4 MARCH 1905

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There appears to be some prospect that the proposals of

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the German Government for the increase of the Army will not be carried, the Free Conservatives and the Clericals both declaring that as Russia can no longer join France in an...

There has been practically no news from Russia this week

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as to the internal situation. The disorders in the Caucasus continue, and killings by the hundred are frequently reported ; but the victims are slain in race quarrels between...

The situation in Hungary is becoming more and more interesting,

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the working of Parliamentary institutions having come apparently to a deadlock. Count Tisza, though defeated at the polls, still remains ad interim Premier, because no successor...

O F the great battle that has been raging on the

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Sha-ho throughout the week we get only the barest details. All we really know is that the two forces have been engaged on a front said to have been eighty miles long, that the...

Last Saturday at the final sitting of the North Sea

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Commission Admiral Fournier presented the Report of the Commissioners. After referring to the fact that during his stay at Skagen Admiral Rozhdestvensky was warned as to the...

The hiding-place of "Father Gapon," who led the Russian workmen

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on January 22nd, is not yet known ; but he has published a letter in the Paris Humanite denouncing the Romanoffs in unmeasured terms, calling the Czar an "assassin," and...

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The Macedonian question was raised in the House of Commons

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on Monday in an amendment to the Address moved by Mr. Stevenson, who urged that in view of the inadequacy of the measures hitherto adopted, and the obligations incurred by...

The conflict between Norway and Sweden is becoming more acute.

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Its ultimate origin is, of course, the stronger tone of democracy in Norway; but the causa causans is the desire of the smaller State for a greater voice in foreign affairs, and...

Free-traders who contend that Protection is an inclined plane will

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be fortified in their view by the remarkable letter addressed to a Notts farmer by Mr. Jesse Collings. The farmer cannot grow corn in face of the competition of the whole...

Mr. Bryce, who followed, very naturally and properly expressed surprise

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and disappointment at the tone of Lord Percy's speech, which palliated the misdoings of the Turkish Government and encouraged them in their obstinacy, and con- trasted his...

It was officially announced on Wednesday that Lord Milner who

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has been High Commissioner for South Africa since 1897, and Administrator of the Transvaal and the Orange River Colonies since 1901, had resigned his office for reasons...

In the House of Commons on Monday night Mr. Chamber-

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lain spoke in the debate on the amendment condemning the Sugar Convention. He disclaimed the authorship of the Con- vention—that honour belonged to Six Michael Hicks Beach— but...

Some of Mr. Chamberlain's points have, no doubt, , a

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certain basis of truth; but he seems to us to have missed the force of the chief argument against the Convention,—that if local decrease is to be counteracted, all, producing...

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The War Office has given way on the subject of

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the reduction of the Royal Small Arms Factory at Sparkbrook. Last week Mr. Bromley-Davenport, Financial Secretary to the War Office, informed Mr. Jesse Collings that a "final...

Of the many extraordinary incidents in the career of this

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amazing Government, perhaps the most amazing is that disclosed in the Stanley-Bowles correspondence published on Friday. The facts are simple enough. Lord Stanley and Mr. Ailwyn...

At the moment of our going to press the result

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of the election in North Westmorland is announced. Mr. Rigg, the late Liberal Member, resigned on his conversion to Tariff Reform principles, and the seat has been held for the...

It was announced on Monday that, with the sanction and

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approval of King Edward, the Prince and Princess of Wales will pay a visit to India in November next, remaining there till March, 1906. We are glad to note the official...

We cannot summarise any more of the correspondence ; but

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we do not believe that any ordinary man will read it without profound bewilderment that a man like Lord Stanley should have allowed himself to be bullied out of his pledge. We...

The debate on the Address was resumed on Wednesday by

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Mr. Buchanan, who moved an amendment urging the im- mediate need of revising and reducing the national expendi- ture. Mr. Bowles intervened with a characteristic speech, in...

The debate on the Army Estimates, which was taken on

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Thursday night, illustrated the tendency of the Government majorities to dwindle as the Session proceeds. In the division taken to report progress, and taken after the Govern-...

