The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-04-19
TERMS $500 PER ANNUM, IN ADVANCE.
Magazine Notices.

Harpers Magazine for May presents an un-
usual variety of entertaining matter, and is
full of beautiful illustrations. The novelty Of
the number is striking. The opening article
by Henry j. Van Dyke, Jr., takes us to the
Red River Valley and across the border into
Manitoba. The resources and the picturesque
features of the country and its peculiar people
| Gncluding the Mennonite immigrants) furnish
| entirely fresh pictures for pen and pencil; and
| in the use of the latter Mr.. w S. Macy, tho
| artist has been very efficient. Equally novel
| are the pictures of old Dutch life which Mr..
Henry Brace-assisted by the pencils of Pyle
and Stone-presents in his exceedingly inter.
esting article, entitled Old Catskill. Mrs.
Lilies second paper on Music and Musicians
in England is in every page of it, revelation
OF phases of English social life unfamiliar to-
the majority of American readers. The social
side of English musical life has furnished Mr.,
Abbey with motives for a number of delight
full drawings engraved for this article. In
addition to these, this artist has also contrib
uted to this number charming illustration Of
Robert Herrick's poem On Chloris Walking in
Ye Snowe. Less picturesque, perhaps, but
quite as novel, are the descriptions. by the late
men ON our Middle Atlantic coast (from Chesa-
peake Bay to Albemarle Sound), with excel
lent illustrations. Mrs. Treat contributes 8.
second paper of her Home Stndies of Nature.
full of interest, and beautifully illustrated
by j. G. Beard. The paper on the Metropoli-
tan Museum of New York is very timely,
in connection with the recent removal Of
this institution TO Its permanent location in
Central Park. Among the illustrations, be-
sides pictures of the building (exterior and in
terioT are engravings from some of the most
remarkable paintings in the Art Gallery of the
Museum. Mrs. Lizzie w. Champney contrib
utes quaint short story, entitled Salgama
Condita, illustrated by Pyle. Another short
story by Angeline Teal portrays some charac-
teristic features of Western life, and abounds
in humorous situations The serial novels
Blacks White Wings and Blackmore's Mary
Anerly-are continued. Among the solid arti-
cles are Edward Carys Civil Service Reform
in New York, and Colonel III. M. Boies's Our
National Guard. The Editors Easy Chair
with other interesting matter, contains some
very pthy reflections on wood engraving. In
the drawer, which is full tf bright humors.
there is new poem Gllustrated) entitled
Mine Schildhood by the author of Leedle
Yawcob Strauss.
The opening paper in Appleton's Journal
Tor May is OF very great interest. 1t
consists of copious selections from
work recently published in England, entitled
Conversations with Distinguished Persons dur
ing the Second Empire, from 1860 to 1868, by
the late Nassau Williams Senior. Mr.. Senior
was Master in Chancery, and had unusual op
portunities for intimacy with distinguished
French contemporaries, including such men as
Thiers, Guizot, Renan, Merimee, Lamartine,
Barrot, and Prince Napoleon; and he noted
down all his conversations with these men and
others equally famous. The article in Apple
tons journal consists of remarkably spirited
and suggestive passages from these converse
tions. The editor has grouped together a
large number relating to Louis Napoleon,
which give some new and strange insights into
the late Emperor's character. Altogether
this paper is of striking interest Another
very fresh article, or story, it may be called is
by Ivan Tourguenieff, called Monsieur Fran
cos, which describes mysterious and eccen-
trio Partisan character, whose remarkable pre-
dictione of the revolution soon to follow lit
was in 1859 will be read now with profound
attention. This sketch is dramatic, stirring
and full OF point. M. de Lesseps reply to the
Suez Canal article in the previous number, is
given, to which is appended note from Judge
Morgan, the author of that article There is
paper on Metternich, and one on the French
painter, Regnault; The Philosophy of Draw
ing-Rooms is discussed; Science in its relation
to the discovery of Crime is considered, and
number of striking examples given; paper
called the Story of the Merchant of Venice is
very readable; and the EDITORS departments
are well filed