Newspaper Page Text
I 8 THE SUN, SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 189. II IBOXE HEW BOOKS. Kaasane nab. It It a good many years since wo have received to valuable a contribution to tlio history of po lar exploration as In presented In tho two sump tuous Yolumes collectively entitled Farthttt Xorth, by Dr. FniDTJur Nanbkn (Harpers). Slils U. of course, a record of tho voyage of Iho ship Fram In tho years 1803-flO. Includ Inn the fifteen months' sleigh Journey car rlea' out by Dr. Kanscn and Lieut. .Tohansen. There la an appendix by Otto Svcrdrtip, Captain of the Fram, and tho book contains, besides a portrait of the explorer, numerous photogravures and four limps, about 120 full-pago Illustrations, and sixteen colorod prints, in ordor to nDprcctato precisely what has been accomplished by this v oyage, w e should flrst review very briefly tho annals of Arctic ex ploration and then append a conclso summary of the results attained by Nnnsen, leaving tho reader to follow for himself the details of tlio expedition In theso Interesting pares. It Is well known that the first attempts to penetrate the Arctlo region were made by tho Northmen, and exclusively by son. It (toes with out saying that ships were then 111 adapted to confront tho Ire, and that all nnvlgators, except the Northmen, wore lone loath to uinke the ven ture. The clinker-built pine nnd flr barks of P the old Vikings were nobettcr fitted for thopur- Ipose than were the small, clumsy carat els of the first English and Dutch explorers of the Arctic Ocean. Little by little, however, the Scandina vians learned to adapt their vessels to tho condi tions and with ever-increasing daring they forced them In among the dreaded floos. The uncivil ized polar tribes, however, both thoso that In .t, habit the Siberian tundras and the Eskimo yg!f of North America, had discovered, long before polar expeditions had begun, another and a safer means of traversing the Arctlo regions, to wit, the sledge usually drawn by dogs. I It was In Siberia that this modo of locomo tion was first applied to the service of polar exploration. As early as the seventeenth century the Hussions undertook very- ex tcnslvo sledge Journeys, and they gradually charted the -wholo of tho Siberian coast, from the borders of Europe to Hcrlng Strait. More over they did not morely travel along tho coasts, but crossed the drift Ice Itself to the New Sibe rian Islands, and even went north of them. In America, too, tho sledgo was employed by Eng lishmen at an early day for the purpose of In- vestlgatlng tho shores of the Arctlo seas. Some times the toboggan, or Indian sledge, was used, sometimes that of the Eskimo. It was unJer the leadership of McCUntock that sledge Jour- neys attained their highest development. Whllo the Russians had generally travelled w Ith a large number of dogs and only a few men, tho English employed many more men on their expeditions, and their sledges were entirely, or for the most part, drawn by the explorers them selves. Thus, in ono of the most energetic at M tempts ever made to reach high latitudes, Al- jK bert Uarkham's march toward tho north from J)J! the Alert's winter quarters, there were thirty- it! three men, who had to draw the sledges, Mj though there were plenty of dogs on board jg the ship. The American traveller, Peary, X adopted, on the other hand, a different method of travelling on the Inland ice Djj of Greenland, employing as few men and IS as many dogs as possible. Dr. Kanscn tells S us that the great usefulness of dogs for sledgo 31 Journeys was clear to him before he undertook !! , bis Greenland expedition, and tho reason he did i Dot use them then was simply that ho was una- SSjf ble to procure any sen lceable animals. It ro- SS mains to mention a third mode of travelling to JJS which recourse has been modo in the Arctic regions, namely, boats and sledges combined. A ft fact mentioned in the Sagas is recalled by Dr. '$ ' Kanscn that, for days on end. the old Northmen s had to drag their boats over the Ice In the Green- jjjS land Sea in order to reach land. The first in '' modern times to make use of this means of s locomotion was Parry, who, in his effort to Kg reach the Pole in 1827, abandoned his JJt ship and made his war over the drift ioe north- Si'' ward with boats which he dragged on sledges. H . He succeeded in attaining the highest latitude M (82 45) that had yet been reached; but here the Jeg current carried htm to the south more swiftly JJni than he could advance against It, and he was SX obliged to turn back. Of later years this method w -r of travelling has not been often employed for At the purpose of approaching the Pole. It is, how- j ever, to be noted that Markham took boats with p him on his sledge Journey. Many expeditions "& ' have, through sheer necessity, accomplished jS? long distances over the drift ice in this way In 'MP ' order to reach home after having abandoned or JS lost their ships. Well known examples are the wr t Austro-Hungarian Tegethoff expedition to yf Franz Josef Land and the Ill-fated American ,S - Jeannette expedition. '& We pass to the various points of departure R and Intermediate objectives. The methods of sjgJ advance have, for tho most part, followed four fl-. routes, the Smith Sound route, the sea route be- Wm . tween Greenland and Spltzbergen, the Franz ffip , Josef Land route, and tho Bering Strait route. 5 j In later times the point from which the pole xK , has been most frequently approached Is Smith S?' l Sound, probably because Amorican explorers i'T had asserted that they hod there descried an wg open polar sea extending indefinitely toward iff the north. Every attempt, however, by this jg route was stopped by immense masses of M Ice, which came drifting southward and j plied themselves up against the coast. i( The most Important expedition by tho ;'ig way of Smith Sound was tho English one KV conducted by Korea In 1875-70, tho equip pi ment of which was exceptionally costly. Mark Te ham, tho next In command to Nares, succeeded '$4 I In reaching the latltudo of 82 20', but at the K& , price of enormous exertion and loss, and Nares tS$ was of the opinion that the impossibility of inr , reaching the pole by this route was fully dem lg , onstrated for all time to come. Howover, dur SS . lng tbe stay of the Greely expedition from 1881 JjK to 1884 In this some region Lockwood attained considerably higher record, namoly, 83 21', IS, t the most northerly point upon the globe that -,-M '" Deen trodden by human feet previously to 5g the expedition of which the present work treats. yjj? ' By way of tho sea between Greenland and pfc Spltzbergen several endeavors have been JjV" L made to penetrate the secrets of the domain of '?j ; Ice. In 1607 Henry Hudson endeavored to reach Sjf the pole along the cast coast of Greenland, "jl where he was In hopes of finding an open basin f i and a waterway to the Pacific. Ills progress Ytl was, however, stayed at 73 north latltudo, at a point of the coast which he named " Hold with ' Hope." The German expedition under IColde- f t way (1809-70), which visited the same waters, flM attained, by tho old of sledges, as fur q - north as 77 north latitude. Dr. Nansen i' , Is convinced that, owing to the enormous S$$ ,, masses of ice which the polar current Jt ' aweeps southward along the Greenland coast, g Y this Is one of the most unfavorable routes for an k Arctlo expedition. In his Judgment, a better 5 f routo Is that by Spitsbergen, which was essayed J ,( by Hudson when bis progress was blocked off ih i Greenland. Hero he reached 80 22' north latl- Sal tude. Thanks to the warm current that runs by f? I' the west coast of Spltzborgcn In a northerly '' , direction, tho soa Is kept freo from ice, and, ,Xt ' therefore, tho author of this