The Portland daily press., 1869-04-20
Recent PubIieatIons.

II B. Peterson and Brothers, Philadelphia,
publish in very handsomely printed PAM
phlet, Hans Breitmann's Party, and Other Bal
lads, the collection including all the fugitive
Breitmann pieces down to the latest which
have appeared, "Schnitzerps Philosopede,
and "Breitmann's Christmas" Their auther,
Mr. Charles G. Leland, has been wsll known
to the literary world through his admirable
translations Of Heine, but with the larger
reading public it is as the creator Of Brett
mann that he has the best chance of an en-
during fame. We cannot sufficiently thank
him for having brought us acquainted with
that wonderful Teuton, that glorious combina-
ton of sentiment and lager beer, of philoso-
ply and sour krout. Breitmann is a charac-
ter as individual and as humorous as anything
in literature. We have been looking through
the Ballads for brief passage which would
serve to express him, and We find him best
served up in the following stanza:
"Hans Bretmann went to Kansas
aa Troo all dis earthly land,
A workin out life's mission here
Subyectiiy und grand.
Some beoblesh runs de beautiful,
Some works philosophie;
Der BreitmdRR sole de jRJiRids
Ash Don eternal sphree"
The Ballads though issued in pamphlet
form, are printed in the very best manner, on
beautiful tinted paper, suitable for binding.
Charles Scribner and Co., New York, pub
lish two illustrated volumes which must be re-
garded as valuable additions to the department
of popular science. The first of these, Thun-
der and Lightning, is translated from the
French of w. de Fonvielle, by 7. L. Phipson,
and contains great deal of information in re-
gard to the action of electricity. 1t describes
many of the eccentricities and strange freaks
of lightning, relates many striking anecdotes
connected with electrical phenomena, and ex-
plains the laws by which those phenomena
appear to be governed. great number Of
excellent wood engravings illustrate the book.
The other volume referred to is The Wonders
Of Optics, translated from the French of +.
Marion, by Charles w. Quinn. The author,
NJ Marion, holds high official scientific posi-
ton in Paris, and has wide reputation as a
writer on OPTICS A very interesting portion
of his work is that in which he treats of the
phenomena OF vision. What he says of opti-
cal illusions, of color blindness-which h,
thinks far more common detect than is usu-
ally supposed-of the illusions caused by i:ght
and of the influence of the imagination on
vision will be found very interesting. There
is a pleasant chapter also on natural magic"
and the whole book abounds in instruction,
conveyed in very lively and often entertain
ing manner. 1t is illustrated with seventy en-
cravings on wood. and a colored frontspiece
showing the action of prism on ray of light
and also the effect of sodium vapor ON por-
ton of the rays of the solar spectrum both
these works are received by Loring, Short and
Harmony
Harper and Brothers have put Charles Le-
ver's latest story, That Boy Of NOrcoH's into
their series of STANDARD Novels. 1t is rath-
er striking story, showing much Of the au-
thor's vivid power of description and narra-
tive, with some well-conceived characters; bat
with marks of haste toward the close, as if the
writer had become tired of the thing, and hur-
ried it to an abrupt conclusion. (Receiyed by
Loring, Short and Harmony