The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-11-30
THE PRES S.
MONDAY MORNING, NOV. 30. IA.
Recent Publications.

New YORK: u. w. Carleton & Co. For sale by
Bailey & Noyes.
NJ. Merry, the author Of the "War in
Miami, tits proper title) was one of the cel-
ebrated group of writer's which shone re-
splendaDt under the reign of Louis Phillip:
Victor Hugo, Lamartine, Merry, Theophile
Gautier, Alfred de NIusset, George Sand.
and Balzac. 1t is said OF Merry, that he
alone with Lamartine and Gauter held a pen
rich enough toportray the splendors of the
Orient.
The story opens with the description of
wedding ball in Smyrna. The happy couple
are Col. Douglas Stafford, one of Her Mai
esty's officers in India, and young and
beautiful Greek girl, made noble by the glo-
rieus death of her father and the verse of
Lord Byron
The marriage contract was 10 be signed
next day after the close of the ball, at the
British ConsuEs office; but in the midst or
the festivities messenger, Sir Edward
Klerbs, appears with important dispatches, Or
dering the ColonePs immediate departure to
his post in Nizam-an insurrection of Thugs
had broken out again.
The bride and groom are resigned, but a
friend of the beautiful Greek, the young and
dashing widow Countess Octavia de Berzun
is very indignant, and insists that the cere-
mony shall be performed, but threats, tears,
and chains fail. Duty leaves no alterna-
tive, and they sail Immediately for Nizam.
Then follows brilliant descriptions of East
ern land, its people, customs, habits, hair
breadth escapes in midnight battles with the
Thugs-supposed to be band of religious
fanatics who murder seemingly for the love
oft, by strangling, never shedding blood
hence their name Stranglers-but who Mr.,
Merry says-and he thinks on good authority
were a band united by their hatred of En-
glish rule, and determined to overthrow it,
and having their accomplices in all parts of
India.
Sir Edward Klerbs has wonderful body
servant, Nizam, who transforms himself mar
velously to suit the needs of the moment.
Col. Stafford is in love with an Indian lady,
highly educated, daughter of the Nabob
Sourah Berdar, but just on the eve of his
marriage-his bride, her guardian and the
Countess arrive in India.
Very dextrously meeting is avoided until
the arrangements are completed for the mar
riage. The Greek recognizes an old lover in
a yelled Polish noble on Col. Staffords staff
Sir Edward confesses his love for the Count
ess.
In the midst of the wedding banquet given
by Sourah Border at Nerbudda-the Thugs
make last deadly assault-and are defeated
thus closing the war in Nizam.
The narration is full of incident, we'll
written, and maintains its interest TO the
end.
EBoN AND GOLD. A novel by c. L. NJ New York:
G. W. Carleton s. Co. For sale by Bailey &
Noyes.
This story is the story of an elfsh little
girl with glorious eyes and grandiloquent
way of talking, who reads Froissart and
dreams of the ''Back Prnce' at an age
when other girls are reading Mother Goose
and musng over Humpty Dumpty. A stern
grandmother is very satisfactorily disposed
of by death in the fifth chapter, and the elfsh
little girl goes to live with her cousins, three
remarkable young ladies who justify their
claims to scholarship by saying celia DEPEND
and principia, non homines, land such like ex-
pressions that are usually found in the last
pages OF dictionaries under the caption
"Words and phrases from foreign languages
These young women, the elf and her cousins,
get along passably we'll together for time.
Presently enter to them four young men. with
coal black hair, heavy moustaches, scornful
lips and the other properties The youths
and maidens love and quarrel through two
hundred pages, and then get married, and
presumably live happy ever aftcrward. The
book is sufficiently entertaining to spend an
hour or two over.
LITTLE CLASSICS. Edited by Rossiter johnson.
Fourth Volume. Life, Boston: james r. Osgood g.
Co. For sale by Loring, Short s. Harmon.
The fourth volume of the Little Classics is
in some respects better than its predecessors,
excellent as they were. There is more variety
in the selections,- they are briefer aad there
are more of them. The volume embraces
John Browns tender Grab and His Friends
Howelrs Romance of Real Life,'' Bret
Harte's 'Luck of Roaring Camp" one of the
Ingoldsby legends (Jemy Jarvis wig) N. P.
Willis Conceit of "Beauty and the Beast"
Hawthorn's suggestion, "David Swan"
Alexander Smiths sweet village of ''Dream-
thorp," Donald G. Mitchelps Bachelors Re-
venge," Benjamin F. Taylor's ''Grammar of
Life" chapter from s'Prue and l." (Chat-
eaux) the best of Crutis' books, Charles
Lambs exquisite "Dream Children" Hoff-
mans ''Man in the Reservoir" Addison's re-
Elections on Westminster Abbey, Macaulay's
splendid picture of the Pulitans "Abraham
Lincoln's address at Gestersburg.
Ten OLD MAIDS; and Fire of Them ieere ITiss,
and Fire of Them acere Foolish. Novel. BY
Julia P. Smith, author of"Widow Goldsmith's
Daughter" &C., &c. New York; G. W. Carle-
ton g. Co. For sale by Bailey & Noyes.
The best thing about this novel is the title,
and that is the only thing about it that many
will care to read. 1t sets out to be defense
of the class of women known as cold maids"
class which is its own hest defense and
needs no apology. There are however many
entertaining passages in the book, and one
bright remark, viz, "Men know that women
are an Overmatch for them, and therefore
they choose the weakest and most Ignorant"
Candor though compels the acknowledge
ment that this bright remark is quotation
from DR.. johnson. One who has read the
volume calls it ''a dime novel in respectable
covers"-and it is really well bound
A TERRIBLE SECRET By May Agnes Fleming.
New York: G. w. Carleton & Co. From Bailey s.
Noyes.
terrible Secret is a highly sensational
novel, and as such cannot fall TO be popular.
Every chapteris full of swift moving incl
dents and dramatic situations. The charac-
ters are interesting for the most part and
some Of them are life-like.
The terrible secret on which part of the
story depends for its fascination is the only
ridiculous part of the book, and that is un-
natural and morbid. On the whole it is
vigorously written book and will be deserved
admired.
RISEN FROM THE RANKS; or, Harry Walton's sue
cess. By Horatio Alger DR., Author of "Tat-
tered Tom'' Boston: Loripg, For sale nv T. ar