School; and lastly a boarding school. Would it not seem, from this enumeration of its tenants, as if Mme. de Sevigné's ghost attracted books and their lovers to the house? Her letters show she spent many happy days here. There are a great many objects connected with Mme. de Sevigné still in existence. The Chateau des Rochers, near Dinan, from which many of her letters are dated, is especially wealthy in these souvenirs. It is wonderful how little is lost. I saw a few days since on the walls a placard announcing the sale of 6000 addresses of newspapers, the cover bearing the name of the subscriber, and among them were newspaper addresses of the sixteenth century, and from this distant period of time to yesterday. Nothing seems lost in this world but man's life. 'Tis the only brittle thing on earth.

I regret to record the death of Judge Warn Koenig, one of the most eminent judicial writers of Germany. He died at Stuttgardt in the 72d year of his age. We have lost, too, M. Roger de Beauvoir, who was for a great many years the "fast man" of Paris, and whose various adventures filled the public ear for many years. His early and prolonged dissipations gave him gout, rheumatism, and softening of the spinal marrow. These diseases have for years made him bedridden, or, even worse, chair-ridden. It has been five years since he quitted his chair; whenever he attempted to lie on his bed, he would suffocate. His name was Roger de Bully. When it was evident he was about to become notorious as the wildest fellow in Paris, one of his uncles made him change his name. Wild as was the life led by M. Roger de Beauvoir, he found time to write forty works-novels, plays, and poems. His best work was his first novel, "L'Ecolier de Cluny," which was published in 1832; the next in value were "Histoires Cavalières," Le "Cabaret des Morts," "Le Chevalier de St. Georges," and "L'Hotel Fimodan." Messrs. Michel Levy still have them on their catalogue. He dramatized with M. Melesville Le Chevalier de St. Georges," and the play had an extraordinary run. M. Melesville was once asked what was M. Roger de Beauvoir's share in this play. He replied: "He lent me a hunting-knife for one of the characters." M. Melesville was unjust, for his color-bearer did unquestionably furnish the idea and the plot of the play. M. Roger de Beauvoir wrote with M. Lambert Thiboust another very successful play, "Les Enfers de Paris." He was happy at impromptu poetry. He married Mlle. Doze, the favorite pupil of Mlle. Mars, after living irregularly with her. The marriage was singularly unfortunate, and the quarrels of husband and wife filled our public prints and courts of justice with their scandals. He was extremely popular, and his funeral was attended by the majority of second-rate literary men in Paris. His wife died some years since in extreme poverty, and was buried at the expense of Prince Napoleon.

Since I am with the dead, let me translate a penand-ink portrait of Alfred de Musset by M. Charles Monselet: "I was able to approach Alfred de Musset frequently, to be introduced to him, and to talk with him. His appearance was icy, rather indifferent than haughty; his movements were slow as those of an automaton; his eye was without projection; his articulation was difficult; and his conversation was empty, terribly empty! It seemed as if he was fulfilling the conditions of a wager, as if he was trying to play a joke upon his company. Nevertheless, I saw him with his best friends, with Arsène Houssaye, Capt. d'Arpentigny, and with other persons whom he could not possibly consider Philistines or indiscreet visitors. Alfred de Musset was the most uninteresting of men. The admiration I have always

expressed for some phases of his talents allows me to express myself with this liberty. Add to all this an attire which was nearly always irreproachable (he must have taken at least three hours to dress, or to have himself dressed), a plain, round handwriting, rapid and elegant, without any of those tremulous lines which lead one to suspect fondness for drink, love of chess, and passionate fondness for legerdemain, and you will have before you that enigmatic, puzzling, inexplicable, coldly odd, repulsive person who bore the sympathetic and justly loved name Alfred de Musset. There evidently were two beings in him. The being who held the pen was the best, the true, the real man. Let us forget the other. Let us abandon that passion which makes us ask from artists a certain cordiality. Let us take them, not for what they are, but for what they are so good as to give us. Their essences are mysterious. And, to sum up my thought in one sentence, it is always prudent to distrust them."

M. de la Pilorgerie has discovered in the Library of Nantes the first French newspapers printed, and he has republished them. During the expedition of Charles VIII. to the kingdom of Naples (1494), hawkers cried in the streets of Paris, the "Bulletin of the Grand Army of Italy." While this word "grand" is under my pen, let me regret translators do not render it by the proper English word, main army, instead of giving it grand army. . . . It is stated the French Emperor will turn his attention to, indeed has already begun to collect materials for, a life of Charlemagne. He will probably do Philippe Augustus, Louis XI., and Louis XIV.'s life, each after the other. . . . It is said M. Louis Paris is about publishing a work on French antiquities in 10 vols. 8vo. . . . M. Guérin and other lovers of the fine arts are about to publish engravings of all the valuable objects in the Napoleon III. Museum (ex-Campana Collection). . . . M. Lafferrière, the actor, announces that his memoirs will positively be published this winter. . . . It is said the French government has requested Dr. Veron to discontinue publishing his memoirs. . . . M. Champfleury has begun to publish extracts from his memoirs.

An article by M. Rénan on St. Francis of Assaz, published in the "Journal des Débats," has attracted a great deal of attention. It reveals his antipathy to material progress and to freedom. It shows he regards convents as favorable to great works (a favorite thesis with him), and raises our smiles to see his unequal standards of measuring truth. He alleges the stigmata on the saint's body to have been frauds, and in the same breath admits the saint's song as unquestionably authentic, although the Italian original has been lost. The article is very curious. . . . The Minister of Public Instruction has offered prizes for the best papers on archæology published in the memoirs of provincial learned societies; for the best glossary of the dialect of any given district of France; and for the best memoir on the commerce and industry of any province or town during the Middle Ages.

