New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-30
LITERARY NOTES.

Professor Helmholtz the famous Berlin physicist
has collected his scattered scientific memoirs WHICH
will he published in the autumn.
Mr. Whymper's accoun. of his recent trave's II,
the Great Andes of the Equator will be pupnshoo
soon, in London, by Mr.. Murray.
Two volumes of the letters of the Empress ai''iia
Theresa TO her children and friends edited DIV O"uno
Won Arneth will soon he issued in VIENNA ho ,.'
two volumes of the work were given out SONIC 'n'o
ago.
Mrs Thomas i. Hughes, the author oi Sono
"reminiscences of a Tadvs Life in the far EaS',
which appeared i'm IimsleTs Magazine for March asl'
has written book giving an account OF her me III
China Her husband was an officer In the Chihese
.ervice and for six years she accompanied nm on
MS travels about the Chinese Empire.
H,rrer for September will have an illustrated
article on "SummeTng Among the Thousand
Islands" by Mr.. T.. H. Ropes, which will contain
portrait of DR.. J. G.. Holland, the editor OF It's
friendly rival Scyibner's M0nthy. Another article
of special interest at this time, in view OF President
Garfeld's associations with Williams College,
toward which he about to journey when he was
slot is Mr. f. G. Egleston's sketch of Wlliamstown
aud Williams College, which will have a portrait
Of Dr. Mari, Hopkins.
The Round Robin Series of anonymous novels has
shown wide variety of manners if the opinions
of the critics are well founded. "A Nameless No
bleman was attributed to Francis Parkman
Lesson in Love reminded the readers o. Henry
James jr, and attributed to Fawcett and to
Mrs. Spofiord. "The Georgians" has been pro-
nounced very close upon Hawthorne's best effort
lingering i'll the mind like the story of Hes
ter Prynne." The new volume, Patty's Pervers-
ties" has already been charged against Miss Sprague
L. L. Bynner. Ario Bates and hose Terry Cooke.
In commenting on Professor Seeley's admirable APP
perrin Macmillan on Bonaparte" the Pal Mall Ga
sette says Most men, too will he willing to admit
nowadays that of the vast fabric of NapoleOns great
ness more than half not built by him at ALL hut
for him.. 1t is in dealing with the personal charac-
ter of Napoleon that Professor Seeley most striking
and novel; In his view Bonapare is not an instance
of nature originally noble which was corrupted
by power or carried away by passion. He rather
proves that there really lis human type In which
vast intelligence is found associated from virtue
He was not npelled by the desire to do good but by
an almost maniacal love of fame Such judgments
have been passed before, but seldom under the sup
port of temperate argument like Professor Seeleys
And never before has any writer of authority
attributed much deliberaton to Napoleon's
schemes of Eastern conquest and world-embracing
theocracy. According to Professor Seeey, he in all
seriousness proposed to initiate the career OF Ma
homet, and to be Prophet-King In exact con-
tradiction of Caryles conception the hero in this
Ease is really great deceiver, man who revels in
Gty; who, brought up in Europe, it were, dis
covered for himself the art of the great prophet
conQuerors of ASIA What has generally been
regarded alteration in Napoleon is thus repre-
sented as his main design"
The veteran publisher Henry George Bohn. the pro-
pretOr of Bohns Library" of classical authors trans
lated into English in recent sketch of his father
who began life a German bookbnder, gives many
particulars of interest to the craft: He his father
IL hit bNrlD
spring backs which, when books suitably for
warded, throw them up as to open thoroughly
fiat, process for which, many years later, Mr.. Viii
liams the accOunt-book binder took out patent
and then threatened my father with an injunction
but failed, the previous of spring backs was
distinctly proved. My father also the inventor
of the improved diamond granting on the sides of
calf books, which for many years continued much in
vogue, but is now exploded. This process, though a
very simple One-contrved by brass wires fastened
diagonally on boxwOod and reversed in working
was kept secret for long time by working 1T
with confidential workmen in after hours on
Sundays. Other bookbinders performed the same
kind of granting ty means of carved boxwOod but
this in comparison had coarse and clumsy appear
ance He also distinguished for his skill in the
so-called tTee-maIbling the sides of books hound
In calf, which required peculiar management, and
was always performed by himself alone and he
was in especial repute for gliding on the silk Innings
or fy-leaves of extensively bound books usually
morocco. which. like the aforenamed processes, was
kept secret and Tor this, well as the granting on
calf, he was somewhat largely and pro6tably en-
ployed by other bookbinders. In my early days,
being at every spare moment by the side of my
father, became familiar with all these processes,
and by the time was ten years old could perform
them. well as bind, gid and letter a book per-
fecty. In later life the knowledge of the peculiar
dressing used for gliding silk enabled me to COM
muncatc to Mr. Leighton, of the firm of Leighton
d Ecles bOokbindeIs. tho means of getting cloth
prepared as to take gliding by heated machinery
at the rolling or stamping press. which leading
trade firm said was impracticabe. The process,
however after few weeks experiments, was sue
ccssfully accomplished. What to me at the tune
seemed an accomplishment of but little moment,
has now become of such Importance to cloth binders
that could the discovery have been patented il
Mould have WELDED q considerable incnIne