MAY 1, 1866. great many pages. Nevertheless, it is reckoned | a caution to the keepers of the Library to watch and the sale of these volumes will put $80,000 of copy-protect Bossuet's work from "the swindling and sly right into the imperial pocket. Company of Jesus who may send emissaries to falsify I trust it may not be considered indelicate if I the original manuscript." His chief legatees were deplore here the discontinuance of the "National suspended priests, odd literary men, and old acAlmanac." It is a national loss. It rendered the quaintances, who shared his intense hatred of the United States more substantial service abroad than Unigenitus bull. This perennial vivacity of party the whole Federal diplomatic corps. It taught the passion so nearly connected with literature seemed world the vast resources, the incredible progress, to me to confer freedom of your city upon this the unprecedented energy of the people of the original figure. . . . It is said the ambition of the country. It corrected, in a sensible measure, the late Count Alfred de Vigny was to be the tutor coarse virulence and ignorance of a portion of the of the Imperial Prince. It is said the conpublic press. If its ribaldry was read with disgust, clusion of M. Michelet's history of ante-revoluthe statistics of schools, seats of learning, and chari- tionary France (which he intends shall be his table foundations raised hope in the breasts of well-politico-historical will and testament), which will wishers of the country. Ishrink from appealing to a patriotic citizen to sacrifice to his country the vexation, and trouble, and toil this work gave him and brought in no adequate return. But I assure him, if he would make this sacrifice, he will be doing a service to his country. I have never been to the Imperial Library without seeing its volumes in somebody's hands, and I have repeatedly known men to wait for hours their turn to get it. Information was contained in it which could be found nowhere else. one. ... form the connecting link between those seventeen volumes and the seven volumes of his "History of the Revolution," will make such a profound sensation that the police may interfere and send book and author before the courts of justice. . . . M. Tisserant, the actor, is about to give us a volume of souvenirs and dramatic advice, with a preface by M. Jules Janin. . . . Rumor declares the Marquis Bourbon del Monte to be the author of Mlle. Segeste, an anonymous novel which has attracted some attention here. I have had the pleasure to meet here J. R. Osgood, Esq., of the firm of Ticknor & Fields, of Boston. He has diligently visited our best printing-offices and other places connected with the trade, not only in Paris, but in the provinces, winning golden opinions wherever he has been. G. S. 1 Herr Abelsdorff, a Berlin publisher who recently brought out the Life of the New Cæsar, and who, at the instance of the French Government, was prosecuted for libelling the French Emperor, has been sentenced to fifty thalers fine. As this is the third sentence pronounced against Herr Abelsdorff, his license as publisher has been withdrawn.. NOTES ON BOOKS AND BOOKSELLERS. It is not generally known that Mme. George Sand once wrote the "book" of an opera. She had taken SCIENCE AND RELIGION.-In a recent number we a great fancy to a young German composer of the adverted to the fact that the College of New Jersey, Wagner School, and wrote a "book" for him. He at Princeton, had established a new professorship, was not familiar with French, and had an unbounded the title of which is "The Relations between Scirespect for Mme. Sand; he consequently put the ence, Philosophy, and Religion." Charles W. whole of the "book" into music. At the end of Shields, D. D., a highly esteemed divine of this city, the first act a chorus of male and female peasants has been called to the chair thus established, and saluted the departure of the village lord, and the we have before us a copy of the introductory lecture composer made them sing to a dancing air-"Exit to his course of instruction. Dr. Shields had, by lord centre door back"-taking care to place a pro- several interesting monographs, shown that this lorged trill on c-e-n-t-r-e. When Mme. Sand saw subject was one quite familiar to his thoughts, and these mistakes (for the score was filled with others we are therefore not surprised to find that the genelike that which I have mentioned), she burnt the ralizations in his introductory are so sharply de"book," and has never again thought of writing fined, well considered, judicious, and suggestive. A strange lawsuit has been tried this The numerous alumni and friends of this venerable week. M. Parent Duchatelet, although he died so and respected institution of learning will congratulate as 1862, was a Jansenist filled to overflowing late her in having, by this pioneer movement, apwith the passions of Port Royal. He possessed preciated and anticipated one of the most pervading only $62,000, which he distributed in part among and deeply-seated intellectual wants of the time. his eleven grandchildren, but he bequeathed Other institutions will doubtless follow her leaderlegacies to so many people that his grandchildren, ship, and we may accordingly hope that, in the next instead of receiving some $5,000 or $6,000, did not generation of scholars, thinkers, and authors, scireceive more than $100 a piece. He had been very ence and faith will be found, not hostile or indifferent wealthy, but exaggerated charity, proselytism, to each other, but heartily joining hands in united unfortunate lawsuits, and expensive publications effort to impart wisdom to