NEW Eturtoss.—The G reat Boer War. By A. Conan Doyle. Com-
plete Edition. (Smith and Elder. 10s. 6d.)—This is the "final" edition of Sir A. Conan Doyle's book ; he cautions, however, his readers against supposing that adequate materials have yet come to hand for the history of the latter part of the war. We may hope that this may be separately treated. The abortive negotiations of March, 1901, plight conveniently be made the dividing line between the first and second parts. One thing may be emphasised, that the terms offered and rejected in March, 1901, were sub- stantially the same as those accepted on May 31st, 1902. That the Boer generals and the Kruger party at Brussels are responsible for all the loss between these dates can scarcely be doubted. Of course the generals ignore it; that is what one might expect; but if anything could astonish us after the conduct of the Pro-Boers during the war, it is the attitude which they take up on this question now. The Boer States declare war against us, do all the damage they can to British subjects, refuse offers of unparalleled generosity because they cling to hopes of intervention, and ask that their refusal should count for nothing, and their friends here back them up !--Mr. David Douglas, of Edinburgh, from whom we remember to have received some years ago "Rudder Grange," one of the most delightful of books, sends us now in the same form and belonging to the same series of "American Authors," in one-shilling volumes, the tales of Mr. Thomas Bailey Aldrich. These are The Queen of Sheba, The Stillwater Tragedy (2 vols.), Prudence Palfrey, Mar;orie Daw and other Stories, Two Bites at a 'Cherry with other Tales, and A Sea Turn and other Matters. Kr.
Aldrich is too fond of "sells," but is very readable.—In the "Temple Daudet" (J. M. Dent and Co., is. 6d. net) we have Tartarin on the Alps, translated by Henry Frith.
Previous page
