The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-08-14
Literary Notes.

The forthcoming number of Harper's Month
ly will contain another paper on the Massachu-
setts towns, Gloucester and Cape Ann" a
tenth instalment of Porte Crayou's long intre.
rupted series on "The Mountains; the sixth
of Professor Pau's archaeological papers; and q
description of "The Tournament of the Middle
Ages" Professor W. G. Sumner of Yale con-
tributes q review of our Monetary Develop
ment" to the "First Century of the Republic
series. Among the minor articles is one an.
swering the query, 'CaH we speak English?'
Edward Everett Hale will contribute to The
September Scribner's a college poem from his
pen, "Alma Matters Roll'' Among other fea-
lures will be the first of E. c. Stedman's two
papers on "Minor Victorian Poets" There
will be fac-simile of one of Poe's early poems
Colonel Waring concludes his Farmers Vaca-
tion" with sixth paper, on Guernsey and
Sark" and in the series on American cities
there is paper on Chicago" by J. w. Strs.
han.
The Nation. in a very able criticism on Swim
burne's Essays and Studies, makes some very
disparaging remarks on his constitutional in
capacity to write fifty of certain topics, but
praises him in other respects almost superla-
lively: "Mr. Swinburne, in writing of poets.
cannot fail 10 say great many felicitous
things. His own insight into the poetic mys
terry is SO deep, his perception in matters of
language so refined, his power of appreciation
So large and active, his imagination so sympa-
thetic and flexible, that we constantly feel him
to be one who has a valid right TO judge and
pass sentence" -r..
A Chicago paper says Hamilton Aides last
story, "a Nine Days Wonder" can be read,
digested and forgotten between supper and
bed time.
A Pittsfeld man is writing tract to show
that there are two heavens for men and
women; that the latter win pass into theirs
without question, and that only men are to be
sifted out.
Two new novels by American writers are
in preparation at Harper & Brothers-"Saint
| Simoa's Niece" by Frank Lee Benedict, and
The Calderwood Secret" by Miss Virginia
W. Johnson.
Many people have been puzzled o.know why
William Blacks novel, "Three Feathers"
should be SO named. The title means little
more than that the Prince of Wales feathers
afford fitting decoration for the back Of n
| book in which the scene is laid In the Duchy OF
| Cornwall
| The elder Dilke's memoirs contain much
that is interesting. He says in one place that
| underwood and Mackenzie say that there was
more humbug in Colerdge than in any man
that was ever heard of. Underwood was one
| day transcribing something for Coleridge, when
visitor appeared. After the commoEplaces,
Coleridge took up little book lying upon the
table, and said. ''By the by, casually took
| up this book, this morning, and was
| quite enchanted with little sonnet I found
there. He then read off blank verse trans
lation, and entered into long critique upon
its merits. The same story, the same tIansla-
ton and the same critique were repeated five
times in that day to different visitors, without
one word being altered. Mr.. Underwood says
that every one of his famous evening conversa-
tions was got up" Wordsworth used to do the
same thing. But not every man can get up q
Coleridgean conversation, and one would par
don the performance for the sake of the novel
| and memorable fact.
William H. Poole, the well-known librarian,
has very severely reviewed Bancroft's "Histoiy
of the United States" the tenth and last vol
ume of which has lately been issued. Mr.
Poole finds Bancroft prolix, turgid, superficial,
inaccurate and radically unjust, especially to
all the revolutionary generals except Washing
ton to whom he sacrifices everybody.