faith and devoutness to to perpetuate old quarrels, whose very ashes are science. We advert to this matter because it incold, sensibly impaired his estate. He lived and volves the most grave and pressing interests, and died surrounded by portraits of all the eminent deals with problems, the bungling or indiscreet members of Port Royal, and all the manuscripts treatment of which may result either in superstition relating to the history of Jansenism he could dis- or skepticism. All who have occasion, either as cover. His will betrayed this ruling passion. He journalists or students, to closely survey the field bequeathed $1,000 to the Société de St. Augustin of modern literature, know that there is an apparent (which is always rich; it has $120,000), whose conflict going on between many of the deductions of chief organ, "L'Observateur Catholique," is ultra recent science, and certain generally received theoJansenist. It publishes articles with such rubrics logical opinions or interpretations. The whole body as these Impious Speeches of Pius IX.; Monsig- of current literature is more or less astir with this nor Mondinet begged by the Pope; The Jesuits' Toy-rising strife. It can no longer be ignored; it must sellers. I need not say M. Parent Duchatelet loathed simply be recognized and met. When chemistry, the Jesuits, and he exhibited his detestation of geology, and astronomy, elate with their splendid then in his will. He bequeathed to the Imperial triumphs, summon our currently received exegesis Library a manuscript of Bossuet relating to one of to the tribunal of reason and fact, it will not do for Father Quesnel's books, and added to the bequest the leaders and defenders of religious thought to MAY 1, 1866. OUR CONTINENTAL CORRESPONDENCE. | Nuit," of which at least 20,000 copies were sold. Poor Henri Murger, who was most remorselessly We have had the brilliant reception at the French bled by them (I gave you, some time since, the Academy which has been looked forward to with ridiculously low prices they gave him for works particular interest. It was for that horizon an which they have sold, and will sell annually for eclipse of the sun, which gave all the inhabitants years to come, by the tens of thousands), said, on a crick in the neck. M. Guizot received M. Prevost his death-bed, in his ironical way: "Well, one Paradol. The first feeling of all the audience was thing troubles my dying hour: I go out of the disappointment. M. Prevost Paradol is a passed-world conscious that I have been the ruin of MM. master in the art of Swift and Pascal-that polished Levy Brothers!" An author in the possession of irony which conveys a poisoned meaning in the great reputation is not, of course, the prey of these healthiest words, which says one thing and means horse leeches. The proprietors of two of our two another. We reckoned he would heap Swift's and cent daily papers have been striving to outbid each Pascal's flowers on the government while we should other for M. Victor Hugo's new novel, which they enjoy the hisses and see the fangs of the serpents wished to publish in the feuilleton of their paper. which lurked beneath them. Politics were scarcely. One of them, the proprietor of "Le Soleil," offered introduced except by M. Guizot, who talked sophis- M. Hugo $100,000 cash for the privilege of so publishtry upon the Pope's right to keep the eternal citying it. The "Revue des Deux Mondes" offered him in the church's mortmain; by which he reminded $5,000 to publish two chapters of it. M. Hugo deus of the immortal men born with a blue star on clined both offers. He has all his life long refused their forehead, described by Swift. One went to to allow his works to appear in this fragmentary them for oracles of wisdom, and heard nothing but form. Have you seen the dedication and preface misanthropic moanings for the past. When children of the "Sea's Laborers"? Here is the former: "I of men (however bright may be the star Heaven dedicate this book to the rock of hospitality and has planted on their brow) reach what M. Guizot of liberty; to that corner of old Norman soil where touchingly called "the downward declivity of life's the noble little tribe of the sea lives, to the severe last days," reason in a measure resigns her throne, and gentle island of Guernsey, my present asylum, and memory alone wields the sceptre in the dome my probable tomb. V. H." This is the letter: of thought which is soon to be vacated for ever. "Man's three struggles are with religion, society, Here is M. Alex. Dumas's last letter: "I commu- and nature. These three struggles are at the same nicated, Sunday, to the Literary Men's Society a time his three wants; believe he must, hence the scheme of a theatre, which was received with unani- temple; create he must, hence the city; live he mous applause. Everybody present not only must, hence the plough and vessel. But in these promised to give it their assistance, but promised three solutions are three wars. The mysterious to subscribe to it. This is my scheme: I want difficulty of life arises from all three of them. Man $400,000 to build an edifice, half theatre and half must wrestle with the obstacle in the shape of circus, capable of containing 3,000 persons, and of superstition, in the shape of prejudice, in the shape taking in 7,000f. receipts. The first seat would be of element. A triple ananke oppresses us; the anat 5 f., the last at 50 centimes. In subscribing for anke of dogmas, the ananke of laws, the ananke of a seat, the subscriber would receive two seats, things. In 'Notre Dame de Paris' the author denamely, ten francs for five francs, one franc for nounced the first; in 'Les Miserables' pointed out 50 centimes. I double the capital and pay in the second; in this book he indicates the third. pleasure. 