Bank Rate, 3 per cent.

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Consols (2 per cent.) were on Friday 91i.

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TOPICS OF THE DAY.

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---.111■■••••- A FORTNIGHT ago we likened Mr. Chamberlain to a man who has lighted a fire on an ice-floe, and finds that though his fire blazes fiercely enough at first, he...

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O URpeople are a little too confident in the speedy coining

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of revolution in Russia. They are, in fact, bemused, like the Grand Dukes, by the rapidity with which events occurred in France during the great upheaval. Even there three years...

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THE HOME-RULE BOGEY. • M R. BALFOUR'S audacity is magnificent. He

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has only just emerged from a very critical Parlia- mentary situation created by an attack upon him on the part of the Ulster Unionists,—an attack directed against him for having...

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T HE Report of the International Commission of Inquiry into the

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North Sea incident reflects great credit upon its authors. There is no trace of any disposition to evade inconvenient facts, or to shrink from placing the responsi- bility on...

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FIRST-RA.TE EVENTS AND SECOND-RATE MEN. T HERE is one feature in

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the present aspect of the world which is most unusual, and that is the contrast between the magnitude of the events occurring all round us, and the smallness, or rather, if we...

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T HERE are many kinds of muddled heads. There are those

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which contain few ideas, and those which contain many. The state of the former is certainly less chaotic than thai of the latter, and, one would imagine, more amenable to the...

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There is a good deal that is contemptible in the

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" too- old-at-forty-useless-at-sixty " line of argument, used in certain connections; but Dr. Osier, we are glad to find, has done too much in the world in the last fifteen...

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The grass in the parks is green by the end

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of the month ; and at its opening one of the most charming features of modern gardening is seen there in perfection, the flowering of tens of thousands of purple, white, and...

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[TO THE EDITOR OF TEE "SPECTATOR."]

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Sin,—A year ago you published a letter from me in which it was argued, contrary to the view which has been maintained with great force by the Spectator, that the true course for...

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[TO TIIR EDITOR OF TUE " SPECT2ATOR."]

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Sxn,—Ts there no hope of reconsideration of the unhappy de- cision of Friday, February 17th, brought about by the exigencies of the Ministerial position and the cruel war of...

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SIE,—The following is an extract from a letter recently received

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by me from my brother, a member of the South African Constabulary, who served through the war from Talana Hill to its close :— " You think that the South African Colonies will...

[TO TUE EDITOR OF TDB " SPECTATOR:1 SIR,—As an Irishman,

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and a humble member of the Unionist party, I take the liberty of protesting against a practice too common among Englishmen of both sides in politics, and occasionally indulged...

To THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR:1 SIE,—One is unwilling

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to believe that opposition on the Fiscal question has anything to do with the attitude of the Spectator towards the licensing policy of the Government, but I fail altogether to...

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:I Sm,—I have read

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Mr. Bullen's letters in the Spectator of February 4th and 25th with great interest. I have two sons at present on the 'Conway,' and shall shortly have to look out for ships in...

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIB,—In the Spectator of

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February 11th there is a most interesting letter from Mr. P. E. Roberts, in which he quotes the wonderful forecast of Sir William Molesworth, so far back as 1851, as regards the...

Si:14—R may be of interest to Mr. F. T. Bullen

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to know that a fine Spanish sailing ship, the 'Ama Begonakoa,' is already running on somewhat similar lines to those indicated by him in the Spectator last week. Doubtless the...

Sin,—On every side we hear of relief funds being raised

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for the unemployed ; and against the kindly motives which prompt the raising of such funds I have, of course, nothing to say. But why are people unemployed P Because, owing to a...

SIR,—Would you kindly allow me, as a working mason who

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subscribes to your weekly, to express an opinion or two arising out of the article under the above heading in your issue of February 18th P The economical argument of the...

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Sin,—In an article in your issue of December 31st, 1904,

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you discuss a paper by a writer in the United Service Magazine on the Indian Army. In it there are many misleading statements made by him. Mixed regiments were not a result of...

