l'Empire. Aux Jades ii y a...

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THE TRAFFIC IN OLD HORSES.

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[To THE EDITOR OF, THE " SPECTATOR.") Sta,—May I draw the attention of your. readers to an error in the signed statement of the Minister of Agriculture re old horse traffic,...

COKE AND ITS BY-PRODUCTS.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") Sta,—You have an article in your last issue on "Work for the Unemployed " which concludes with a rhapsody on coke. What the connexion...

AMERICA AND TREATY RIGHTS.

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[TO TOE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR ,—The recent action of the Senate in respect to the preferential treatment of American coastwise shipping and Panama tolls, resisted as...

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COMA BUTTERFLIES.

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ITO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") Spa, I wonder whether any of your readers have noticed the number of Coma Butterflies (C. Album) that there have been this autumn? I have...

LORD DUNSANY'S LECTURE Or I'OETRY. LT° THE EDITOR Or THE

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" SPECTATOR:") Sin,—Will you allow me to draw attention to a lecture on poetry which Lord Dunsany has promised to give on Monday, November 28th, in aid of girls' clubs in East...

PROHIBITION AND DEMOCRACY.

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(To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") Sia,—Your correspondent's letter on the above subject in issue of November 5th is very interesting from our point of view. There can be...

POETRY.

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GRATITUDE. ETER3TAL gratitude—a long, thin word : When meant, oftenest left unheard : When light on the tongue, light in the parse, too : Of curious metallurgy : when coined...

"THE OLD VIC." APPEAL.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] Sin,—The admirable work done at the Royal Victoria Hall, popularly called " The Old Vie.," is now well known. By a very strenuous effort,...

The Editor cannot accept responsibility for any article, poems, or

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letters submitted to him. but when stamped and addressed envelopes are sent he wilt do his beat to return contributions in case of rejection. Poems should be addressed to the...

NOTICE.—When " Correspondence" or Articles are signed with the writer's

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name or initials, or with a pseudonym, or are marked " Communicated," the Editor must not necessarily be held to be in agreement with the views therein expressed or with the...

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THE THEATRE.

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" THE SJ.EITING PRINCESS " AT THE ALHAMBRA- M. DIAGHILEFF'S BALLET. Is one of his books Mr. Chesterton remarks that it was because they were so secure in their belief in the...

"THE ST. MARTIN'S PAGEANT."

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ME. SHEPPARD, in a speech introducing The St. Martin's Pageant, performed in the course of the ceremonies celebrating the bicentenary of the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields,...

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MR. BUCHAN'S HISTORY OF THE WAR.* Tars is the first

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volume of the revised edition of Mr. John Buchan's history, which was issued in parts during the War. In its original form it was, perhaps, the most remarkable literary feat of...

-BOOKS.

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THE PRIVATE CHARACTER OF QUEEN ELIZABETH.* MB.. CsisrSBERLESS has, in our opinion, cleared the character of Queen Elizabeth. He has done it in two ways. He shows that the nature...

SOME PLAYS WORTH SEEING.

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LITTLE.—London's Grand Guignol . . 8.15 —2.30 [Two comedies, one tragedy and one shocker—all very well acted.] SCALA.—Abraham Lincoln. . . . . • • 8.0-2.30 [Mr. Drinirwater's...

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THE KING'S COUNCIL M I li.e.. NORTH.* Tan Council in

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the North, like the Star Chamber, is connected by most readers of history with the arbitrary government of Charles the First, and regarded 'as a mere engine of tyranny which the...

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BEOWULF.*

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Mn. CHAMBERS'S addition to the already large number of books dealing with Beowulf' is a contribution of exact and minute scholarship. He does not favour` the theory that the...

HINDULSM AND BUDDHISM.*

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HALF the population of the globe, massed in Eastern and Central Asia, professes various fen= of Hinduism and Buddhism. In attempting an historical sketch of these religions Sir...

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HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE.

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Here, There and Everywhere. By Lord Frederic Hamilton. (Hodder & Stoughton. I5s. net.)—We are glad to have a third volume of Lord Frederic Hamilton's reminiscences. Ho has seen...

DAYS AND WAYS OF AN OLD BOHEMIAN.* Tits is a

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very amusing account of a rolling-stone who has contrived in his lifetime to gather a great deal of moss. His London life began in 1875 and continues to this day, interrupted by...

THE COLLECTED HISTORICAL WORKS OF SIR FRANCIS PALGRAVE.

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The Collected Historical Works of Sir Franc:4 Palgrave. Edited by his Son, Sir R. H. Inglis Palgrave. Vols. V., VI., VII. (Cambridge Univ. Press. 42s. net each.)—The late Sir...

MORE ESSAYS ON BOOKS.

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More Essays on Books. By A. Clutton-Brock. (Methuen. 6s. net.)—In this second collection of essays Mr. Clutton-Brock continues to pay homage to various personages on the slopes...

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WHILE I REMEMBER.*

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MM. STEPHEN McKee - NA shows his readers very good cause why, when in his early thirties, he should write a book of reminiscences :— " My reason for writing the present book is...

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READABLE NOVELS.—A Little More. By W. B. Maxwell. (Hutchinson. 8s.

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6d. net.)—Mr. Maxwell's motto for this story should have been that of the old farmer who declared, " I haven't got no land hunger. I only want what jines mine I " All the...