book pronounces It ;T beyond comparison the route by hlch one can J , the most safely nnd easily reach high latitudes In U , Ice-free waters. Itwas north of Spltzbergen that Bf L Edward Parry mado his abovo-roeutloned at- j tempt In 1827. ',; j,,' Further eastward tho ice conditions aro less lj r propitious, and therefore few polar expeditions ', h have dlreotod their course to these regions. The 6 E original object of the Austro-nungarlan voyage J t'j under Weyprecht and Payor (1872-73) was to H! p feek for tho Northeast Passage; but at thelrdrst Br meeting with the Ico they were set fast off tho Hb I north point o( Nova ZeuiUn, drifted northward, ' I , and discovered l'ranz Josof Land, whence Payer K '' strove tokoepfornardtothonorth vtithslodges, Wp ' and rcachoj 82" B' north latitude ou an island ft t which he named Crow u I'rinco lludulf's Land, t To the north of this ho thought he could see an mm jf extensive tract of land running to about 83 K i north latitude, which be called Petermann's WK '" Land. From Josef Land was afterward twice K ! halted 1 the KnglUh travail w Leleh (Smith, to HBInAif.) f. j -, vjt4WM wwjsisij jSjv2fii SBBBBBShilililBilifiiir 1 Im mil 'f - -' 1-f--- --.i J 1880 and 1881-82; and it is hero that the English Jackson-Uarmsworth expedition Is at present established. The plan of the Danish expedition under Hovgoard was to push forward to the North Pole from Cape Chelluskln along tho cast coast of an extensive tract of Innd which llorgaard thought must He to the east of Franz Josef Land. Ho got stuck fast In the Ico, how ever, In tho Kara Sea and spent the winter there, returning home In tho following year. Only a few endeavors have been mado to roach tho Polo through Dorlng Strait. Tho first was Cook's. In 1770; the last was tho Jeannotto expedition (1870-81) under De Long, a Llou tensnt In the Amerloan navy. Scarcely any where have polar trn oilers been so hopelessly blocked by Ico In comparatively low latitudes. The last-named expedition, however, had a most Important bearing upon that chronicled In theso volumes. De Long himself considered that thcro were three routes to cbooso from Smith Sound, tho cast coast of Greenland, and Ilcrlng Strait; but ho put most faith in tho last, and this was ultimately his selection. His main reason for this chotco was his belief In a Japanese current running north through Ilcrlng Strait and on ward along tho east coast of Wrangel Land, which was supposed to extend far to tho north. It was argued that the warm water of this cur rent would open a way along that coast, pos sibly up to tho Polo. The experlenco of whalers had shown them that, wheuever their vessels woro stuck fast In tho Ice here, they drifted northward; honce it was con cluded that the current generally set In that di rection. "This will help explorers," said De Long, "to reach high latitudes, but, at the samo tlmo, will make it more difficult for them to come back." The truth of these words he him self was to learn by bitter experience. The Joannetto stuck fast In the ice on Sept. 0, 1870, in 71 30' north latitude and 175 0' east longi tude, southeast of Wrangel Land, which pro od to bo a small Island; thence tho vessel drifted with the lee in a west-northwesterly direction for two years, when It foundered June 12, 1H81, north of tho New Siberian Islands, In 77 15' north latitude and 151 50' east longitude, III. Everywhere, then, has the ice stopped the progress of mankind toward the north. In two cases only had ice-bound vessels drifted In a northerly direction, in tho case namely of the Togethoff nnd the Jeannette, while roost of tho others had been swept away from tholr goal by masses of Ice drifting southward. Dr. Nan sen says that, upon pondering the history of Arctic exploration, It early occurred to him that It would be very difficult to wrest their se crets from the unknown regions of Ico by adopt ing the routes and tho methods hitherto em ployed. But where did the proper route Ho I Some time elapsed before ho was able to hit upon an answer to this question. It was In the autumn of 1881 that the authorof these volumes happened to see an artlclo by Prof. Mohn in the Norvregion Moroenblad in which it was stated that sundry articles, which must havo come from the Jeannette, had been found on the southwest coast of Greenland. He conjectured that they must have drifted on a floe straight across the polar sea. It Immediately occurred to Dr. Nansen that here lay the routo ready to hand. If a floe could drift right across tbo un known region, that drift might also bo enlisted in the servlco of exploration. Some years, how ever, elapsed before, in Fobruary, 1800, aftor his return from his Greenland expedition, ho propounded tho ides in an address before the Christlanla Geographical Socioty. In this ad dress, after giving a brief sketch of tho differ ent polar expeditions. Dr. Nansen acknowl edged that the results of theso numerous attempts seemed somewhat discouraging. They appeared to show plainly enough that it Is im possible to tail to the Pole by any route what ever, for everywhere the ice has proved an im penetrable barrier. To drag boats over the un even drift ice, which, moreover. Is constantly moving under the influence of the current and the wind, is beset with equally great difficulties. Tbelce puts such obstacles In the way that those who have endeavored to traverse it do not hesi tate to declare it well nigh impossible to advance In this manner with the requisite equipment and provisions. Had we been able. Indeed, to ad vance over land. Dr. Nansen would, of course, consider this the most certain route; in that case, the Pole could have been reached In one summer by Norwegian snowshoe runners. In our author's opinion, how ever, there is every reason to doubt the existence of any such land. Greenland, In his Judgment, does not extend further than the most northerly known point of its west coast. Neither did he deem it probable "hat Franz Josef Land reaches to the pole; from all we can learn, It forms a group of islands separated from each other by deep sounds, and it appears unlikely that any large continuous tract of land Is to be found there. With regard to the notion that we shall be able one day to reach the Polo by a bal loon, and that it is only a waste of time to seek to got there before that day comes. It Is pointed out that this line of reasoning Is untenable. Even if one could believe that. In tho near or distant future, this dream of travel ling to the pole in an airship would bo realized, such an expedition, how ever interesting it might be from certain points of view, would be for from yielding tbo scien tific results of adequately organized expeditions. So lentiflo results of Importance In all branch o of research can be attained only by persistent observations during a lengthened sojourn In the polar regions, while those attainable by a balloon expedition could not but be of a transitory na ture. Proceeding, then, to answor the inquiry whether there were not other and more practi cable routes than thoso which hod been fnllowod in vain. Dr. Nanson suggested that, if attention were paid to the actually oxlstcnt forces of na ture, with the aim of working with instead of against them, the safest and easiest method of reaching the Pole would be found. Previ ous expeditions having demonstrated tho use lessness of working againtt the curront, wo should see if thore is not a current we can work with. In Dr. Nansen's opinion the Jeannotto expedition was the only one that started on the right track, though it may have been unwitting ly and unwillingly. As we have previously re minded the reader, the Joannetto drifted for two yoars in the ice from Wrangel Land to the New Siberian Islands. Threo years after she hod foundered to tbe north of