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73C TUB NEW YORK TIMES SATURDAY REVIEW. NOVEMBER 5, 180S. 1 LONDON LITERARY LETTER. Written for Tnu Nsw Ton Tuts by William L. Aldan, Author of BhootUnc Biara aa Obaorwd from the 8Uth Column of Tn Naw Toms Time.

LONDON. Oct 2a Mr. W. J. SUllman's "History the Union of It!" extendi from 1813 to It Is a small volume and of necessity there moat bo a great deal of condensation when the history of eighty years is compressed Into a single elx-ahllling book.

But In spite of tba brevity with which the author la compelled to treat bis aubject, the book la far and way the beat history of the period that haa yet been written. haa spent many years In Italy. He was at one time United States Consul at Rome, and i tor the last doien years he haa been The Times's cor-- respondent at" In the great dayi of-184S Mr. Stlllman was la close connection with the Italian pa-, triota, and had his share In the conspiracies of the He was, then an ardent Republican ad Radical, but he now sees clearly that the men and measures of the Moderate Party were Taatly wiser than those of the Radicals. Mr.

Stlllman la now a good Conservative, but he does not permit his prejudices to odor his candid recital of the making of Italy and of the resulU thereof. His book Is both Intelligent and trustworthy, two features which the average hlatorlan seldom succeeds In combining. 1j i 'j- "The History" of the Union of Italy "'will attract universal attention In Italy, and certain' of Its rere-' laUon will be energetically denied. The facta; how-; over, are that Mr; Stlllman, so far from writing the thing which la not, has judiciously retrained In aome cites from telling all that -ho knows. For example, In hla mention of the causes which 'led to the over-.

throw of the last Crlapl Cabinet, and to the defeat of BUllman might, hare' told more than he has told. The reaaona for hla reticence do him great credit, andre one more proof of his sincere lore of Italy. Had he told the whole story of the Adowa ln-" trlffuer more than one-Italian statesman would hare to retire definitely from public Ufa. Jv While Mr. Stlllman haa done full Justice to Crlapl, to has also glren a faithful portrait of MaxxinL The wretched Incompetence' of that opera boaffe eonspir-' ator ruthlessly exposed.

Of course this will call out Indignant protests from those who still believe In tho so-called "Apostle of Italian last exploit was to organize an Insurrection against VJ- the Italian 9menV.JnJ5rJPtJQP.PaM'c In the" South, and who preached vaguely of the neces- slty of worshipping God as well as Liberty at the very time he waa promoting cowardly assassinations. Mr. Stlllman knew Mazxlnl thoroughly, and he says' noth- 'lng concerning him that cannot be fully As I have said, the book Is one that will make a sensation. Its statement. "however, cannot be dlecred-ited, and if Mr.

SUllman's' critics provoke him to. make further disclosures In hla own defense, they, will only bsTe themselves to blame for the consequences. Every one who wishes to have In a small compass a truthful history of the making of Italy should read the book. 'And it should be remembered, when the Inevitable denial of certain of Mr. SUllman's assertions 14 made, i that he haa written only what he knew and what be can completely proved V.

a. 8peaklng of Crispl. he la to be In London some time -within a month in order to make arrangements for the publication of hla -These consist of twelve volumes, and will be virtually a history of the Yery period of which Mr. SUllman's book, treats. If SIgnor Crispl speaks in his memoirs as frankly and fearlessly aa he haa always spoken In the Chamber of DCPUUea.

there will he wtp nn tha ffroon Th Iff. book appears. In fact, It cannot be published in Italy, for no publisher 'would 'dare to risk the libel suit to t- would undoubted ly-gtve-Tls 7 im otner day Miss Black published a small life of The book Is unpretentious, but It Is by no 'means a bad Nevertheless, the press 'has almost unanimously condemned it on the ground that Mr. 1 1 Colvln alone haa a right to write life of Stevenson, i Thla aeems rather absurd. cannot find that Mr.

jcol-' Tin has ever obtained any legal mobOpoJyjjf Ihe jright tot6 the biographer ci teVenaon. DoubUees his i orth-I coming biography; will be the standard life, of Steven-son, and will be so-well done that no one elso; will "ever have the courage to attempt to supersede it. Still, fail to see why Miss Black has not a perfect right cbMsn-hermairTe terfere with Mr. Colvln'a more important work, and it probably gives us certain glimpses of Stevenson which Mr. Colvin may rnlss.

