The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-03-11
Current Literature.
change.

AsKARos KAss1s, THE CoPT. By Edwin DeLeon.
We are indebted to our friend and quondam
couutryman, Mr.. Edwin DeLeon, for very
| exciting and agreeable novel with the above
title.
The object OF the book seems to be lively
presentation of life, manners and customs Of
the Orient, in which he has, in the main, well
succeeded.
s'The CopL" is crammed with incident,
enough, indeed, 10 furnish forth many volumes
such as our numerous and practiccd writer's
produce daily for our amusement. This re-
dundancy, while 1t may detract from his skill
as an artist, is yet praise to the felicity of
his imagination.
Many of lis have not enjoyed Mr.. DeLeon's
privilege of seeing and knowing the Moslem
at home in the varied phases Of his luxurious
repose, his action if ftful, fatal, and oft-'imes
to our Christian idea, demoniac. But We have
had capital authors, who have given us pic
lures of
s'Thls land where all things always seem the
same"
since the days of Haroun al Raschid. Every
body reads yet Lady Mary Montague's letters;
few persons can forget Anastaslus, Eothcn,
Warburton's Crescent and the Cross, kingsley's
Hytatia, or Curson's Monasteries Of the Le-
vant-pronounced by Ruskn the most delight
full book of travels cXtant. We admit that we
have gained somewhat Of knowledge from
"The Copt" in Eastern manners.
Monsieur de Lesscps, with his Suez Canal
triumph, making old Egypt the thoroughfare
of modern Europe, bids fair to changein many
things this aspect Of ever recurring "Arabian
Nights" which meets us at all points in books
now written We see already in '.About's Eel
lah" the progress of European civilization, in
the ameoration of the condition of his class.
And the 'Fellah" of Monsieur Abouts fancy is
outstript in the race of modern progress by
our Copt, who drives in Cairo his Knicker-
booker wife in New York trotting wagon;
Mr.. Kassis does not escape the pang, as of old.
(when father Abraham for the noncc prayed
his wife to pass for his sister, he meets the
lurld eye of the Basha fixed in unholy admira-
ton upon the unveiled beauty. The cXpcdient
now 10 escape this danger is ssimplc-they have
only to take q steamer for Marscilles. They
are too slow, and we have the old story of alb
duction, &C., well told.
Graphic and strong are his descriptions of
those contests between birds, animals and
men. Witness the hawk and the dove, the
wild dogs, the crocodile and the Syrian. The
cobra scene We find tri1e too melodramatlc.
We commend this book on the whole, but
we do not like Mr.. DeLeon's hero; neither do
we affect his heroine very much. 1t smacEs
too much of the il-fated, ill-mated Othcllo and
Desdemona, and We agree with our prime ia
vorite, Miss Priscilla Primmns, the English
man was "6on parti," too good to be thrown
over for The gorgeously arayed Copt. We DO
not understand why he combined the baro-
netcy and pcerage in his own person, however.
Sir Charles says clever things apropos OF the
female suffrage question. La ca,7aere ouuerte
aus talenS let aur femmeS.) We have good
laugh with the donkey boys; and we compare
the '.Fellah's" dinner given to his English lady
love, with our ''Copt's" diner a la IHrque, like
wise given to his, and we find most to admire
in the latter, with its rare ruby, the device of
the dove and amulets, tSe. Both, of course,
beginning with the inevitable lamb stuffed
with Pistachio nuts.
We have marked for favorable notice the
portraiture of the aged Copt; the venerable
Jew, an Israelte Of the ancient and highest
type; the Sheik, that honest son of the desert,
good and patriarcha, but who cannot resist
when tempted-stealing Il fine horse
Space fails us to cite one half of the good
things we hoped to bring forward. We can
not altogether pass, however, the Princess
Wczlc, too like in Name and conduct her French
sisters OF the .sTour de Nesle." Lock and key
seem insufficient to secure the virtue of the
veiied Egyptian. After ALL as Lady Mary says,
in her wide travels, "She had only met men
and women"
One thing strikes us-thc use now made of
our most sacred associations. Mr.. Trollope
gives Jolly picnic in the Valley Of Jehosaphat,
and Mr.. DeLcon sends his subordinate villain
TO commit murder and be murdered, at the
exact spot where little Moses was once hid In
the bnlrushes. This brings us to the end, and
we have one fair lght,-no quarter asked or
relief after the stabbing In the
back. the treacheries, poisoned daggers and
drugeed coffee. The Syrian.and the crocodile
have it out, and to our delight the crocodile
wins.
To be had at Russell's. King street.