those islands there were found floating in the drift Ico in tho neigh borhood of Jullanohaab, on tbe southwest coast of Greenland, a number of articles, which ap peared from sundry Indubitable marks to pro ceed from the sunken vessel. These articles were first discovered by tbe Eskimo and were after ward collected by Mr. Lytzen, Colonial manager at Jullanehoab, who published a list of them In the Danith OtographtcalJournnl for 1885. It will be remembered that. In tho United States, when it was reported that these articles had been found, people were very skep tical, and doubts of their gonuineness were ex pressed In the newspapers. In Dr. Nansen's opinion, however, tho alleeed facts could scarcely be sheer Inventions, and ho deemed It sufo to assume that an ico floe bearing these articles from the Joannette had drifted from tho placa where it sank to Jullanehaab. Now, by what route, asked the author of those volumes, did this Ico floo roach tho west coast of Green land I Ho adopted tho belief expressed by Prof, Mohn that It could bnve coma by no other way than across tbo Pole. It could not possibly have come through Smith Sound, as tbe current there passes along tho western side of Baffin's Bay, and It would thus have been conveyed to Baffin's Lund, or Labra dor, and not to the west coast of Greenland, Along tho last-named coast the current flows In a northwest direction, and Is simply a continua tion of tho Greenland polar current, which comes southward along the east coast of Green land, takes a bond around Cape Farewell, and then passes upward along the, w est coast. By this current only could the floe have come. The further question ictnalnsto bo considered; What route did the floe tako from tbe Now Si berian Islands In order to reach tho east coast of Greenland I Dr. Nansen acknowledged it to be conceivable that It might have drifted along the north coast of Siberia, south of Franz .Joitf In4, tip through the sound bttirwa. MMM1iMHaiaj2laagMaH Frant Josef Land and Spltibcrgen, or even I to the south of Spltzbergen, and might after that havo got into the polar current, which flows along Greenland. He oplnod, howover, that if tho directions of tho current in thoso regions woro studied, so far as they had been ascer tained, such a courso would bo found extremely improbable not to say impossible. Having proved this from the Tegethoff drift and many othor circumstances, our author proceeded to point out that the dlstanco from tho Now Si berian Islands to the 80th degree of latitude on the cast coast of Greenland Is 1,300 miles, and tho dlstanco from tho last-named point lo Jullanchatb Is 1,510 mllos, making to gether a distance of 2,000 miles. This dis tance Is known to havo been traversed by tho floo in 1,100 days, which gives n spood of 2.0 miles per day of 21 hours. The tlmo during which the relics drifted after having reached tho 80th degreo of latltudo till they arrived at Jullanehaab can bo calculated with tolerablo precision, as the speed of tho abovo named cur rent along the east coast of Greenland Is well known. Dr. Nanson deemed it fair to assume that tho floo took at least 400 days to cover this dlstanco; there remain, then, about 700 days, representing tho longest posslblo time tho arti cles from tbo Joannetto could havo taken to drift from tho Now Siberian Islands to tho 80th degree of latitude. Supposing that they took tho shortest route, I. r across the Polo, this computation gavo n speed of about tvto miles In 21 hours. On tho other hand, supposing they went by tho routo south of Franz Josof Land and south of Spitsbergen, they must havo drifted at much higher spocd. Two miles In the 21 hours, howover. coincides most remarkably with tho rate at which the Jeannette drifted during tho last months of her voynge, from Jan. 1 to Juno 12, 1881, In this time sho drifted nt an average rate of a llttlo over two miles a day. Dr. Nansen pointed out many other evidences of a current ftonlng across the North Pole from Bering Sea on the ono sldo to tho Atlnntlo Ocean on tbo other, and he arrived at tho con clusion that the plain thing for nn Arctic ex plorer to do was to mako his way Into the cur rent on that side of the Polo where it flows northward, and, by Us help, to pene trato Into those rcslons which nil who have hitherto worked against that current have sought in vain to reach. Our author's plan, then, briefly was as follows: To havo a ship built as small and as strong as possible, just big onough to contain nBtipply of coal and provisions fortwelvomen for flo years. Tho vessel's en gine was to bo powerful enough to give a speed of six knots, but In addition it was also to be fully rigged for sailing. With such u ship Dr. Nansen purposed to tako tho short routo through tho Kara Sea and north to Cape Chelyuskin to the New Siberian Islands. Arrived thore, his intention was, llrst, to ascertain the conditions as regarded currents and Ice, and then to sclzo tho most opportuno moment to advanco, as far as possible, to lec-frco natcr. Next his plan was to choose a fitting placo and moor tho thtp firmly to a sult ablo Ico floe, and then let tho Ice scrowes lift to gether, tho more cloSdy tho better. Hence forth tho northward current would bo the mo tive power, and the ship would havo been trans formed Into a barrack. In this mannor, so our author believed, tho expedition would probably drift across the Polo, and onward to tho sea be tween Greenland and Spltzbergen. It is well known that Dr. Nansen did not actu ally reach tbo Polo, but that his plan was. In othor respects, substantially tarried out was handsomely conceded by Gen. A. W. Greely In UariKr' U'ecktv for Sept. 10, 1890, though ho deemed tho otherwise tlno record of tho oyago marred by tho abandonment of tho From by Nansen, who quitted his comrades on the lco beset ship, hundreds of miles from any known land, with tho Intention of not returning, but of going to Spltzbergen, six hundred miles away, where he felt certain to And a vessel. In Gen. Groely's opinion, Nansen, by this act, deviated from the most sacred duty devolving on tho commander of a naval expedition, and tbe safe return of Capt. Bvordrup with tbe Fram did not relieve the explorer from blame. v. Leaving the reader to follow the course of tills remarkable voyage In the author's narrative, we sum up what are claimed by Dr. Nansen to have been the results of tbe expedition. As re gards, indeed, tho scientific observations brought back, these are so varied and volumin ous that some tlmo must yet elapse beforo they can bo dealt with by specialists and beforo any general estimate of their significance can be formed. Thoso observations will be given to tho world in separate sclcntlflo publications; it is only tho mora Important features of tbem which can bo now pointed out. In the first place. Dr. Nansen considers himself to havo demonstrated that tho sea in the lmmedlato neighborhood of tbe Pole, and within which In his opinion tho Polo Itself, In all probability, lies, is a deep basin, not a shal low ono containing many expanses of land and islands, as people were formerly inclined to as sume. Our author does not hesitate to pro nounce this clrcumpolar sea a continuation of tbe deep channel which extends from the Atlan tic Ocean northward botween Spltzbergen and Greenland. The supcrflclnl extent of this deep sea Is a question which It Is not, nt present, easy to answer, but our nuthor deems himself able to aver that It stretches n long way north of Franz Josef Land and eastward to the Now Siberian Islands. His belief Is that It stretches still fur thor east, as, he thinks, may bo Inferred from the fact that tho more the Jean nctto explorers driftod north, tho greater depth of sea did thoy find. For various rcarons. Dr. Nansen Is led to tho opinion that. In a northerly