The New York herald., 1873-12-21
LITERARY CHIT-CHAT.

SKETCHES OF IRISH SOLDIERS IN EVERY LAND''
is the title of very neat little book recently pub
lished by J. Alexander MCGEE. New York, from the
pen OF Colonel James L. McGee. The sketches,
over so in number, are short, concise and well
written.
Mr.. RUsKIN, in the thirty-fourth number OF his
"Fors Clavigera," attacks Professor John Tyndall
Tor the emptiness OF his book on 'sThe Forms OF
Water" He ridicues the Professors dramatic
pictures of Alpine scientists wading .breast deep
through snow," which, Mr.. Ruskin says, as a mat
ter OF hard fact is impractcable.
A TRANSLATION OF .sThe Deicides," by j. Cohen,
the well known French journalist and theologian,
has been made by Anna Goldsmid and published by
Deutsch 4 Co. 1t is u review OF the life OF Jesus
Christ from the Jewish standpoint
AMONG RECENT SCIENTIFIC BOOKS out in London
Mr.. George Henslow's Theory of Evolution OF
Living Things" is highly spoken or
THE BRAZILIAN GOVERNMENT has had Macedos
book on the ''Chorography Of Brazil" translated
into English to attract emIgrants. But the English
of it is eXecrable enough, may be seen by this
lucid sample:-
In what has been just shown, the riches of Bra
I'll in the three Kingdoms OF nature-that Is, in the
magnificent and extraordinary opuence OF its soil,
a wonder OF spontaneous treasures which no coun-
try possesses united IN that great de2ree-lS stated
in moderate description and tnat rrebly deficient,
in order that above all the extraordinary grandil
oquence OF truth shall not compromise and preju-
dice the versimilitude in the opinion OF those who
do not yet know the marvels OF Brazilian nature
ana therefore have right TO be slow in belief Of
the exposition OF the marvellous.
The NOVELIST. PAUL DE KoCK, could write with
nothing except goose quiils which he cut himself
and he wrote very fine, feminine hand, exceed
ingly legible. He would never read his own proof
Sheets because typographical errors threw him
inte passion. lie considering them inexcusable
because OF the clearness of his copy.
The saturday Recie,c praises Charles G. Leand's
English Gypsies" Tor its 'keen perception of char
acter. sympathy with native humor and power OF
picturesque description" He traces the gypses
back to Hindostan. There is in no other race in
Great Britain so much that Is quaint or well
adapted to the purposes OF the novelist.
''THE LIFE, "REMINISCENCES AND PERSONAL RECoI..
LEcrIoss OF EDWIN FORREST" the great American
tragedan. by James Rees cooley Cibber), which
has been appearing for many months past, in
weekly instalments, in a Philadelphia newspaper,
is now in press and will be published in few days
IN book form by T. B. Peterson & Brothers. The
author has written and added to thslwork several
Introductory chapters, which contain iull and
complete history of MI. Forests life from the time
OF his birth until mis- first appearance the stage.
He has also carefully revised and rewritten the
whole of the rest OF the work.
Mr. RUsKIS says of voltaire that "his head was
as destitute OF imaginative power as it is possible
Tor the healthy cerebral organization OF highly
developed mammalian to be-"
'sTHE STORY OF THE STICK" from the French OF
Anthony Real, is announced In London. II covers
very much the same ground as Mr.. Cooper's lately
published History OF the Rod"