Frau Ceres gave a hardly perceptible nod, and as if there were no one else present, said in a peevish tone to her husband, that he paid no attention to her, and had not said a single word to her about her new dress. Sonnenkamp stood wholly at a loss to know what was the meaning of this unexpected sally of his wife. Did she think it was a mark of high-breeding to show the stranger such a degree of indifference? She was not diplomatic enough for that. He turned, and as if apologising, remarked to Eric that his wife loved gay colors. In a tone of strict truth, Eric replied that he entirely coincided with the gracious lady; that gay colors were in keeping with external nature; and that people ought to be sunny and bright like the flowers. when half past nine was meant; and he who went at eight only brought the hosts into a dilemma. Frau Ceres looked from Eric to her husband, and from her husband to Eric, and as no one said anything, Eric continued, briefly pointing out how colors in dress harmonised with the natural environment. But he soon perceived that he was going too far in this exposition, and he added that the attire of ladies approached nearer to the ethereal bright plumage of the birds. His mother now beckoned to Roland, who appeared in the distance. He pointed to the summit of the tower. The mother looked up and smiled; and the father also smiled when he saw the flag of the American Union floating from its top. "Who did that?" asked Sonnenkamp. "I," Roland answered, with a joyous smile. "What is it for ?" The boy's visage changed, and he cast a side-glance toward Eric. Sonnenkamp screwed his under lip between his thumb and fore-finger into a halfcircle, and nodded silently. Eric had noticed the boy's glance, and his heart beat for joy. He asked the boy, "Are you very proud of being an Amer "Yes." Frau Ceres smiled at this friendly turn, and Eric continued in the same strain, that it was a lamentable effect of the style of conversation employed in society, that the expression even of a truth should be regarded as mere civility and flattery, when-ican ? " ever it struck pleasantly upon the ear; that words were deprived of their real meaning, and people accustomed themselves to ad- as she came up to them; grasping the vance ideas which neither the speaker nor the hearer actually believed; that our manner of talking in society was like a card of invitation to an evening party, in which eight o'clock was specified as the hour, Eric was introduced to Fräulein Perini mother-of-pearl cross with her left hand, she made a very ceremonious courtesy. Frau Ceres requested her to go with her to the house. Sonnenkamp, Eric, and Roland remained by themselves. THE LAW OF COPYRIGHT. The case of Low stituted for an injunction. The plaintiffs relied v. Ward, reported at length in the Law Journal on the well known case of Low v. Routledge, Reports, " Chancery," p. 841, affirms, under which establishes that an alien who, during a somewhat singular circumstances, that copyright residence in a British colony, publishes a work may exist in some chapters of a book, while in England, acquires a copyright therein. It was others are unprivileged. The circumstances rather ingeniously argued for the defendants are shortly these. While Professor Holmes, of that it was an essential condition of copyright Boston, was bringing out his story of "The that the entire work should first appear in the Guardian Angel," in a serial form, in the Atlan- United Kingdom; that the benefit of such first tic Monthly, plaintiffs (the well-known publish- publication was, in fact, the consideration in reers of Ludgatehill) entered into an agreementspect of which the privilege of copyright was with him that he should acquire a British Copyright in the story, and sell it to the plaintiffs. Professor Holmes accordingly, in October, 1867, went to Montreal, the tale not then having been completed in the Atlantic Monthly, and, while there, the entire work was published by the plaintiffs. At that time the last six chapters had not appeared in America. The defendants (who are publishers in Paternoster-row) afterwards brought out a cheap edition, and the suit was in 66 granted; and that copyright could not exist in a part of a work only. The Judge, Vice-Chancellor Giffard, had not the slightest doubt about the case." He decided that where the parts of a work can be separated, there may be a copyright in any distinct part of it; and he granted the injunction restraining the defendants from printing or selling copies containing the last six chapters of the work. Public Opinion. MAXIMILIAN.* From The Spectator. principled violaters of Mexican indepen WE have seldom read fresher, sunnier, more cheerful descriptions of travel than are found in these volumes. The greater portion of the work was written when the author was a very young man, and the warm, healthly tone, the keen sense of en joyment which he has infused into his pictures render the book very pleasant reading. Regarded simply as a contribution to the literature of foreign travel, these volumes do not indeed add much that is popular prejudices, and represent him, if not as an unscrupulous aggressor, at any rate as a weak-minded sentimentalist, a superstitious pietist of an ambitious and romantic disposition, without force of charnew to our previous stock of knowledge. requisite for success in an undertaking so acter or any of the statesmanlike qualities Even in this respect, however, they are far from being valueless; for their author, gigantic as that of introducing order into a whose rank as an Austrian Archduke degenerate state like Mexico. That such opened to him scenes and society which partial critic, who is at all acquainted with representations are cruelly unjust no imare closed to ordinary travellers, was not the prince's well-earned