442 



LITERATURE, CONTINENTAL, IN 1891. 



attract much attention. In political economy 

 the work of Behrendts, " The Political Economy 

 of Sweden," Vol. I, comes down to 1808. L. V. 

 Khodski's researches on "Land and Agricult- 

 ure," two volumes, are very interesting, especial- 

 ly in connection with economic conditions of 

 the Russian peasantry. A. Philippoff s work on 

 ' The Punishments and Legislation of Peter the 

 Great in connection with his Reforms " is equal- 

 ly interesting. Mention may properly be made 

 here of V. Sudeykin's book on the " State Bank " 

 and its activity, 1. 1. Yanjul's " Fundamental Basis 

 of Financial Science, the Doctrine of State Reve- 

 nue," and Levitsky's " Problems and Methods of 

 the Science of National Economy." Dril, who 

 belongs to the anthropological school of crimin- 

 al physiology, propounds in his latest work (as 

 in his* two preceding books) his theory of " Psy- 

 chophysical Types in connection with Crime." 



Spain. The Royal Academy de la Lengua, 

 which has been rather languishing of late years, 

 seems to have waked up and applied itself vigor- 

 ously to its proper vocation. The long-expected 

 work attributed to King Alfonso X, "the 

 Learned," as he is called, entitled ' Las Canti- 

 gas de Santa Maria," has been published in two 

 folio volumes at the expense of the Academy, 

 and with an exhaustive preface by the Marquis 

 de Valmar. The Spanish literati are not at one 

 as regards the authorship of the book, devoted 

 to the praise of the Madonna. The prevailing 

 opinion among the critics is that it was com- 

 piled, like the Code of Laws and other works, 

 by order of the King. In any event, however, 

 the Academy deserves much credit for publish- 

 ing one of the most remarkable literary monu- 

 ments of the Middle Ages. The first volume of 

 the complete works of Lope de Vega has made 

 its appearance. The editor, Don M. M. y Pe- 

 layo. has prefixed a new and valuable life of 

 Lope, written by Don C. A. de la Barrera, an 

 author of good repute. The Royal Academy of 

 History has also been very active. A third vol- 

 ume o'f the Chronicle of Catalonia has been 

 published, relating to the famous rebellion, 

 1641-'60 ; and portions of a Latin history of 

 Ferdinand and Isabella, by Gonzalo de Ayora. 

 To this a learned preface has been supplied by C. 

 F. Duro. Other original papers and contributions 

 by academicians afford the artist and antiquary 

 ample matter for study and examination. The 

 collection of " Inedited Documents " has reached 

 its ninety-ninth volume, which gives an account 

 of Vine-art's campaign in Flanders (1637) and a 

 short chronicle of John II, of Castile, printed 

 for the first time. The volumes preceding, 

 from the eighty-eighth onward, are filled with 

 matter equally interesting and important for 

 purposes of national history. Numerous books 

 relating to America and old Spanish colonies 

 have been reprinted this year, a further proof of 

 what before has been stated, that more books 

 respecting America have been published during 

 the last half-century than in three preceding 

 ones put together. Besides the well-known col- 

 lection " Documentos Ineditos de Ultramar " and 

 its continuation by the Academy, a new one has 

 been started, entitled : " Colleccion de Libros 

 que tratanNje America," of which two volumes 

 have appeared, one on the conquest of Peru, by 

 F. de Xerez, a reprint of the first edition of 



Seville (1534), the other about the Amazon, by 

 Father C. D. Acuna (1641), an equally rare vol- 

 ume. New papers are from the pens of well- 

 known writers, F, Duro and D. M. Jimenez de 

 la Espada, on points of interest. Books and 

 pamphlets relating to America are numerous, in 

 view of the approaching quadricentenary of the 

 discovery of the New World by Columbus, which 

 is to be held in Madrid in 1892. The Seville 

 bibliophiles have lately brought to light an old 

 work, "Historia del Nuevo Mundo," by Father 

 Bernabe Cobo, of the order of the Jesuits (1653), 

 of which Vol. I has been published. Provincial 

 history and topography have received less than 

 the usual share of attention this year. Biogra- 

 phy, however, has made some progress. In this 

 department we may name here a life of the first 

 Duke of Ossuna and founder of the university, 

 D. Pedro T. Giron ; " Life and Writings of the 

 late Don V. de los Rios," known as author of 

 a life of Cervantes, by Luis Vidart; a life of 

 Loyola, of little value ; and " Biographical Dic- 

 tionary of Catalan Writers," by Molins. The 

 Duchess of Alba has aided in this matter by 

 publishing letters and documents selected from 

 the archives of her house, throwing light on na- 

 tional history from the fifteenth to the seven- 

 teenth century. Works on art have been scarce 

 this year, and nothing of special note has ap- 

 peared. In political sciences, besides some pam- 

 phlets, the Duke de Ripalde has published a 

 larger work under the title " El Problema So- 

 cial y las Escuelas Politicas." In bibliography 

 several works, mostly prize essays, have been 

 issued, such as a " Biographical and Bibliographi 

 cal Dictionary of Authors, Natives of Burgos," 

 by M. Afiibarro, and " Catalogo Razonado de los 

 Libros impresos en Madrid en el Siglo XVI." 

 Very little is to be said of poetry, lyric and dra- 

 matic, or of light literature in g'eneral. Neither 

 Zorrilla nor Nunez de Arce, Campoamor, nor 

 M. Palacios has done anything this year. The 

 drama is languishing, and with the single excep- 

 tion of the two brothers Echegaray, who still 

 struggle on, there is not a single playwriter 

 worth naming. D. Jose Echegaray has pro- 

 duced two comedies of the light sort, like the 

 French vaudeville. On the other hand, novel 

 writing seems to carry the day, and all kinds of 

 stories, historical, moral, or satirical, are appear- 

 ing, especially in the periodical press. At the 

 same time it is only fair to state that E. P. 

 Bazan, P. Galdos, Pereda, Picon, and others 

 show that novel writing has much improved. 

 A novel by a Jesuit father, entitled " Pequeiie- 

 ces," that is " Trifles," has gained wide success. 

 It is powerfully written, the critics say, by one 

 who is a journalist of first-class reputation, and 

 at one time a pupil, friend, and admirer of the 

 celebrated Cecilia Bohl de Faber (pseudonym 

 Fernan Caballero). In political ideas the book 

 is at variance with predominant opinions just 

 now, and Bazan and Bobadilla have held up to 

 ridicule this violent satire on the Spanish aris- 

 tocracy during Amadeo's short reign. 



Sweden. Last year we omitted Sweden from 

 our record, owing to the fact that there were no 

 materials at hand for giving an intelligible ac- 

 count of progress in the year 1890. This year 

 we are glad to be able to say something to the 

 purpose, although it is largely confined to one 



