Chapter V: Part 5

_July 9th._—Bad weather, rain and a west wind. A Norwegian sailing vessel took refuge in our bay. It was returning from the ice-field, where the crew had been hunting seals, and had killed more than 700. The sailors were engaged in cutting up the animals; the skins were salted and the fat stored in barrels to be melted down.

_July 10th._—The bad weather continued, with cold fogs and rain.

The _Lofoten_ visited us for the second time with more tourists. Amongst them, I was pleased to meet some friends of our family: M. and Mme. H. Vieillard, and two other French travellers, M. Obermeyer, editor of the _Figaro_, and his wife. I much regretted not having time to say much to my fellow-countrymen. The _Lofoten_ is engaged in a regular service between Hammerfest and Advent Bay; she had little time to spare, having extended her trip to come to Dane’s Island, and could not stop more than an hour in Virgo Bay.

In the evening the sky cleared, the rain ceased, and a strong wind blew from the south-west. The barometer, which had been falling for two days, still continued to do so slowly. We now had a chance of a wind favourable to our expedition.

VIII

The Departure

_Sunday, July 11th._—A decided south wind! Would it last this time, or would it again prove a delusion?

Andrée and his companions consulted for some time the various instruments from each post of observation. The atmospheric conditions seemed favourable.

Together with Andrée, we went to the top of the shed to examine carefully the work that had been done, and to arrange about the preparations for starting. The wind was very violent. The wooden structure trembled under our feet; I feared sometimes that it would be blown down, and the balloon destroyed. But this apparently light structure was really very solidly built, of which fact it had furnished excellent proofs. Moreover, it was sheltered by a hill 329 feet high.

After having enumerated the various operations to be performed, Andrée returned to his observations for a few minutes. The result was favourable. The direction of the wind seemed quite settled; but he did not give the order to start. This time he dared not take the sole responsibility of this decision, so he consulted his fellow-travellers. It was a very delicate question for the members staying behind, Svedenborg and myself, to decide; the decision rested rather with those directly interested. Strindberg and Fraenkel wished to start at once, and besides, what were we waiting for? Time was passing, the season was advancing; therefore, the sooner, the better.

Andrée did not express his opinion; it was not necessary, we guessed it. He was burning to set out for the conquest of the Pole; and he only said, “The departure is decided upon.”

We returned on board the _Svensksund_, where the sailors in uniform, and in the presence of the officers, were attending a short religious service, after having been reviewed as usual on Sunday.

As soon as the decision was known, Captain Ehrensvärd gave orders for the whole crew to resume their working clothes immediately.

Two Norwegian sailing vessels, returning from the north, entered the bay, and made ready to cast anchor opposite the shed. Signals were exchanged, to ask them to take up a different position, so as to leave a free passage for the Andrée balloon, which would start in a few hours.

The workers are ready, and are being taken ashore by the boats.

The carpenters and a detachment of sailors go quickly up into the shed, and demolish the northern portion with surprising rapidity.

It is 11 o’clock in the morning. Andrée is standing before the shed, observing everything. His orders follow one another, brief and rapid; his voice resounds, rendered still stronger by a speaking trumpet. Nothing is heard but the crackling of the wood as it is broken away, and the wooden beams as they come crashing to the ground. A detachment of men clear away the rubbish as it falls.

On the south side, at the top of the shed, sailors are stretching the canvas between the masts, thus increasing by 13 feet the height of the roof.

Everywhere is feverish activity; the preparations go on rapidly.

We now turn our attention to the balloon, which slowly rises, as the bags of ballast are slowly let down from mesh to mesh until they stop at the hoop.

The wind becomes more and more violent. Puffs reach the balloon, which sways greatly from side to side; the equatorial straps support it well, and restrain its movements.

The cords are then arranged which work the valves and the rending flap. These delicate parts require constant inspection during these last operations, in order to prevent their working badly. Stadling hangs over the circle, on to a horizontal rope, a series of baskets in which were the carrier pigeons. This preliminary part of the preparations being concluded, the ballast bags are withdrawn until the balloon is properly balanced. The hoop remains firmly held to the ground by three cables long enough to enable it to rise sufficiently high for the car to be fixed in position. The rest of the ballast bags are collected into three groups, hung to the hoop by three ropes.