reputation in Gerone who neglected his rare opportunities. These reminiscences show him to have pos- as these volumes reveal, could for a momany, or who only knows so much of him sessed very considerable talent as an observer, and to have taken an intelligent throughout Germany Maximilian was inment deny. In his own country and interest in a wide reach of subjects. They contestibly one of the few princes who had exhibit him to us as a well educated and really won the hearts of the people. In accomplished man, with what he himself, German newspapers and in common conin describing a fellow-countryman, calls "the kindliness and joyous temperament of an honest German." If in intellectual depth and grasp he was not equal to the late Prince Consort, he nevertheless constantly reminds us of that prince, particularly in the æsthetic side of his character. He composed music. In recording his impressions of the picture galleries, the statues, the architecture of Italy, Greece, and other countries, he speaks like a connoisseur. He had the keenest perception of the beauties of nature, of which some of his descriptions in these volumes are in no small degree poetical. It is not, however, as a record of voyages and travels that the work acquires its chief importance. It is rather for the light it reflects on the character of its ill-fated author that the book principally commands our attention; and in this respect, the interest of these volumes is truly tragic. The real character of Maximilian has never yet, so far at least as English writers and readers are concerned, been represented in its true colours. It has perhaps suffered less from the attacks of enemies than from the advocacy of those who were his friends in the ill-judged enterprise with which his name will remain in history indelibly associated. From the moment the Archduke was induced to ally himself with the un • Recollections of My Life. By Maximilian I., Emperor of Mexico. 3 vols. London: Bentley. 1868. versation the name of the " Max" always carried a cheerful sound. His virtual banishment from the Austrian re Court, the dislike with which he was garded by his Archducal cousins and in the aristocratic circles of the Empire, arose purely from his decided disposition towards a liberal policy. For he did not fail, so in favour of enlightened measures in the long as he was permitted, to exert himself of the Austrian Empire. After the congovernment of the heterogeneous States clusion of the war in Italy in 1848-49, he projected a constitutional government for Lombardo-Venetia as the basis of its future alliance with Austria; but the overtures he made with this view to some of the Italian leaders as well as to the Austrian Government remained fruitless, from the fact that the Emperor was induced by the all-powerful influence of the aristocratic and military circles at Court, to cut short the proceedings of his brother Maximilian by recallished from public life in his own country, ing him from the Italian provinces. Banhe took up his abode on the Istrian shores of the Adriatic, where his exquisite taste charming marine villa which has been the was employed in the adornment of that admiration of all who have seen it, and which he himself calls his " lovely, verdant, wave-encircled Miramar." His residence in this ravishing spot was varied at frequent intervals by voyages in the Mediterranean, and by travels in almost all the 99 66 scrupulous honour, humanity, and courage are so completely proved by the whole course of his life in Europe, by his refusing to abandon his adherents in Mexico, when the French withdrew their support and pressed him to retire, as well as by the heroic manner in which he met his death, that it is impossible to deny these qualities of him simply on the strength of his attaching his signature to the proclamation of October 3, 1865, and without knowing the exact circumstances under which the French Generals prevailed upon him to commit that blunder. The following passage, which it is impossible to believe could ever have been written by one destined himself to become an unscrupulous military adventurer, serves, we think, to throw some light on the principles which really guided Maximilian's conduct in the crisis of his affairs in Mexico. It is an extract from the account of his visit to Algiers. He is invited to mess with some French officers stationed at the foot of the Atlas Mountains : countries bordering on that sea, including the genius and the unscrupulosity requisite Spain, Algiers, the various states of Italy, for this task, a task, it is to be observed, Greece, Turkey, Asia Minor, Palestine, for which he had never stipulated. His and Egypt. In addition to his visits to the first three in his list, these volumes record his voyage to Madeira, the Canary Isles, and the Empire of Brazil, undertaken in 1861, ten years subsequently to the date of most of his former expeditions. The Archduke was an excellent sailor and took hardly less delight in the sea of which, with his experiences on it, he gives us some graphic descriptions than in the wonders of the new countries which he crossed the waves to visit. More than once he expresses his delight at the fact that he is the first man of his house to enter the Southern hemisphere;' the first lineal descendant of Ferdinand and Isabella to whom from childhood it had been a daydream to visit the American continent," all unconscious, alas! of the terrible fate that awaited him on its shores. With the events which induced him to exchange the refined enjoyments of his Istrian retreat for the toil and turmoil of Mexican battlefields, it is here beyond our province to concern ourselves; but we may be per"The company was as motley as Wallenmitted to express our conviction that when stein's camp; among other striking figures we the secret history