direction also, this doep sea Is of a considerable oxtcnt. Let us see what theso reasons are. In the flrst place, nothing was observed either during tho drift of tho Fram or during tho sledgo expedition to the north that would point to tho proximity of any considerable stretch of land; the ice seemed to drift unimpeded, particularly in a northerly direction. Tho way In which the drift set straight to tho north as soon as thore was a southerly wind was most striking. It was with the greatest difficulty that the wind could head tho drift bock toward tho southeast. Had there been any considerable oxpanse of land within a reasonable distance to the north. It would have blocked the free movement of tho ico In that direction. Besides, the large quantity of drift .Ice which drifts southward with great rapidity along tbo east coast of Greenland, all tho way down to Cape Farewell and beyond It, seems to point to tho same conclusion. Dr. Nanson was convinced that such oxtcnslve ico fields must come from a still larger breadth of sea than that through which ho drifted. Ho has no doubt that had the Fram continued her drift instead of breaking loose to tho north of Spltzbergen sho would certainly havo como down along the coast of Greenlund. Yet ho thinks that probably she would not have got close In to that coast, but would havo had a certain quantity of Ico be tween her nnd It, which ke, bo thinks, must como from a ecu lying north of the route fol lowed by him. On tlio other hand, it Is pro nounced qulto probublo that land may exist to a consldcruhlu extent on tho other sldeof the Polo, botween tho Pole and tho North Amorican Arch ipelago. It seems to tbo author of this book only reasonable to ussumo that this uiultltuileot Islands must extend further toward tho north. As ono outcome of his expedition. Dr. Nanson thinks that wo can now form a fairly clear idea of tho way In which tho drift Ico is continually moving from one side of tho polar basin north of Ilcrlng Strait and the coast of Siberia, nnd across thercelous surrounding tho Polo, and thenceout toward tho Atluntlo Ocean, Where geographers at one tlmo were disposed to locale a solid. Im movable undmiibsho Ico mantle, covering tho northern extremity of our globe, we now find a continually breaking and shifting oipanso of drift in'. The eklcmo which, ctcn before Ibis expedition had been made, had iuductd our author lo bclluo most strongly in this theory, was supplied by tho Siberian driftwood that is continually bciug carried to Greenland, as well as by tbe mud found on tho Ico, which could scarcely bo of other than Siberian origin. Dr. Nansen found several Indications ot this kind. , area when he was a far north, as 80, furnish- HMHiaeMSHSjsjHMsjf lng valuable suggestions as to the movement of tho lee. As to the force which set this Ice In mo tion, this, we are assured. Is certainly, for the most part, supplied by the wind; and, as in the sea north ot Siberia, the prevailing winds are southeasterly or oastcrly. whereas, north of Spltzbergen, they are northeasterly, thev must carry tho Ico in tho direction in which our au thor found tho drift. From the numerous obser vations made by him he established, however, the existence of a slow current In the water under the Ice travelling In the samo direction. It will be some time, nevertheless, before the results of these investigations can be calculated. II. The hydrographlo observations mado during tho voyage and sledge Journoy havo furnished some surprising data. For Instance, It used to be customary to look upon the polar basin as filled with cold water, the temporaturo of which stood somewhere about 1.5 Centigrade. Dr. Nansen's observations, on the other hand, show that, under the cold surface, there was warmer water, sometimes at a temperature as high as 1 Centigrade, Again, this subsurface water was more briny than tho water of tho polar basin has beon assumed to be. In our author's opinion, the warmor and more strongly saline water must clearly origi nate from the warmer current of the Atlantlo Ocean (tho Gulf Stream) flowing in a northerly and northeasterly direction off Nova Zcmbla and along tho wost coast of Spltzbergen, and then diving under the colder but llghtor and less briny water of the polar sea, and Ailing up tho depths of tho polar basin. As Dr. Nanson has stated In tho course ot his narrative, this mora briny water was, as a rule, warmest at n dopth of from 200 to 250 fathoms, beyond which It would decrease In temperature, though not uniformly, as tho depth Increased. Near tho bottom the temperature roso again, though only slightly, Theso hydrographlc observations seem to modify to a not inconslderablo extent tho theories hitherto entertained as to the di rection of the currents In the Northorn Sea, but this, of course, is a difficult subject to deal with, Inasmuch as there Is a great mass ot materials, and an exbaustivo treatment of it will require both time and patience. Such a treatment is, therefore, relegated to later scientific publica tions. Still less does Dr. Nansen enter In tho volumes before us upon a discussion of the numerous magnetic, astronomical, and meteoro logical observations made. He merely submits, at tbo end of the work, a table showing the mean temperature for each month during the drift of tho Fram and tho sledging expedition. On the wholo. our author thinks it may be said that, although his expedition has left many problems for tho future to solve in connection with tho polar area, it has nevertheless gone far to lift the veil of mystery which has hitherto shrouded tho Arctic regions and has placed in telligent men in a position to form a tolerably clear Idea of a portion of our globe that formerly lay In darkness, penetrable only by tho Imagina tion. Should wo at no distant day obtain a blrdseyo vlow of tbo regions around the Pole, as seen from a balloon, all the most material fea tures will bo familiar to us. No doubt, how ever, there still remains n great deal to be Investigated, and this can be done only by years ot observation, to which end. In Dr. Nan sen's Judgment, a new drift like that of tbe Fram would bo invaluable. Guided by our au thor's experience, explorers will bo In a position to equip thcmsolvos still better; yet a more con venient mrthod tor the scientific examination of unknown regions cannot be easily imagined. On board a vessel of the kind employed In this In stance explorers may settle themselves qulto as comfortably as in a Axed scientific station. They can carry their laboratories with them, and the most delicate experiments ot all kinds can be carried out. Dr. Nansen hopes that such an expedition may bo undertaken era long, and If It goes through Bering Strait and thence northward, or perhaps slightly to tbo north east, he will be very much surprised, he tells us. It observations are not taken which will prove of far greater scope and importance than those made by himself. For such an expedition, how ever, patience will be required; the drift will be mora protracted than was that of the Fram, and the explorers must be well equipped. There Is yet one other lesson, which, in our author's opinion, his expedition has taught, namely, that a good deal con be achloved with small re sources. Even If explorers have to livo In Eskimo fashion, and content themselves with tho barest necessaries, they may make good headway provided they are suitably equipped, and cover great distances In regions which have hitherto been regarded as almost inaccessible. M. W. H. Ik narvePa Buk. It is now about forty years sine " The Ftcr eries of a Bachelor" was published, and at once gave Mr. Donald G. Mitchell rank in the very small group of American writers who were rec ognized on both sides of the Atlantic as masters of an English stylo. We have