Overland Monthly and Out West Magazine

mistakably the picture of the lady who not long afterwards became his wife. In a letter to a friend, Mr. Longfellow wrote thus: “I have written a romance during the past year. The feelings of the book are true; the events of the story mostly fictitions. The heroine, of course, bears a resemblance to the lady, without being an exact portrait. There is no beiraval of confidence, no real scene described. • Hyperion' is the name of the book, not of the hero. Itunerely indicates that here is the life of one who, in iis feelings and purposes, is a son, of Heaven and Earth, and who, though obscured by clouds, ret ‘moves on high.' Further than this, the name has näthing to do with the book, and in fact is mentioned only once in the course of it." In Kavanagh Mr. Longfellow has told one of the sweetest of love stories. There is a beautiful mercurrent of sadness running with it, but it was akin to the Jofty poetie spirit who found his fondlest themes in experiences of noble scoll-sacrifice and tender devotion. He made this book, too, the centre about which to group his thoughts of literature, but there is welcome to all his literances which create a smile at the everlasting indecision and procrastination of the schoolmaster who never accomplishes or even begins the long projected romance, and what he makes the same character say of a tional literature, is acceptable as the ripe result of scholarly thinking. The tale is so chaste in all its expression and so pure :und lotty in all its atmosmosphere, and withal so human in its experiences, and tender and sympathetic in its development, that we feel a regret that the natural genius of Mr. Longtellow did not pursue the path of pure fiction, in which we feel sure he would have been crowned, as in poetic wars, with the finest garlands of success.

" (ntre

ductions not included therein, with references to
the periodicals in which they appearedi. Chief
among the contents of these volumes are
mer," “ Drift-wood," “ Hyperion":und Klangh."
* Outre-mer" the tirstling of his handicralt, was the
result of his first journey in the year 1826), to
Europe, where he remained for study and travel
until the summer of 1829. Four years afterward
he wrote this volume, to which he gave the sub-
title “A Pilgrimage Beyond the Sea," and which,
as he himself wrote to a friend, is “ composed of
descriptions, sketches of character, tales illustrating
manners and customs, and tales illustrating nothing
in particular.” But it really contains more of in-
terest and instruction than is intimater in the all-
thor's declaration, especially in the articles which he
had before printed in monthly publications non
the “ Trouvéres," “ Ancient Spanish Ballads," and
“ The Devotional Poetry of Spain.” In them the
scholar's pen is manifiest, and they carry with them
the enthusiasm of youth and the spirit of his devotion
to the medieval literature of Europe. Following
these in the same volume under the general title
* Drift-wood," are placed a few of the many articles
that he wrote for the reviews of his early days up-
on “Ancient French Romances,” “Frithiot's Saga,”
“ Inglo-Saxon Literature," and others, in which is
fine taste is exhibited and his love for the poetic
and beautiful in the early European literature. Of
interest to the admirers of Mr. Longfellow are also
the list of his miscellaneous papers, more than a
score in mumber, devoted to purely literary topics,
with the places in the various periodicals in which
they appeared, designated; and " The Blank Book
of a country Schoolmaster," interesting as it study
of the growth of the poet's mind. The second vol-
ume contains the later “Hyperion," which be
styled “A Romance," and the still liter and best
of his prose publications, “ Kavanagli: a Tale."
The former was the natural result of his second
journey to Europe in 1857-0. He is here, imder
the guise of the hero of his romance, transcribing
the result of his travels in the Tyrol and Switzer-
land, with his fresh and spirited and poetical de-
scriptions of the beautiful country through which
he traveled, interweaving into the texture of his
story the results of his studies of literature, and
notably of (roethe is at man and Richter is a writer
upon the latter of whom his discriminating criti-
cism equals in interest, and almost in value, the
more extended and elaborate studies of that writer
by either Carlyle or De Quincey. The romance is
the least part of the work, but it is beautifully
woven in, and in the clear description of Mary
Ushburton, who listened unresponsive to the poetic
offering of the hand of Paul Fleming, we see im-

Briefer Notice.