1 The Academy has blossomed out magnificently. It la ttow nearly as large the average, monthly, maga-alne, and is printed on thick" ahd illustrated by clever arUsta.jThe i reading matter lis re'Tvarled than evisr. Of course, such weekly magazine cannot possibly be sold at a profit for three-pence. Somebody must lose money with every. laaue of The Academy, but the public certainly has no right to I complain of this.

The Academy Is now" by far tho best of the literary weeklies' that make criUcIsm their chief concern. tIt is earnestly to be hoped that who- ever now foots the bills will grow tired of that amusement rAfler: having; accustomed us iLo 'thelaew and gorgeous Academy, we should' resent a an out, rage If it were to return to it early. Klpilngs poem concerning the "and wicked bear la supposed by every one to be a partible aimed at the Czar. As such it has aroused the ire Of The Dally Chronicle the radical paper which always feels tenderly for every enemy of England. I really i do not know whether the poem la aimed at Russia or not It la thoroughly good, whatever be Its purpose, and It Is hardly necessary to look a gift poem In the mouth and try to transform it Into an allegory.

Mr. Clark Ruaeell has Just published a new sea story, enUUed, The Romance of a Midshipman." Mr, Russell stories are always delightful, though from the fact that they are ae stories there Is naturally a strong resemblance between them alL In hla new book the author has, however, succeeded In Inventing a new Incident His hero snd heroine land on a float' lng Island, which Immediately proceeds to get up Ita anchor and to start on a cruise. The floating (aland la something quite new In sea stories, and will be warmly welcomed by Mr. Russell's countless admirers. A volume of poems by Mr.

Hardy la soon to appear. Now that Kipling and Meredith have won reputation both in poetry and proee. 'other authors seem disposed to emulate them. Mr. Hardy haa, as every one knows, written several poems, which appear in certain of bis novels, but Is rather a surprise to find that he in tends to appeal to the publlo as a poet Among the poets John Davidson and Gaillenne have published both prose and verse.

In both cases tho poets would have acted wisely had they confined them elves to poetry. Mr. Davidson's novel, which waa issued some three years ago, waa a dismal and deserved failure, and Mr. Le Gaillenne Quest of the Golden Girl was enough to make hundreds of decent people register a vow of total abstinence from Le Gallieoce In every form. The De Rougemont lmpoature has now been pretty thoroughly exposed.

It' remain to be seen how long it will be before Sir George Newnes throws up the He has been 'publishing in one of his maga sine! the story of the adventure of De Rougemont, and has unhealtaUngly cerUfled the fellow apent thirty years among the' cannibals of Australia. In point of fact, De. Rougemont (or Grin, aa he-la really named) spent moat of that time in Europe aa a courier and valet Surely The Wide Wide World cannot much longer continue to advertise De Rougemont and either openly or Impliedly certify, to hla veracity. Louis Becke, whose new book; of South Sea stories I menUoned a week or two ago, haa latterly been en gaged, hi investigating De Rougemont Unless The Dally Chronicle leave no room for further exposures, Mr. Becke will probably administer the final blow to the ex-courler.

Mr, Conrad's new book will be ready in a few daya. It is to be a sea story, and If it-ha anything of the genius which made 1 the Nigger of the Narcissus the book of last year. It will probably be the book of the coming year. Mr. Conrad knows how to write, and he writes about what he-knows.

More than this. whatever he writes haa the touch of genius about it It Is yet too early to prophecy how far Mr. Conrad will go. His success a a writer of short stories Is unques tioned, but it remains to be seen if he can write a "The Nigger of the Narcissus waa not a novel, but an episode. 'It waa wonderful in its way.

but It does not prove that the author can write a genuine noveL For nfy part, I have complete faith In Mr. Conrad. He la the coming man unless I am very greatly mistaken. Kipling pew volume of stories, which has already reached ita twenty-fourth thousand, haa furnished an amusing Instance of the peculiarities of crlUcism. It has been received with the warmest enthusiasm by certain Journals notably The.

