Chapter Twenty-Third.
The Curate has become much attached to the Wanderers. Arrival of Mr.and Mrs. Duncan's family, accompanied by a number of Arapahoes.Whirlwind demands Jane in marriage. Duncan's feeling in the matter.Jane refuses and the Indians take their departure. The curate gives anaccount of the discoveries he made of a singular road, city, pyramid.The marriage of Jane and Sidney. Prosperous condition of Mr. Duncan'sfamily. The lapse of twelve years. Change of their condition. Agewhitens their locks. Conclusion.
We will go back again to the Pacific valley. The good curate had formeda strong attachment to our wanderers who had been so unceremoniouslythrown upon his hospitality, and he held out such strong inducementsfor them to settle permanently there that Howe had taken some land, andby the aid of Indians whom the curate had partially civilized andtaught to labor, cleared a few acres and built thereon a neat andconvenient house for the reception of Mr. Duncan, whose arrival he wasexpecting daily.
Not long after this was completed, as they were all assembled on theporch, a troop of wild looking horsemen emerged from the forest, andgalloped towards the house.
"It is a party out on a hunt," said the curate, "we have nothing tofear from them. They will no doubt give us a call, and then hasten awayto the forest again."
Howe had been looking intently towards them from the first moment theycame in sight, as if in doubts as to who and what they were. Theapproaching Indian's vision was keener than Howe's, for recognizing thetrapper, Whirlwind's joyous shout rang in the air in a prolonged "_tutu-la-la-lah_!"
"The chief! it is the chief!" cried Howe, recognizing the sound, "hehas come to bring us joyful tidings."
"May it be so for your sakes," returned the curate, with apparent joy.
Approaching with their panting horses, the Indians were dismounted thenext moment, and shaking hands with the little group; but, when thechief came to Jane, he caught her in his arms and gazed wistfully inher clear blue eyes.
"They are all safe and close at hand," said he speaking rapidly,anticipating her inquiry, "and I have come to claim the antelope. Willshe not now go with her chief?"
"I cannot tell you yet; my mother! father! let me see them," cried thebewildered girl.
"They will be here very soon. The hill yonder is all that now hidesthem from view," replied the chief, releasing her from his embrace.
"We will go to meet them," said Sidney who, in gratitude to the chieffor safely conducting his more than father and mother over the drearywilds, forgot to evince jealousy at the embrace to which the chief hadso unceremoniously treated himself.
"Yes, yes; let us go to meet them," responded Jane, eagerly.
"The white mother longs for her children," said the chief; "you shallgo to meet her. The antelope can ride,--will you?" he continued,pointing to his horse, and before she had time to speak he caught herin his arms, and with the agility of a chamois, sprang on the horse'sback, placing the half terrified girl before him, and then gallopedaway to the forest in the direction whence he came, with the rest,including the curate, following after them. Turning the curve of thehill, they came suddenly upon the emigrants, who at sight of theirchildren, uttered an exclamation of joy, and ran forward, catching Janewho was the first to come up, from the chief's arms, and who, with aglad cry, sprang to meet a long embrace from her father and mother.
"Mother! father! Jane!" was all they could say, for their hearts weretoo full to speak.
"I come! father! mother--I come!" cried Edward, rushing into theirarms, which were glad to hold him there again.
"Oh, God! I thank _Thee_, that _Thou_ hast restored me these lostones!" cried the mother fervently, still holding her recovered childrenin her arms.
"Amen!" responded the curate, gently.
"Joy, for your arrival--joy for our escape and re-union," cried Sidney,returning the warm embrace with which he was greeted.
"These children make children of us," said Howe, shaking Mr. and Mrs.Duncan by the hand, while endeavoring to keep his joy at again seeingthem in becoming bounds, for the children's volubility was becomingcontagious.
Lewis, Martin, Annie, and Benjamin were not behind the rest in theirgreeting. Indeed they were extravagant in their joy.
The emigrants were now conducted to the dwelling prepared for them,which gave them a pleasant surprise, for they had not anticipatedfinding a house awaiting their arrival. The baggage was soon placed init, and by nightfall they were fairly domiciled in their new home.Tired of being unsettled, Mr. Duncan, on examining the locality aroundhim, determined to make himself a permanent home, much to thegratification of the curate, whose choice of society had been hithertonecessarily limited, as there were but few settlers within twenty milesof his station. Jones and Cole refused to take up their abode there.Visions of gold mines constantly haunted them, and after a week's delaythey departed for their hidden treasure.
