The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-11-07

VIII not Iali 10 nave, may induce Miss Perry
to write and publish more of the same de-
lightful sort.
EGYPT AND ICELAND in the year 1874. BY Bayard
Taylor, New York, G, P. Putnam's Sons. For
sale by Lorng, Short & Harmon.
But few books of the season can equal in
interest this little volume bearing upon its
lille page the name of the accomplished
scholar, fertile writer and eminent traveller
Bayard Taylor. 1t is the compilation of a
series OF letters written during the present
year from the above named countries to the
N. 7, Tribune.
In his letters from Egypt interesting COM
PARSONS are instituted between the state of
the country twenty years ago before the in
PRODUCTION of steam, telegraph and the press
and before the opening of the Suez canal
and the Egypt Of to-day awakening from the
sleep of ages, throwing off the bonds of is-
norance and superstition, and taking ifs
rightful position among the powers of the
earth. An exceedingly interesting chapter
is one entitled trip to the Fyoone, section
OF country lying within one days travel of
Cairo, ricn in scenery, and in monuments
and relics of the glorious Egypt of the past
and as yet unvisited by tourists. The letter
ON Egyptian antiquities is full of praise of the
indefatigable arch@ologist NJ. Mariette whose
invaluable discoveries reveal to us scraps Of
historty antedating the Christian era by five
thousand years. We doubt if a more inter-
esting series of letters upon Egypt ancient,
/ al and L
lished. s
| The Icelaudic correspondence relates al
most entirely the Millennial celebration by
which Iceland recognized its one thousandth
year OF settlement. Mr.. Taylor in his clear
characteristic language gives US clearer
insight into the manly independent nature of
its simple minded inhabitants than any wri-
ter who has preceded him and his narration
of the cordial reception rendered to our
countrymen upon this noteworthy occasion.
when the minds of the people were agitated
by the reception of their king and his numer-
GUS suite, and by the adoption of new con-
stitution warns our hearts towards them and
instead of regarding them as the cold phleg-
matte inhabitants Of an arctic region we
must hereafter regard them as equals and
| brothers.
With the innate modesty of a superior
| mind Mr.. Taylor apologies for introducing
into his letter his own poem of greeting from
| America to Iceland. Had he left it out it
| would have been an omission much to be re-
| gretted. The volume is neat pocket edition,
red-edged, with flexible covers and printed in
clear legible type.
LINLEY ROCKFORD by Justin Mccarthy.
Lindley Rockford, though not original in
| construction, incident, or even in character.
is an entertaining book, and fully equal to the
previous works of the author.
The story opens quietly enough with the
marriage of the heroine. ga pretty fair-haired,
vivacious, clever grip to the man whom she
fondly supposes. in the first glamour of love,
to be hero, and above all, her especial hero,
but who is simply selfish, dyspeptic gentle
man-over-fond of his ease. and very suscep-
tible to fattery, and as tbe story progresses
| proves the old rhyme that 'tmen were deceiy-
| ers ever.''
Not having got interested in the gentle
man even as young husband and lover,
when, if ever, he would show his most capti-
| waiting qualities, we fail to feel the proper
sympathy in Linley's sorrows when she
gradually discovers his general unworthiness
or to think her calm, selfpossession at all re-
| raarlaIlA
Some excellent characters are introduced
in the persons of the eccentric Mr.. Tuxham
and Roche Valentine, the two privileged
friends of Lindley's "master." The "Prin-
cess" Sinda and her willy brother, the stately
Mrs. Courcelles and her beautiful, insipid
daughter, though not particularly interest
ing in themselves, serve well for the purposes
OF the story, and throw out the beauty of
Llnley's character in its clearest light.
The inevitable public-spirited philanthro.
pists without whom no novel of English do
mestic life seems complete in these latter
days, are herein represented by Mr.. Platt and
his wife, two very good and useful people. but
utterly uninterssting and tiresome as such
people are too apt be in real life.
The story goes steadily on, every character
being faithfully worked up and carefully sus-
tanned, the interest increasing towards the
end; though for the greater part of the book
the ordinarily intelligent reader has known
that at the proper time and place, and in
some gentlemanly way, Lnley's husband
would die, thus leaving Linley to marry
Roche Valentine and be happy ever after, as
they deserved te be.
SONGS OF MANY SEASONS: 1s62-1s74; by Oliver
Wendell Holmes. Boston: j. R. Osgood s. Co.
For sale by Bailey & Noyes.
Poets. like youngest children never grow
Out of their mothers fOndness. Nature so
Holds their soft hands, and will not let them go
sings the doctor Of Bryant, and so feel we
all towards himself, and hail with delight this
collection of the poems which have, siugly,
charmed us during the last twelve years.
dorothy O." is the best of the collection,
and we warmly echo his blessing upon the
little maid,
For the tender whisper that bade him liye
The Harvard class of "Twenty-nine" are
happy in having such poet to immortalze
them, and as eminent as are many of the
members, we can readily imagine the pride
which they must take in reading the class
poems here assembled; and we wish our
readers could have shared the qualification
we lately felt in hearing one of 'the boys"
gray-haired boy, but with heart as young
and warm as that of the Doctor himself, read
''Bill and Joe;' and when his voice grew
tremulous as he read
How Bill forgets his hour of PRIDE
While Joe sits smiling at lis side;
How Joe, in spite of times disguise,
Finds the old schoolmate in his eyes =
Those calm, stern eyes that melt and fill
As Joe looks fondly up at Bill
his listeners eyes filled in sympathy, and
their hearts warmly responded "God bless
the Boys"
And may He bless the Poet, too, and keep
him running hundred years, strong in every
part like his "One-horse Shay" and in the
mean time, we will say, in the words of his
"Old-year-Song,'