The New York herald., 1872-11-05
LITERARY cH1T-cHAT.

press on sOur English Ancestors" It will be his
torical and literary rather than genealogical.
The HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN FLAG has been
thoroughly written up by Captain George Henry
Preble, United States Navy, whose book, "The
Origin and Progress OF the Flag OF the United
States OF America, with an Account OF the Symbols
Standards. Banners and Flags OF Ancient and Mod
ern Nations" will be soon brought out by Munsen,
OF Albany. E
In DIR. CARL Bo7n's "Smapox: the Predispos
Ing Conditions and Their Prevention just out in
Boston, the theory Is advanced that this dreadful
disease is provoked by too much albumen and too
little salt In the blood The author asserts that wher
ever from any cause salt has become scarce we
find smallpox regular visitant. If people would
drink less tea, cofree ana alcohol eat less sugar
and more salted food they would get the proper
balance In the blood and gould not take smallpox
or any contagious disease. So says DR.. Both
THE SATURDAY Revfe,c sharply criticiscs pre-
tentious book by Dr. Henry Dircks, called Natural
istic Poetry" 1t :-"By the side OF these de-
pressing pages Mr.. Timbs works are exciting, Mr..
Tuppers poetry is brilliant and suggestive, and the
literature OF blue books Is racy and entertaining"
THE ''WoRLD OF ANEcDoTE," by Edwin Paxton
Hood Is republication by J. p Lippincott Co.
Of the most recent London collection Of anecdotes.
Though De Quincy gave 1t as his deliberate con-
viction that ''all anecdotes are les," we find the
majority ofmankind have ever regarded anecdotes
as among the best and most trustworthy teachers
OF truth This collection has been gathered by one
who evidently has higher purpose than to amuse.
1t represents wide and careful reading, and does
not repeat any, far as we have observed, Of the
old Joe Miller's" which are familiar to safety to
all readers OF the periodical press. Mr. Hood has
made large number OF his citations of anec-
dote from American books, and has succeeded in
gathering together highly instructive melange Of
entertaining reading.
HERR WUTrKE, learned and inexhaustibe Ger
man, has published an exhaustive work on the
origin Of writing His theory leads us back to tat
toong as probably the genesis Of the art. But un-
luckily for this theory the tattoong nations have
made little or no advance towards writing, and the
writing nations have never been tattoed.
The TURKISH metropolitan press has been in
creased by the publication of new paper in Stam-
boul, called the Bedr Tor "Full Moon'D, which as
pires to be at once POLITICAL financial and literary
organ OF Turks OF the more cultivated class. 1t is
to appear daily, except Sundays and Fridays.
COLONEL J. w. FOSTER, the Chicago scientist, has
nearly ready an extensive work on .'The Mound
Builders,n q subject to which he has devoted sew
eral years. research.
CARLYLE, now nearly eighty years old, has aban-
doned writing, but still appears In society occa-
sionally and talks as vigorously as ever.
Mr.. TREADwELI, In his new Manual OF Pottery
and Porcelain published by Putnams, apologies
for not writing o chapter on American porcelain,
since 1t is confined to one dozen plates made once
upon time in New Jersey.
THE TWENTIETH ANNUAL REPORT Of the Boston
Public Library, just out, shows additions Of 14O00
volumes OF books during the year, making the col
lection, numbering 1914 900 volumes, the second
In the country. The circulation (of books lent to
readers) is set down at $4,000 volumes for the
year.
FIERCE FRENCHMAN has uttered his protest
against the German occupation OF his country In q
book entitled ia Force nest pas lie Droit: Delenda
Germana."
In FIGuIER's Vegetable World: History or
Plants, with Their Botanical Descriptions and Pecu.
liar Properties" Messrs. D. Appleton q Co. have
given the public another Of those splendidly Illus
trated works on natural history which are charac-
teristic Of the modern press. The w0od-cut Illus
tratons in the vegetable World" are the choicest
specimens Of drawing In that style that we have
seen. Every tree, shrub, leaf and ower is depicted
with lfe-like accuracy or the scientific merits OF
the book the established repute Of NJ Figuier
among French naturalists may be regarded as q
guarantee. He has done as much to popuarIze the
facts of science by his works palaeontology and
other branches Of natural history as any living