13 FEBRUARY 1909

Page 1

The terms of the award made by Sir Edward Fry,

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acting as arbitrator between the directors of the London and North- Western Railway and their servants, were made known last Saturday. This award, it should be noted, is the...

The Times of Wednesday and Thursday contains articles of very

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great interest on the Budget by " Our Parliamentary Correspondent." The writer shows that the realised deficit has already reached nearly six millions. It must not be for-...

To cut a long story short, the Times writer calculates

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that at the best the deficit will be £19,500,000, and at the worst £24,000,000. He tells us, however, that there is " reason to believe that the Government will provide six...

We wish we could induce every one to read the

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latest Local Government Board Report, or at least the admirable summary of it in the Times of Tuesday. It is full of interesting, information which touches our social life at...

Important correspondence on the Congo question which has passed between

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the Belgian Minister in Washington and Mr. Root is published in the Times of Tuesday. Mr. Root expresses himself in the same sense as Sir Edward Grey, but even more plainly. He...

The St. Petersburg correspondent of the Times announces in Friday's

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paper that the Russian reply to the Turkish counter-proposal was made known on Thursday. It expresses gratification at the acceptance in principle of the Russian offer to meet,...

political interests of France are closely bound up in that

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country with the consolidation of order and of internal peace, is resolved not to impede those interests, and declares that she will not prosecute or encourage any measure...

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We owe a line of sincere apology to our contemporary

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the Observer. Last week's Spectator contained a note on M. Yves Guyot's article on the betrayal of Free-trade which was based upon a summary contained in the Observer....

Mr. Ian Malcolm sends to the Times of yesterday week

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further particulars of the case of Mr. Charles Clarke, of Graiguenoe Park, near Thurles, Co. Tipperary. Mr. Clarke la a permanently resident Irish landlord who never evicted a...

As regards the question of labour, Mr. Elwes is entirely

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seeptical as to the capacity of casual or unemployed townsmen. Again, suitable areas of waste land in England can only be obtained in districts remote from the habitats of the...

Dr. Sven Hedin delivered a remarkable lecture before a special

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meeting of the Royal Geographical Society in the Queen's Hall on Monday. No living nian has added so much as Dr. Sven liedin to our knowledge of Central Asia, and his account of...

On Friday the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Charles

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Darwin was celebrated. The Darwinian hypothesis has perhaps suffered slightly in estimation of recent years, because it had mistakenly been allowed the force of a dogma, whereas...

As time goes on, adverse criticism of the Afforestation Report,

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at first drowned in a chorus of effusive acclamation, gains volume and authority. We may especially note the remarkable letter in Monday's Times from Mr. H. J. F.R.S., whose...

The Irish Nationalist Convention opened at the Mansion House, Dublin,

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on Tuesday, in the presence of a crowded gathering of delegates. Mr. John Redmond having moved a resolution in approval of Mr. Birrell's Land Bill subject to certain reserves,...

Bank Rate, 3 per coat., changed from 2t per cent.

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Jan. 14th, Consuis (21) were vu Friday 8,51—Friday *cek 831.

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TOPICS OF THE DAY.

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THE ROYAL VISIT TO GERMANY. T HE visit of the King and Queen to Berlin has not only proved a great success in itself. It has, in addition to pleasing the German Emperor and the...

GERMANY'S NAVAL POLICY. N OTHING is more injurious in international affairs

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than to cultivate the habit of living in a fool's paradise. We feel, therefore, that while expressing our satisfaction at the success of the King's visit, and the good feeling...

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TARIFF REFORM AND HOME-RULE.

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A FORTNIGHT ago we drew attention to an article • in the Observer of the previous Sunday which in our opinion exhibited a dangerous tendency on the part . of the extreme Tariff...

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THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONSTITUTION.

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A N examination of the draft Constitution for the proposed Union of South Africa, which was published virtually in full in the Times of Wednesday, inspires us with the liveliest...

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THE CONFERENCE OF LAND-TAXERS.

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T HE advocates of the taxation of land values held on Monday a Conference of persons interested in their proposals, including delegates from Liberal and Labour Associations,...