M. Prévost-Paradol's forthcoming book will be entitled "Democracy and Liberty." MM. Lucien Biart and Ernest Daudet are writing, under the patronage of the French government, a diplomatic and military history of the French expedition to Mexico. . . . M. Dentu, the well-known pamphlet publisher of the Palais Royal, has taken the contract of the publication of the catalogue of the Universal Exhibition; he gives $100,000 for the monopoly. He reckons upon making at least $40,000 by it. He reckons upon a sale of 1,000,000 copies at 20 cents (at the least); the cost of printing, paper, etc. will be $60,000; add $100,000.

He sells $200,000 worth, and pockets $40,000. . . It is said the French Comedy is about to play an unpublished piece by Beaumarchais, This rumor has been repeatedly current the last few years. .. Alfred de Musset confessed, some years ago, to a friend, he took the idea of his exquisite play "Le Caprice" from Crebillon the younger's "Les Hasards du Coin du Feu." . . . The Perpetual Secretary of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles Lettres has made his annual report on that learned society's publications. He says the third volume of the col

logues is full of interest and importance. More attention should be paid to it, and the publisher who makes his catalogue bibliographic, artistic, and easy of reference will find it a practical benefit. communication in four columns, from Mr. Henry Americana Vetustissima," recently published in Stevens, criticizing most fiercely the "Bibliotheca New York. It is admitted in general terms that "the book at bottom is not a bad one;" yet parts of it are vehemently attacked, and various alleged blunders pointed out.

IN the "London Athenæum" of October 6 is a

GERMAN PERIODICALS.-Mr. Steiger, of New York, has issued a copious catalogue, not paged, of the periodical literature of Germany, in all its departments. The contents are classified under twentyseven heads, embracing theology, philosophy, medicine, fine arts, technology, physics, gymnastics, politics, free-masonry, and we believe everything else. It is a priced list, and Mr. Steiger is ready to supply the works to subscribers.

lished. The 21st vol. of "Notices and Extracts from MSS." will ere long appear, with the "Greek Papyrus of Egypt," and a translation of Ibn Khaldoun's "Introduction"; while the 22d vol. of the same collection, containing extracts and notices of French grammarians of the Middle Ages, is in press. The 26th vol. of the "Memoirs of the Academy" is in press; and two vols. of "Memoirs of Learned Men, not Members of the Academy," are likewise in press. G. S.

NOTES ON BOOKS AND BOOKSELLERS.

A TASTEFUL CATALOGUE.-The time will soon come when the trade will pay much more attention to the preparation and printing of catalogues than is now done. One can almost always judge of the taste or knowledge of a publisher by the general style of his catalogue. If it be slovenly, or marred by typographical errors, we may fear that his other publications will be equally objectionable. If, on the other hand, it be neat and tasteful, we have some assurance that the work on his general issues will be marked by the same excellent qualities. This is corroborated by a catalogue, recently received, of the publications of De Vries, Ibarra & Co., of Boston. In arrangement, display, and choice of type, it is excellent. Specimen cuts are furnished from the illustrated works, and head-pieces and tailpieces are thrown in to give effect to the page. In some instances the covers of the books in paper are reproduced, and if to this a specimen of the printed page were added, the catalogue could be made to exhibit the appearance of the work. We are also furnished with an alphabetical index of authors, referring to the pages of the catalogue. Another very great merit by which it is characterized is the size, in which respect it has been made to conform to the "AMERICAN LITERARY GAZETTE AND PUBLISHERS' CIRCULAR." While we have strenuously urged the adoption of a uniform size, we have not sought to recommend that of our own periodical. Still it is a size which possesses advantages, for it admits of the employment of cuts and blocks of large size, and of ample typographical display, with quite as much effect as a full quarto page, while it is much more conveniently handled and bound. We trust the good example of De Vries, Ibarra & Co. will not be lost on others. In fact the subject of Cata

THE AMERICAN LAW REVIEW.-An examination of

which represents its literature. We have had monthly law magazines, but they mainly consisted of judicial opinions and scissors-work. We need something of an original character. The new Review is carefully made up, and will be acceptable to the legal scholar and valuable to the mere practiavoided: Politics must be carefully eschewed; it tioner. There are, however, three errors to be must not be local; and it must not appear to be simply an instrument to further the law-book business of the publishers. We have looked these three particulars, and are pleased to see that through the first number with reference to each of there is little or no ground for criticism on that score.

COPYRIGHT AND CHEAPNESS.-Mr. Anthony Trol lope has read a paper in England, before the Social Science Association, on the subject of International Copyright. It contains nothing very new, and the old ideas are not expressed in a very striking manner. He says that he has found the publishers of this country favorable to an international system of copyright, but that the difficulty is with Congressa body which is not disposed just now to favor English interests. At the same time we see that some of our newspapers are asserting that English books are put into the market here at prices which compete with the American reprints. If present high prices are not reduced, and the burdens upon the publishing interest removed, this will soon be, if it is not now the case, and an international copyright may thus become practically of greatly diminished importance to English authors. As illustrations of the low rate at which books are now manufactured in England, we may mention that Mr. Tegg has issued an abridgment "Walker and Webster combined in a Dictionary of the English Language," for one shilling. It contains 428 pages, and is quite legibly printed. Messrs. Black, of Edinburgh, and Mr. Hotten, of London, each announce the Waverley novels at sixpence a copy; and the latter gentleman has completed arrangements for issuing, at an early date, the complete works of Shakspeare for one shilling. It is to be edited by Mr. Halliwell, and will contain the more importan emendations of Dyce, Collier, and Staunton. To insure typographical accuracy, each word is to be checked off by five different readers.