The car, which, with all its contents, weighs nearly 1,102 lbs., is brought under. It is slipped into its place, and quickly fastened to the hoop by the six cables supporting it.

Andrée walks round the balloon and round the shed, giving a last glance at every detail, satisfying himself that everything is ready and in good working order.

The solemn hour has arrived.

Strindberg, who has always been a great friend of mine, as we have a mutual sympathy with one another, begs me to send his _fiancée_ proofs of the last photographs that I shall succeed in developing, and which would interest her. He shows great emotion while speaking to me; it is not fear of the perils that he is about to face, but other sentiments that are agitating him at this moment. It is easy for me to guess what they are.

When will he see again that charming Swedish girl, whose photograph which he has so often shown me, and carries next his heart?

How many days, how many months, will she be anxiously waiting, and receiving no news?

What anxiety, what suspense, await that poor young girl?

But what joy will follow the glorious return of her beloved! What firm bonds of affection will bind them together after this long, hard separation!

Oh! how I wish them this happiness with all my heart!

Greatly affected myself, I shake convulsively the hand of my friend, who is leaving all that he holds dearest in the world for the glorious accomplishment of a scientific enterprise, and with a final clasp I promise him once again that his wish will be a sacred duty to me!

He gives me a last letter for his _fiancée_; then, controlling the emotion which was overcoming him, he rejoins Andrée and Fraenkel, who are also taking leave of their friends.

Andrée is thanking all the members of the expedition for the help they have rendered him in his enterprise. He gives the captain several telegrams written in haste at the last minute; one, addressed to the King of Sweden, is worded thus:—

“SPITZBERGEN, _July 11th_, 2.25 p.m.

“At the moment of their departure, the members of the
expedition to the North Pole beg Your Majesty to accept their
very humble salutations, and the assurance of their deepest
gratitude.

“ANDRÉE.”

Another telegram, addressed to the _Aftonbladet_, Stockholm, said:—

“In accordance with our decision previously arrived at, we
commenced on Sunday, at 10.45, the preparations for our ascent,
and at this moment, 2.30 p.m., we are ready to start.

“We shall probably be driven in a north-north-easterly
direction. We hope gradually to reach regions where the winds
will be more favourable to us.

“In the name of all our comrades, I send our warmest regards to
our friends, and to our country!

“ANDRÉE.”

The last farewells are brief and touching; few words are exchanged, but hearty handclasps between those whose hearts are in sympathy say more than words.

Suddenly Andrée snatches himself away from the embraces of his friends, and takes his place on the wicker bridge of the car, from whence he calls in a firm voice:—

“Strindberg,—Fraenkel,—let us go!”

His two companions at once take their places beside him. They are all three armed with a knife for cutting the ropes supporting the groups of ballast bags.

This being done, Captain Ehrensvärd and Lieutenants Norselius and Celsing give their sailors orders which are at once put into execution.

The equatorial straps fall at one stroke.

The balloon, freed from this restraint, moves slightly; it quits the state of torpor in which it seemed to be plunged; it now seems to have come to life, and, notwithstanding its shelter, it rolls greatly on its lower moorings, from which it tries to free itself.

We wait a few seconds, in order to seize a moment of calm, before the order is given to start.

Three of the most adroit sailors, armed with knives, hold themselves in readiness, at a given signal, to cut the three cables by which alone the balloon is now held captive.

The entire crew of the _Svensksund_ are present, and also the crews of the three Norwegian whaling vessels anchored in Virgo Bay.

There is profound silence at this minute; we only hear the whistling of the wind through the woodwork of the shed, and the flapping of the canvas, which hangs over the upper part of the south side.

Amongst the cordage of the car are seen the three heroes, standing admirably cool and calm.

Andrée is always calm, cold, and impassible. Not a trace of emotion is visible on his countenance; nothing but an expression of firm resolution and an indomitable will.

He is just the man for such an enterprise; and he is well seconded by his two companions.

At length the decisive moment arrives.

“One! Two! Cut!” cries Andrée in Swedish.

The three sailors obey the order simultaneously, and in one second the aerial ship, free and unfettered, rises majestically into space, saluted with our heartiest cheers.

