The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-04-06
Blanca Davenport, daughter Of Edwin l., and
e L..

Blanca Davenport, daughter of Edwin l., and
sister of Fanny, is Disgusting herself as Blanca
Lablache in Naples, where she is great favor
lte and is repeatedly engaged by managers.
This may be partly due to her beauty and her
dress, in which she seems to fairly rival Fanny.
Avodia Bonney, Boston girl. delicate and
graceful, has appeared in opera at Avellino as
"Linda" and Gamma"
The American Palestine exploration society
pride themselves little (under Providehce)
upon the remarkably interesting series of pho
togfaphic negatives taken during the last ex-
pedition under their auspices through the an
Gent Bashan and Moab. A descriptive ca.a-
logue of portion of them has been prepared
by Rev. Seah Merrill the archeologist of the
expedition, and all will he. forwarded soon to
New York. The region traversed was the seat
OF high civilization, even far into the Roman
history of the Christian era; populous and
prosperous land now desert; in which the
eye ranges over "forests of massive columns,
theaters that half 10 ruins will yet seat 5000,
walls four miles in circumference, 10 feet in
thickness and 80 feet in hight upon silent cit
les where hundreds could at once take up their
residence in the homes of past generations"
without raising square foot of masonry. Many
of the immense ruins are reasonably believed
to be remains of the labors of those giant
tribes told of in the Hebrew Scriptures, THE
Rephaim, Zuzim, Emim and Horte, who an
tedate Moab Ammon and Edom."
Apropos of Mr. Horsley, the musician and
friend of Mendelssohn, whose death Mr.. Caryl
Florio records very feelingly for the columns of
the Musician and Artist-he tells the following
interesting anecdote. When Mendelssohu sent
the score of his "Eljjah' to the. publishers,
matters went well enough until the air "Oh
rest in the Lord" was reached. This was
found, singularly enough to be in its opening
measures almost identical, note for note, with
the Scotch ballad, "Auld Robin Gray'-which
Mendelssohn, with his love of Scottish things
may possibly have heard and forgotten. The
publishers dared not print it as it stood, nor to
write to the sensitive composer the reason of
their hesitation but Mr.. Horsley, to whom
they brought their difficulty, at once enclosed
the manuscript of the air and copy of "Auld
Robin Gray" to Mendelssohn, with the request
that he compare the two Mendelssohn re-
wrote the air as it is now sung-'but," adds
Mr.. Florio, "any one who knows this little his
tory can taste the flavor of Aud Robin Gray
all through it still.''
The Philadelphia Press says, CAT the pres
ent time there are only two women in the
United States notable for first-class eugrav-
ing on steel. These are Miss Sartain, daugh-
ter of Mr.. John Sartain, chief of the art de-
partment of the Centennial Exhibition, and
Mrs. Wormley of Columbus, o. Miss Sartain
had the good fortune to be educated in the art
by her accomplished father, whose task of
engraving RothermePs latest picture, the
Battle of Gettysburg she lately returned
from Europe to assume in part, that he might
accept the honorable appointment offered to
him. Mrs. Wormley, who first became ex-
pert in drawing, devoted herself to the illus.
tration of large work which her husband, a
distinguished chemist, wrote on poisons.
After she finished the drawings they were
sent to some Eastern city to be engraved. A
difficulty arose. No engraver could be found
willing to undertake the microscopic work
required. 1t was the opinion of engravers
who were consulted that only the artist who
drew the pictures could successfully engrave
them. Thus compelled to finish the work
the wife of DR.. Wormley learned the art of
engraving, engraved the plates, and enjoys
the honor of having contributed SO largely to
the beauty and completeness of a celebrated
scientific treatise