The Portland daily press., 1879-02-08
Literary Gossip.

Literary Gossip.
Authorship OF recent anonymous works.
Johu-a-Dreams Julian Sturgis; The Suprema-
cy of Man, Rev. John Pulsiord; The Political /
Adventures of Lord Beaconsfeld, Frank Hsrri- |
son Hill, editor of the London Daily News;
Work About the FIVE Dials, the Hoo. Maud !
Stanley; Tue Honorable Miss Ferrard, May
Laffan; Der Nuntius Kommet, Count Arnim; /
Col. Dunwoddie, millionaire, Rev. Wm. M.
Baker.
American Literature receives growing atten-
ton in France especially ia the Revue des
Deux Mondes 10 the pages of which MIR. Aid
rich's Refine de Saba has been followed by Mr..
Henry james, jr.'s Quatre Rencontres, which
will be recognized as the recent contribution to
Scribner's called Four Meetings. 1t is little
surprising that Mr.. James's more important
studies of American character as affected by
European environment, notably Madame de
Mauves and the American, have not yet been
transferred at length into French. Among the
French Christmas books appeared Lies Bebes
d'Helene, imitede j. Habberton" and illustrated
BY Bertall.
The "originals" of the character portraits in
Mr.. W. 81. Mallock's The New Republic are
said to be as follows: StorKs, Professor Huxly;
Stockton, Professor Tyndall: Herbert, Profess
scr Ruskin; Donald Gordon, Thomas Carlyle;
Jenkinson, Professor Jowett; Mr. Luke, Mr..
Matthew Arnold; Saunders, Professor Kingdom
Clifford; Rose, Mr.. Walter II. Pster; Leslie,
Mr. HardiDge; Seydon, Dr.. Pusey; Lady Grace,
Mrs. Mark Pattison; Mrs. Sinclair, Mrs. Sim
gleton violet Fane.)
George Eliot, it is reported, will write no
more novels for long time to come. Her hus-
band left at his death an additional work on
"Positive Philosophy" to the completion of
which his widow has already begun to devote
all her time and energies.
Mr. Anthony Trollope, in the January num-
Der of the Nineteenth Century, says that there
has grove up a custom lately among tea
dealers to give away certain number Of books
to their poorer customers-ore book given to
SO many pounds of tea boaght. The other day
$1,000 volumes of Dickens work were ordered
for this purpose "The bookseller suggested
that little novelty might be expedient.
Would the benevolent tes-1ealer like to vary
his presents? But no! The tradesman, know
ing his business, and being anxious above all
things TO attract, declared that Dickens WAS
what he wanted. He had found that the tea
consuming world preferred their Dickens"
Que of the clevetest things said in MIR.
James International Episode" is on page
129. The Duchess Of Bayswater is calling on
Mrs. Westgate, whom she hopes to overawe by
her position but the American lady was hap
by in the consciousness of distinguished ap-
pearaDce. The only mitigation of felicity on
this point was that, having inspected her WIS.,
itOr's costume, shs said to herself, "She won't
know how well l am dressed"
The New York Post in speaking of the dis
pute between Miss Hosmsr and Mr.. Chapman
in regard to the new motive-power, says such
disputes are not by any means without prece-
dent. "Almost every case-of disputed author
al; IN hos al, noIa
some very astonishing stories not known to the
public ara familiar to editors. DR., Holland
knows three Sake Holmes, we believe, each
one of whom firmly believes in the truth of her
statement; and we have heard of still stran-
ger case which occurred ia the history of very
popular work. MIR. George William Curtis's
Potiphar Papers were irst published suQny-
mously 10 Putnsm's Magazine, of which Mr..
Curtis was at that time one of the editors,
When the papers We're in preparation for
publication in book form, Mr.. Putnam re-
celVed ieit5r from man in the interior of
this state, representing himself as the execu tor
OF the author of the papers, aud demanding
payment for them. saying that the payments
had been deferred upon the plea that the &
azlne was not yet firmly established. When
Mr., Putnam assured his correspondent that
the papers had been written by one of his edi-
tors the executor supported his case by exhibit
ing complete correspondence between hi ~
self and the alleged anthor 10 which the pub
Usher had congratulated the contributor upon
the success of the papers and had even asked
permission to make the authors name public
Inasmuch as Mr.. Putnam had never seen these
letters before, he was naturally very much IL
terested in them, though their perusal did not
convince him that he had received the articles
from the previously unknown contributor or
that he really had been corresponding with the 4
man without knowing it,
Among the contents of the forthco ming
March Scribner are announced biographical
sketch of Modjeska, containing much that is
entirely new regarding this remarkable actress,
and accompanied with three portraits; dis
cussion of taste in manners and art under
the caption De Gustibus, by Charles l..
Eastlake; a paper on The Commercial
Crisis Of 1887, by Prof. Sumner, of Yale; A
Buffalo Hunt in Northern Mexico, by Gen.
Lew Wallace: Some Western S,hool-masters,
by Edward Eggleston: another of Stockton's
Rudder Grange stories,-Pomona's Bridal Trip;
curious account of The Late George Rspp
and the Harmonists. who were also Millenari-
ans; new study of the so-called Old Mill at
Newport. by an architect who attempts to
demonstrate that it was built for another pur-
pose; A College Camp at Lake George, by r..
Il. Bowker, with pictures by f. S. Church.
Lawn-Planting for S mall Places, by aa ex pert
and several poems In memory of Biyard Tsv-
Tor.