The Portland daily press., 1880-03-06
TERMS $500 PER ANNUM, IN ADVANCE.
Recent Publications.

Lord Macaulay. His Life and His Writings.
BY Charles H. Jones. (New York d. Apple
ton & Co.; Portland Bailey & Noyes.) This
is one of the Handy Volume Series; and is en-
inently suited to its class, being q compact,
well-arranged biographical sketch of Lord
Macaulay's life and literary work. 1t is, of
course, founded upon the biography written by
Mr.. Trevelyan-to which, and to the correspon-
dence of the late Mr.. McVey Napier, the COM
piler gives credit To those who have not the
time to devote to reading the extended me-
moir of Macaulay, this volume will prove ex-
ceedingly valuable as giving good likeness
of one of the most brilliant men of modern
letters
The Origin of the Homeric Poems. Trans
lated from the German of DIR. Herman Bonitz,
(New York Harpers; Portland: Loring, Short
& Harmony was lecture delivered in 1860 in
Vienna, and printed in Germany now for the
first time translated into English by Prof.
Lewis Packard. 1t is not so much the literary
or critical merit of the lecture which may in
terest readers, as the fact which Prof. Packard
states, that this is the only work in English
which sets forth the doubt that Homer wrote
the poems attributed to him. The reader is
not likely to be convinced that it is any easier
to imagine that there were several Homers of
similar poetic genius than that these poems
were the work of one rare mind. People who
are glad to think that Lord Bacon wrote Shaks-
peare's plays will probably enjoy this division
of the labor and praise of Homer. DIR. Bonitz
seems more intent upon proving his point than
receptive of the beauty of the poems in ques-
tion-and one distrusts the conclusions of
critic so unsympathetic.
Three more volumes of Gibbons Decline
and Fall of the Roman Empire, are published
by the American Book Exchange, New York.
The compact form and low price of the edition
published by this company, commend them to
buyers of books.
Mr.. John L. Swift's vigorous volume, About
Grant, which was reviewed in these columns
from advance sheets, now appears bound in
fine red cloth. published by Lee & Shepard:
Boston; Portland: Loring, Short Il Harmony
Erasmus Darwin. From the German of
Ernst Krause, with a Preliminary Notice by
Charles Darwin. New York: d. Appleton;
Portland: Bailey & Noyes.) This memoir
which appeared in the Kosmos, German sci
entifc journal, will be interesting to English
readers as affording a picture of man
celebrated in his day as scientific thinker
and as the author of some poems, antiquated
CROUCH to modern taste. He was successful
physician and was original and uncompromis-
ing in his theories upon all topics. Some boy
ish letters, written by Erasmus Darwin while
at school, are very amusing and are quite in
character 1t is DR.. Darwin from whom Mr..
Charles Darwin inherited his theories; the re-
searches of the grandfather were as earnest if
not so wide in extent as those of the grandson.
Upon the whole, the memoir presents like
ness of DIR. Darwin decidedly more curious
than attractive, and it is not unlikely that the
merit of the younger Darwin's theories will
seem very much diminished to the minds of
many readers after acquaintance with the eld-
er mans verses and convictions
A Bundle of Letters. BY Henry James
Boston: Loring), does not aspire to be a story,
however slight. 1t is simply group of people,
taken as if by instantaneous photography
The scene is French pension-and here meet
| yOuliS WOudu lIOul DduSOI WilO ID S6olllS
Europe for herself, a New York girl travelling
with her parents, young man of Boston cul-
ture, Frenchman, and a German sauant
Naturally enough. all these write letters to
their friends, and the sketches of international
criticism and individual portrayal are capital.
1t is in the same line of work with the authors
Daisy Miller; and one is inclined to think that
Mr.. James is doing very kind office to his
fellow countrymen by showing them their own
semblance in French mirror.
The Faith of Reason. By John w. Chad
wick Boston: Roberts Brothers). This is a
volume of six sermons by the pastor of the
Second Unitarian Society in Brooklyn, N. Y.
The key is given in his confession, sit may be
that I have read too exclusively the most
iconoclastic writers, who have challenged my
beliefs" That he retains any religious faith
and belief under such diet, proves either a re-
markably strong intellectual power, or a re-
markably strong original religious disposition.
He apparently thinks the former; we the lat
ter. The style is fine, blemished only in spots,
but we fail to see the value of the thought to
any class of readers, either religious or skep-
tical L. HI.
The Logic of Christian Evidences. By G.
Frederick Wright (Andover: w. f. Draper)
The attempt to compress so much into single
small volume might have been called auda-
cious, had it not been so successful. Here is a
clear and accurate account of the nature of
scientific induction; followed by a terse, Wig
orous presentation of the inductions of natural
She HAT xy,avo
tific canons; then forcible statement of the
reasons why we might expect other revelations
than that through nature; and finally an epi-
tome of the main arguments, both external
and INTERNAL which may convince an honest
Inquirer that revelation has been made in the
Gospels. The whole is excellent; it is con-
densed, but not obscure; Ineligible and inter-
esting to any Christian reader; and it would
make valuable textbook for Bible classes.
TIL.
Books Received.
A Bundle of Letters. By Henry James. Jr.
Paper, GA pp. Boston Loring.
Constitution of the United S,ates, with
Brief Comments ; and incidental comments on
the Constitutions of England and France. By j.
Il. Champlin, d. d., i. L. d., late President of
Colby University. Cloth, 1877 PIP. Boston John
Allyn. Portland Loring, Short g. Harmon.
The Inter Oceanic Canal and tho Monroe
Doctrine. Cloth, lis pages, S1.OO. New York:
G. p Putnam's Sons. Portland: Loring, Short &
Harmon.
Confidence. By Henry James, Jr. Cloth, SAT
pp. $1.50. Boston Houghton, Osgood s. Co.,
Portland: Loring, Short & Harmon
Boston Monday Lectures. Labor with Pre-