MR. CROWTHER : ARCHIBALD SPARKE. DRUMMOND (clii. 10).--The Drummond Light" IS another name for "limelight or oxy-hydro gen light wherein a blow-pipe flame, e.g., of combined oxygen and hydrogen impinges on a piece of pure lime and renders it incandescent. It was invented by Captain Thomas Drummond, who was born at Edinburgh on Oct. 10, 1797, the son of James Drummond, a member of the Society of Writers to the Signet. In 1819 Drummond became acquainted with Col. Thomas F. Colby and joined him in the work of the Ordnance Survey, and it was in connection with this work that Drummond invented an improved heliostat and his famous light.' Drummond later became interested in politics and in 1835 was appointed Under Secretary at Dublin Castle, becoming practically the governor of the country. For five years he achieved something like peace in Ireland, but his labours undermined his health and he died at Dublin 15 April, 1840. 66 The Library. The Oxford Book of Eighteenth Century Verse. Chosen by David Nichol Smith. (Oxford, Clarendon Press. 8s. 6d. net). THIS is a spacious anthology; if one spends but enough time on it it is of sufficient force and volume to bring the eighteenth century closely and fully to one's observation. Those who know little or nothing about the period may get some fruitful idea of it: those who already know and love it may possibly, even though already familiar with most of what it contains, observe, through this mass of its finest poetry, something in it which they had not noticed or duly weighed before. To the present writer what has appeared most striking is the consciousness of the audience -a narrow and well-known audience-- evinced in most of this verse. Its principal charms are wit and clearness of thought, with the plays only as mind darts to meet mind, and lucid melodiousness proper to these; but wit thought is made clear by addressing itself to another person's apprehension. In fact, essentially, much of the poetical work of these generations is epistolary. Good letters mostly sincerity, out of respect to one's correspondshow the writer at his worthiest; without inent, one suppresses what it is not so well to say; one is even indecorous, if the occasion seems to permit, with a certain decorum. This kind of human respect" gives to eighteenth century poetry its special character. As Mr. Nichol Smith points out, it is rich in anticipations of the century to come. It is not mere caprice which, from this point of view, singles out the four or five poets who had in them the seeds of madness. By this misfortune they were the less fit for sustained intellectual intercourse, and, not SO intent upon it, were the more open to influences from--so to speak-a greater distance. Smart, well put Blake with them) take something of the range to which the nineteenth century peculiarity which, one guesses, comes from returned in poetry, with a subtle, poignant each man's several consciousness of disparity. In that little brilliant world, by no means over gentle, their inward lot was hard. Several examples of hymns are included here. which witness to yet another side of eighteenth century thought-the manliness in what we may call its normal piety: and the simple intensity of its fervour when that piety was touched with flame. Collins, Cowper, for example (and we may The choice of pieces is undoubtedly good. Chatterton is represented more fully than he is commonly to be found. Pope appears, inevitably, chiefly in fragments; but long pieces where at all fairly possible are included, thus: Swift's Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift'; A Song to David'; John Gilpin.' There are sundry omissions, but none seriously to be regretted, except, perhaps, omission of any verses of Richard West's. Gray's Sonnet to his memory, of course, is here; but as those who have had much to do with Gray and Walpole know, West was a person who meant something special to his contemporaries, and though a small anthology might find no place for him, he might justly claim a page in one so comprehensive as this. S.P.E. Tract No. XXV. On some disputed Points in English Grammar. By Otto Jespersen (Oxford, Clarendon Press. 2s. 6d. net.) 66 DR. JESPERSEN begins with the heartening appears to be a Book of Common Prayer, " announcement of an intention to show that certain constructions in common use, looked upon by prominent English grammarians as either illogical or bad grammar, are in fact neither, but go to prove that popular instinct may be sounder than grammatical reasoning. He discusses to begin with the puzzling genitive in "that long nose of his,' argues that it is not truly partitive, and proposes to call it appositional "; and then gives us an exhaustive little treatise on the use of the commoncase with ing (Thackeray's sentence "I insist upon Miss Sharp appearing "forms his point of departure) in which, upon the authority not only of ordinary speech, but of the greatest names in literature from the early eighteenth century onwards, he sets out to defend the construction against our severer critics-such as Mr. H. W. Fowler, who has recently pronounced it "grammatically indefensible. Dr. Jespersen's argument works down first to a contention that modern speech has outgrown the old grammatical system; secondly, to the suggestion that the word in -ing is both a substantive and a verb, a combination of both not recognized in traditional grammar"; and thirdly that, subjected to grammatical analysis, this construction of -ing with its subject in the common-case should be treated as a nexus," a development regarded as affording distinct advantages. One advantage which he does not dwell on, and which is perhaps not to be ignored, is a certain easy grace about it, to be observed in many instances, and therewith a ponding aptness to arrest attention. corres BOOKSELLERS' CATALOGUES. MESSRS. ELLIS, of New Bond Street, in their Catalogue No. 241 describe some 200 examples of old bookbinding, a large proportion of which consists of fine works calculated to tempt the connoisseur in such things pretty actively. Among the older books we note the black letter Natura brevium,' printed by Middleton in 1544, in its original stamped calf, with Renaissance border and medallion profile busts between Renaissance columns, and the initials M.D. on a tablet at foot (£32). Another sixteenth century specimen-Guevara's Le Favory de Court and Beaugué's L'Histoire de la Guerre d'Escosse bound together-is a volume in an elaborate binding of Lyonnese workmanship (£35). There are several Bibles, of which we may mention a Υπο