800 subscribers would enter every night; With these three fatalities which surround man there in four years the debt would be paid; in six years is mixed the secret fatality, the extreme anankethe theatre would belong in fee simple to the Societies the human heart. VICTOR HUGO.".. I was mistaken of Dramatic Authors, Literary Men, and Dramatic in saying in my last letter that M. Gustave Doré Artists. I would retain for myself, during my life, had sold his illustrations of Shakspeare. He has the right to bring out a new and an old piece there been in negotiation with an English firm for their annually. The subscriptions will soon be opened. publication. The negotiation failed, in consequence Then I shall appeal, through the public prints, to of the advance he made of his terms; he declined everybody's sympathy. Each subscriber may $80,000; his price now is $100,000. I find I was subscribe for what sum he pleases, and he will mistaken likewise in affirming MM. Mame & Co. of pay the day 500,000f. are subscribed." M. Alex. Tours had covered the expenses of the illustrated Dumas's last dramatic production has been d- -d Bible by the sale of the first edition. It did nearly most vigorously here. He has sunk lower within cover the expenses incurred (which were enormous), the last six months than he has yet reached, so and they reckon upon making a good deal of money outrageously has he abused public patience. His by the second edition, which is now coming out in lectures have been rehashes of old novels; his numbers-the whole work to be issued before New articles for the newspapers made up, two-thirds of Year's Day next. . . . Everything is now publishthem, with scissors and paste; and his plays have ing in the shape of numbers. M. Chamerot is been utterly absurd. He seems to have nearly ex- going to give us sedate old Rollin in numbers. The MM. Didot will soon present us with Cantu's The Dramatic Authors have organized their pub-"Universal History" in the same form. M. Perrotin lishing house. On the 15th of April the publishing has begun to give us Beranger's songs in the same agency of Dramatic Authors will be opened on the sandwich; Thiers' histories, Vaulabelle's "HisBoulevard. Any author who may wish his play tory of the Restoration," dictionaries, grammars, published, will state the paper, size, and edition he old novels-in fine, all sorts of books are minced desires; he will be allowed five months after pub-fine to suit with our purses and dealt out to us.... lication to pay the printer's and paper-maker's bill, and he will pay only 10 per cent. to the agency, to cover house rent and office expenses. It is really incredible how dramatic authors have been bled by MM. Michel Levy Brothers. For instance, they gave M. Bouchardy $100 for the copyright of "Lazare le Patre," of which they sold 120,000 copies. M Pan] Faval received only $80 for "Le Fils de la hausted himself. We are assured the French Emperor's "Life of Cæsar" is to be expected in a very short time. It is alleged the only obstacle to its immediate publication is his Majesty's indecision about the form in which it ought to appear, viz., in one or two volumes. The cost of this portion of the work will exceed, it is said, that of the first portion; more than thirty proofs a page have been required for a MAY 1, 1866. great many pages. Nevertheless, it is reckoned | a caution to the keepers of the Library to watch and the sale of these volumes will put $80,000 of copy-protect Bossuet's work from “ the swindling and sly right into the imperial pocket. Company of Jesus who may send emissaries to falsify the original manuscript.' His chief legatees were suspended priests, odd literary men, and old acquaintances, who shared his intense hatred of the Unigenitus bull. This perennial vivacity of party passion so nearly connected with literature seemed to me to confer freedom of your city upon this original figure. . . . It is said the ambition of the late Count Alfred de Vigny was to be the tutor of the Imperial Prince. . . It is said the conclusion of M. Michelet's history of ante-revolutionary France (which he intends shall be his I trust it may not be considered indelicate if I deplore here the discontinuance of the "National Almanac." It is a national loss. It rendered the United States more substantial service abroad than the whole Federal diplomatic corps. It taught the world the vast resources, the incredible progress, the unprecedented energy of the people of the country. It corrected, in a sensible measure, the coarse virulence and ignorance of a portion of the public press. If its ribaldry was read with disgust, the statistics of schools, seats of learning, and charitable foundations raised hope in the breasts of well-politico-historical will and testament), which will wishers of the country. I shrink from appealing to a patriotic citizen to sacrifice to his country the vexation, and trouble, and toil this work gave him and brought in no adequate return. But I assure him, if he would make this sacrifice, he will be doing a service to his country. I have never been to the Imperial Library without seeing its volumes in somebody's hands, and I have repeatedly known men to wait for hours their turn to get it. Information was contained in it which could be found nowhere else. Herr Abelsdorff, a Berlin publisher who recently brought out the Life of the New Cæsar, and who, at the instance of the French Government, was prosecuted for libelling the French Emperor, has been sentenced to fifty thalers