of the Mexican adven- discovered a Colonel von L, who was talkture is fully investigated, it will be found ing German, a relation of our Master of the that Maximilian, whatever his errors of Ordnance; as commander of the Spahis of this judgment, remained true to the reputation division he wore the black-laced blue spencer he always enjoyed up to the moment he and the red plaited trousers, which became his left Miramar, and continued the same chiv-dyed beard and rouged cheeks admirably. He alrous, liberal, high-minded man whose acquaintance we make in these volumes. Assuredly self-aggrandizement was not the motive which induced him to accept the The terms he dictated, the long interval of delay he allowed elapse, the repeated solicitations which had to be made before he yielded his consent, - these are circumstances very unlikely to have occurred with a vulgar self-seeker. They are, on the other hand, precautions quite reconcilable with the honourable ambition by which we believe the Archduke to have been animated, the ambition to In this we cannot fail to see the frank, find a sphere in which he might, as a ruler, generous, truth-loving soul of the man. carry out his desire to contribute effect- We append one or two passages illustraively to the general sum of human progress and happiness. If Maximilian was unable to prove himself the benefactor of Mexico, it was because he was inveigled by deception and misrepresentation into a false position. The difficulties with which, after his desertion by the French, he had to contend, it would have taxed the powers warrior-statesman of the highest genius, of a Charlemagne or a William of Orange to overcome. Maximilian wanted at once offered crown. to was a hoary, would-be youth, full of military pretension - -a sort of graceful adventurer, making his livelihood by fighting. I do not like these soldiers of fortune, who sell their frivolous lives and merely exist from day to day. For honour, a man should give his property and his blood at the required moment; but to wander aim in view, is contrary to all my feelings. In about the world with arms, without any noble such society, which speaks scorn of straightforward, simple life, I always feel very uncomfortable, and this oppressive state of mind took possession of me to-day." ting other aspects of his character. In the following there is the ring of honest indignation, which runs through all his denunciations of Brazilian slavery, of whose pernicious influence on the moral and material condition of the Empire he is constantly meeting with fresh evidence. In a suburb of a of Bahia he meets a number of German immigrants going home from their work: — "A solitary palanquin passes swiftly through the crowd of Germans; it contains some Brazil ian of importance who is being carried to his siesta. Ere long he will rest peacefully on his gains, and sink into slumber in his network hammock in his cool verandah, the balmy sea air playing around him; and be encircled by faithful slaves. Do you ask how he has obtained his riches? how he has amassed the millions that have purchased the downy couch on which he reposes? The answer meets you in the public streets by trading in human flesh, by measures heaped up and overflowing of black men, by coining false money. Notwithstanding this, the man passes for a very respectable person, bears some grand title of nobility, goes to Court, attends the Emperor on state occasions, and sleeps as tranquilly as the saints in Paradise. Why should he not? Conscience is altogether wanting in these warm climates." Again, writing of Brazil, in a passage on which much might be said, and of which some sentences give us perhaps a glimpse of the ideal with which he went to Mexico, he says: : "I begin now to understand why slaveholders retain in their democratic constitution the article that the Emperor and the heir to the throne shall never leave Brazil: outside the empire some different light might dawn upon them. If Brazil would thrive among the empires of the world, it must have an ironhanded regenerator, a white despot basing his principles on justice, who will treat with no party, and who will interfere with iron austerity in case of need. His would be the melancholy lot not to be understood by the men of his time, to be hated by his Brazilian contemporaries; but history would accord him a high rank among those who work for the future; his name would be interwoven with the advanced opinions of Brazil, and would be blessed by future generations. Article I. in his constitution should run thus: - All men in a free empire are born free;' Article II., The heir to the throne must travel for several years in the civilised world, in order by his own observation and by comparison with foreign countries to learn statesmanship." That the Archduke was himself" an enthusiastic traveller" we not only have his own assurance, but solid evidences in these volumes. Among his reflections on the subject of travelling we may quote the following: "Let every one travel who can. By travelling one gets true views of life; in this way only one becomes acquainted with the world; and really it is pitiable to see so many waste their money and their time stupidly sitting by their own firesides; but still more to be despised are those who thoughtlessly let themselves be dragged like trunks through foreign countries, without recognizing the beautiful and sublime, and who, at best, only make impertinent jokes VOL. XI. 468 LIVING AGE. over the immortal monuments of art and history. Unfortunately the number of these travellers is very great in our time. The hopeful youths of the nineteenth century, educated in modern materialism, believe themselves in duty bound to travel; they think it bad style in the highest degree to find interest in anything interesting, or to get