The Portland daily press., 1894-12-15

not emitting the principal islands I'D
| both hemispheres, north and south o.
| the equator. With this experience ne
does not hesitate to place Ceylon In the
| first rank for natural riches and attrac-
| tiveness; and next to Malta, in the
| same relative position as regards its laf
reaching and.interesting historical asso-
| Citations. 'Ir is truly impossible to exaA-
| gerate the natural beauty of Ceylon" says
the author of The Light of Asia. The
author says ut was bright December
morning when we made the island of
Ceylon. All were weary of the sea, and
in favorable mood to fully enjoy the
| gentle land breeze which came to us
laden with the fragrance of flowers dis
titled from a wilderness of bloom. Tropi-
| cal luxuriance and languor- reigned su-
| preme. What summer world it was,
| beautiful beyond expression" Every
page of the book is fascinating with its
| vivid description of the varied attTac-
| tions of this wonderful island. The elm
| ate of Ceylon, its natural features, its
| flora, fauna, the people, their manner OF
| life, CUSTOMS Industries, amusements,
| ETC., are all carefully treated. Boston
and New York: Houghton, Miffiin &
Co.; Portland: Loring, Short & Har-
| mon.)
Samantha Among the Colored Folks.
| My Ideas on the Race Problem. By
Josiah Aliens Wife, (Marieta Holley.)
In this new edition of this very popular
work are nearly one hundred illustra-
tions by that master delineator OF
darkey life, E.W Kemble. The volume
is bound in red, with three smiling little
darkies arrayed in pale blue, in the cen
| ter of the cover, while Samantha and
Josiah decorate opposite corners. New
York: Dodd, Mead & Co.; Portland:
Loring, Short & Harmon.
A House in Bloomsbury. By Mrs.
| Oliphant In House in Bloomsbury are
number of dodgers, who with others
widely separated make up the charac-
tiers of the story. MIR. Mannerng.- a.
! quiet, middle aged scholar, employed at
the British Museum, and his daughter
Dora. girl Of fifteen. occupy the second
| floor of the house, where they retain the
| Importance and dignity of having fur
nished their own rooms. On the first
| floor, the aristocracy of the house is
represented by Miss Bethune, a Scotc h
lady, and her maid. Gilhcrist. DIR.
| Ronald, another ledger, keev absery-
ant man, and a doctor to th fps his
| fingers, us an interesting charul :. The
story is much occupied with Mr.. Man
nering and Dora, around whose lives
! there is msytery. Later on in the story
| mystery develops in the life of Miss
Bethune. The plot is somewhat COM
| plicated one, but the story is told in a
natural manner; the characters all
showing the authors skill and expert
ence by their marked individuality.
| (New York; Dodd, Mead & Co.; Port
land Loring, Short & Harmon.
Chapters from Some Unwritten Me-
moirs. By Ann Thackeray Ritchie, au-
| thor of Records of Tennyson, Ruskin,.
etc. In this charming volume the daugh
ter of Thackeray relates many of the
tender memories she has cherished of
her distinguished father and of her
grandparents since her earliest years.
She writes. "My father liked to take
us about with him, and l am surprised
as 1 think of it, at the great good nature
of his friends, who used SO constantly
include two announcement little girls in
the various invitations they sent him."
The author gives her childish impress
ions Of people and events as we'll as her
impressions of maturer years. Many
notable men and women appear in the
work, and delightful occasions are al
luded to in which the author partici-
pated. When child in France she at
tended Agrown up" party with her
grandmother, where they had been in
vited to meet poet, and here she ex-
perienced her first bitter disappointment.
81, who had longed to see a poet!
Who had pictured something SO differ
ent!n Further on in the volume the au-
thor writes: "And yet those early
feasts of life are not unlike the miracle
of the loaves and fishes. The twelve
basketfuls that remain in after years
are certainly even more precious than
the feast ITSELF" 1t is handsome book
of over two hundred pages. (New York
Harper & Brothers; Portland: Loring,
Short & Harmony
In the Dosy Hours. By Agnes Rep
plier. In the rush of Holiday books
OILY passing mention can be accorded
to even the best. But it is enough to
say that Miss ReppIier's wide reputation
as graceful and charming writer is we'll
sustained in this book, which contains
twenty short papers on a variety of SUBJ
jects. Where all are so good it is difficult
to single out any for particular mention,
but those entitled Aut Caesar Aut
Nihil, Gifts, Lecturing, A Kitten, The
Children g Age, Pastels and In the Dosy
Hours perhaps appeal a little more
strongly to our own TASTE 1t will make
delightful Christmas gift. Boston
and New York: Houehton, Miff1in &
Company; Portland: Loring, Short g.
Harmon. Price $1.25.)
n>As