fine. As this is the third sentence pronounced against Herr Abelsdorff, his license as publisher has been withdrawn.. It is not generally known that Mme. George Sand once wrote the "book" of an opera. She had taken a great fancy to a young German composer of the Wagner School, and wrote a "book" for him. He was not familiar with French, and had an unbounded respect for Mme. Sand; he consequently put the whole of the "book" into music. At the end of the first act a chorus of male and female peasants saluted the departure of the village lord, and the composer made them sing to a dancing air-"Exit lord centre door back"-taking care to place a prolorged trill on c-e-n-t-r-e. When Mme. Sand saw these mistakes (for the score was filled with others like that which I have mentioned), she burnt the "book," and has never again thought of writing A strange lawsuit has been tried this week. M. Parent Duchatelet, although he died so late as 1862, was a Jansenist filled to overflowing with the passions of Port Royal. He possessed only $62,000, which he distributed in part among his eleven grandchildren, but he bequeathed legacies to so many people that his grandchildren, instead of receiving some $5,000 or $6,000, did not receive more than $100 a piece. He had been very wealthy, but exaggerated charity, proselytism, unfortunate lawsuits, and expensive publications to perpetuate old quarrels, whose very ashes are cold, sensibly impaired his estate. He lived and died surrounded by portraits of all the eminent members of Port Royal, and all the manuscripts relating to the history of Jansenism he could dis one. ... cover. His will betrayed this ruling passion. He bequeathed $1,000 to the Société de St. Augustin (which is always rich; it has $120,000), whose chief organ, "L'Observateur Catholique," is ultra Jansenist. It publishes articles with such rubrics as these: Impious Speeches of Pius IX.; Monsignor Mondinet begged by the Pope; The Jesuits' Toysellers. I need not say M. Parent Duchatelet loathed the Jesuits, and he exhibited his detestation of them in his will. He bequeathed to the Imperial Library a manuscript of Bossuet relating to one of Father Quesnel's books, and added to the bequest form the connecting link between those seventeen volumes and the seven volumes of his "History of the Revolution," will make such a profound sensation that the police may interfere and send book and author before the courts of justice. . . . M. Tisserant, the actor, is about to give us a volume of souvenirs and dramatic advice, with a preface by M. Jules Janin.... Rumor declares the Marquis Bourbon del Monte to be the author of Mlle. Segeste, an anonymous novel which has attracted some attention here. I have had the pleasure to meet here J. R. Osgood, Esq., of the firm of Ticknor & Fields, of Boston. He has diligently visited our best printing-offices and other places connected with the trade, not only in Paris, but in the provinces, winning golden opinions wherever he has been. G. S. NOTES ON BOOKS AND BOOKSELLERS. SCIENCE AND RELIGION.In a recent number we adverted to the fact that the College of New Jersey, at Princeton, had established a new professorship, the title of which is "The Relations between Science, Philosophy, and Religion." Charles W. Shields, D. D., a highly esteemed divine of this city, has been called to the chair thus established, and we have before us a copy of the introductory lecture to his course of instruction. Dr. Shields had, by several interesting monographs, shown that this subject was one quite familiar to his thoughts, and we are therefore not surprised to find that the generalizations in his introductory are so sharply defined, well considered, judicious, and suggestive. The numerous alumni and friends of this venerable and respected institution of learning will congratulate her in having, by this pioneer movement, appreciated and anticipated one of the most pervading and deeply-seated intellectual wants of the time. Other institutions will doubtless follow her leadership, and we may accordingly hope that, in the next generation of scholars, thinkers, and authors, science and faith will be found, not hostile or indifferent to each other, but heartily joining hands in united effort to impart wisdom to faith and devoutness to science. We advert to this matter because it involves the most grave and pressing interests, and deals with problems, the bungling or indiscreet treatment of which may result either in superstition or skepticism. All who have occasion, either as journalists or students, to closely survey the field of modern literature, know that there is an apparent conflict going on between many of the deductions of recent science, and certain generally received theological opinions or interpretations. The whole body of current literature is more or less astir with this rising strife. It can no longer be ignored; it must simply be recognized and met. When chemistry, geology, and astronomy, elate with their splendid triumphs, summon our currently received exegesis to the tribunal of reason and fact, it will not do for the leaders and defenders of religious thought to GEORGE W. CHILDS, PUBLISHER, Nos. 628 & 630 CHESTNUT STREET, PHILADELPHIA. GEO. N. DAVIS, 119 Rua Direita, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Agent for South America. A. ROMAN, San Francisco, California, Agent for the Pacific Coast. STEPHENS & CO., 10 Calle Mercaderes, Habana, Agents for the West Indies. Subscriptions or Advertisements for the "American Literary Fazette" will be received by the above Agents, and they will forward to the Editor any Books or Fuõiications intended for notice. |