The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-03-25
Literary Notes.


Literary Notes.
The name of Mrs. Fawcetts forthcoming
novel. is Janet Doncaster." 1t is love sto-
ry, the scene of which is laid in the New For
est.
1t is proposed to collect all of the humorous
parodies which Shirley Brooks, elitor of
The London Punch, published in the various
literary journals during his life. and to add to
them Biographical memoir of their author.
Mr. Brooks corresponded with nearly every
celebrity in wiz and letter of his time, and an
other suggestion is to prepare second work
on his life and correspondence.
Mr.. Gladstone is writing new book on mar
rage, with special reference to the alleged sac
ramental character of that institution.
The next and seventh volume of the Bric-a-
Brac series will contain "reminiscences, by Cor
nelia Knight and Thomas Raikes.
The last bit of the manuscript of Bret Harte's
novel will be given to the printers in April. 1t
will not be long before it is in the hands of the
public. Mr.. Harte considers that he has put
his best work into this book, and laughingly
says that he became very much interested in
the story when reading it over in the proofs.
Lie VOiuuu0 Will Oousdtu wv Po6SoS "ho w -
Illustrated by $50 engravfngs.
The author of "John Halifax, Gentleman
as Miss Muloch, or rather Mrs. Craik has pre-
ierred to be known, enters new field OF htera-
ture in book about to be published by Har.
per & Brothers. She has set to mnsic in old
time English, Irish, and Swedish airs COM
posed by herself or friends, many of the beau
tiful songs in her early volume of poems, and
other verses still which appear to be new
There are 40 songs in the book, which will be
entitled, "Songs of our YOUTH"
A work on money and its Mechanism OF
Exchange will form a volume Of the Inter-
national Scientific Series.
The Overland Monthly, that would hardly
have been known out of California but for
Bret Harte, now talks about him in this absurd
way: "He has closed his own gate OF gifts.
Upon the sands of a vain and shallow novelty
he has been building worse than he knew, pill
ling meretrcious pinnacle on pinnacle until the
stucco and lath and plaster of them stand pa
ked and insulting in their sad insincerity, BE-
tween q heaven of brass and an earth of iron,
whose first quake will send the whole raree-
show, with all its puppets, topping to dust
and rubbish"
The Galaxy contains the following bit of
description about Verona: "Verona is a poor
pace to make love in, 10 spite of Romeo and
Juliet Verona is the Amazon of Italian cities
She has stood at the foot of the Alps, barring
her beautiful breast to the storm, defending
the softer danes who live further south, for
many centuries. L think it has made her hard
and uusympathetic. She is beautiful, clear
and cold, like Diana. How splendidly she
wears her coronet of fortfications-how god
dess-like she is as she battles her feet in the
blue water of the Adige. She holds the tomb
of Juliet in her bosom, not as a loving sister,
but as cold moraiist, saying, %, ye mistaken
children of passion, see, see to. what dust and
ashes, red sandstone bath tubs, and dried
leaves you too are coming, if you love, as did
this foolish Juliet. Be like me-cool, warlike
bristling; wear sandals on your feet, instead of
hgh-heeled slippers rosetted.'"
A literary and personal item of no ordinary
interest is the announcement that Mr.. d. A.
WATSON is about leaving Germany and ex-
poets to be in Boston some time in May. He
will probably publish in this country, and per-
haps also in England, his book on the early po-
litical history of the United States, which he
has worked upon fer years. Those who have
read his remarkable article on the Modern Type
of Oppression in the North American Review
for October, 1874, will look with eagerness for
the appearance of his political volume. He is
man of ideas and original power of express
ios.
Popular science is one of the inventions Of
this generation, and tends to became still moro
popular and more scientific. The investigators
are attempting as never before to explore all
the mysteries of nature and life, and multi
tude of eager aud intelligent readers await ev-
cry word of their report. The works of Tyn-
dali, Darwin, Huxley, Mivart and other sci
entists, are in nearly as great demand as the
freshest novels. The new Popular Science Lii
brary projected by the Appletons is already
sure Of success. 1t will include the Natural
History of Man, By Quatrefages; Nature and
Life, by Ferd. Papillon, one of the most brill
liant of modern French writer's on science; The
Science of Music, by Sidney Taylor, and sever
al other volumes.
Mrs. ELEPHANTS new novel, The Story of Val
entine and his Brother, which will be No. 437
in the Harpers' Library of Select Novels, is
one of her studies of life in Scotland. Her chief
characters are the gypsy wife of the heir of
noble Scotch house and her twin sons, one of
whom is brought up in luxurious home, while
the other remains hid in the woods with his va
grant mother The contrasts of character and
circumstance which this line of plot gives her.
afford wide range for her power of descrip
ton.
News and Other Items.
Bret Harte trots boy No. 4 on his knee, and,
though only week old, the little chap is strong
and Hartley.