The New York herald., 1874-10-04
The Latest Productions Of the
British Press.
Books on War, Travel, Geography,
Music and the Teiegraphs.
Science in Process of Being Made Easy-What
Tie MOnthlieS Say.

DOCK IL TOO ofnclal 10 nave expected place in the
general circulanon-ls Mr.. Winwood Reades
''Story OF the Ashantee Campaign Certain au.
tnoritative critics nave taken 1t upon themselves
TO declare that Mr.. Wlnwood Reade being unap-
proacnable among English authorities upon Africa
ana irs people. must necessarily know more than
any other man about the campaign on the Gold
Coast But there naturallsts and travellers
who do not admit Mr.. Winwood Reades supremacy
in African erudltion, and his "Airican sketch
Bookn was of the most auda-
cious aud unsuccessful feats Of book
making ever effected. He went to the Gold
Coast as SPECIAL correspondent TO the
Times, and the cearest impression TO be
gained from the reprint OF his letters is,
that it was somebody's fault and everybody's
misfortune that did not so in the additional Ca
pacity OF commander-ln-chief of the expedition.
Sel-gloriacation and abuse OF Sir Garnet Wolseley
apropos OF everything which the General did, or
oid not do are the leading characteristics of the
book, which is quite worthless in any other sense
than the scenery descriptions and in that is far
surpassed by Mr.. Boye's Campaign on the Gold
Coastn The traordinary absence of animal life
throughout the whoie region is uwelt on Impair
tally by all the writers, but they diner in their
conclusions fl ON that circumstances; some accept
ing 1T as conclusive reason against European occu
Naton, others main ntalning that domestic animals
might be successfully introduced. Whether the
game could ever be worth the candle represented
by mems lives whlcl would have TO be consumed in
the Importation anu standardization is question
TOO serious to be decided ofhand by any or the
theorists. One thing comes clearly out or all the
records OF the campaign, and detaches itself from
every conflict OF opinion and statement; 1t Is that
England must use her paramount position utterly
TO stamp out human sacrihces In Ashantee and
Dahomey. Ii the trines Will kill each other in war
we may not be able TO prevent them from doing
30, but .the customs" nave yet henceortn TO be
houored Ia the breach"
MUSIC AS SCIENCE.
simultaneously with the extraordinary impulse
which music has received of late-an impulse
which has not only taken away our reproacn
among European nations ii the matter OF musical
science but raised to pre-eminence among
item; for though Russia pays great artists better
she employs much fewer. and the people have little
Or no share N the results OF the eXpenditure-has
arisen demand TO- the biographies OF great COM
posers, hitherto peculiar to Germany only. Within
q few weeks Miss Gehn's translation OF Goethe
md Mendelssohn" has gone through two editions,
End there equally brisk demand for the same
lady's translation Ferdinand Hilher's
LETTERS AND REcoLLECTIoNs OF MENDELssoHN.
They are both remarkably pleasant and interest
Ing books, ana tney give charming noJlon OF the
great composer, VINO, unlike most men Of special
genius, not isolated by it, and also unlike most
men of special genus did not develop IL In suner-
ing and obscuri'y but under very pleasant au-
spices. The letters to Hitler ull OF frank ana
charming genialiIy, and those which form an APP
pendi1 to the larger work are even more variously
interesting. One oi them Is addressed to his
mother, and gives an account OF Mendelssohns
visit 20 the queen and Prince Albert at Bucking-
ham Palace during his stay IN this country IN Lsi2
which readers OF the present generation find it
hard TO believe in.
hooES OF TRAVEL.
The tourist season ls, usual, productive OF
sravel books, some OF which are OF an objection
ably "funny'' description, leading the reader into
tile depths OF low spirits and inducing him 10 hate
tie very names Of the places they are designed to
tempt him to visit. or this order Is "Tramps
dhrougn the Tyroin wretched imitation OF that
most delightful OF whimsical and yet practical
books "a Voyage en- Zigzag.n or the serious books
travel we have, however, few are interest
ing, and the announcements for the forthcoming
season, especially nom Messrs. Sampson Low
Co., are very promising. AS usual, an American
traveller heads the lis OF pleasant books or this
month Mr. Nordnors "Northern California,
Oregon and the sandwich Islands" Is Of
considerable practical value, IN al
dition TO its unsurpassed interest as nara
tive OF picturesque and adventurous travel.
The author gives plaIn and circumssanlial details
Bucl WQu.u interest ana DC Ci use TO LraNellerS
for pleasure iniornati0a, and enable the reader
70 Judge OF the cuaate, scenery and natural re-
sources OF the wonaer vi regions he has visited;
in short, all lie incarnation which one would like
~ haVs before commencing the journey. The
commendaDle practice Of profusely illustrating
bOoSs u travel il spreading. The drawings, all
beautifully execuseo ana Mighty finished In Mr.
Nofdhols book, are most helpful and attractive to
The reader, especiaiy those which Illustrate his
description OF the marvellous phenomena OF the
sandwich Islands. We nave never had any thing
Ike TINS tlsygh=r's account Of the volcanoes
and lava 1-1s Of Hawaii before, and his
detailed naruuve or how TO 10 an
exhaustive INSPECTION o, the islands and their very
iuterestlng peoae 6, also perfectly novel, The
ordinary traveller nGruy ever goes, anu therefore
We hardly ever gel. Vcyond toe coast line, but Mr.
Nordhoi mas braFeae- tue greater Islands through
out, ana spared no paus TO master every detail Of
their formation a0 condition he pro-
nounces then tnurey unit for farming in the
American sense q toe wod. and though everybody
Can "lveu IL the san wpa Islands he considers
mat, except their Deauulu climate tney nave no
advantage 10 oner 70 cmigunts. very curious
caapter on the epe1 settlemelt founded in 1865.
at M0okai small Deauttiu island entirely
abandoned TO the unfortunate epers. and where
taey are, though rigIdly sectG0sd IRON contact
with the people Of the other lsiSads. excellently
cared for and marveAously conteued and hannv
Is Of the deepest interest and absolutely novel.
THIS LEPER SETTLEMENT
may have been visited by English travellers. but
bAere IS not, within our knowledge, an atoonrt of
j in any English book. The plain OF Kalawao on
which the houses Of the cpers built, Is aann,lv
chosen, easily guarded and practically NOR
yecluslon IS perfect. Instances have been khown
pr women swimming around the PERCEPTIONS and
yurfbeaten shore, seven or eight miles, to reaA
husbands or friends IN The settlements; but Al
they would SUBJECT themselves to share their
seclusion .or life, these occurrences do not ten
aganst the security Of the ISLAND, with It's won
derful 'Palin stretching Tor q dozen miles along
It's wihdward coast. This IS a sheer precipice IN
most parts from loo 70 1000 feet high,