Morning journal and courier., 1884-03-07
REGENT PUBLICATIONS.

In a volume entitled ''The Story of { Flower'' Miss Rose Porter of this city has collected 8 number of her short stories which have appeared in various periodicals The stories are mainly the relations of req incidents and are told in a simple, graceful style. Many valuable lessons may be learned by reading the book. Besides the story thai gives the title te the book GA Summer Sab bath" and "A May Blossom" are especially good. The book IS published by Anson D. F. Randolph & Co.,, 300 Broadway, New York, and is for sale in this city by F. T. Jarman.
 ''The Complete Works of Virgil in English Verse;" in two volumes by John Augustine Wilstach, is the latest contribution to Vir gillian literature. Mir. WiIstach is lawyer and has spent his leisure hours for over tive years in working upon the works of the great Latin poet. The translations are ac companied by an exhaustive essay on 'sThe Virgilisns,' 8 complete index and compre. hensive notes. The author states that hs has "endeavored to attain a literal render ing wherever possible, but not SO far pur sued as to lead to stiffness or the appearance of affectation, or inversion or eceentricity , That he has wholly succeeded in his endeav or does not appear from a careful reading oi the translations. Everywhere the sentences are involved, sometimes very hopelessly, the order is inverted, and a strange persistence is evident to place subject and predicate as far apart as possible, and to introduce az many subordinate subjects and prsdicatss aa can be piled into the lines. The author avoids clear, straightforward rendering o1 the original and seems delighted with cha- otic and bewildering tumble. Were 8 High school pupil to render Virgil's lines in such a manner it is doubtful ii even the learned professor could follow him. A few selections from Lawyer Wilstach's Virgil will suffice to show that the task of reading his translation intelligently is nearly as great as to translate the original. Here is the opening pastoral :
 MELIBGUs.
 'Reclining heath the roof this spreading beech Thee, Tityrus, gives upon thy slender reed
 Thou dost the woodland muse invoke.
 O. MelIbous, made for us 6 God
 Theee hours of ease.
 This from the second Georgic, line 513:
 The tiller of the coil With incurved ploH makes move the earth apart; Hence come. year of labor, hence sust.ins
 His diligent hand his country's veal, abd guards His household Gods, though small and modest they And thence grow slesk snd fat his lowing herds And bullocks, they whose aid warm praise deservee
 Many more quotations, selected at randcm like the above, might be given. It is unfor- tunate that one who has undertaken to give new translation of works which have bvsn so ably translated by many should not have done the work in @ manner more free from faults. The prime aim of any translation it seems to us should be perfect perspicniky of meaning and clearness of style. No maa, by whatsoever devices he may employ, can hope to equal the sweetness and sonorousness of Virgil's verse, and the most . translator can do Is to give his works a fair and intelligible as well as intelligent rendering As to the rendering of disputed and obscure passages Mir. Wilstach has done well. Published by Houghton, Mifiin $ Co.,, Boston, and for sale in this city by H. H. Peck.
 'tKadesh-Barnea,' Is the title of new work by Dr. H. c. Trumbull. The author has collected great deal of information about this place which will be interesting to many The book also includes studies of the route of the Exodus and the southern bound ary of the Holy Land. Published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, and for sale in this city by Judd the bookseller.
 An interesting account of what the French