The Portland daily press., 1874-01-10
TERMS $500 PER ANNUMIN ADVANCE

onoit " Harmon.
ine scene OF this story is laid in Tuscany
III Tue upper valley of the Arno. Like the 9th
'i i'"i'ai movers OF the same author the de-
scriptions oil Italian life, manners and cps-
toms, are more clear and lfe-like than any
elsewhere to be found even amona nat;va
ltalian novelists of the present generation.
This novel is a fair specimen of Mr. Adolnbus
Trollope's works. 1t is the story OF a meddle-
some priest of Tulcany who undertakes to
arrange the marriages of the two daughters
of parishoner, by whom however he is
shrevdiy outwitted. The story is tragicany
terminated by the suicide of Olivia the eldest
daughter. We cannot pass without mention
one fact which particularly attracted our at
tention it is that most of the ''fattores troub-
les were caused by the extreme and preten-
tious religion of his wife, showing that re-
liglon while most excellent thing, in itself
may be carried to such an extent as to be-
come a sin.
MRS. ARNINGroN's WARD. BY D. Thew Wright
Boston. Lee g. shepard; Portland, Loring, Short
Harmon.
This work though quite attractive as a sto-
ry, is simply another of those hackeneyed at
tempts to more deeply impress upon us the
fact of mans utter inferiority to woman. and
her superiority to him in all things, not oply
in her own sphere, but In bis. We do wish
that novel writers would be made to under
stand that the writing of such books is a use
less waste of time, not to say of talents the
fact of our uselessEess in this world is only
too patent; I'VE shall not forge. IL.
Mrs. Armingtons Ward is young lady
who studies medicine, becomes a doctress.
performs prodigies of valor and beioism.
saves inDumerable lives, and teaches num-
bers of npstart men to know their position.
does not get married, but does become a
dutchess and inheritor of a large fortune. II
seems to us that in all respects the book is
the poorest advocate Of woman's rights thar
has appeared this season.
THE HUGUENoTs IN FRANCE AFTER THE REvocA-
TIoN. By Samuel Smiles New York: Harper q
Brothers; Portland; Loring Short and Harmon.
This interesting work by the author of the
history of the Huguenots in England end
ireland. is valuable acquisition to our his.
tories of France during the seventy-five years
following the Revocation (1695) the best OF
which are meagre, and diverse as regards
details. After the Revocation, thousands of
protestants fed the country, finding refuge
in England, ireland, America and other pro /
estan: countries Of the world But other
thousands, and hundreds of thousands, un-
able on account of their poverty to obtain
means Of escape, were forced to remain,
subject TO the hellish prosecutions of the
catholics, led by Louis XIX and Madame
Maintenon, the bitterness of whose perse-
cutions, may be imagined from the reply Of
Madame Sevigne, that retired and witty let
ter-writer, to friend who wrote to her when
she was living in Low Brittany.
"How dull you must ber' "No, we are
not dull-hanging is quite a refreshment TO
me. They have just taken twenty-four or
thirty of these men, and are going to throw
them Off" The present humiliating condi-
ton of France, is largely owing to the fact
that tor over century the Jesuits held alb
solute sway over it, draining its lfe-blood, by
their intolerance. and prosecutions Nomi-
nally the protestant religion was extirpated.
but it still existed in a precar.ous manner,
leading an underground life, in caves,
quarries, woods and other deserted place
and fourishing to such an extent, that in
1877, when the constituent assembly met in
Paris, RADIANT st. Etenne claimed the rights
of2,000,000 of his protestant countrymep.
Mr. Smiles book is necessarily at times a pain
ful narrative, but it is revelation of facts
relative to the suferings OF the Protestant
during the suppression, their prosecutions
a,.d inartyrdoms, which will be found tnval-
liable to every student Of history, more
especially religious history. The sec
ond part of the volume is devoted to an ac-
count Of a visit TO the county of the vaudois,
their struggles and final success. The entire
volume is an entertaining narrative of bloody
wars, fierce prosecutions, and heroic acts,
but is at the same time most valuable and
substantial contribution to history.
HAN ,BooK OF ENGLISH sYxoN, MS Published by
James Miller. For sale by Bailey 6 Noyes
This handy volume of 16O pages embraces
in addition to a very full list of English syn-
onyms, formulas and phrases from the dead
languages and the modern tongues, tables Of
weights and measures. the value of all money
of all commercial nations, hints to writers on
spelling, grammar, authorship. leiter-writing
&C., legal forms of wills, receipts, &C., and
many useful mathematical rules. A deal OF
useful information, stated briefly and clearly,
is to be found within its leaves.
THE MARTYRED CHURCH. By William +. Gill;
Bjson: Shepard e. Gill. Portland: Loring Short
& Harmon.
This is poem founded upon an actual in
cident of the great Boston fire which lroke
out November 9, 1872. 1t il a description Of
the wonderful and seemingly supernatural IL
Elimination Of Trinity church on Summer
street, which occurred just previous to its
destruction by the flames. The volume is
handsomely gotten up and beautifully illus
{rat al lxrI IIon