New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-03-17

ators, Pilelso, Po4gio, vo!ia, acioppiu,, and a.
70 4. have q certain value a. giving gmpses of ths
manners Of their times, and present, 10 readabls
form. what vas known hitherto 10 few even Of II
learned. and was buried far beyond the research Of
Literary oilettaDt in the uscrpts Of old libraries
wodenoiscue de Ia Val.iere It Madame a. NOS
hspan, by Arsene HOussaye Since the lives o
these females were 10 be written, no 80 6t biogra
pher has existed, or ever can exist for them, q
Arsene IIoussaye. Solemn historian nj. Caps
fgue has treated the same subjects. so much The
worse for him and them and his readers. liz
wbtewashes; Houssaye paints. The whole differ
eEce-and the excellent superiority OF the latter
in the difference The females in question being O
the painted sort, the Court of Louis XIV, WHERE
they fourished, being the most artificial of moder
imp0stures, the arti6ciay brilliant, cOl0red style
ATsene H0ussaye ia natural and apt 10 their treat
ment. Capefgue would make them better thar
they were, having political theory to serve with
their help, and falsiies them to help it, Houssay
looking on them from an artistic point Of view, free
from political theory, and freer If possible, from
any notion Of moral teaching, finds them charmin
as they were and represents them as they were. Az
so his very readable book, which on the side Of fact
is carefully studied enough, becomes absolutely va
uabe as an historical study Of Louis XIV. and hi
times.
A complete, new, and elegant edition ofIioussaye'
works, in 10 octave volumes, is now in course o
publication.
Artistic rather than literary, is a commendabl
work, publishing in numbers, under the title
Costumes HisfOriquts du dOu.ieme an gn'Bzitm
steele, drawn from the moet authentic sources o
paint ny and sculpture, drawn and engraved b
Paul Merceiu a new aud carefully revised edition
y hat draws my attention, and to my mind sane
tions It's worth, is the name Of Charles Blanc az
author of an Introductory chapter to the work. Iii
name is lent only TO works Of merit. His compe
tence in all artistic matters is past question. III
Gazette deS BeauI ArtS, has rapidly grown, undo
his editorship, to be an extremely interesting an
valuable magazine of art and artistic archaeology
in all kinds: modern and ancient painting an
sculpture, architecture costumes, enamels, engrav
ines, furniture, medals pOtteres, porcelaines, In
tagliOs the literature OF art and the biography o
artists-in fact all that relates properly 10 the nm
arts is treated of in ts pages by able pens
T0Bage duI Pyrenfes is book written by tina
thoughtful observer and brilliant critic, IL. Taine
several years ago. Thousands and tens OF thousand
of travellers has already made and do now yeari
make the same voyage to the watering places OF tb
Pyrenees but they have not the eyes TO see nor th
pen TO write Of which NJ. Tame makes such use
that out from the hard-trodden, commonplace pat
there springs up leaf after leaf whole novel book
full of the most entertaining and suggestive reading
But this would not justify present mention Of thir
edition of ais Pyrenean travels, were it not prOfusc
set off with engrayngs from Gustave Dore's designs
Not nearly equal in merit to Gustaye Dores illus
trations to Rabelais and the Contes Drolatiques
not particularly adapted for the most part to NJ
Tane's book, but yet worth looking at and pre-
serving as better than the mass of degenerate de
signs of DOre's late production.
There are two sides to all questions, even to the
Question Romano the Able Magnan has got pub
lished Reponse a la Question R0maine of Edmond
About and the Able IIorOy has published another
Undoubtedly the Abbes have some advantages in
attacking About, who is not judicially exact wri
ter; but the trouble is that they are not entertain
ing, and only get read, if at all, by persons whc
arc persuaded that About is all wrong in advance.
The following may interest curious few Of YOU
readers: Les qneiens pOstes de Ia France, pabiif
sous les auspices de son EIoetlenee lie Minist, dc
PIaStraction PuJiique, etc. Doom de Maence, chan
son de gsste public pour Ia premiere Jois daprts
manuscrits de Montpelier ct Paris par M. A. Peg
and Ganfrey, chansOn de geste, public posr Ia
premiere .fois fapres ie MS vnique de Montpeilier
The first part of this collection will include tho
CarlOyingian cycle, and will form 40 volumes. The
two volumes just mentioned are the second ant
third Of the series.
Hyperion ct KarGndgh par Henri w. LongfaI
lo,e RtrGries dun Cfiibetaire THIRD translation
prEc6dE dune LHre d an hOmmfe Marie par u
MarreI; R6reres dun homme Marie par g. "
Curtis, are among the late TRANSACTIONS.