We rush to the doors to get out of the shed. I have the chance of getting out first through a secret opening I have made in the woodwork, so as to be able to rush to my photographic apparatus and have time to take a few snapshots at this stupendous moment.

Being encumbered with the heavy cordage that it takes with it, the balloon does not rise to a height of 328 feet.

It is dragged by the wind.

Behind the mountain that is sheltering us stormy winds are raging, and a current of air sweeps down from the summit and attacks the balloon, which for a moment descends rapidly towards the sea. This incident, which we had foreseen before the departure, but the natural cause of which struck few of the spectators at the moment, produces great excitement amongst some of us. The sailors rush to the boats to be ready to lend assistance to the explorers, whom they expect to see engulfed in the waves. Their alarm was of short duration; the descending movement soon becomes slower, and the car just touches the water and ascends again immediately.

Unfortunately, the lower parts of the guide-ropes, which were made so as to become detached if they should be caught in the ground, have remained on the shore. At the start the ropes were caught in some rocks on the shore, and the screws for separating the parts worked. But Andrée is well provided against this loss, so that this accident is not likely to have serious consequences.

At the edge of the water, on the beach studded with rocks and large stones, we all stand, breathlessly watching the various phases, rapidly following one upon another, of the commencement of this stirring and unprecedented aerial journey.

The balloon, which has now righted itself at about 164 feet above the sea, is rapidly speeding away; the guide-ropes glide over the water, making a very perceptible wake, which is visible from its starting point, like the track made by a ship. The state of affairs seems to us on the shore to be the best that could be hoped for. We exchange last signals of farewell with our friends; hats and handkerchiefs are waved frantically.

Soon we can no longer distinguish the aeronauts; but we can see that they are arranging their sails, as these latter are displayed in succession on their bamboo mast; then we observe a change of direction. The balloon is now travelling straight to the north; it goes along swiftly, notwithstanding the resistance that must be offered by the dragging ropes; we estimate its speed at from 18 to 22 miles an hour. If it keeps up this initial speed and the same direction, it will reach the Pole in less than two days.

The aerial globe seems now no bigger than an egg. On the horizon an obstacle appears in the route; this is the continuation of a chain of mountains about 328 feet high right in the path of the balloon, which seems very close to the obstacle, and some of the sailors round me, who have never before seen a balloon start on its trip, seem in great terror; they think the balloon will be hopelessly wrecked. I reassure them, telling them that the balloon is still far away from the hills, which will be easily surmounted, without there even being any necessity to throw out ballast.

The balloon travels on, maintained at the same altitude by the guide-ropes. In the neighbourhood of the hills there is an upward current of air; the balloon will follow this; it would only risk striking against the obstacle if the movement were downwards, which is not the case. Moreover, the guide-ropes first rest upon the rocks and thus lighten the balloon, which gradually rises.

We see it clear the top of the hill, and stand out clearly for a few minutes against the blue sky, and then slowly disappear from our view behind the hill.

Scattered along the shore, we stand motionless, with hearts full, and anxious eyes, gazing at the silent horizon.

For one moment then, between two hills, we perceive a grey speck over the sea, very, very far away, and then it finally disappears.

The way to the Pole is clear, no more obstacles to encounter; the sea, the ice-field, and the Unknown!

We look at one another for a moment, stupefied. Instinctively we draw together without saying a word. There is nothing, nothing whatever in the distance to tell us where our friends are; they are now shrouded in mystery.

“Farewell! Farewell! Our most fervent prayers go with you. May God help you! Honour and glory to your names!”

ALEXIS MACHURON.

The Last Message from Andrée

The following message from Andrée shows the progress made by the hardy explorer. We reproduce it in facsimile.

(1)—_The Andrée Polar Expedition to the “Aftonbladet” Stockholm._

_July 13th, 12.30 p.m., 82°2´ north latitude, 15°5´ east longitude. Good journey eastwards, 10° south. All goes well on board. This is the third message sent by pigeon._

ANDRÉE.

Butler & Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London.

The Pupils of Peter the Great

A History of the Russian Court and Empire from 1697 to 1740

By R. NISBET BAIN

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Andrée and his Balloon

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Through China with a Camera

By JOHN THOMSON, F.R.G.S.

With about 100 Illustrations. Foolscap 4to. _One Guinea net._ This work contains probably the finest series of pictures of China ever published.