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PUBLICITY IN THE DIVORCE COURT.

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T WO very eminent Judges have been giving their opiaions on a question of great importance and greater difficulty. One of these opinions certainly—and Probably both—has been...

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ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

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A BRAHAM LINCOLN, the hundredth anniversary of whose birth was celebrated on Friday, is already estab- lished as one of the greatest of Anglo-Saxon heroes. It 'might be said...

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STUPIDITY.

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A GREAT many—too many—excuses are made for stupidity. In nine cases out of ten it is a serious moral defect, and people can help being stupid just as much and just as little as...

Page 11

VILLAGE PLAYGROUNDS.

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Wherever there are a number of children, there ought to be somewhere in the fresh air where they can play. It is quite as important, from an educational point of view, that a...

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AMERICA AND PROTECTION.

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ere TUR Herron Or TIM SP KRI'ATOILl SIR, —What is the matter with the Old Country P Can she not see that the battle for Free-trade is almost won P Why does she run from the...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

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AN IRISHMAN'S HOME. [TO TRIM Bones or TIER " SPROTATOR." SIR, —May one venture to hope that one of our dramatists, encouraged by the success of An Englishman's Home, may...

THE TAXATION OF LAND VALUES.

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[To nue EDITOR Or THE " SPROTATOIL"j SIR,—American readers of the Spectator are reminded again of the strange differences that have arisen in law and custom between the...

A TARIFF WAR.

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[TO TUN EDITOR Or TIER "SPECTATOR. "] 131 ;--Between the Unionists who are determined for Tariff Reform at any cost, and those, like yourself, who in the fullest sense are...

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CANADA AND THE NAVY.

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ITO THE EDITOR OT TUB " SPECTATOR.") SIB,—Knowing the importance attached by the Spectator to the question of national defence, I venture to call attention to the article...

AFFORESTATION.

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[To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR."] Sin, — If your excellent article on afforestation will ensure careful consideration before any wide scheme is carried out in Great Britain,...

"ENTENTE " AND ALLIANCES.

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• [TO THE EDITOR OP THE " SPEOTATOR."1 entirely concur with your remarks in the issue of the 6th inst. on the book. of M. Tardieu. He and the Temps make light of British...

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THE MODERNITY OF " ELECTRA?

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[To THE ENTINE 05 THIC . SPECTATOR."] Sin,—During the last two or three years the world has been gradually prepared for the Electra of Hugo von Hoff- mannsthal and Richard...

THE IRISH LAND QUESTION.

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[To THE EDITOTC 01 THE "SPECIVATOIt," . 1 SIR.—The statement made by Mr. Stephen Gwynn in your last issue that not more than ten per cent. of Colonel verard's tillage-land is...

THE ARMY AS A VOCATION.

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[To TIM nerroa Or WIN . SPICCTATOIL."] Sia,—In your article on " The Liberty Not to Fight for One's Country" in last week's issue you quite rightly state that the lads of the...

Page 15

HERODOTUS AND HIS CROCODILE BIRD.

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pro THE EDITOR OF TH1 "SPECTATOR."' SIR, —Does your reviewer of " Heroclotus " in your number of August 29th, 1908, also doubt the existence of " Trochilus," the crocodile bird...

AN ANECDOTE OF RODNEY. ['In TRH EDITOR Or THE ..srsaervoit."3

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SIR,—The following, which I do not remember to have ever seen before, relative to Admiral Rodney in 1779, after the success of the naval expedition under Count d'Orvilliers, in...

"PLAYING THE GAME" AS UNDERSTOOD ABOUT 30 B.C.

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[TO me EDITOR Or THE "SPEOTATOR."1 SIR,—A footrace for three prizes only, near Mount Eryx in Sicily. The names of five of the competitors were Nisus and Euryalus—bosom...

SLAVERY ON THE COCOA PLANTATIONS.

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ero Tine EDITOR or Tits " sew:wrote.- Sin,—In the latest mails from Benguella my friends inform me that the planters continue to have things all their own way, and the activity...

