Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-04-29
BAYARD TAYLOR IN THE NEW YORK MER-
curry

| The exclusive arrangement, by the proprie-
| tors of the New York Mercury, of the talent
| ed American tourist and author, Bayard Tay-
| lor, Esq, is among the most brilliant of the
many Journalistic enterprises of this Journals
| tic age. The announcement of this arrange
ment has been greeted with fiuore of min
| gled surprise and admiration, on the part of
the public, and not only has the literary world
been aroused to a decided pitch of excitement,
but all other circles have likewise been brought
to the qui rice of expectation and interest
The variety and piquancy of Mr.. Taylor's
adventures-the romantic and interesting
scenes-tle thrilling incidents-among which
his path has lain, and the fresh, sprightly,
strictly conscientious style of his writings,
will render them peculiarly appropriate to the
columns of paper that aims to be, and is at
once brilliant and chaste in tone The gener-
al title, chosen for these contributions, is
"STRAY CHAPTERS OF LIFE AND TRAvEL,''-
simple but expressive head, under which,
not only the characters and customs of other
lands will be portrayed, but the voyagers own
personal adventures, vicissitudes, and taStunes
sad and merry, tragic and comic, also
The first Of these Chapters" which has
just appeared in the MERCURY for April Both,
is entitled "THE FIRST JOURNEY l EVER
MADE" and is all that could possibly desired.
for observation-disclosures, Instruction. and amuse-
ment. The author considers this first Journey
to have been, perhaps, the most interesting of
any, and he has certainly made glorious hit
in describing it.
The recent engagement of our great Ameri-
can artist, Felix o. G. barley, was a master
stroke Of enterprise on the part of the Mercu-
ry, and indicated what their second couo-detat
corroborates-that the proprietors intend to
employ the very best talent, in order to make
the very best paper. barley is universally ac-
knowledged to be the most talented artist now
living, whose works are engraved upon wood
England has her Gilbert and Leech, France
has her Gavarni and Cham, but our own Oar
ley combines the best qualities of all-the pic
turesque appreciation of Gilbert-the humor of
Leech-the mastery effects and rendition of
character that signalize Gavarni-the love of
fun and satire that have made the Paris Char
iUdTi what it is-all are under the control of
barley and when two such instruments as
his pencil and Bayard Taylor's pen are
brought together, to enrich the columns of 4
family paper, we may indeed wonder at the
progress of weekly literature, and the enter
prise of publishers.
The proprietors of the Mercury deserve
great credit for having made this acquisition
to their already brilliant corps of contributors
and although the expense has unquestionably
been enormous, there is not particls of doubt
that the reading public will most gladly second
their efforts to give additional lustre and solid
ity TO home reading.
AS might naturally be expected, the demand
for the Mercury of April 80, containing the
first of Bayard Taylor's journeys, is entirely
unparalleled in newspaper history, and the
rush for it, at all the bookstores and news de-
pots throughout the country, plainly attests
the immense popularity of the talented travel
er. A further proof in the same direction, if
further proof were desired, may be found in
the fact that the subscriptions received by
Messrs. caldwell, Southworth, & Whitney,
the proprietors of the Mercury, since the an
nouncement of Bayard Taylor's engagement,
amount, as we are credibly informed, to over
fire hundred dollars day, in addition to the
enormous sales of booksellers and news
agents
But this, perhaps, is hardly to be wondered
at, either, when we consider that the New
York Mercury is acknowledged to be the
largest, cheapest, and best literary journal in
America, being large quarto sheet, filled with
purely original matter from first to last, for
which only two dollars per annum is charged,
with as liberal reduction to clubs as is made
by other papers of half its size and less than
half its merit!