The Portland daily press., 1891-05-12
MAGAZINE NOTICES.

o. Nicholas for May presents a very
tempting table OF contents, beginning with
an imaginative poem, Morning, by the late
Emily Dickinson. whose work has been so
cordially praised by the critics. Nora Perrv's
Siege OF Calais. ballad with lstriking illus.
tratlons by Birch, will delight little students
OF history, who will also read the second
paper ON The Land of Pluck, by Mrs. Dodge
with keen delight. supplemented as 1t is by
two very interesting letters on Holland. in
the Letter-box Department J. o. Davidson
the marine artist. has written and fully illus
trated short serial of adventure entitled,
Chan Ok, which describes the capture Of a
noted Chinese pirate of the present day; it
Is Is based on fact. and, indeed. but a
stroyed by these piratical Chinese outlaws
in the very. waters wherein the action is SUP
posed to take place. The excellent serials bv
Trowbrldge and Noah Brooks are continued.
Among other attractions we find clever
bit OF verse with pictures by Margaret John
son, in which children of different nationali.
ties extol their native feeds; a verse by John
Albee calle1 The Manners of Sheep; an allie
CORY, A Lesson in Happiness, by w. j. Hen
derson My Microscope, an article on some
Worstell; an amusing dialogue by' Oliver
Herford. The Professor and the White
Violet, and two slightly didactic pieces A
Turnlng-Point, and A Diet of Candy, where-
In the young reader may find food for refiec-
tion sugar-sprinkled with fiction.
The May Century begins new volume,
and in 1t are begun several new features of
what the Century calls its summer cam
paign." The Squirrel Inn, by Frank r..
Stockton, is one of the principal and most
popular Of these new features. The long
promised papers two in numbeD on the
Court OF Gar Nicholas /. are now begun,
the frontispiece Of the magazine being a
portrait of the Emperor Nicholas. These
papers are by the late George Miffiin Dallas,
In his day one of the most distinguished
statesmen of the country. A brief sketch of
his life appropriately accompanies this pa
per- Pioneer Mining Life in California
is description from personal experience of
adventures and mining methods in 184e on
the tributaries of the Sacramento River and
OF the Trinity. 1t is day-to.day descrip-
tion OF the conditions of mining life in 49,
and 80. The writer isthe Hon. L. G. Waltz,
Secretary of State of California. Mrs. Ame-
liza Gere Mason's articles ON the Salons of
the Empire and Restoration are concluded in
the present number of the Century with a
paper on some Of the most prominent women
Of France, including Madame de Genlis.
Madame de Remusat, Madame Recamier and
Madame Swetchine, whose pictures with
others are given. Among the separate pa
pers none Is more striking than thai of r.
Hopkins on Smith, who made a special trip
to Bulgaria to gather impressions for the
Century. Mr.. Smith entities his paper A
Bulgarian Opera Bouffe, and illustrates it
not only with photographs of prominent per-
sons, but with sketches from his own pencil.
The first article In the number is a paper by
9. X. Holder entitled Game Fishes Of the
Florida Reef, strikingly illustrated after
sketches by the author. Ex-Minister John
bigeiow gives a chapter of secret history
which he calls The Confederate Diplomat
lists and their Shirt of Nessus. Mr.. Bigelow
shows how the institution of slavery i1andi-
capped every effort made by the Confederate
diplomats, and he severely criticjzes the
government OF Jefferson Davis as lacking in
knowledge of and regard for foreign PREM
dices, and wanting firm hold Of facts as
they were. Other interesting papers IN
Visible Sound by the English singer, Mrs.
Margaret Watts Hughes, with COMMENT by
Mrs. s. b. Herrick of The Century staff,
Mrs. Hughes succeeded in producing with
her voice and preserving number of shapes
of flowers, &c. The experiments are des-
cribed by the singer, and their origin is sci
critically explained by MRS. Herrick, who
describes also other experiments.