first edition of Castalion's (Sebastien Châteil-lon's) work, in contemporary calf beautifully ornamented (£125). Among sixteenth century books are to be noted Benlowe's' Theophila," containing all the plates as described by Lowndes and the Grolier Club Catalogue, in. contemporary blue morocco, with the author's. arms in gilt-the binding sound and fresh and the book clean (£150). There are five examples of seventeenth century embroidered binding, of which the best, offered for £35, Bible and Psalms in metre of 1634. examples of "Wotton " binding are William Putten's Duke of Somerset (1548: £105) and the Della Expedition into Scotland' of the Fisonomia dell' Huomo' of Gio. Battista della Porta (1598: £120). Two MSS. may be mentoned: one on vellum, of the XVI century— Plutarque de la Fortune des Romains traduit de Grec en francoys par Arnauld Chandon -a volume bound for Francis I (£58); and an eighteenth century service-book, a lavishly decorated work of calligraphy, executed for Louis XVI or Marie Antoinette, written on paper and bound in olive morocco (£28). The Proceedings and Tryal' of the Seven Bishops as printed for Thomas Basset and William Fox, 1689," is a folio in a fine contemporary binding of red morocco (£63), and finally, to go back to the older books, we may notice de Seyssel's translation of Thucydides into French, printed at Paris in 1527 in a beautiful contemporary binding of olive morocco (£105). " MESSRS. EDGAR H. WELLS & Co., of New York, editions. In their Catalogue No. 18 they set possess a most attractive collection of first out about 350 books "of miscellaneous interest" a considerable number of which are modern. One of those most highly esteemed is A Shropshire Lad' of which they have a first edition in good case, with writing on the fly-leaf which shows that this copy was once given by Horatio F. Brown to T. E. Brown-for this $350 is the price asked; another copy is offered for $300. Of Mr. Thomas Hardy's work we have here only a first edition of The Return of the Native-the 3 vols. in the original cloth (1878: $115). Hudson's The Purple Land,' described as an unusually good copy of the first edition, is priced $300. Of Flecker's work the most important is a first edition of The Bridge of Fire,' with an autograph letter in it (1907: $70); of Mr. Walter de la Mare's we have first editions of the Songs of Childhood' (1902: $185), of Poems (1906: $50), of Peacock Pie' (1913: $32.50), and of The Listeners' (1912: $37.50); and of the work of Mr. John Masefield, eighteen examples of which three of the highest priced are the Ballads of 1903 ($60); The Tragedy of Nan and Other Plays' (1909: $45), and The Widow in Bye Street (1912: $35). Printed and Published by the Bucks Free Press, Ltd., at their Offices, High Street, FOR READERS AND WRITERS, COLLECTORS AND LIBRARIANS. Seventy-Eighth Year. THIRD SERIES.-General Index. FIFTH SERIES.-General Index. 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THE Berlin correspondent of The Observer reports that the Postmaster of the German Cabinet in demission has ordered that the German Gothic script is to be used for addresses on letters and parcels instead of the script used by the rest of the world, which, not indeed, obligatory, has become usual because of its convenience in international postal traffic. This is disliked by all but rabid Nationalists. Schoolmasters, business men and many others have for some time been anxious to abolish the German writing " which it takes the average German child at least six months to learn; and it needs must learn the script of the rest of us besides. It is difficult to imagine what the foreign postman is to do about these letters addressed in German writing. The Nationalists, it appears, consider that the custom of printing titles of newspapers in Gothic print is proof positive that the superiority of the Gothic to Latin in beauty is really acknowledged by all peoples. LOVERS of Charles Lamb will certainly like to hear of the performance of 'Mr. H— by the Islington Antiquarian and Historical Society, which took place at the Central Library, Holloway Road, Islington, on Jan. 14, for the luckless farce has been played so very seldom since the night of Dec. 10, 1806, that each subsequent production may claim some little importance. The play was produced by Mr. Walter Browne. Mr. Walter Jerrold, previous to the parting of the curtain gave a short address on the history of the piece. The prologue was spoken by Mrs. Harris, who took the part of Melesinda; and "Mr. H— was played by Mr. Weeks. The playbill has been kindly sent to us by our correspondent Mr. E. E. Newton, who, on the occasion, exhibited an original playbill of that first (and only) performance at Drury Lane Theatre. THE bicentenary of the death of Sir Isaac Newton is to be celebrated by the Mathematical Association in a three days' meeting at Grantham from March 18 to 20. On March 18 the Mayor of Grantham will hold a civic reception; on March 19 will first be held, under the chairmanship of Dr. J. H. Jeans, F.R.S., the scientific meeting, when addresses will be given by Sir J. J. Thomson, Sir Frank Dyson, Dr. Horace Lamb and Professor G. H. Hardy, and then a pilgrimage will be made to Newton's birthplace, Woolsthorpe Manor House. There will be a celebration dinner in the evening. On March 20 (Sunday) a commemorative service will be held at Grantham Parish Church at which the Bishop of Birmingham is to preach. THE Prague correspondent of The Observer the discovery of the birth certificate of quotes from L'Europe Centrale news of Chopin's father, by the Abbé Evrard, in the parish register of Diarville, a village of Lorraine. Chopin, wheelwright, and of Marguerite He was Nicolas, son of François Deflin his wife of Marainville. Nicolas is said to have left France for Poland at the disputed question of the nationality of age of seventeen. This discovery settles the Chopin. WHEN, in the summer, the moment of the ious to behold it as intelligently as possible eclipse draws near we shall all be anxand to the best advantage. It may be worth Professor H. H. Turner's delightful article while to note beforehand and treasure up in The Times of Jan. 12 giving plentiful general information and advice where to post oneself to see it. To this may be added notes on observation points in the north which will be found in The Times of Jan. 19. A querist in L'Intermédiaire (20-30 décem bre 1926) quotes from the 'Mémoires de la Reine Hortense' appearing in the Revue des Deux Mondes the following account of the origin of the violet emblem of Bonapart ism. |