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]

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Sin,—In the Spectator of February 11th is an article on "Animal Masons," in which it is stated that the black wheatear crosses the Straits of Gibraltar in spring to nest. As far...

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "Spat:mixes."] SIR, — The article in the

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Spectator of February 25th under the above heading implies, I think, that M. J. Guyau's books were first published in 1903 and 1904. His famous " Esquisse d'une Morale sans...

LTO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR,"]

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SID,—In reading the article in the Spectator of February 25th on "The Wisdom of Children," I was reminded of an answer given to one of my daughters at Sunday-school. The lesson...

(To THB EDITOR OF TUX "Spam:m."1 SIR,—" It is idle,"

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you say in your issue of January 28th, to argue, as Dr. Moberly did, "that 'spiritual excellence' is a necessary factor in a competent judgment on such a point" as that of the...

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pro THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR." _I SIR,—Perhaps you

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can find room for another story of Dean Mansel. To a friend who remarked that though the Ministry had been frequently defeated, they pertinaciously stuck to office, he is said...

TO WHAT PARISH DO THOSE BORN AT SEA BELONG?

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(To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR." SIR,—In his letter to the Spectator of February 18th Mr. W. H. A. Cowell says that "persons born on it [H.M.S. Ascen- sion Island] count as...

HELP AND EMPLOYMENT FOR RETIRED OFFICERS.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " sescrsros.1 Sin,—A very deserving body of men require assistance. Our work was entered into for the purpose of helping officers, who had some money to...

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—The author of the

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joke which you are inclined to attribute to Dean Manse' (Spectator, February 25th) was the Rev. Thomas Chatters, an eccentric Fellow and Tutor of Brasenose, who was a Classical...

OXFORD EPIGRAMS. pro THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]

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Sra,—The gulf between Dean Mansel and the undergraduate may be a wide one ; but I submit the following epigram from an undergraduate of my own College as a bridge, with...

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."3 SIR,—The happy adaptation of

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Virgil's line to trembling parsons is much older than Dean Mansel (Spectator, Febru- ary 18th). If Mr. Tollemache will turn the pages of George Cox's brilliant satire, "Black...

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A MUCH-TRAVELLED "SPECTATOR."

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[TO THE EDITOR OF TUE "SPECTATOR.") Sin, — A propos of the "much-travelled Spectator" (see issue of February 4th), it may interest you to know of one which arrives at the house...

CHEAP COTTAGES EXHIBITION FUND.

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THE following gentlemen have recently consented to become patrons of the Cheap Cottages Exhibition :—The Earl of Harewood, Lord Hylton, R. C. Munro-Ferguson, Esq., M.P., Colonel...

DIFFUGERE NIVES,* OR THOUGHTS ON APPROACHING DISSOLUTION.

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[A. J. B. loguitur.] WINTER has come and gone, once more we meet On classic ground ; Once more the parks are green, with bird-notes sweet Their glades resound : The Speaker...

THE PRICE OF SUGAR.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—In your issue of February 18th "W. J. H." attributes the enhanced price of sugar to what he terms "this experi- ment in Protection." But...

A CORRECTION.

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[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIE,—May I be allowed to point out an error in the very interesting article, "The Praise of Creases," in your issue of February 25th? The...

UGANDA AND ITS PEOPLES.

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[TO VIE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.") SIR,—In your notice of Mr. J. F. Cunningham's "Uganda and its Peoples" in the Spectator of February 18th I find that the writer says,...

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DR. JOHNSON'S "PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS." ALL lovers of Boswell's great

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biography have, so to speak, known Dr. Johnson, rather than known about him. They have met him in all moods, and the feeling of friendship thus engendered, and of respect for...

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AMERICAN writers on wild life are happier than their English

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cousins, for they have a continent for a country, and without leaving their own shores can pitch their camp in the woods of the North, or on the prairies of the South and West,...