since beard from him but seldom, but a cordial welcome is as sured for his new book, American Isinds and Lttters (Scribncrs'). As theauthor tells us In tbo preface, no American writer is hero dwelt upon whoso blrthdate belongs In tho present century. The-restrictlon, however, permits him to discuss many contributors to American literature who w ere well known to many persons still living for example, Washington Irving. William Cul len Bryant, William II. Prescott, Fitz-Greeno Hallock, Joseph Hodman Drake, IUchard Dana, and James Fenlmore Cooper. In the earlier chapters, we read of tho naturalist Audubon; of Brockden Brown, the novelist; of Joel Barlow, authorof the Columblad; of Thomas Paine and of Jonathan Edwards. Upon the principal works of all these writers Mr. Mitchell discourse briefly, but with characteristic Insight and felicity. We shall review bis references to the authors named in chronological order, repro ducing such expressions of opinion as seem con spicuous for lntrinslo value or forthedlstlnctlve point of view. I. The section devoted to Jonathan Edwards is embellished with od engraving of an admirable portrait. Touching this picture, Mr. Mitchell re marks: " What a great calm and plaoldlty that would seem proof against all ruffling in the long, regular, benign, oval face wbloh the cheapest engravings cannot distort from Its serene like ness! Yet," adds the author, "if there was no boyish appetite for pranks, there was a rich fern inlno quality that put refining touohes Into his altitudes of reasoning and which set its graces among the severities of his logic No grossness, no dealing with foul metaphors, even when he dealt out damnatory thunders; and bis Inex orable Calvinism was, with all Its harsh ness, high savored; so that oven tbe coals on which malefactors in Adam were put to the broil had tho cool purities of hoaven blowing over them." It is well known that Jonathan Edwards, after preaching for twenty-four years In tho Church of Northampton, was dismissed as he was nearlng 50, with a largo family, and with poverty staring him In the face. To Mr. Mltcholl, "there Is something very pathotloln tho notion of this groat, flno mind, the most metaphysical, the searchlngest of his day tho purest life, too driven out Into tho back woods region to bandy phrases with young barbarians and consult with Sir William Pcpperoll about turning the New England Primer Intojsome Mohegan tongue." It will bo remembered that his friends evontually pro cured for EJwards nn appointment to a mission amongst the Indians about Stockbrldge. Most of us now, looking back upon the hardships im posed on a groat man, think that tbo people of Northampton descrvo severe reprobation, Mr. Mitchell, however, bhows himself able, as was Dr, Holmes, to appreciate their point of vlow. " I eupposo," bo says, " that those zealous church committee men under tho shadow of Mount Itolyoko regarded Jonathan Edwards as n sort of mild, religious abomination, vory sot In his n)s (which was largely truo), Ho was not affable either (when tho heat of in tense thinking was on him); dealing to dally in short sentences (and not many of them); not sparing the rod In his household; rigid with tbe Westminster Assembly's Shorter Cato chlsm on every Saturday evening; never allow ing his boys oat of doors after 0 o'clock at night) and U any Bultwr of bis daughters tarried bwani . that hour he wss mildly but peremptorily In formed that It was time to lock up the house." Among those suiters, wo aro remlndod, was a Mr. Hurr, who came to bo President ot tho Colleiro of Now Jersey at Prlncoton, and whoso son, Aaron Burr, n grandson of Jonathan Edwards, had In later dos a way of staying out after 0. In regard to Thomas Palno our author spenks with nice discrimination. Ho Is pronounced "wonderfully clover; with rare art in making old ttuths bristle! who poured out epigrams In showers and had a special gift of arguing." Elsewhere It is conceded that ho did good work for American Independence when his tractate "Common Senso" and hit quiet, keen reason ings counted llko an army, and that oven his much maledlcted "Ago of Itcason" contains memorablo pass-iocs. Nevertheless, It Is sug gested that It would havo been well for Paine If ho had perished in tbe Helen of Terror, when ho only escaped tho gulllotlno by a long chalk mark on the door of his coll. "When," says Mr. Mitchell, "wo consider tho dignity, tho elevation und the reasonableness ot so much that he says in his argumenti for tho separation of the colonics from England, and the many pas sages even In tho Ago of Itcason, ono hardly knows how to account for tho ribaldry which be longs to so many of his later writings; ribald about Old friends and boncfuctors; ribald about religion; ribald about tho public which hid hon ored him. Joalous, morbid, crazed by his vani ties; his clover mind, at intervals, blazing through tho clouds and foulnesses which his own dissipations and selfish nrroganco had created; dying, at last, after long stages of drunkenness, and, as many report, wlthanoso as bloated as Bardotph's." II. Joel Barlow, dimly remembered as tho author of "Tho Hasty Pudding" nnd tho cplo "Colum blad." was not only n poet in his way, but also, as Mr, Mitchell recalls, nn "ambitious and mammon-seeking" man, who. aftor eighteen years of residence on tho other sldcof tho Atlan tic, returned to America very rich nnd very French, and built a beautiful country house, still standing on the banks of tho Potomac, near Washington. Ho dlod nn Ambassador to France. It is not generally known that, when a chaplain In the Continental army, bo was employed by tbo Connecticut authorities to revamp and mako musical tho old Psalm book; some ot his versions met with groat faor, and, wo are told, aro still to be found In tbo ac credited psalmodies. As for tho ambi tious and elaborate "Columblad," flno print, and paper, and illustrations, and Paris elabo ration still left it a stnlo and heavj book. " Wo ore more proud," remarks Mr. Mitchell, "of a good many others of tbo Hartford coterie than of Barlow: yet I think ho has been unduly abused. John Adams, In a letter to Washington (Octo ber, 1708), when alluding to a paper of Barlow 'a. Is somewhat rash w hen ho sajs: 'Tom Palno is not a more worthless fellow,' and continues: 'It Is not often wo mcot with n composition which betrays so many and so unequivocal symptoms of blackness of hoart.' But that was In the mtddlo of n political campaign. No such excuse belongs to somo modern historians who have put him Into the glare of an abusive and damna tory rhetoric." Discussing Charlos Brockden Brown's ven tures In fiction, tho authorof this book points out that tho scene of tho noicl "Arthur Mer vyn"lslaldin tbo tlmo U07) when the yellow fover devastated Philadelphia and New York. Of the rat ages of this scourge Brown had full personal knowledge. He had himself been sub ject to attack, and had watched over tbo fatal issue in tho case of some of his dearest friends. Mr. Mitchell considers Brown's description of the street scenes in Philadelphia as wonderfully vivid; they almost take rank, ho thinks, with Defoe's story of the London plague. There are certain chapters "whose details surpass in hor rible truthfulness all the newest French exposi tions of realism." There Is, howover, no well evolved story In "Arthur Mervyn;" It might stop n hundred pages before It ends, and tbe au thor says that he finished it with the same sens of relief and of fatigue with which we might got up from a long and disorderly game of chess, In which the knights hnd cone on crary gallops and the bishops nil moved awry, with only a stale mat i at tho ir.d. Some interesting pages are devoted to John James Audubor, ths author of "Tho Birds ot America," which cost $100,000 to publish and for each copy o" which an original subscriber pild a thousard dollars. Unlike Alexander Wilson, who, nlthougb a native of Scotland, may be termed an American naturalist, Audubon had been reared in luxury. Born in Louisiana of a French father, who was In tho French royal navy, and of a mother who was of Spanish blood, changes, adventures, perils, loses, and sufferings had belonged to him all his life. "As a boy, ho had wandered under tbo tropin tangles of San Domingo; and, his mother losing her llfo thcro In a negro ineurrcction, ho had gone to Paris and had been taught art there In thestudy of tho great David; had gono thi-nco to a country placoof his father on the Sih ijlklll; hnd aston isned the natives thereabouts with his French graces, his satin short clothes, his hynclnthlno locks; bad mad.