lloughton, Mitilin, and Company have issued it new edition of An Introduction to the Constitutional Law oj the United States' by the late John Norton Pomeroy. This is the ninth edition, revised :und enlarged by Edmund II. Bemett, and is especially designed for students, general and professional. It has taken its place from the first als al standard work on the subject of study of the Constitution, and is now issued under the careful cditorship of Mr. Bennett, to whose scholarly revision we are indebted for the addition of the citations of the mus important cases arisen and decided by the highest court in the land since the earlier editions, and notably of cases upon the thirteenth, fourteenth

1 An Introduction to the Constitutional Law of the l'uited States. By John Norton Pomeroy. Boston: Hough

For sale in San Francisco by Chilion Beach,

ton, Millin & Co. 1886,

and fifteenth amendments, and upon the questions at the commencement, explanation and defense all of the power of the States to regulate commerce, through, and defeat in the end," a very good fortand to impair the obligation of contract.

- The

cast of what did occur eight years later. His resame publishers have begun a Rirerside Pocket marks on Hayes's chances at this time, and again in Series' with Watch and Ward by Henry James Jr., 1882 on the Republican losses, show the same which first appeared in the Atlantic Monthly in shrewdness and foresight. The biographer writes 1871, now minutely revised and with many verbal not only as a personal, but a political partisan, an! alterations; In the Wilderness by Charles Dudley lowers the character of the book by going out oi Warner; and George Parsons Lathrop's Study of his way to indulge in political detraction and eurHawthorne. The thing to commend in this series rent misrepresentations. Mother Bickerdykes is a is that the covers are of pasteboard instead of paper cordial little biography of the vei erable war-herand so save one's volume that too early crop of ine, written by a lady of this city, and published for dogs' ears that come to the latter from frequent use. the benefit of its subject. A very good portrait of

-Funk and Wagnalls have issued, also in paste- Mrs. Bickerdyke is prefixed. It includes an alboard, a new edition of The Mentor,) a little book count of "her life and labors for the relief of " for the guidance of such men and boys as would our soldiers, sketches of battle scenes and inciappear to advantage in the society of persons of the dents of the sanitary service."--Theodore S. Van better sort,” already noticed in these pages.

-The Dyke, one of the most thoughtful of out-loor Life of Colfax* relates with considerable minuteness writers, has added a most readable volume to the the biography of a very clever man, and shows long list of Southern California descriptive books. how, without influential friends, or any other He has re-written his letters to the New York special advantages to start with, he mounted by his Evening Post and other leading newspapers, and own ability to positions of very great trust in the has added new chapters; so that, as the book now nation. The book is not critical, being purely in stands, it is complete in its way, and must long the spirit of eulogy. It earnestly strives to place rank as an authority. Mr. Van Dyke has sensiin the best light the questionable episode in tive and truthful powers of observation and desColfax's public career. One of the noteworthy cription, backed up by scientific knowledge of traits of his intelligence brought out by the biog- botany and natural history, making his work rapher's quotations, is his keen and accurate po- accurate as well as readable. His aim, as litical prevision. After the nomination of Hayes understand it, is simply to describe the natural he writes of Mr. Blaine's candidacy before the con- out-of-door attractions of Southern California-in vention: “I could not but admire his dash and au- the words of the title-page, “its valleys, hills, and dacity myself. But had he been nominated, we

streams, animals, birds, and fishes, gardens, farms, should have had a Henry ('lay campaign - fireworks and climate.” He has done this with such loring

Riverside Pocket Series: Watch and Ward, by Henry skill that the volume ought to be of great value in
James, Jr. In the Wilderness, by Charles Dudley Warner.
A Study of Hawthorne, by lieorge Parsons Lathrop. Bos-

all who feel an interest in these regions.
ton: Houghton, Miillin & Co. 1886. For sale in San Fran-
cisco by Chilion Beach.

Mother Bickerdyke. By Margaret B. Davis. Published 3 The Mentor. By Alfred Ayres. New York: Funk &

for the benefit of M. A. Bickerdyke. San Fraucisco: A. T. Wagnalls. 1886.

Dewey. 1856. 4Life of Schuyler Colfax. By 0. 1. Hollister. New 6Southern California. By Theodore S. Van Dyke. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. 1886.

York: Ford, Howard, & Hulbert. 1886.

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