The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-11-15
LITERARY GOSSIP.

Across the Continent" is the title of a
new book to be issued by Hurd & Houghton,
New York, to- be made up in the main of the
popular letters of Mr.. Bowles, editor of the
Springfield Republican, during his recent over
land trip to California. The New York Times
says of them 1.-THE whole series is the ablest
and most valuable report ever made of the
characteristics of the Western and Pacific por-
tons of our Union" The volume will also
contain extracts from Mr.. Colfax's speeches
during the journey, special and original re-
port on Mines and Mining by William Ash
burner, Esq, the leading mining engineer Of
San Francisco, and other valuable special pa
pers. The book win embrace about 400 pages,
and be elegantly printed, and will be sent by
mail, postage paid, and sold at the bookstores
for 81 80.
The two remarkable articles by Mfr. John
Stuart Mill, recently published in the Vest
minister Reuie9, 'The Positive Philosophy of
Auguste Comte," and "The Later Speculations
of Comte," have just been issued in one vol
ume by w. V. Spencer, Of Boston.
"A brief dispatch in our issue of Monday
announced the death of Mr.. George Arnold
the weu-known poet and journalist. He died
at Red Bank, N. j., after a brief illness which
was deemed dangerous only short time before
it terminated fatally. His age was thirty-one.
The Euening Post says Of Mr.. Arnold :-"He
was one Of the brightest Of the younger jour
nalists Of this city, and none surpassed him in
versatility. He wrote rural poems with grace
and facility; his latest, entitled September >
appearing in Ha,per's Magazine, whence it was
copied by the press all over the country An
other of his poems, "The Pedagogue" has also
had wide circulation. Mr.. Arnold also wrote
intelligent art criticisms, and pleasant stories
and reviews AS humorist he is known by
his "McArone" series of letters and by frequent
contributions to Vanity FGir, the Lecder, the
Weekly Reuieao, and the Saturday Press. He
had, in this class of writing, a felicitous, off
hand, epigrammatic style, not untrequently va.
ried by touches of true pathos. Personally he
was in all respects gentleman, and in his so.
cial relations enjoyed wide popularity. He
was member of the Thirty-seventh regiment
and his comrades will long remember his geni-
atty and 6onhonsnlie when they were stationed
at Fort Richmond last year"
The Brussels edition of Victor Hugo's new
book, the "Chansons des Rues ct DIES Bois,'
consists of three thousand copies, and the Paris
one of ten thousand.
The NeD Nation, weekly paper published
IN New York in 1864 and recently revived, is
dead. .n=ff .r
| Miss Margaret Hewitt, {. daughter of Will
liam and Mary Hewitt, has in press a transla-
ton from the Swedish OF Frederick Bremen
entitled The Butterfy's Gospel and Othe,
Stories"
| The rumor which attributed the authorship
of the new pamphlet on Mexico to the Empress
Eugene is officially denied.
1t is said that the famous traveller, Mare,
Polo, while in prison at Genoa, dictated his adj
ventures to an italian by the name of Rusti
Glen, in 1907. The original copy was sent by
the author to Charles of Valois, and it is now
believed to be in the Imperial Library in Paris
| This original text is about to be published fol
the first time, with copious notes and maps.
1t is stated that Dickens obtained the ide:
for his novel Of Oliver Twist from bundle o
drawings by Cruikshank, intended to illus
trate, without letter press, the life of LondcI
thief, and that the characters of Nancy, Fagin
Sykes, the Dodger and Charley Bates, were
|
The London correspondent of The Roun.
Table says =" The appointment of Professo
Mason to the professorship of rhetoric ant
English literature in the University of Edin
burgh gives general satisfaction. Sir Georg,
Grey had the appointment, and is understood
to have reflected the wishes of men of letter.
generally, particularly those of Professor Mas
sons friend, Carlyle. Mr.. Mason is superio
man to Aytoun. He came to London, from
| Glasgow, about twenty years ago, mere youth
and has attained his position by hard work I'll,
was once on the Committee Of Polish Nation
atty. Of late he has devoted himself to meta
physics and Milton. He is quite an accom-
plished speaker 1t is said that there will be
contest for the lord-rectorship Of the same uni
versity. Mr.. Gladstone has the post at pres
ent, but it is said that he has resolved to with
draw in November He will be succeeded by
one OF these three: Thomas Carlyle, William
STERLING, NJ. p, or the Right. Hon. John In
glis"
-Messrs. Tribner & Co., of London, are
apou' 70 publish new comic scientific period
icai entitled Cannon ana Spinach. The pro
Jectors express the belief that the boundary be.
tween the sublime and the ridiculous is as of:
ten overstepped by the scpdnt as By the politi.
clan, lawyer, or any other person in society
who figures in the pages Of our favo-ite comic
journals, and that such false steps offer a wide
field for fun. Full reports Of the meetinos q,
the scientific societies are also promised.