_CONTENTS._

CHAPTER I. A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE CONDITION OF CHINA, PAST AND PRESENT.

” II. THE CHINAMAN ABROAD AND AT HOME.
Chinese Guilds—Hong-kong—Native
Boats—Shopkeepers—Artists—Music Halls.

” III. THE CHINAMAN ABROAD AND AT HOME (_continued_).
Gambling—Typhoons—The floating population of
Hong-kong—North branch of the Pearl River.

” IV. CANTON AND KWANG-TUNG PROVINCE.
Tea—Foreign Hongs and Houses—Schroffing.

” V. CANTON (_continued_).
Its general appearance—Its population—Streets—Mode of
transacting business—Signboards—Work and Wages—The
willow-pattern bridge—Juilin, Governor-General
of the two Kwang—Clan fights—Hak-kas—The mystic
pills—Dwellings of the poor—The Lohang-tang—Buddhist
monastic life—On board a junk.

” VI. CANTON (_continued_). MACAO. SWATOW. CHAO-CHOW-FU—AMOY.
The charitable institutions of
China—Macao—Description of the
town—Its inhabitants—Swatow—Foreign
settlement—Chao-chow-fu—Swatow
fan-painters—Modellers—Chinese art—Village
warfare—Amoy—The native quarter—Abodes of the
poor—Infanticide—Manure-pits—Human remains in
jars—Lekin—Romantic scenery—Ku-lang-su—The foreign
settlement.

” VII. FORMOSA.
Takow harbour, Formosa—La-mah-kai—Difficulties
of navigation—Tai-wan-fu—The Taotai—His
yamen—How to cancel a state debt—The Dutch in
1661—Sylvan lanes—Medical Missions—A journey to
the interior—Old watercourses—Broken land—Hak-ka
settlers—Poahbe—Pepohoan village—Baksa
valley—The name ”Isla Formosa“—A long march—The
central mountains—Bamboo Bridges—”Pau-ah-liau“
village—The physician at work—Ka-san-po village—A
wine-feast—interior of a hut—Pepohoan dwellings—A
savage dance—Savage hunting-grounds—La-lung
village—Return journey.

” VIII. FOOCHOW AND THE RIVER MIN.
The Japanese in Formosa—Cause of the invasion—The
River Min—Foochow Arsenal—Chinese gunboats—Foochow
city and great bridge—A City of the dead—Its
inhabitants—Beggars—Thieves—Lepers—Ku-shan
Monastery—The hermit—Tea plantation on Paeling
hills—Voyage up the Min—Shui-kow—An up-country
farm—Captain Sheng and his spouse—Yen-ping
city—Sacrificing to the dead—Shooting the Yen-ping
rapids—A Native passenger-boat.

” IX. SHANGHAI. NINPO. HANKOW. THE YANGTSZE.
Steam traffic in the China Sea—In the wake
of a typhoon—Shanghai—Notes of its early
history—Japanese raids—Shanghai foreign
settlement—Paul Sü, or ”Su-kwang-ki“—Shanghai
city—Ningpo—Native soldiers—Snowy valley—The
Mountains—Azaleas—The monastery of the Snowy
Crevice—The thousand-fathom precipice—Buddhist
Monks—The Yangtsze, Kiang—Hankow—The Upper Yangtsze,
Ichang—The Gorges—The great Tsing-tan rapid—Mystic
fountain lights—A dangerous disaster—Kwei-fu—Our
return—Kiukiang—Nanking; its arsenal—The death of
Tsing-kwo-fan—Chinese superstition.

” X. CHEFOO. PEKIN. TIENTSIN. THE GREAT WALL.
The foreign settlement—The Yellow River—Silk—Its
production—Taku forts—The Peiho River—Chinese
progress—Floods in Pei-chil-li—Their
effects—Tientsin—The Sisters’ chapel—Condition of
the people—A midnight storm—Tung-Chow—Peking—The
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and domestic architecture—The Tsungli
Yamen—Prince Kung and the high officers of the
empire—Literary championship—The Confucian
Temple—The Observatory—Ancient Chinese
instruments—Yang’s house—Habits of the ladies—Peking
enamelling—Yuen-Ming-Yuen—Remarkable cenotaph—A
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* * * * *

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JAPAN—COREA—CHINA

By the RT. HON. GEORGE N. CURZON, M.P.