Spectator' and the St James's Gazettebut, on the other' hand, it haa been mildly praised, and. In some instances, actually condemned by Journals of (lesser One critic frankly expresses the opinion that Kipling Is played oat." which reads very much aa if th odftnr nf ThA Arizona Kicker had become a London critic. The Dally Chronicle, while it selects some of the stories for praise. think that-many of -them-showr-MrrKlplmfrltt-htsH least desirable form, and that the "Brushwood Boy" is a weak echo of "Peter Ibbetaon." I do not mean to give The Chronicle'a exact words, but merely the substance of Its so-called thoughts. If the "Brushwood Boy," which I had supposed to be one of the most original and.

delightful stories In, the language, is simply ah echo of Da. Maurier, I presume that the Drums of tteTore ani.Aft'Vi a feebleTmltaUon of Charles that the f' Captains' Courageous is a mis erable imitation of one, of Cooper's stories. Jt Is true that Tl Ship That Found Herself and 'in the story of the locomoUve Mr. Kipling revel rhTatntciraerbTi In which It: Is laid down that an author ought to be Ignorant of the subject of which be writes. As a matter of course 'We all have our tastes, and some of us prefer Mr.

Kipling's Indian stories to his stories of talking locomotives and argumentative horses. does not, however follow1 that we should regard the latter as objectionable, in subject or treatment I do not wish, to give the Impression that "A Day's Wtrk has been seriously condemned by any portion of the press, except by the amazing person who ex claimed that; Kipling is played out! Undoubtedly many papers have said that the book contains too many technicalities, hut at the same time they have ac knowledged the supreme genius displayed in several of the stories. Perhaps the only complaint that can be called serious Is that the volume does not show any de cided progress In the character of Mr. Kipling's work. Doubtless there were contemporary, critics' who said that' Dante's.

did not show any' progress on' the part of the author of the Inferno. perhaps there are soma persons to-day who, every time they see a perfect rose, sadly remark that it falls to show any progress in comparison with the roses of (en 'years ago. If the Bruahwood Boy and The Tomb of Hla Ancestors are no better than some of the stories that Mr. Kipling published three years ago, It is simply because when one has written a perfect story It Is Impossible to write one more perfect Until the English language Is provided with a comparative and superlaV Uve degree for the adJecUve perfect," we shall probably be unable to find that Mr. Kipling writes better atories to-day than he did when be first made his reputation.

Perhaps lama little mad on the subject of Kipling. To me he Is the greatest master of proee and verse that England haa ever known, and it exasperates me beyond endurance when I read that he is a feeble Imitator of Du Maurier, and that hla work doea not show any progreea. Take the least interesting story In his new book and show me one man now living, with the exception of Rudyard Kipling, who could write Ita equal. Until we have aome one who can come within measurable dlatanco of Kipling's poorest it seems to me that common decency and ordinary modesty require that we should not venture to hint that Kipling la making no progress. A Day Work," had it been a first book, would have made Ita author famous.

That seems to be the opinion of the reading public. Judging by the rapidity with which the book sella I saw the other day that Mr. Zangwlll had remarked of one xt the Kailyard authors that he had gone up like a Crockett and come down like a Stlcklt" Thla Was Certainl? WlttT. aa ar moat thlnn that Mr 7a nr. will says, but It was hardly Juat I have never been an admirer of Mr.

Crockett, but It is absurd to say that hla popularity la on the decrease, which It may be assumed Is what la meantthr uvlnr th down like a SUckK." Moreover, hla new atory. now running in me mi Mail, will be a surprise for those wuv lanciea uu ne eouia write only about ScotUah meenlstera." Sa far HThn sur Rbnii i story, and what Is dlstlncUy odd, Ita author has given us the local color of Southern Italy with as much fidelity a he has hitherto shown In writing of ScoUsnd. We uim.j dw nna Mr. irocKetrs scotch stories quite to our taste, but his popularity shows no signs of waning, and if hla new atory keepa up to It present standard It win give him a much hlaher rentltatinn than ha haa vt gained. Mr.

Theodora) Watia-rhintnn'a nw atsm ivl.tn waa published last Saturday, but unfortunately, 'l have not vet been able tn ret a mnr ia aJvrtfoAi aa a "new romance," but it waa written many years ago, and withheld from publication for the reason that one of It principal characters ia a study of the late Dante Gabriel Roaaettl. ami th anthm. fNwi tn offense thereby to RossetU'a friends. The book has imtsu ircmeuaousiy praised oy several of the daily pa-pera, but It Is the weekly and not the dally crlUc whose voice carriea welrhL Whipr mflv Ksa that mArHf r9 the book, rt is certainly attracting a great deal of attention, and Ita commercial success is already beyond doubt Mr. Landor'a atorr of hla art vfWltiirea In Thlhf la out at last, and, aa I foresaw, there Is already a disposition In certain quarters to cast doubt on it enttr accuracy.