- conquest of tho charming daughter of nn English neighbor, IUkewell; had been counselled by his future father-in-law to lay tho basis of an assured future by going Into trade; had gone into trade and had miserably failed in It; had allowed n fortuno lcfi by his father to slip through his slippery, generous, nnd most impracticablo Angers; had married; had kopt nrlro all his naturnlistia love begun In tho tropics; had mido his country house on the Schuylkill n museum of most beautiful, unsulablo things; had tried a venture aw milling, nnd failed; merchandising again, nnd failed; his partners nil riddled him; his friends nil loved him and tho birds all sans to him." Mr. Mitchell goes on to obsero that if Audubon yearned for money it was only to spend it; " to spend it on homo luxuries and on tho first Interesting poor roan he might onoounlor. He was full ot endurance, capable o! all manner of fattguo; could tramp through swamps or forests, or swim rivers In his bird-bunts, no had an ineffaceable love for tho picturesque; would norer set up a heron or a hawk (which ho stuffed with consnmmato skill), save in tho most plo turesque of attitudes, and was as Insistent upon tho picturesque in his own hair, his bat, his small clothes, or his Jorkins. But in those early days of our nationality It did not pay to bo pic turesque; 'tis doubtful If It docs now. Finding his domestic livelihood Imperilled, ho taught drawing, took portraits, taught music, taught dancing oven, and there aro stories of hlsaston lshtnga great assemblage of young.Mlsslsslppians (at Natchez, I think,) with his flamboyant graces In tho ballroom, flddlo bmv in hand, and his locks and toilet of last Parisian chic. His wife, a woman of most admirable prudence and sagacity, was always a governing hulanco wheel; and It was largely through hor wlso sav ings and hor urgenco that hesturted for England to negotiate for the publication of thoso amaz ingly llfo-llko bird pictures which had been growing in number yonr by year In his portfolio nnd which nro now, nnd always will be, so honor ably associated with tbo unmo ot tho great naturalist." III. The author recalls that between 1817 and 18.10 he caught sight, on one or two occaslons.of James Fonlmoro Cooper strolling along Broadway somewhere between Cortlundt and Chambers streets, "a heavy, stalwart man, with a little ot tho sailor's swing In his gait and nn unmistak able air of ronsoquenco, as of ono who had pluj od his part, and a Homcwhnt noisy and Important part. In thn gnmo of llfo." Of Cooper's soa stories Mr. Mltcholl bays: "It's next to being on tho ocean to road tuch descriptions of strults and tempests. And it is next to being one's self a party to a Bca bittlo to watch Tom Coffin, begrimed with powder, pljlnir his Ions gnu nnd to seo the white smoko and tonguouf lire leap from tho uiuzzlo, Indi cd, thcro Is no Btay, no prolixity, no dulnts, when who Cooper has us fairly offshore. And his sailor's talk unfailingly brings to mind odors of tar and tho uneasy swaying of ship's decks." It is not, in truth, under a bonnot or behind a fan that wo mustjjhxik for Cooper's best work, but in his sea r tale Jadfomttttfos, Even somo ot the latter r nro wearisome In placest good deal of the dul ness of "The Pioneors" Is attributed by Mr. Mitchell to tho feminine figures wo encounter In that story: "Cooper's women aro never UD to tho level of his men; and his wildest men nnd unkempt onoa are al ways better than his tnmo onoa, who, by a fiction, nro supposed to wear tho graces of civil ization. As for tho women, young or old, thoso graeos of civilization go to smothor them sadly. Thoy moan well: thoy havo good figures; thoy talk with propriety; they think only proprieties; they nro gentlo; they havo, bo tells us, beautiful eyes, beautiful hands, may be, musical volcos very likely; they aro womon wo should un failingly entertain n high regard for, women wo should lift our hat to with a re spect that would be unctuous In quality; virtuous and correct young women, fairly Intelligent joung women; but not vivacious, not piquant; jouiic women with whom, If It came to a matter of talk and of entortatn lng or being entertained, we should be smitten with a desire to slip Into tho next room." In Mr. Mitchell's opinion, there Is no American author, scarcely any popular author, who loses so llttlo by translation as docs Cooper. Tho charm that lies In light, graceful play of language about trifles Is unknown to him. After glancing at tho pitiful story of Cooper's lawsuits, Mr. Mitchell obscrvos that Cooper was not sustained in his hour of trouble by a multi plication of friendships: "Death had removed many of his old messmatos; now ones weronot attracted by a man who profossed contempt for opinions. Of Now Englandlsm, ho had licen always shy, affecting disdain for persons of New England antecedents; perhaps moved thereto by his mlscarriago at Yale, or, more likely, by tho aggressive churchmanshlp bo a1wn)s maintained, and which, In thoso times, held I tsolf up against New England's Congregationalism very much as a blooded bull terrier confronts a stout, surly house dog of bigger shapo but of shorter lineage." Our author adds that Cooper's residence In tbo country, which ho lovod, held him aloof from tow n festivities. His intimacies with prominent literary men were not pro nounced or numerous. IV. Of Ttlcbard n. Dana, author of "The Bucca neers," who becaino an intimate friend of Bryant, and was himself a poet, though nover of great popularity, Mr. Mitchell gives a sample, "as one might tako down for show on old bit of pottery of a style gono by, but very graceful and exquisitely workod." He thinks tho quality of tho verses quoted they are about a lit tle beach-bird will explain tbe intimacy of Its author with the writer of the "Than atopsls" and with tho writer of "Lines to a Water FowL" It, H. Dana, as we know, lived to a great age, dying In 1870, being then 02 years old; Mr. Mitchell says that he bad a venerable aspect and the tremors of ago before he was 00. The author of this book cannot understand "how this singularly philosophic mind, with its subtlo reaches Into the realms ot poesy, should bo almost out of sight now; cer tainly, his verse or prose ore far less known than those v lvid, Defoe-like sketches ot 'Two Years Beforo the Mast,' which subsequently gave reputation to his son." Fitz-Oreene Halleck is depicted as a genial and sunny-faced poet, who, although born In 1790, used not many yoars since to stroll up and down tho streets of Guilford, Conn., carryinff with a blithe step tho gayctlcs ot youth under tho weight of fourscore years. A clerk in a country store, ho supplemented his common school education with the reading of poetry, es pecially that of Campbell. Eventually ho be came an adept In tbo French language, and learned to pay a gracious compliment with an easy courtesy more Galllo than American. When, deserting bis Connecticut villace, he Invaded New York, he continued, we are told, for