LITERARY NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4792, 8 September 1883, Page 4

LITERARY NOTES.

♦ A new sixpenny weekly journal, called Ths Gazetteer, was to bo published in London June 2. Daudet is only forty-three years old. Ho is very near-sighted, dark, and piraticallooking. Jules Verne's new work, which is nearly ready for publication, is entitled " The Green Bay." It is stated that the first edition of Mark Twain's new book " Life^on the Mississippi," will be 60,000 oopies. "* . The price of a new illustrated magazine whioh Messrs Maomillan propose to issue in Ootober, will, it ia stated, probably be 6d. The history of the London Gazette, the 'oldest English newspaper, is given in an artiole in the May number of the Bibliographer. A home for aged and destitute authors and journalists is to be establised at Versailles by the widowed Baroness Bothsohild. A new story by Bret Harts, "In the Carquinsz Woods," will be begun in the July numbor of Longman's Magazine. It will be completed in four numbers. "Peok's Bad Boy" a new book by an Amerioan humourist, George W. Peok; 100,000 oopies were Bold in three weeks, and the demand continues. The Atheneeum states that a bust of Samuel Taylor Coleridge is to be placed ia Westminster Abbey, by the permission of the Dean. An Amerioan admirer bears the expense. A de luxe edition of Emerson, like that of Hawthorne, is announced. There will be eleven volumes, and 500 copies will be printed for subscribers. It is stated that at the latest dates the demand for Mr Gladstone's speeoh on the Affirmation Bill was so great that the Liberal Central Association has decided to issue an edition of 100,000 oopies. Mark Twain has made a new book out of his experiences as a pilot on the Mississippi in the early days. He has lately visitod many of his old haunts, and tho sketch of this trip, with the series of ' articles whioh he contributed to the Atlantic Monthly several years ago make up the body of the book. The first edition of the " Life of Lord Liwrence," consisting of 4500 copies, was seld in London in a month. For the second edition the orders were so large that the publishers had to announce that they would be supplied in rotation. Mr Saintsbury'e "Speoimens of Frenoh Literature from Villon to Hugo" will bo published immediately by the Clarendon Press. Tbe passages selected number 192 in all, and the editor haß endeavoured to mako the book a sufficient tableau of the various achievements of French poets and prose writers from tbe literary point of view. The frontispiece of the July " Century " will be a portrait of John Brown, which will be accompanied by two artioles, one considering him from a Northern, the other from a Bouthern point of view. The. frontispiece of the August " Century " will be a striking portrait of Alphonse Daudet, from a reoent photograph, to be accompanied by an essay from tbe pen of Henry James. The Athencenm says that a gentleman living at Montreal recently ordered from England the works of Professor Huxley, Professor Tyndall, and Mr Herbert Spenoer j but the books were all stopped by the Collector of Customs, and confiscated as being "immoral, irroligious, and injurious." A similar thing has beon known to happen at Oxford. Two works likely to be of value to the student of American political hißtory are in hand, One ia a biography of Abraham Lincoln by Mr John Hay, once that President's privato secretary, but since well known by his literary works. 'Xhe other, a biography of the late Hon A. H. Stephens, Vice-President cf the Southern Confederacy, wiil be from the pen of Mr Howard Carroll, of New York, who was a personal friend of the late Southern statesman. Mr 8. L. Clemens (Mark Twain) is at present in Ganada, with the intention of securing, if possible, the copyright of his new book. His work, " Life on the Mississippi," whioh will soon be published by Messrs Chatto and Windus, contains over 600 pages and 300 engravings. A correspondent of the Atheneeum quotes from a convereation in whioh 6. H. Lewes told how George Eliot came to be a writer of fiction. He had long urged her to try her hand at a story, but she protested ber inability. One day whon he oame home she showed him the beginning of " Amos Barton " — the tea party. Ho told her ho had always known Bhe had humour and advised her to attempt pathos as well. Again she pleaded incapacity. But not long afterwarda sho road him the desoription of Milly'e death arid he was delighted. "You'll do now," he exolaimed. " I understand," says the correspondent of the London Truth, "that the late John Richard Green, the lamented author of 'A Short History of tho English People,' has left a second volume of tho 'Making of England ' almost complete. Up to the last day of his lifo at Montone he was busy giving I

the most minute directions about it, snd hia wife, who aoted as his seoretary and amanuensis, is left in a position to edit and see it through the press. It will probably be published before the olose of the year. Mr Green has also left a great many fragments, and he was a voluminous correspondent at times and to ohosen individuals! but, afler Carlyle's and Wilbefforoe's 'remains,' I hope that an extremely judioious seleotion— if seleotion we are to have— will be made. Mr Green was a free-lance; he had a ready tongue and wielded a caustio pen." From the new edition of Geo. P. Bowell and Oo.'s " Amerioan Newspaper Direotory " it appears that tbe periodicals of all kinds issued in the United States reaohed a total of 11,196— an inorease of 685 in twelve months. The present total in New York State is 1899 — A gam of 80 in the present year. The in* orease ia Pennsylvania is 49, the existing number being 943. Nebraska's total grew from 175 to 201, and Illinois' from 890 to 904. A year ago Massachusetts had 420 papers ; now the number is 438. In Texas the new papers outnumbered the suspensions by 8, aad Ohio has 738 papers instead of 692. The most remarkable ohange has occurred in the Territories, in whioh the daily papers have grown from 43 to 63, and the weeklies from 169 to 243— Dakota being the ohief area of aotivity. The figures given above are exclusive of Canada, which poßsesses a total of 606. The number of journals issaed in Manitoba was nearly doubled during the year.