The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-06-05
Recent Publications.

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are the American publishers of work which
! will be warmly welcomed by a numerous class
of readers. This is Sir Samuel Bakers E1plo-
ration Of the Nile Tributaries of Abyssiria, a
work which forms the sequel 10 that on "The
Albert Nyanza Great Basin of the Nile" pub
lished in 1866. The former volume gave an
account of the exploration of those great lakes
the Albert and Victoria which constitute the
long sought and mysterious fountains of the
Nile" the never failing reservoirs supplied by
the rainfall OF the equator, from which flows
the beneficent flood that gives bread to Lower
Egypt. The volume now before us explains in
sor, the working of this wonderful Nile sys-
tenn of irrigation, and the immediate causes
of the inundation. The author describes
twelve months exploration, during
which time he examined every individual riv
er which is tributary to the Nile from Abyssin-
ia. The geographical results of his expedition
are, however, to the general reader, the least
interesting portion of his book. Sir Samuels
explorat ons gave him unusual opportunities
for observing the character, habits and ideas
of the singular people of that region, and his
descriptions of their ways and modes of life
have a very fresh and vivid interest. Many
stirring adventures, too, and some Of an
amusing character the traveller encountered,
and his narrative of these is racy and enter
tanning. He is an ardent sportsman as well as
explorer, and accompanied by the expert ma
tives he tried his hand at hunting the ele-
plant, the rhinoceros the giraffe, the croco-
die, and even the lion and the huge hippopot-
anus, and describes these hunts with great
vivacity and spirit. His book is not alone a
most interesting and valuable account of the
sources, supply and overflow of the Nile, and
vivid picture of the country, its people, GUS
toms and animals bat fascinating narrative
of remarkable incident and personal adven-
ture. Throughout the whole of his years
journey Sir Samuel was accompanied by his
heroic wife, who with extraordinary hardihood
and devotion shared all the peris of African
travel. (The book is sold by subscription.)
One of the most striking literary phenome-
ma of the present day is the revival of the his
torical nOcel, the era of which was believed to
have passed away. Certainly it isa singular
fact that a series of works of this kind, writ
ten in foreign language, and known to the
general public only through the imperfect me-
dunn of translation, should have been able to
seize and hold the public attention, and should
have enjoyed a popularity and met sale al
most unprecedented. Yet this is true of the
series of novels written by Louisa Muhlbach
and other German authors. and published in
| this country by D. Appleton & Co., New York
The latest of these are John Milton and has
| Times, by DIR. Max Ring, which some months
ago attracted much attention at Berlin where
it at first appeared and Beaumarcha AIS, a story
of France in the last years of Louis Fifteenths
| reign, and translated from the German of A.
E. Brachvogel. Each of these is published in
a single handsome octave volume, and illus
trated by CASTOR Fay. (Received by Bailey
& Noyes and HALL. Davis.)
The Appletons' pretty paper covered edition
of the Waverly novels is having great sale.
The books are very neatly and egbly printed,
though in small type; the tartan" cover is at
tractive, and the volumes are sold at % cents
each. Rob Roy is the latest issue. (Received
by Bailey & Noyes.)
From the Appletons we have ase in two
handsome octave volumes The History of the
Navy during the Rebellion, by Charles B.
Boynton, D. D., Chaplain of the National
House of Representatives, and Assistant Pro-
fessor at the U. S. Naval Academy. The ma
terial for the work has been drawn from docu-
ments in the possession of the Navy Depart
ment; the Secretary and other officers of that
Department having placed at the authors
disposal whatever could elucidate the part
borne by the Navy in, the great national strug-
gle. The great mass of materials collected
from this and other sources have been skill
fully handled, and work wrought out from
them of great present interest and of perma-
nent value. The glorious deeds of our army
have been set forth by so many skillful writer's
that they have become familiar to all as house,
hold words; but with the Navy it is different.
Few have attempted to describe the perils, the
daring, the skill of our seamen. The results
of their great victories have been given, but
few among us have any idea of the labors, ex-
elements and dangers through which these
victories were won. Yet unquestionably the
greatest historical facts of the war-those
which have made the most profound impress
ion upon the world at large, and which are
likely to have the most marked effect upon the
conduct of future wars-are connected with
the work of the Navy. These are the creation
and maintenance of a blockading fleet of siy
hundred vessels, effectually soa1;hg up TWO
thousand miles of sea=cnast; and the introduce
ton OF the monitor iron-clads by which
complete revolution was accomplished in the
means and modes of naval warfare. This
cause alone, if there were no other, would give
interest to this subject; but the truth is that
the names of Farragut, and Foote, and Wor-
den, and Dahlgren and Porter and hundred
others are as fondly and proudly cherished by
our people as are those of Grant and Sherman
and Sheridan and the gallant fellows who fol-
lowed them on the land. These volumes
which record the brave deeds of our noble
sailors will be read with the same universal
interest which is felt in every record of the
achievements of our soldiers. The work is
very handsomely printed and bound and is il
Illustrated with numerous engravings repre-
senting famous vessels and actions, and a
number of fine portraits. (Receiyed by Hall
L. Davs.)