WHY NOT TAX TRAVELLING AND AMUSEMENTS P [To THE EDITOR

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or THAI "Srsor►TOR."] Sin,—If, as seems certain, large additional revenue will have to be raised during the incoming and succeeding years, there are two subjects of taxation...

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.POETRY.

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THE HOOTER, A SOMERSET BALLAD. [The story related below is quite authentic, and was told to the writes by one of those fortunate enough to be present on the occasion. We do...

WHO WAS SEIGNEUR DAKIMKEMPERT P [To TEN EDITOR OP TEE

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" SPECTATOR."' SIR,—I have not seen any suggestion as to , the Seigneur Dakimkempert mentioned in a letter to you of December 26th, 1 908. The name, appears to be something...

"THE SUBLIME AND BEAUTIFUL CARTED AWAY."

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[To THE EDITOR OF THIS "SPECTATOR.") SIR, —May I refer your correspondent Mr. Leonard (Spectator, February 6th) to the following passage from Coleridge's "Table Talk," which may...

CONSTABLE GOLDRICK.

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[To Till EDITOR Of TER "SPECTATOR.") Sim,-1 beg to enclose a small contribution to Lady .Fitz- gerald's fund for the family of the gallant. Irish policeman who lost his life in...

THE " SPECTATOR " FUND FOR THE FAMILY OF THE MURDERED

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IRISH CONSTABLE. l iVis are vary grateful to our readers for the generous way in which they have responded to our appeal. We should be much Obliged if subscribers would make...

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THE THEATRE.

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THE FOLLIES. ONE of Peacock's characters draws the distinction—and it is a distinction which is not always drawn—between "pragmatical fooling "—" mere unmixed folly, of which...

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BOOKS.

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THE INNER LIFE OF THE NAV Y.* Mat. LIONEL YEELEY is the editor of the Fleet, the first papaw ever devoted exclusively to the interests of the rank-and-file of the Navy ; and his...

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TWO BOOKS ON THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN.* "So then,

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we make bold to say that of all the Scriptures the Gospels are the firatfruits, and the firstfruits of the Gospels is that according to St. Jobn, the meaning whereof none can...

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WILLIAM MORRIS.*

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THERE is much to be said for setting a poet to appraise a poet. He has worked in the same medium ; he has known the travail of putting theory to the test of practice ; he...

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THREE WORKS ON SOUTH AFRICA.*

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THESE volumes on The Government of South Africa give the reader some idea of the serious spirit in which the question of South African union has been faced. Before you can unify...

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COLLECTIVISM.*

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AN examination of the literature of Socialism brings home to us our insular position. No work of first-rate importance on the Socialist controversy has originated in England....

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ANCIENT EGYPT.*

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THE, title is, perhaps, somewhat ambiguous. Readers who are familiar with what has been done in recent years by Adolf Erman, Budge, Flinders Petrie, and Breasted will discover...

NOVELS.

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BROTHERS ALL.* THE notion of Dutch peasant life entertained by thi average Englishman is probably derived ultimately froth Hans Breitmann and Rip Van Winkle, but in' a diluted...

SOUTHERN SPAIN.f Twigs who had read Mr. Wigram's Northern Spain

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in Messrs. Black's series, and looked forward to a companion volume from the same pen; will be disappointed. The text of Southern Spain is the work of Mr. Culvert, It is, he...

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Nobler Cares. By George Hare Leonard. (Simpkin, Marshall, and Co.

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ls. net.)—Mr. Leonard here prints a paper which lie read to the Livingstone Society in Oxford in November, 1905, which he has read elsewhere with sundry changes, and now gives...

SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.

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[Under this heading we notice such Books of the souk as have not been reserved for 'oviet° in other forme.] Mr. Punch's Pageant, 1841 - 1908. (Ernest Brown and Phillips 103....

A Question of Means. By Margaret B. Cross. (Chatto and

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Windus. 6s.)—Miss Cross uses a much larger canvas for her now volume, A Question of Means, than she employed for that delightful little work, "Love and Olivia," with which a few...