attracted, still less excited, by anything beautiful." We refrain, though we had marked several additional passages, from making further quotations. Standing one day before a portrait by his "dear Vandyke," the youthful Maximilian is led into some reflections on the fate of Charles I., and Louis XVI. and his beautiful queen. He concludes with a passage which was desfitness, to his case. tined ere long to apply, with melancholy Both [kings]," he says, well, at least to die well. How was it that "had the opportunity, if not to live the wives of both were so handsome and so lovely? Why must the sweet and gentle be ever the victims?" From All The Year Round. BUONAPARTE THE HAPPY. situated on the brow of a high and wooded ABOUT eight miles from Florence, and street of which is the celebrated inn of the hill, is the town of St. Casciano, in a small Campana, where Machiavel lived, and on the threshold of which he used to be seen in his wooden shoes and peasant's suit, asking various travellers the news from their countries, or playing, laughing, and disputing with the landlord, the miller, or the butcher. The great author might be seen pruning the lime twigs in the morning, or superintending the cutting down of trees, and thus occupying himself with the things of common life-to calm, as he used to the effervescence of his brain. About say, twenty miles further on, is Certaldo, which boasts of giving birth to Boccaccio, though he was born at Paris, but lived a long time at Certaldo, and died there. Between these towns, rendered illustrious by the memory of these two great men, is a little unknown hamlet, situated in the midst of a smiling valley. It has a church of no renown and bare of art. In the year 1807, there was a curé living here, called Buonaparte. He was poor and obscure, as if one of his name had never caused the Pope to leave the Vatican to crown him at Notre Dame of Paris. was mild and unambitious, as if he were not the uncle of Letitia, and the great-uncle of the young general who had conquered He Italy, saluted the Pyramids, and made and unmade kings in Europe. The curé, in the parsonage garden, was another Alcinous, training his vines around the five or six elms that grew on the little domain, and he wore, like the father of Ulysses, a tattered cloak and mended shoes. All the noise that his great-nephew was making in the world, passed over his head, without his hearing or heeding it. No one in the neighbourhood suspected who he was; he had forgotten Corsica to remember only his parishoners, who were as simple and ignorant as himself. His gun which he sometimes took out with him, provided his table with game; and in his little parlour were rods for fishing. These amusements, added to the cultivation of a few flowers, and the collection of tithes twice a year, were the temporal occupations of the worthy Buonaparte. As to his spiritual duties, he never made any innovations, but read the mass twice a week, and preached every Sunday after vespers. Letitia!" interrupted the curé. "Madame has spoken of you to his majesty," rejoined the general. 66 To little Napoleon ?" said the curate. "To the emperor, sir. It is not suitable that so near a relative of his majesty, and one of your excellent character, should languish unknown in a poor living, while his family is governing Europe, while your nephew, reverend sir, is filling the world with his fame. The emperor has sent me to you; you have only to speak, you have only to express a wish, and it shall be exe Would you like a bishopric in France, or in Italy? Will you exchange your black cassock for a cardinal's purple cloak? The emperor bears you too much friendship and respect to refuse you anything." There were, however, three objects which occupied the attention of the good priest more particularly than his other parishioners; they were a young girl, a youth, and a tame white hen. He had baptised and cuted. What episcopal seat tempts you? catechised the girl Mattea, and observed her growing youth and beauty with innocent pleasure; her beautiful dark eyes, graceful figure, and simple artless manners were admired by all. She was the pride of the village. The good man was constantly thinking of her future prospects, and had arranged a suitable match for her with Tommaso, his sacristan. He was a tall fine young man, and a constant guest at the presbytery; he was the priest's factotum; he worked in the garden, cooked, served at mass, chanted in the choir, ornamented the altars, and was chief butler at home. He was a good fellow, though rather noisy, and always the first and the most ardent in the village quarrels. Such was the suitor whom Buonaparte had chosen for his young protegée, and Tommaso loved her devotedly. The good curate was living peaceably and happily among his flock and the two or three beings he especially loved, when one day an unaccustomed sound was heard in the village, horses' hoofs clattered on the stones, and the quiet court of the curacy was filled with a troop of cavalry. One of the emperor's officers, covered with gold lace, and with a plume of white feathers in his hat, dismounted, entered the modest parlour, and presented himself before the curé. The good man, trembling, rose, offered him a chair, and stood with hands Now the greatest personage whom the poor curé had ever seen in his life was the Bishop of Fiesole, who came to the village once a year to confirm the little boys and girls. After the episcopal visit the good man was usually dazzled and bewildered for a fortnight, by the remembrance of the fisherman's ring, the golden mitre, and the lace sleeves. He hesitated a moment to collect his thoughts, and then said: " Is all this true, sir? Is my niece, Letitia, an empress? And to think that I heard her first confession! It was a long time ago when she was a little girl! " |