a time " to fire off his little squibs anon ymously In corners of newspapers; but not until he had formed a sort of literary copartner ship with Drake, the author of that exquisito bit of fancy work, The Culprit Fay," did Hal lock make himself popularly known. These two, under the title of Croaker, Croaker, Jr., or Croaker Si Co,, contributed certain satirical verses to tho old Ertning Pott, which were of a wholly new quality and were immensely ad mired. They were talked of by politicians no less than by society people, and. when tho secret of authorship, for some time carefully concealed, was traced, Drake was famous and Hallock was famous." Wo are reminded that, in theso Croaker papers, first appeared that flaming apos Lropho to tho American flag: Wben Freedom from her mountain helxas Unfurled be r standard to the air, 8be tare the uure robe of Ntgbt And set the stars ot (lory then. Mr. Mitchell thinks that for Halleck'swork " ebullient" is the word. " It bubbles from him; there's no air of strain, hardly any traces of re vision or labor. Tho knowledge he had and it wns not small either in classlo reading or in poetry ho caught on tho wing, as we catch but terflies, and with tho same airy grace, I doubt not, with which ho whips it into ser vlic." Our author recalls from personal ex pericnoo that "his conversation was of the same quality. Words of the aptest significance and of most musical bnlauco slipped from his lips as a brook flows; sparkling with bright epithets, tinBllugwith gay mockery. Old Mr. Astor, for whom bowas for very many years confidential clerk, and who left him from his vast fortune a beggarly annuity of $200, was delighted to havo him at his table; so. Indeed, was every one clso w ho loved bright, cheery, witty talk." It seems that "years after ho had grown weary of social flattery and of social conquests, he might havo been found of an afternoon in a corner of a little French cafS in Warren street. New York, do lighting those fortunate enough to havo his companionship. Ho never overwrote; the little ho did he did wondrously well. It is only a small book wo havo from him. but its ring is its own, and Its eohoes will last," v. To Washington Irving, as Is fitting, a com paratively large amount ot apace la devoted. Ho is among the few authors brought to our notice In this volume who were natives of the city of New York. There are, so Mr. Mitchell avors, elderly people still living who remember the peaked gables ot the old house In William street, upon the west side, where tbe authorof tho "Skotch Book" was born, and thero nro many more w bo can recall vividly the tv. inklo of tho oyo with which the old gentleman In tho later years of his life used to tell of his boj ish esca pades over this or that loft and through this or that window for a run to tho near theatre in John street. Mr. Mitchell thinks that this mis chievous propensity In tho lad was not a lit tle quickened by tho severe dlsclpllno of the father, Doacon Irvlug, who bold all playhoues in detestation, nnd looked with a frown upon all Sunday reading In his household beyond thoCxt ochlsui and lllblo stories. or, what w us a delight ful exception, Bunyan's " Pilgrim's I'mrc-ts," ForBome cause Washington Irving did not havo tho Innings at Columbia College vvhlili his elder brothers had enjoyed. Instead, ho went into a law ofilcu, relieving tho tedium of legal studios by writing newspaper squibs, under tho pon name of "Jonathan Oldatjlo," and relieving It still more by u memorablo first trip up tho Hudson, on a visit to somo kinsfolk in what irero then tho wilds of northern New York, Mr, Mittholl recalls tho in teresting fuct that, in 1818, when tho mercuntllo house. In w hlch Washington Irv lng was an orna mental partner, failed, his elder brother had secured for him a secretaryship In the United States Nuv Department, 1th a sulury of $2,500. Irving, however, decllnod absolutely tho ap pointment, and Bet himself to tho task ot working his wuy upwurd by his pen. Subsequently, as It Is well known, ho ncceptod tho socreturyshlp of tbo American legation In London, and, In 1842, whs appointed, ut tho Instuuco ot Daniel Web ster, Minister to Spain. "Wo may safely," says tho author of this volume, "count Washington Irving ns the best holoveil umong American authors; his character wan eo clean, his lauguago ho full of grace, his sympathies so true and wide and his humor so genuine and abounding, His books nil beam with a kind liness that should not, and will nevor le, for gotten," Recoiling a visit which bo made to Irvine at Bimuyalde,.Mr, Mitchell note that "no financial anxieties disturbed his later years- H tho revonuo from his books wns large, ho cnuM HaB and did, make his old generosities more lavish; ll his hospltalltlos were free and heart , be lore 1 I KB thopartof entertainer mid graced it, IIImho.U lKS of lit lng showed aqulot elegance, but wn net or m& ostentatious. At tho head ot his table, in Ins Wm sunny, southwest room, cheered by tho prc-rnc ( MM of old friends, his spcoch spirklcd with younz B vlvncltles, and his arching brow nnd n nhun- l& steal light In his cjo foretold and exalted every '.?' sally of his humor," I f Especially worth reading, too, is what the an- M' thorhas to say about W, II. l'rcsiott, tho hlsto- Mt rian. No nttctnpt. Indeed, is nndnto en ,rii JPi ' Prcscotl's books. It Is loncedcd that " they fl MS1' permanent placo In our literature: but, for mr 1, own part, I cannot belli wishing thit be !mi' , JJ Into them somowhat less of rouvuntlnn.il his- lr toric dignity iitul pomp of language, Usi ,( ,,,. "' norous Litlnll), mid more of sharp .ixonlvnu I V less of tho Btnrchcd buckram of crc-it flno' i writers, nnd more of tho fluint, eiir S1 grilles which ho pours over his Journals raw-' nnd his letters. But ho was nlwavs n stioklnr Ii-i fur cllquctto from n swnllnw-tallerl mu to mi&l tho lingering of u wineglass." It Is a tri Mix not genurnllj known, but hero mentioned (but V)m tn n prlvato letter written when enmged on his VIS Spanish studies Prescott says: "Dr .lolmwm 'MK declares. In his 'l.lfo of Milton,' that no Uli.d msS man can write n history." Mr. Mitchell iiitr- IM. (tests that this dogmatic utterance of the c.-c,'t IkSi lexicographer may havo prompted an ambition BfTO to discredit nnd iiiiiuil It on tho part of the lounz Isffi historian. It Is certain that Prcscotl's books ars Ill&s still well nccrciltcd, nnd no explorer In'lierv IwS elons he traversed with his crippled slirhtvvrin- lGl dors thither without making them his torn- BtS nan Ions and ituldcs. Ilia Incident to winch 1421 Prescott owed his loss of sight Is reeounted In ssfil this volume. It occurred during his Junior v-rar vKw ut Harvard. Thcro was a students' trolic la tht w college commons, a battlo of brcad-throwlnj In sfaF' thu courso of which a hard chunk of ert ifji, struck Prescott full In tbo left eve and felled "H him to the ground. There was no apparent ijg wound, but tho sight in that eye was gone for- .3? ever, and there were periods afterward when "j through sympathy or rheumatism, the v Islon of $ bis other evo was clouded and be was almost " utterly blind, VI. The author of this book knew Bryant we'd an! V tho description of tho lattcr'a personal traits a forms one of the most interesting features ot this collection of studies and reminiscences. After polntingout that within three or four years after Ji tho poet's death his interest in the Evening Past, 4 which he had virtually created, was sold for t" something over RIOO.OOO. It tz nirceteH tKo. the result soems to giro, proof of a shrewdness and farsightedness which wo are not opt to a1 tribute to poets. "Shrewd he unquestioned v wns, with a New Hollander's quick eye to the 'main chance:' but back of this, and larcer than this, thcro was in