The Faith of Iris Fathers. By A. E. Jaeomb. (Andrew

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Melrose. 6s.)—This is a story of middle-class life lived in a town in the provinces. The touch of melodrama at the end is a little out of key with the rest of the novel, though...

An Introduction to American Literature. By Henry S. Pancoast. (G.

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Boll and Sous. 4s. 6d.)—This is a very useful volume; we do not know where we could find a more compendious manual of its subject. Of a most modest size and price, it is...

READABLE NOVELS. —The Story of Virginia Perfect. By Peggy Webling. (Methuen

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and Co. 6s.)—The tale of a marriage certainly not made in heaven ; a dangerous theme treated with sufficient tact. — Julian Revelstone. By Justin McCarthy. (Chatto and Wiudus....

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William Lyon Mackenzie. By Charles Lindsey. Edited by G. G.

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Lindsey. (T. C. and E. C. Jack. 21s. net.)--This volume is announced as belonging to the series, often mentioned with praise in these columns, of " Makers of Canada." It is not,...

Zrofessions for Girls. By T. W. Berry. (T. Fisher Unwin.

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2s. Gd. net.)—This is a very useful summary of the occupations by which women may make a livelihood. The author writes on some subjects from his own knowledge, and in others...

Old London. Compiled by Walter L. MeNay. (Alexander Moring. 3s.

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Gd. net.)—Here we have "Fifty Reproductions of Old Engravings Illustrative of the London of Our Ancestors." Old London Bridge (with and without the houses), the Marshal- sea...

Timber. By J. R. Battenden. (A. Constable and Co. 6s.

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net.) —This is one of the " Westminster " series of handbooks on practical subjects. It is too technical for detailed review, but we may mention that it may be consulted on the...

Chatterton. By Alfred de Vigny. Edited by E. Lauvriere, D.-es-L.

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(The Clarendon Press. 3s. net.)—This volume belongs to the "Oxford Higher French Series," meant, we suppose, for the use of schools and Colleges. A better choice might have been...

Joseph Cowen's Speeches. Revised by his Daughter. (Long- mans and

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Co. 2s. Gd. net.)—The subjects of these speeches are the Near East, foreign and Imperial affairs, and the British Empire. We are glad to see their publication. There are,...

Twentieth - Century Impressions of Hong - hong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of

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China. (Lloyd's Greater Britain Publishing Company.)—This very stately volume gives us something like an encyclopaedia of that portiou of China which is in direct communication...

Women of AMNations. Edited by T. Athol Joyce, M.A., and

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N. W, Thomas, M.A. Vol. II. (Cassell and Co. 155. net.)—The con- tents of this volume include the native tribes of North America, China, Japan, Korea, Manchuria, &c., India and...

New Zealand O f ficial Year-Book. Prepared by E. J. Von Dordelszen.

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(Eyre and Spottiswoode.)—This volume is full, as may be supposed, of interesting information. The popti- lation on December 31st, 1007, was 920,484, showing an increase over...

The Workman's Compensation Act. By V. R. Aronson. (T. Fisher

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Unwin. 15s. not.)—This is an exhaustive examination of the Act. Provision has been made for serving the purpose of the lay as well as of the professional reader ; there is a...

That Rock - Garden of Ours. By F. Edward Hulme. (T. Fisher

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Unwin, 10s. Gd. net.)—This should meet with a welcome from many amateurs. A rock-garden is a possession that is possible where space is limited. You may make it a very fine...

A Plain Guide to Investment and Finance. By T. E.

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Young, B.A. (Macdonald and Evans. 5s.)—Mr. Evans is the most cautious of guides. Practically ho says: "Keep to gilt-edged securities." He dissuades even against the harmless...

Atria/ Warfare. By R. P. Hearne. (John Lane. 7s. 6d.

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not.) —In this volume, which comes with a recommendatory introduc- tion from Sir Hiram Maxim, we have is summary of the past of aerial navigation and an account of its present...

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The Tomb of Siphtah. By G. Maspero and Others. (A.

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Con- stable and Co. 42s. net.)—This volume records the latest discovery in Mr. Theodore M. Davis's excavations. Not much is known for certain about Siphtah and his Queen...