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This volume is padded with the views neuf in the

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shape of some previously published letters of Sir Walter Scott to his intimate friend Mrs. Hughes ; but its chief contents are that lady's diaries of her visits to "Conundrum...

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They are all much of the same length : sometimes

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it seems right and enough ; sometimes, and much oftener, one resents it and begs for more ; it seems as if there must be more to be said on this subject or the other, in the...

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His Island Princess. By W. Clark Russell. (Methuen and Co.

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6s.)—Mr. Clark Russell's story consists of two rather disconnected parts. In the first place, he excites the interest of his readers in the convoy of ships which, under...

As time goes on Mr. Eden Phillpotts seems more and

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more resolutely to have renounced all traffic with comedy, and concentrated his energies exclusively on the delineation of life in its gloomier and more tragic aspects. It is...

With Sword and Pen: a Story of India in the

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Fifties. By H. C. Irwin. (T. Fisher Unwin. 6s.) — The Mutiny has been the back- ground for many tales, but no novelist can stale its inexhaustible interest. Mr. Irwin's new book...

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In the "Century Bible," Edited by W. F. Adeney, D.D.

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(T. C. and E. C. Jack, 28. 6d. net), we have Job, Edited by A. S. Peake. M.A. This difficult book receives from its latest editor a treat- ment highly significant of the trend...

England's Ruin. By A. M. S. Methuen. (Methuen and Co.

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3d. net.)—Mr. Methuen, using the form of letters addressed to Mr. Chamberlain, puts forth various considerations, facts, figures, and conclusions, which go to disprove the...

Niceta of Remesiana. By A. E. Burn, D.D. (Cambridge University

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Press. 9s. net.)—It is not every scholar, however great his learning or indefatigable his industry, who finds the opportunity in this twentieth century of publishing an editio...

Men of the North Sea. By Walter Wood. (Eveleigh Nash.

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Os.) —This collection of stories of the North Sea has not only the merit of being timely, but gives its readers a series of vivid pictures of the fisher fleets "of the Dogger...

Yesterday's To - morrow. By Dora Greenwell McChesney. (J. M. Dent and

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Co. 48. 6d. net.)—Miss McChesney's historical romances are always picturesquely written, but this one has not quite so interesting a setting as is usual with her books. Much,...

SAVONAROLA : A TRAGEDY.

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Savonarola : a City's Tragedy. By Newman Howard. (J. M. Dent and Co. 48. 6d. net.)—The life and death of Savonarola, as they are known to history, form a perfectly adequate...

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We have received the second number of The Garden City

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(Simpldn, Marshall, and Co., 3d.), a periodical intended to pro- mote the attractive project from which it takes its name. We commend it to our readers. We are glad to see that...

Chats on Old Furniture. By Arthur Hayden. (T. Fisher Unwin.

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5s. net.)—Mr. Hayden has given us here a useful and instructive volume. He begins with a bibliography, and follows this with a glossary in which he explains various terms, such...

The First Folio of Chaucer. (Alex. Moring, and Henry Frowde.

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15 5s. net.)—Among the various facsimile reproductions which have been lately given to the world, there is not one more beautiful and interesting than the First Folio of...

The Antiquary, 1904. (Elliot Stock.)—With the volume for the past

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year this periodical completed its quarter of a century of life. We are glad to see that it has found sufficient encourage- ment to enlarge its dimensions, and otherwise to...

Middlesex County Records : Calendar of Sessions Books 1689-1709. By

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W. J. Hardy. (Guildhall, Westminster.)—This volume is, in a way, the successor of those brought out under the auspices of the Middlesex County Record Society by Mr. J. Cordy...

Mediaeval Towns : Venice. By Thomas Okey. Illustrated by Nelly

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Erichsen. (J. M. Dent and Co. 48. 6d. and 55. 6d net.)— Mr. Okey divides his book into two nearly equal parts, the first being given, we may say, to the past, the second to the...

Two volumes may be mentioned together, as written by experts,

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and rather, therefore, to be commended to the notice of students than to be criticised. These are The Shu - King ; or, The Chinese Historical Classic, Translated from the...