The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-03-13
Recent Publications.


editor of the Literary Gazette, and the discoy-
erer of 81. E. L." Any who have read the pom
derous volumes which contain Moores journals
and memoirs, edited by Lord John Russell,
know what a niue of good things they are,
and know, too, what wearisome work it is to
read two thousand pages and over to get at
those good things. Mr., Stoddard has selected
the best for us, and thus earned profuse thanks.
William Jerdan is not familiarly known to
this generation. His autobiography is diffuse
and trife dull; but he knew many men of
note in his day, and had something of interest
to tell about them. The author of the "Bric-a
Brac" has carefully culeJ what is best in the
autobiography. The interest of the volume is
increased by etched portraits of Moore, Scott,
Hogg, and Jsrdan from the Fraser portraits in
the Macise gallery.
Extracts from the 'Bric-a-brac" are always
entertaining, and give the only good idea which
the reviewer can furnish of the books Fifty
two pages are given to Byron, of whom Moore
has some curious things to tell. He met the
great poet at Venice In company with the
Countess Guiecioli, of whom he says, "she is
blonde and young, but not very pretty"
Byron was fond of drawing the long bow; said
the story of the girl in the "Giaour" was
founded on fact, and that young Turkish girl
underwent on his account the punishnent men.
toned in the poem. Instances are related of
his comieal horror at seeing women eat By
ron's intense egotsm is illustrated by his wish
10 die OF consumption because all the women
would say Look at that poor Byron; how in
teresting he looks in dying" Soon after his
death party of women visited Harrow to steal
relics OF him. They found dog with clot Of
blood on his back, and cut the clot off, reason
ing that Byron might have patted that clot.
The dinner parties are perhaps the most en-
tertaining portions of the book. At one Of
these the talk ran on devices, and Moore men
toned the man who, on receiving from a mis-
tress he was tired of the old device, leaf with
je ne change qTen naourant, sent back a seal
with shirt on it and the following motto
j'en change tous les jo,rs. This led to discus
sion of French translations from the English.
In some work where it was said "the air was so
clear that we could distinctly see bell ,oether
on the opposite hill," the translator made bell
wether le beau temps. Price, on the Picturesque,
says that bald head is the only smooth thing
possessing that quality, but that if we were to
cover it with -four it would lose its picturesque
| ness immediately; in translating which some
Frenchman makes it une belle tete ehauue cour-
oranee de feurs. A French writer mentions as
proof of Shakespeare attention to particu-
lars, his allusion TO the climate of Scotland In
the words "Hail hail, all hail, ,"-'grele, grele.
toute grele." Quite as ludcrous on the other
hand is the story of the Englshman who was
told to be sure and see the Chdpeau de PatlLe,
and who thereupon searched all Antwerp
through for straw hat mandatory.
One or two stories are told of TalIeyrand.
Bobus Smith one day in conversation hay-
ing brought in somehow the beauty of
his mother Talleyrand said, "eetait done
rotes pere qui n'etaat pas bien.'' of Madame
Talleyrand, who was rather stupid, it is said
that her husband having told her that Demon
was coming to dinner bade her read a little OF
his book upon Egypt, just published, in order
that she might be enabled to say something
| civil to him upon it, adding that he would
leave the volume for her on his study table.
| He forgot this however, and Madame upon GO
| ing into the study found volume of "Robin-
Son Crusoe" on the table instead, which having
read very attentively she was not long on open
| ing upon Demon at dinner, about the desert is
land, his manner of living, &C., &C., to the
great astonishment of poor Demon, who could
not make head or tail of what che meant; at
last, upon her saying Eh puis, ce cher Vendre-
dH he perceived she took him for no less per-
son than Robinson Crusoe.
| Other good stories are told. Somebody was
| saying, before Morgan, the great calculator OF
| lives, that he had lost Sc many friends (men-
tioning the number) in certain space of time;
upon which Morgan, eoolly taking down abook
from his office shelf and looking into it, said,
so you ought, sir, and three more" A man
who having been repeatedly asked to dinner by
q person whom he knew to be but shabby
Amphitryon, went at last, and found the dinner
so meagre and bad that he did not get bit to
eat. When the dishes were removed the
host said, "Well, now the ice is broken
suppose you will ask me to dine
| with you some day." "Most willingly"
| sName your day then" "Auourdhui, par
e1en,ple,'' gasped the dinnerless guest. Gibbcn,
| the historian, and certain French physician
| were rivals for lady's favor. Impatient at
| Gibbons occupying so much Of her attention
| by his conversation, the doctor said GROSSLY to
him, "Quand nailady sera malade de vos Jadaises
je Ia gusrirui." On which Gibbon, drawing
the physician, replied, "Quand milady sera
naorte de vos recettes je Pinnaortaliserai" Scott
told of Jew in some small theatre, saying at
the very moment when the whole audience
was in still and breathless attention to the sor-
| rows OF Mrs. Beverly" should like mosh to
| know who dat vas dat spat in my eye." Mad
| anne behaving said in her intense style,"I
| should like to be married in English, in a lam
| guage in which vows are so faithfully kept
| some one asked Frere "What language, won
| der. was she married in;'' "Broken English,
suppose" answered Frere. A sick man was
| telling his symptoms to medical friend who,
| at each new item of the disorder, exclaimed,
| 'Charmingr' "Deghtfulr' "Pray go onr'
| and, when he had finished, said with the ut
most pleasure. "Do you know, my dear sir.
| you have got complaint which has been for
some time supposed to be extinct?" Jekyn
| told Moore of q man who had said his eating
| cost him almost nothing, for ION Sunday"
| said he, 81 always dine with an old friend and
| then eat SO much that it lasts until Wednes-
day, when buy some tripe which hate like
the old boy, and which accordingly makes me
| so sick that cannot eat any more until Sun
| day again." OF Foote, Moore records that
| lady asked MIN, fray, MI coOte, uo you CNeA
| 90 to church," "No. Madam" was the an
swer, ''though not that see any harm in it."
| THE HISTORY OF WELLS AND KESSzBUSK, from
the earliest settlement to 1920. By Edward K.
Bourne. Portland: B. Thurston s. Co. For sale
by Hoyt, Fogg & Donham.
The copious extracts which have appeared in
these columns from the advance sheets OF
Judge Bourne's History OF Wells and Kenne-
bunk have made our readers tolerably familiar
with its scope and style. The completed work,
an octave of nearly nine hundred pages, is now
before the public. 1t is worthy monument
of the learning, industry and research OF its
author From old records, county and town.
from nearly illegible manuscripts in the his
torical archives of Maine and Massachusetts,,
from oral tradition and personal recollection
Judge Bourne has CLEANED all relating to the
two towns that was worth preserving, and has
woven his matter into valuable and enter
tanning narrative. Each year adds to the diff
culty of consulting these records Of the past,
| MANY of which are of perishable nature, and