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CHARLES MACFARLANE.

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Harold: The Last of the Saxons

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The Camp of Refuge

CHARLES MACFARLANE.

“Now we are to have for the first time a fairly complete edition of the best historical novels and romances in our language. Messrs. Archibald Constable & Co. have had a happy idea in planning such a scheme, which is likely to have an enthusiastic reception.”—_National Observer._

* * * * *

Farthest North

By FRIDTJOF NANSEN

A Few Copies of the Library Edition of Farthest North

By FRIDTJOF NANSEN

2 Vols. Royal 8vo, £2 2s. net, are still for sale.

The Library Edition contains:

OVER ONE HUNDRED FULL-PAGE AND A LARGE NUMBER OF TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS.

THREE PHOTOGRAVURE PLATES.

SIXTEEN COLOURED PLATES IN FACSIMILE OF DR. NANSEN’S OWN WATER-COLOUR, PASTEL, AND PENCIL SKETCHES.

AN ETCHED PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR.

THREE MAPS.

“A masterpiece of story telling.”—_Times._

“A book for everybody who loves a story of romance and adventure.”—_Westminster Gazette._

“The genius of Defoe could scarcely contrive a more absorbing story than we have in the second volume of the book.”—_Spectator._

Dr. Nansen’s Great Book contains over 100 Full-page Illustrations, a large number of Text Illustrations, sixteen Coloured Plates, four Large Maps, two Photogravure Plates, and an Etched Portrait.

* * * * *

Sir Henry Wotton: A Biographical Sketch

By ADOLPHUS WILLIAM WARD, Litt.D., LL.D., Principal of the Owens College, Manchester; Hon. Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge.

_Fcap. 8vo. 3s. 6d._

“A delightful monograph entirely worthy of its admirable subject.”—Glasgow Herald.

* * * * *

English Schools. 1546-1548

By A. F. LEACH, M.A., F.S.A., Late Fellow of All Souls’, Oxford; Assistant Charity Commissioner.

_Demy 8vo. 12s._

“A very remarkable contribution to the history of secondary education in England, not less novel in its conclusions than important in the documentary evidence adduced to sustain them.”—_The Times._

“This is the most valuable book on the history of English Education that has seen the light for many a long year.”—_The Journal of Education._

* * * * *

Spenser’s Faerie Queene

_Complete in Six Volumes. Fcap. 8vo, cloth, 9s. net._

EDITED BY KATE M. WARREN.

Volumes I., II., and III. now ready, _1s. 6d._ net each.

_Also cloth gilt extra, with Photogravure frontispiece, 2s. 6d. each net._

“For school use especially and as a pocket edition this reprint is just what the general reader requires.”—_Liverpool Daily Post._

“Miss Warren, however, really explains all that is necessary to an intelligent understanding of the text.”—_Leeds Mercury._

“The text is good, there is a full and accurate glossary, and the notes are clear and to the point. The introduction, too, is neatly written.”—_Catholic Times._

* * * * *

Some Observations of a Foster Parent

By JOHN CHARLES TARVER.

_Crown 8vo. 6s._

“A very excellent book on the education of the English boy. The book is one which all parents should diligently read.”—_Daily Mail._

* * * * *

The Chronicle of Villani

TRANSLATED BY ROSE E. SELFE.

EDITED BY THE REV. P. H. WICKSTEED.

_Crown 8vo. 6s._

“The book, picturesque and instructive reading as it is, is not less interesting and still more valuable for readers of Italy’s greatest poet.”—_Scotsman._

“Perhaps no one book is so important to the student of Dante as the chronicle of his contemporary Villani.”—_Athenæum._

_At all Libraries and Booksellers._

Adventures in Legend

Tales of the West Highlands.

By the MARQUIS OF LORNE, K.T., M.P.

Fully Illustrated. _Crown 8vo, 6s._

* * * * *

_Just Ready._

The Dark Way of Love

By CHARLES A. GOFFIC. Translated by E. WINGATE RINDER.

_Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d._

* * * * *

By the Roaring Reuss: Idylls and Stories of the Alps

By W. BRIDGES BIRTT.

With four Full-page Illustrations. _Crown 8vo, 5s._

* * * * *

Odd Stories

By FRANCES FORBES ROBERTSON.

