The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-03-12
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

The Marquis of Salisbury. By Fl. D.
Trail, D. G. L. (New York: Harper &
Brothers; Portland: Loring, Short &
Harmony The Marquis of Salisbury is
with the exception of Mr.. Gladstone, the
most conspicuous figure in English poll
tics of today, and this volume will be
welcomed by the general reader as giving
compactly and interestingly the salient
features of his life and his connection
with legislation. A fine lineness of the
Marquis makes the frontispiece to the
volume. The book is provided with an
excellent index.
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the
World. From Marathon to Waterloo.
By Sir Edward Greasy, M. A. (New
York: Harper and Brothers; Portland ::
Loring, Short 6 Harmony This is a
new edition of this valuable work which
was first issued in 1851. The authors
fifteen decisive battles are the battles of
Marathon, Syracuse, Arbela, Metaurus,
the victory of Arminius over the Roman
legions under Varus, the battles of
Chalons, Tours, Hastings, Orleans, the
defeat of the Spanish Armada, the bat
Valmy and Waterloo. Since this work
was written the list of decisive battles
has greatly heightened, and the oppor-
tunity is open to add a valuable supple
ment which shall bring it down to the
present time.
Won Moltke's history of the Franco
Prussian war was dry reading, except per-
haps for the student of military science
Moltke's letters to his mother and his
brothers possess an interest for the gem
eral reader, since they throw alight upon
the personal qualities as well as the So
cial, political and military views of the
great strategist. The letters begin in
1923, when Moltke was young lieuten-
ant in a Fusilier Battalion, with an ambi
ton to get into the staff college. They
end on May "a, 1888, when the once boy
ish lieutenant of 1928, signs himself,
''your feeble old brother,'' over name
renowned throughout the world. The
period between the first and last letter
saw great wars, in most of which Moltke
was an actor or well informed obsery-.
er. His comments on men and affairs
are free, and give the reader fair idea
of the relations Of the great monarchical
and aristocratic interests of Europe
Moltke disliked democracy, and his let
tiers do not disguise that fact He was
good soldier of Prussia, and he aspired
to be nothing else than the servant of a
excellently printed and bound (New
York: Harper and Brothers; Portland:
Loring, Short 6 Harmon.
Memoirs of the Prince De Talleyrand,
edited with preface and notes by the
Due De Broghe of the French Academy
Translated by Mrs. Angus Hall with an
introduction by the Honorable Whiteiaw
Reid, American minister in Paris, Vol
", with portraits. New York and Lon
don, G.. P. Putnam's Sons. Portland:
Loring, Short & Harmon. This volume
of the Memoirs of Talleyrand, fully sus-
tains the interest of the preceding vol
umes and begins in 1880; the period
pending the choice of a sovereign for
Belgium, when the arch diplomatist, by
masterful stroke, secured the recogni-
ton of the neutrality of that kingdom by
the European powers. In this measure,
he had the support of Lord Palmeston
without which he must have failed. The
period between this time and the latter
part of 1882, was one of great interest in
French politics, and at no time did the
great master of diplomacy exhibit his
skill to better advantage. To give any
thing like synopsis even of the events
which followed each other in rapid sue
cession during the two years covered by
this volume and which are graphically
described in it would require more space
than we have at command. Plot and
counter plot, notes, debates, deaths and
marriages come before one in such con-
fusing variety that it is well to occasion
ally lay the book down for awhile to take
breath. Every one who has read the
preceding volumes will welcome this