Morning journal and courier., 1880-04-20
RECENT PUBLICATIONS.

Few recent publications have created such
 a stir as the Memoirs of Mime. de Remusat,
 who was lady in waiting to the Empress Jose
 phine, and consequently an inmate of Napo-
 Icons household, and close observer of his
 personal life. She begins her work with ob-
 servations on the character of the emperor,
 predicting them shus II am far from saying
 that Bonaparte always appeared to me in the
 light In which I see him now; my opinions
 have progressed, even as he did; but am so sfar from being influenced by personal feelings,
 that do not think 1t is possible for me to de-
 viate from the exact truth" After giving an
 idea of Napoleon;s personal appearance she
 represents him as deficient in education and
 in manners, and although remarkable for OCT
 tain intellectual qualities, no man was ever
 less lofty of soul; he dreaded the ties of af-
 fection; he endeavored to isolate every one
 he never sold favor without awakening a
 sense Of uneasiness he could not pardon vir-
 tue till he succeeded in weakening it's effect
 by ridicule he cannot be said to have truly
 loved glory, for he never hesiteted to prefer
 success to it. "A cowardly act" she reports
 Bonaparte to have said on one occasion, ''what
 does that matter to me? Understand that 1
 should not fail to commit one if it were useful
 to me-" q am disposed, the writer goes on
 to say, Ito believe that Bonaparte, almost al
 ways exclusively occupied By politics, was
 never awakened to love except by vanity, yet
 he had some affection for his first wife; and if
 he was ever really stirred by any emotion It
 was by her and for her." And so on, the pie
 ture being always far from dattering. Mad
 anne Bonaparte is represented as of an excesd-
 ingly jealous disposition, but with naturally
 gentle and pleasing manners Thus the mar
 rative progresses until the year 1904, when
 comes description of the foundation of the
 empire, of the effects and causes of Bona
 parte's accession to the throne, of the new
 court, and Gin the same year) of the popss
 arrival in Paris, the religious marriage of the emperor and Josephine, and the coronation
 of the empress. The stirring events of 1895,
 when war with Austria was declared, are re-
 counted with many dotnils. In 1906, we are entertained with descriptions of ths court eti- quette and of the state of literature and arts The "reminiscences for 1906 1897 include the reasons for the war with Prussia In 1908, we hear about the war with Spain and the emperor's projects for Josephine's divorce The standpoint from which this tale-bearing but fascinating writer viewed Bonaparte is one from which 1t is given the world to look at few great men of history, and perhaps 1t Is just as well that It is go. But people will read this story, entertaining in style and incl dent aside from the scandal it retails with great avidity. The work has been translated from the French by Mrs. Cashel Hoey and John Lillie, and Is published in one hand some volume by D. Appleton & Co.,, New York For sale in this city by Judd the book seller.
 ''Sophocles," by Professor Lewis Campbell, is the latest addition to D. Appleton & Co.'S series entitled Classical Writers" Professor Campbell begins his essay with brief ao- count of the life of Sophocles, in youth, mid dle life and old age, and then proceeds to a critical examination of the poets dramas, of his modes of construction, of the various characters represented in his works, and of the form of his poetry. A last chapter Is de- voted to comparisons of Hschylus, Sophocles, l Euripides and Shakespeare, and the author concludes an essay as simple as it is scholarly, with the hope that the view of Sopheclss here | set forth may not be distasteful to those who | have studied him longest and loved him best, and that 'those to whom any part of what has been said is new. may find on further study that it is not untrue" For sale in this city by Judd the bookseller.
 Harpers for May includes number of good illustrated articles, as usual. The paper 1 on seThe Red River of the North" by Fl. J. | Van Dyke, jr., contains valuable and appa- rently carefully gathered information con- corning an important farming region extend | ing through large portion of Minnesota, Da- | kota and Manitoba, and is Illustrated by W. l s. Macy An article on ''Old Catskilp' is | furnished by Henry Brace, and describes and | pictures scenes of old Dutch fashions Mrs. | Lilies second paper on England's Music | and Musicians" is good, and gives pictures | of Sims Reeves, Otto Goldsmidt (Jenny | Lind's husband), Mme. Moscheles and a | young fellow named Theo. Marzials, who | both writes and composes songs. There IS an l Abbey illustration of rhyme of Herricks, | James w. Milner writes of the 'Shad, the Her | ring and the A1ewife,'' with pictures, and | there Is another of Mrs. Mary Treats enter l taining articles about spiders. There is an ar- l ticIe on New York's Metropolitan Museum of | Art, with good pictures of several of it's old | Dutch and Flemish paintings. Edward Gary | has an article which will be found to contain | some new tnlu8s ou LIS clfli service III tnS | New York custom house and postoffice. The | two serials are continued, and there is good l story by Mrs. Champney, and @ first-rate one 1 by Mrs. Gustafson, entitled "Karen."
 The Atlantic Monthly for May opens with | an installment of T. B. Aldrichs serial story, ''The Saltwater Tragedy" This is followed | by paper by Willard Brown on ''The Exam nation System in Education" s. Fl. M. Byers l writes entertainingly of Ten Days in the Rebel Army" and G. E. Woodbury of "A Neglect |