The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-01-26
Literary Notes.

harpers * Brothers have in press "The Life
and Letters of Lord Macaulay," by his nephew,
u. Otto Trevelyan, M. P. They are also about
to publish 'The DEVILS CHAIN" by the author
of "Ginx's Baby" concerning which nothing
further is known than that Mast is to illustrate
it.
Harpers Magazine for February will con-
tain the whole of book first Of George Eliops
new story, Daniel Deronda. This first book is
called "The Spoiled Child and printed entire
will make the largest instament of a serial
story ever produced, we believe, in any maga-
zine; but in order that its length shall in no
way lessen the value of the number to readers
who are not ready to begin the story, the mag
azine will be made propcrtionately larger than
usual
The London Academy thinks that "there is
no doubt that the confirmed novel reader has
horror of second perusais, and would rather
read any trash for the first time than 'Penden-
mis- or Pride and Prejudice for the second"
The Atlantic for March will contain a story
in verse, by Mr.. 7. b. Aldrch; !, an article on
Money and its Substitutes, by Mr.. Henry Cary
Baird (being the initiation side of the Currency
question:; The first part of story, A. Carni-
val OF Rome, by the author of A Carnival of
Venice, which last year attr lcted so much mo-
tce; curious paper on the Welsh 10 America
criticism on the French novelist, Cherbuliez,
by I. S. Perry and the conclusion of Mr. Fisk's
powerful essay on the Unseen World.
Moore says, in his life of Sheridan, that sthe
Rivals was suggested by comedy written In
1749 by the authors mother, Mrs. Francis
Sheridan An e
books, presented to the British Museum in 1864
BY Mr.. Coventry Pstmore, leaves no doubt
whatever of the truth Of Moore's assertion, and
shows also that for the character of "Mrs, NAL
aprop," Sheridan has borrowed some of the IA
nous blunders without alteration from the
character of ''Mrs. Tryfort" in the older COM
edy, "a Trip to Bath
Prof Ch. Fred Hartt has published at Rio
de Janeiro small pamphlet on the manufac-
ture of pottery by savage races. 1t is chiefly
devoted to the South American tribes, and is
especially interesting as showing that the man
ufacture among rude nations, the world over,
belongs to women. "When, however, in the
progress of the tribe in culture, the practice of
the art of pottery comes to be profession,
and to interfere with household work, it passes
naturally into the hands of man; and that il
will be found that, in every case where men
make earthenware, the tribe has advanced con-
siderably beyond the savage state. But savage
woman not only fabricaLes vessels of clay, she
also ornaments them; and if the fictile art has
originated with her, and has grown up under
her hands, it seems no less probable that the
ornaments she uses should have originated
with her; and the probability is Increased by
fact that to her falls the work of spinning and
weaving, of making and decorating personal
ornaments and clothes, and of making baskets
mats, ETC. She is everywhere the primitive dec
orative artist.
The "Epochs' series of compact popular his.
tories, published in London by Longmans &
Co., and here by Scribner, Armstrong &
Co., have proved so successful that The Eng
lsh publishers announce two additional series
on this plan, as well as further volumes of the
"Modern History" series. There are ''Epochs
of English History" edited by the Rev. M.
Creighton, planned to cover the history of Eng
land from the earliest to the present days, in
eight volumes, and '.Epochs of Ancient His
tory" edited by the Rev. G. w. Cox and
Charles Sankey, of which nine volumes are so
far planned. This last series will relate chiefly
to the history of Greece and Rome, and of their
relations to other countries at successive epochs.
Mr.. Cox will himself write of "The Greeks and
the Persians, with the Relations of Greece to
the Older Civilization" and of "The Atheni an
Empire, from the Fight of Xerxes to the Fall
OF Athens" and Dean Merivale will write the
volume on "rhe Roman Triumvrates."