_Crown 8vo, 6s._

“Written for the most part in graceful and vigorous English, veined with a pretty sentiment, and not seldom rising to dramatic power.”—_Pall Mall Gazette._

“Charming are the short sketches Miss Frances Forbes-Robertson has reprinted.”—_Illustrated London News._

“Bright and artistic, some of them original, none commonplace.”—_Sketch._

“The book is steeped in an atmosphere of fantasy, which makes us feel as if we had been to the edge of the world and smelt the flowers which grow there.”—_Literature._

* * * * *

Dracula

By BRAM STOKER. _Crown 8vo, 6s._

“One of the most enthralling and unique romances ever written.”—_The Christian World._

“The very weirdest of weird tales.”—_Punch._

“Its fascination is so great that it is impossible to lay it aside.”—_The Lady._

“The idea is so novel that one gasps, as it were, at its originality. A romance far above the ordinary production.”—_St. Paul’s._

“Much loving and happy human nature, much heroism, much faithfulness, much dauntless hope, so that as one phantasmal ghastliness follows another in horrid swift succession the reader is always accompanied by images of devotion and friendliness.”—_Liverpool Daily Post._

“A most fascinating narrative.”—_Dublin Evening Herald._

* * * * *

In the Tideway

By FLORA ANNIE STEEL (Author of “Miss Stuart’s Legacy,” “On the Face of the Waters,” etc.). _Crown 8vo, 6s._

“It is too late in the day to speak of Mrs. Steel’s position. This is assured, but this book adds greatly to an established position. It is profoundly impressive.”—_St. James’s Budget._

“Wonderfully bright and lively both in dialogue and incidents.”—_Scotsman._

NEW BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

The King’s Story Book

Edited by G. LAURENCE GOMME. With numerous full-page

Illustrations by C. HARRISON MILLER.

_Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 6s._

“Mr. Gomme has hit upon a happy idea for a ‘story-book,’ and has carried it out with signal success.”—_Publisher’s Circular._

“Mr. Gomme’s selection is of great interest.”—_St. James’ Gazette._

“The book is most informative, as well as full of interest.”—_Vanity Fair._

“We give honourable mention to ‘The King’s Story Book.’ It is a book of stories collected out of English romantic literature. This is a book that will thrill more than any modern effort of the imagination; a more striking collection of stories of daring and valour was never got between two book covers.”—_Pall Mall Gazette_, Nov. 23, 1897.

* * * * *

The Laughter of Peterkin

_Crown 8vo, 6s._

A Re-telling of Old Stories of the Celtic Wonder-world. A book for young and old.

By FIONA MACLEOD.

“This latest and most excellent piece of work of Miss Macleod’s.”—_Spectator._

“To no more skilful hands than those of Fiona Macleod could the re-telling of these old tales of the Celtic Wonderland have been confided.”—_Morning Post._

“The writing is full of beauty and passion.”—_St. James’ Gazette._

“The book is a charming fairy tale.”—_Athenæum._

“This book has so much charm of style and good writing that it will be eagerly read by many other than the young folk for whom it is intended.”—_Black and White._

* * * * *

A Houseful of Rebels

A Fairy Tale.

By WALTER C. RHOADES. Illustrated by PATTEN WILSON.

_Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 4s. 6d._

“It is exactly the sort of story which will interest.”—_Weekly Sun._

“A charming story, well told, and is beautifully illustrated by Patten Wilson.”—_Manchester Courier._

“Readers will laugh till they cry over the first fifty pages of a ‘Houseful of Rebels.’”—_Manchester Guardian._

* * * * *

Songs for Little People

By NORMAN GALE.

Profusely Illustrated by HELEN STRATTON. _Large Crown 8vo, 6s._

“Miss Stratton has headed, and tailed, and bordered the verses with a series of exquisitely pictured fancies.”—_Bookseller._

“Simple, charming little verses they are of fairies, animals, and children, and the illustrations are strikingly original.”—_Pall Mall Gazette._

* * * * *

London Riverside Churches

By A. E. DANIELL

Profusely illustrated by

ALEXANDER ANSTED

_Imperial 16mo, 6s._

“A little time ago Mr. Daniell gave us a book on the churches of the City of London. He has now turned his attention to ‘London Riverside Churches.’ He takes the Thames from Greenwich to Kingston, and tells the stories of the various notable churches touched by this line. The book is fully illustrated from sketches by Alexander Ansted.”—_Daily Chronicle._

* * * * *

BY THE SAME AUTHOR

London City Churches

With Numerous Illustrations and a Map showing the position of each Church.