However. th rrv rHtir aim desire to disbelieve the story Of Mr. Landor sufferings at the handa of his torturers are compelled to admit that a British Government Commission, after a thorough examination of th fart a fatmri that u. assertions were literally true. In effect the only thing wiai ut carping cntica can say is that they find it very hard to betiere Mr.

Landor; but inasmuch as his story has been nroved to tnm thv Mn flf It Alt Kn1lw4na it Annoyance at this hard fate la probably the reason wujr me wine cniics nna rauit wlh Mr. Landor photograph, on the around that it ihnv. nim ka cate, handsome, girlish young man In appearance. This is very sad, but Mr. Landor undoubtedly does not look like a hardened and weather-beaten explorer.

There are a good many young men In the British Army who have already done an-oat thlnn hn iaA and girlish in appearance. That sort of young English man ia uwys to do aisirustea. He Is capable of winning the VlOtOtia CrOflS in anlta of hla Inylr nf and roughness. Pearson a new threepenny magazine. The Royal Magazine, made Its annflflmnrA last' TfVIHmr mrtA spite of the ill-luck of the day, speedily sold to the extent of a million and a half copies.

It has very much the look of Pearson's Magazine', with the exception that names oi lis contriDutors will be new to the public. I do nnt Imarln that tha Hn- i garaa iia contents as literatureput he does regard them cu Hjuum, ana uu result seems to have Justified his ODlnlon. The nrw mindn haa th VWarAfll KaaVlnai jv nviiui UOA.aiUK Or the Smiths hnrbiTir TiTinhla tar aaii Magazine at a profit for threepence halfpenny, are now uuius roaring iraae wiin Tie Koyaj Magazine at threepence. If Ue Smiths imagine that The Royal Magazine Is roina- to run Harmawnrth'a wa, VUV ket they are very much mistaken. On the contrary.

mo success oi on magazine as a rule stimulates the sale of others, and aa veteran ought to know this. However, angry men soldom rea- Bon accurately. We have been a tha mnil annn.l "1 uwusMim IU tne newananera eoncernlnar mt anH ntimt lu.n. pie are writing leUers to various Journals asserting uuuas uugui oe puDiisnea witn their leaves trimmed, and other neonle havA flArrsoiw tnoM Who fall Ira iintrlmntAri laavsa i. i vu lue wuvir, course the custom 'of puuiiBums uoukb wim uncui leaves originated In the daVB When those who hoilB-hr hnnka .3 U1CU, uv alwaya rebound their purchase to suit themselves.

Now that ninety-nine men In a hundred are content with the binding whloh the nubllsher aivea them tha I VHOWU tV Issuing a book with untrlmmed leaves is not obvious. is inw mai uiere are people wno nna a wild delight in cutUng the pages of a virgin book, but they are cer- lainiy iu. me miagnijr. irunmea leaves are decidedly more convenient for the reviewer, who has to read a DooK in mteen minutes, ana to-review it In twenty more. Mr.

Our RoothbY han inut nnh)lahwl annlli v. wwwi, ntltlMl Arrnaa tho WnrM tnr a Wlf IT. la the most indefatigable maker of books now living. ins ur, iNiaoia was a great pecuniary, success, and he has lost no time In following It up. He manages to mi hlf ah ahnnt hrn novela a all nf tham full startling adventure, and most of them containing Dr.

vVTIlr-olak sa flfVAA Al IaOSI AVTAftf rVYi la I SB Sail maI1 a axis i sa sa vi iva ejaa ivi vA but as the critic of the Stone Age remarked, Is It art? Mr. nootnoy nas pieniy oi laieni. anu ne wouia give himself time and care nothing about Immediate popu- a t. 1. Jl.

fS a. 1 1 ouuiu no niuiseii vrvuii. vv cvunie ii ne' is content to write pot-boilers by the dozen that is hla own but those who had reason to expect good things of him at the beginning of his career wish that he could or would write less, and, above all, that he would kill Dr. Nikola, W. L.

ALDEN..