The Trembling of a Leaf. By W. Somerset Maugha nt (William

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Heinemann. 7s. 6d. net.)—Mr. Somerset Maugha n s r book is about the Pacific Islands, and is calculated to give to the reader, who is somewhat nice, all the pleasurable in gre ....

FICTION.

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OXFORD AFTER THE WAR.* [cosisiumearea] How very valuable it would be if some really competent young observer would give us an account, from the inside, of our two great...

The- Old House. By Cecile Tormay. (Philip Allan.. 8s. 6d.

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net.)—This novel would appear to have lost very little in transla- tion of the spirit of another land and another age which informed the pages of the original. The Hungarian...

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POEMS WORTHY OF CONSIDERATION.—Fourteenth Century Verse and Prose. Edited by

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Kenneth Sisam. (Clarendon Press. is. 6d.)—A scholarly collection. It was an excellent idea to include extracts from the Townley mystery plays. It is perhaps a pity that the...

POETS AND POETRY.

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AN INCLUSIVE EDITION OF MR. RUDYARD KIPLINC'S VERSE.* THE new inclusive edition of the verse published by Mr. Kipling between 1885 and 1918 gives the modern reader materials...

GIFT - BOOKS.

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ILLUSTRATED WORKS AND REPRINTS. TiIE prettiest book of the season is unquestionably .Kate Green • away Pictures, with an appreciation by Mr. H. M. Cundall (F. Warne. 21s. net)....

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. ANNUALS.

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ONE of the best series of books ever published for young children is The Rosebud Annual (James Clarke. 5s. net). The new volume is as good as ever. It is printed in large, clear...

Other Days. By J. W. Leigh. (T. Fisher Unwin. 188.

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net.) -The late Dean of Hereford in these pleasant reminiscences recalls Cambridge in the late 'fifties, the Near East a little later, long visits to America after the Civil...

SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.

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INdies in this column does not necessarild preclude subsequent maims.] The Geographical Journal for November contains the latest information about the reconnaissance of Mount...

The Great White South. By Herbert G. Ponting. (Duckworth. 30s.

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net.)-Mr. Ponting has delighted many thousands of people with his lectures on Captain Scott's South Polar expedition and with his photographs of Antarctic life and scenery. This...

Mr. Masefield's spirited poem, Reynard the Fox, has been reprinted

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on good paper (Heinemann. 5s. net). It is charmingly illustrated by Mr. O. D. Armour, whose four coloured plates and many line drawings have character and humour.-Mr. Archibald...

Mr. Stephen Leacock's Nonsense Novels appears in an illus- trated

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repriiit (Lane. 10s. 6d. net). We must commend the illustrator, Mr. John Kettlewell, on his success. His droll coloured designs are as funny in their way as the text.---inother...

Cricket and Cricketers. By Colonel Philip Trevor. (Chapman and Hall.

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128. 6d. net.)-.Colonel Trevor has written another interesting book about the many famous cricketers - whom he has known. His chapters on " W. G.," " Ranji," Mr. C. B. Fry and...

Ilerbert Strang's Annual (H. Milford, 8s. 6d. net), appearing for

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the fourteenth year in succession, contains a set of short stories-of schooldays, the War, the Far West, and so on-with a few articles, one of which describes the work'of...

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The British Science Guild, of 6 John Street, Adelphi, has

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done a good piece of work for all who are interested in natural science by compiling and publishing A Catalogue of British Scientific and Technical Books (108. net). A...

WORKS OF REFERENCE.—Burke'a Landed Gentry of Great Britain, edited by

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A. Winton Thorpe (Burke Publishing Co., £6 6s. net), reappears in a thirteenth edition, which is much to be commended for its comprehensiveness and its accuracy. Since the last...

The sexcentenary of Dante's death was celebrated in many places,

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and not least worthily in Houston, Texas. We have received the April number of The Rice Institute Pamphlet-- published by the Rice Institute, which is, in fact, the university...

The Salmon Rivers and Lochs of Scotland. By W. L.

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Calder- wood. (Arnold. 25s. net.)—This is a second edition, carefully revised and illustrated with excellent photographs, of Mr. Calderwood's standard work on Scottish salmon...

Penny Royal. By J. B. Morton. (Philip Allan and Co.

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6s. 6d. net.)—A wholly delightful book for an odd moment. Mr. Morton has the rare power of handing on his good humour to the reader, and this light-hearted account of what five...

A Text-book of Roman Law from Augustus to Justinian. 4

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W. W. Buckland. (Cambridge University Press. 50s. net.)-• Professor Buckland's able treatise on Roman private law is a good deal more than a text-book, in the ordinary sense of...

The excellent article on National Prosperity and Industrial Pcace, to

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which we called attention when it appeared in the S eptember number of the Round Table, has now been reprinted sixpenny pamphlet. (Macmillan), which deserves a wide circulation.

The Home of Fadeless Splendour ; or, Palestine of To - Day.

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By George Napier Whittingham. (Hutchinson. 24s. net.)—Mr. Whittingham does not profess to have given more than "a series of impressions jotted down " during a first visit to...

We have received the first part of the fifth volume

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of the Cata- logue of the Arabic and Persian Manuscripts in the Oriental Public Library at Bankipore (Patna : Superintendent Govern- ment Printing). This well-printed volume,...

The Rainbow Bridge. By Reginald Farrer. (Arnold. 21s. net.)—It is

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sad to think that this is the last of Mr. Farrer's charming books of travel in search of flowers, for he died a year ago in Upper Burmah. In this volume ho continued the story,...