_Imperial 16mo, 6s._

“Mr. Daniell’s work will prove very interesting reading, as he has evidently taken great care in obtaining all the facts concerning the City churches, their history and associations.”—_London._

“The illustrations to this book are good, and it deserves to be widely read.”—_Morning Post._

* * * * *

The Books of the Bible

IN SEPARATE VOLUMES

_Printed in Red and Black. Cloth, paper label, uncut edges, 1s. net; cloth gilt, 1s. 6d. net; whole leather, 2s. 6d. net._

THE BOOK OF THE PSALMS

ST. MATTHEW
ST. MARK
ST. LUKE
ST. JOHN

THE FOUR GOSPELS

In One Volume

_Cloth, paper label, 2s. 6d. net; purple cloth gilt, 3s. net; white cloth gilt, 3s. net; whole leather, 4s. net._

Others to follow.

“Very tasteful in appearance.”—_Glasgow Herald._

“Exquisite volumes.”—_The Globe._

“The edition is very attractive.”—_Westminster Gazette._

“The idea is excellent.”—_The Record._

THREE NOTABLE REPRINTS

Boswell’s Life of Johnson

EDITED BY AUGUSTINE BIRRELL

WITH FRONTISPIECES BY ALEX. ANSTED. A REPRODUCTION OF SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS’ PORTRAIT.

_Six Volumes. Foolscap 8vo. Cloth, paper label, or gilt extra, 2s. net per Volume. Also half morocco, 3s. net per Volume. Sold in Sets only._

“Far and away the best Boswell, I should say, for the ordinary book-lover, now on the market.”—_Illustrated London News._

“The volumes, which are light, and so well bound that they open easily anywhere, are exceedingly pleasant to handle and read.”—_St. James’s Budget._

“Constable’s edition will long remain the best both for the general reader and the scholar.”—_Review of Reviews._

* * * * *

CONSTABLE’S REPRINT OF

The Waverley Novels

THE FAVOURITE EDITION OF SIR WALTER SCOTT

With all the original Plates and Vignettes (Re-engraved). In 48 Vols. Fcap. 8vo.

_Cloth, paper label title, 1s. 6d. net per Volume, or £3 12s. net the Set. Also cloth gilt, gilt top, 2s. net per Volume, or £4 16s. net the Set; and half-leather gilt, 2s. 6d. net per Volume, or £6 net the Set._

“This is one of the most charming editions of the Waverley Novels that we know, as well as one of the cheapest in the market.”—_Glasgow Herald._

* * * * *

The Paston Letters, 1492-1590

Edited by JAMES GAIRDNER, of the Public Record Office

_3 vols. Fcap. 8vo. With 3 Photogravure Frontispieces, cloth gilt extra, or paper label uncut, 16s. net._

“This edition, which was first published some twenty years ago, is the standard edition of these remarkable historical documents, and contains upwards of four hundred letters in addition to those published by Frere in 1823. The reprint is in three small and compact volumes, and should be welcome to students of history as giving an important work in a convenient form.”—_Scotsman._

“One of the monuments of English historical scholarship that needs no commendation.”—_Manchester Guardian._

POETRY

Selected Poems

By GEORGE MEREDITH

_Crown 8vo. 6s._

“A volume which abounds in imaginative vision as well as intellectual strength.”—_Standard._

“His poems are achievements of the intellect ... there is wit in them and genius.”—_Scotsman._

“We hope that a large public will wake up to the high and serious beauties and the real genius of Mr. Meredith’s finest poetry.”—_St. James’s Gazette._

“These Selected Poems are a literary store.”—_Scotsman._

* * * * *

Songs of Love and Empire

By E. NESBIT

_Now Ready. Crown 8vo, cloth gilt._

* * * * *

New Poems

By FRANCIS THOMPSON

_Fcap 8vo, 6s. net._

“There is in these new Poems a wider outlook, a greater breadth of sympathy than were discovered in their predecessors.”—_Globe._

“A true poet.... At any rate here unquestionably is a new poet, a wielder of beautiful words, a lover of beautiful things.”—I. ZANGWILL, in the _Cosmopolitan_, Sept., 1895.