him an intre pidity, n persistence, a love of Justice, a flood of humano sympathies which, more than anv trad ing alertness, took him nnd his Journal upon roads which led to permanent favor and to per manent fortune. Ho was under, rather than over, tho average height, with a firmly Lnir ' figure, quick in his motions, capable or lar;a TJ fatigues: counted by most an austere man. c-er- fl tainlr not given to easy and uncalled for smile; weighing well his words, except some swift current of vexation he could not conquer spoiled, for a moment, his habitual calmnes: not making friends easily, and never tro ing on a BtUM.unt for them; never bunt ing at all. Indeed, In tho usual sense, with cither dog. or ;run, or whlpper-In; yet enjorlnr other and larger hunts through word-books 'and m tbologics nnd Wordsworthian ranees of skl-s and of worlds beyond skies." Of Bryant Mr. Mitchell further tells us that "ceremonr h abhorred with nil Its trappings, never seeking , H. - willingly the men or the occasions which in- JSf. volvedltordemandedlt. Hence he was. less thsn rjfi most men of his position and influence. In hsbits V of social intimacy with officeholders or with thoc high placed or walled about with con vcntlonal paraphernalia of whatever sort. Refin ing office himself, or chance of office, verv much by reason of this shuddering dislike ot ceremonial surroundings, or of any dignities that demanded them; almost Quakerish In bis allegiance to the simple mrtim and tuum or yea and nay of per sonal Intercourse. All eloq uence and decorative exploitations of speech be Kept for rare banquet Biwcchcs, or for the rhythmic utterances which lifted language out of the region of con vention." Br) ant was often acrid in bis political writings; almost fierce: and ba carried his Impetuosity and strong preju dices persistently. His verv kindnesses in vitednounctionofgratltude. There was no flat tery In bis speech or his approaches; he scorned tbo conciliatory, fondling ways of those who K make themselves popular favorites. Neverthe- 7 less, Mr. Mitchell testifies that. " with alL.be was gentle. Few of tbe world which encountered him day by day knew where the gentleness lav, or how and In what terms it declared itself. Wo do not lift that veil." Nevertheless, the opinion is expressed that Bryant wronged himself in this matter, and. unwittingly, made the ways of access to his Inner and truest kindnesses un necessarily rough ways for outsiders or for even old acquaintances to travel. s THE ZBISJI ZAXDZOBD3. Tna ConaeQenca of tile Lana Acta raaslse Them Mneh Alarm. BELTiST. April 2. The landlords of Ireland are at last awaking to the fact that the ground ' alippUg frcm under their teat in aore senses than one, Accordlnzly. they have resolved tn hold a great meeting of landlords, mort gagees, and land agents in Dublin on Apr.! "J JS3 for the purpose of bringing pressure to bear o-i VU the English Government to induce it to n" 'i point a rcyal commission to inquire ntn tra Y rlshts and wrongs of the Irish landhe ien. I This step is the first it Is proposed to utt l A resoon:e to the hint thrown out by Lrf al - bury a few weeks ago when, reply ulc i H deputation of landlords, he said that if they I wanted ant thine thev must agitate. I It is dawning on them at last that the virtual IL. result ot tbe successive land acta Is to turn yfit thrm from substantial owners into uncertain K rent receivers. Tbia hxa been put to thero. w rather crudely bv one of their own ol.'ef o- m cans, and has created a rood deal or alarm by the disaereeablo rrospect it opens no, ;Thf H alarm is a'.t the greater because It la the acticn ot the present Government in England, vrh'ch tbt) worked enersetlcall) to put in poaer that Is bringing ou them tbe culminating disater of beim: loft solely dependent on rrnts difficult of collection and liable at any moment H lo be f.weptn by some economic caufa or treat p litical change. The Belfast .evs-I.r1ter. a throueh and through supporter of Lord Salisbury's Gov- B eminent, bluntly opens a recent leadinc ar- ?& tide on tbe subject bv tellinc b landlords lly that, "Judcini; from the replies of the Chief rJJ Secre'arr .o Mr J. Colomb and Mr. Caron. th (B Irish landlords may begin t" Drepare for N eviction." The alluIon lit tn questions afked by those two gpr.tlenicn of Mr. Herald Balfour H as to nhether tbe Land Commisiion in dxlne Hj new rents bad laid down any principle Utoa which they were granting reductions on rente previously fixed. Mr. Balfour was understood to sar that the commissioners were in nn wav required to lay down anv principle, and when further Dressed H ns to whether tliek wero not bounl to arlve H some rca-on for their dectlons, Mr, Balfour replied. "N'o, sir, not further than is lnd down in the act." and that Is. not at all. Tba H XtitS'Mtrr. cnmmentlng on the situation, H t-avs tb.it the re-ult of the proceedings ot the H Government Is to condemn the landed prorrl. Mk etors tn becgarr. but it throws the blame of it fn on thn landlords themselves, who cut thn rl lKl o beat their ow n backs when they cave a bilr.il K". and ui.ionditlnnal support to Lord Hallshmr mil at the last election. ".Kst of the proprietor " Otjf Mirsthe Xeict-Lttttr. "have bought the!' t late-, under the sanction of acta of I'arilan r '. (S What did thev buy? Was It ucrelr tl e r l- t K to li-ninr rent receivers? If they bom.' "e H soil and Its inherent raiuu Itlrs. wrh u e men H tailed Land Commissioners appointed to rut and carve their properties without hail'ii'nnv fixed prlnclplo of action? It Is no argument to ASN point tn reductions nt rent In England, l-cai Hfl there tho landlords have opportunities to Wl) make monev that our poor landlords have not 9f Take, for example, the Mu'qtitsol r-ali-hurv. Ml Ho Is n go d landlord and has made large re. duct.ons In his rout roll, but think of the il u- M sands of pounds terllng the State pa's to hi u and members of his family for nutting 'he Conservative party under a cloud, and lat r- lng tn give us Home rule Instead of home ru '. The nnltrv ns regards the landlords of Irilanl m is lo get them down und keep them do" n ' For a 1'nloiilst paper, this Is uoi "Z, ' . . shows to what we are drifting. So far ns nnr JP leui'llt tn tlio landlords of Ireland Iron, t a agitation they nro aliout starlit t Ix-uurri mfn It (nines too laic, '1 hey cannot expect the 1 ng- KJ llsh Parliament to go bat k to proicc-tlm. u mm agricultural tuuducts for tbel-saUn. nnd t.. W Knglish people will never consent lo be. tux ' to compensate thini fur tbe lnsns due to thi-i- own want ot Intelligence, and, us fn init- H showed by ilie heartless evictions nf their ten H ants, a vvantof the common feellugs id 1 H inanity. The only chance there was left H t'wm, that of making common cano Hh t m Nationalists, has apparently nassi-d ana), f r 1 there aro symptoms Indicate Id di-mnnftr. H tolns provoked by the diamond jubllir nt t' H Queen that tho virulent fietlnc ngnni"! I" g H land that has always lioni a mark". I rratuie t Mm thu Irish lower middle, class is giving ani t VB miirn moderate nntimenls. 'llie nre feel t L JmYS the benrllt ir the bixiliatliiii nf the landhr eaa MUd of 111" power of the Imllnt. In a wav 'i mm lupaeiicd in Poland after the in urrectit n ' m lhil I has coiiio tu Pass in Ireland 'Iln in nei a H ukase that si ripped the I'nll'li noble- i mm turnod lliu truants Into iriipnotnra has t mm Its cn'Mitcrpari In th successive land act tns' m aro eliminating I ho old iniidlnrd class In Ire land anil If Ilia people nf Ireland are not ren JUM dered etruslvely loval bv It, there la et less in- jH .'llnatlon a nong tbem than there was a quartnr jB or a century ago to resort to physical force fat , FfM the redrtas of grievances, ' fW. m ! mi mi. ' i I. in ii .jui... i ,. snatSBBl