“At least one book of poetry has been published this year that we can hand on confidently to other generations. It is not incautious to prophesy that Mr. Francis Thompson’s poems will last.”—_Sketch._

“Mr. Thompson’s new volume will be welcomed by all students and lovers of the more ambitious forms of poetry.”—_Glasgow Herald._

* * * * *

Whitman. A Study

By JOHN BURROUGHS

_12mo. Cloth gilt, 6s. net._

“Altogether the most complete, the most sympathetic, and the most penetrating estimate of Walt Whitman that has yet been written.”—_Daily Mail._

* * * * *

Fidelis and Other Poems

By C. M. GEMMER

_Foolscap 8vo, cloth gilt, 3s. 6d. net._

“It has undeniable beauty, and it would have been a pity if this and some of the shorter poems included in the same collection had not seen the light. Distinction of tone, careful craftsmanship, and a rich vocabulary characterise most of them.”—_Manchester Guardian._

“Touched with a dainty grace is “Baby-Land.” ... “A Reverie” in whose tender pathos and stately movement we find an abiding charm.”—_Literature._

* * * * *

A Tale of Boccaccio and Other Poems

By ARTHUR COLES ARMSTRONG.

_Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 5s. net._

* * * * *

The Cyclists’ Pocket Book

For the year 1898.

FULL OF INFORMATION.

_Cloth boards, 1s. Leather, 1s. 6d._

A special feature of the 1898 edition of “THE CYCLISTS’ POCKET BOOK” is a list of Hotels offering advantages to Cyclists in town and country, also the “CYCLISTS’ TELEGRAPH CODE” (enlarged and improved).

“A very handy little volume ... in size and shape most convenient ... an excellent little work. Can highly recommend it to our readers.”—_The Irish Cyclist._

“The most useful pocket book for cyclists we have yet seen.”—_Westminster Gazette._

“Should be read and digested by all riders ... very useful, a valuable handbook, and one long wanted.”—_Land and Water._

“Cyclists will pronounce it to be in its way a gem ... appears complete in every respect.”—_Scotsman._

“A wonderfully compact and handy volume—a mass of useful information ... quite a novelty.“—_Daily Mail._

“Neatly arranged ... a handy little volume.”—_The Field._

“The telegraphic code ... a very valuable feature.”—_England._

* * * * *

The Art and Pastime of Cycling

By R. J. MECREDY AND A. J. WILSON

With Numerous Illustrations. _Paper, 1s.; cloth, 1s. 6d._

“A very useful and well-compiled guide to cycling.”—_Wheeling._

“The treatise is written in simple language, and its directions are clearly expressed.”—_Sporting Life._

“Will be of great value both to beginners and devotees of the wheel.”—_Whitehall Review._

* * * * *

“The Game of Polo”

By T. F. DALE (_“Stoneclink” of “The Field”_)

Fully Illustrated

_Demy 8vo One Guinea net_

“A handsome volume.... The author, ‘Stoneclink,’ of _The Field_, is one of the recognised authorities of the sport, and what he does not know about it is not knowledge.”—_Pall Mall Gazette._

“A book which is likely to rank as the standard work on the subject.”—_Morning Post._

“The author writes in a pleasant, spirited style, and may be taken as an admirable guide. A really charming addition to the library of those who are devoted to the game.”—_The Globe._

* * * * *

New Popular Edition

OF THE

Works of George Meredith

_Crown 8vo_, 6/- each

With Frontispieces by BERNARD PARTRIDGE, HARRISON MILLER and Others.

The Ordeal of Richard Feverel [_Ready._
Rhoda Fleming [_Ready._
Sandra Belloni [_Ready._
Vittoria [_Ready._
Diana of the Crossways [_Ready._
The Egoist [_Just Ready._
Evan Harrington
The Adventures of Harry Richmond
Beauchamp’s Career
One of Our Conquerors
Lord Ormont and His Aminta
The Amazing Marriage
The Shaving of Shagpat
The Tragic Comedians
Short Stories
Poems