The chief now became impatient to return, and to the astonishment ofall, and great indignation of Sidney, formally demanded of Mr. Duncanthat he should give authority for him to marry Jane, in order that hemight be on his journey back to his people. This demand was soextraordinary that the father did not know what to do, and sought Howe,to see if he could throw any light on this singular freak of the chief.A shade of sorrow settled on the brow of the trapper when Mr. Duncantold him his errand. "The chief," he remarked, "has been making love inhis fashion to Jane ever since we have been away, greatly to theannoyance of Sidney, who looks upon her as if he thought no one had aright to make love to her but himself."
"How is it with Jane?" asked Mr. Duncan, anxiously.
"If I am not greatly deceived, she prefers the chief to Sidney. I amnot certain of it, however. She was too guarded in her looks for me toascertain positively."
"This is strange! What am I to do?"
"Not strange at all, Duncan," returned the trapper. "Do what is right,and all will be well enough."
"The question then is, what is right?"
"Not a hard one, by any means, to answer. If she prefers him, and hewill abandon his savage habits, live and be civilized like otherpeople, let her take him by all means. He is a noble, generous fellow,and we are under great obligations to him, and common gratitude demandsfrom us any consistent return."
"But this mixing of the races!--I must acknowledge I can but feel arepugnance to it; but we will see what Jane says, and leave it all toher."
On approaching, they found her in earnest conversation with the chief,and as they came up, they heard her say--"Do not ask me to leave them;I feel as if a separation from all my kindred would be fatal to myhappiness. Your people are strangers to me; and though they wouldundoubtedly, as you say, be kind to me, yet it would not be like my ownpeople. Their ways are not like ours; and though I could not live amongthem, you could with ours."
"Whirlwind was cradled in the forest, and he is not a child to die in awhite man's wigwam," returned the chief. "If the antelope will not gowith him to his people, he must leave her;" and though the words wereslow and measured as they fell from his lips, his chest heavedconvulsively, and his eye was bent with intense light on her, as if hewould read the secret workings of her soul.
"Oh, I cannot, cannot go!" she said, extending her clasped handsappealingly, as she raised her eyes towards him.
"Because you do not love as I do," said he, clasping her in a long andclose embrace, then releasing her with a single bitterly uttered"Farewell! we may never meet again," bounded away, leaving the poorgirl alone to ponder on the strange conduct of the chief.
"She is better alone," said Howe, "let us away," and retreating, theyfound the Arapahoes in commotion, and before they could rightlycomprehended the meaning of what had transpired, they formed into abody, each one holding his horse by the halter, and at a signal fromthe chief, were firmly mounted on their steeds. Waving their adieu totheir host, they were out of sight before Mr. Duncan and Howe wereconscious of their design.
"Poor fellow," said the trapper, "he has carried away a sad heart
--aninadequate return, indeed, for all he has done for us."
"I would willingly have had it otherwise, but it seems they were bothtoo strongly attached to customs and kindred among which they were bornand which have become a part of their being, to give them up for eachother."
"Well, well," said Howe, "I have little faith in broken hearts; atleast what I have had was never strengthened by observation orexperience. It is all for the best, I suppose, but I liked the chief,and feel as though I had parted from a brother."
While assembled together in a group a few evenings after, of which thecurate occupied a prominent position, our wanderers had been recountingsome of the wonders they had seen, among which Mr. Duncan related tothe curate the story of the Old Man of Lake Superior, and Howe gavethem a description of the ruins among the mountains. The curatelistened silently, but, evidently, with great interest to the recitaluntil its conclusion. He then commenced telling what he had seen:
"Last summer I was in Nacogdoches, an inland village of Texas, andwhile transacting some business that had called me thither, Iincidentally heard a curious road spoken of, and much speculation wasentertained as to who could have been the builders. 'It never was builtby the Mexicans,' said one, who seemed both learned and gentlemanly,'for had it been some record would have survived, and I am confidentthere is none, for I have made the early annals of the country my solestudy for years, and must have found a record or something to throwlight upon such a costly and stupendous undertaking had it been builtby them.' This was enough to arouse my curiosity, for I had alreadyseen works of art still perfect, that were known to be older than anyerected by the inhabitants of this continent at the time of theconquest; and, joining the group of gentlemen, learned that the roadreferred to was a broad paved avenue leading west, and was said toextend many hundred miles: so far indeed into the wilderness that itstermination was unknown. Rumor said it terminated at the Pacific Ocean.My resolution was at once taken. I determined to return to the Pacificvalley by this route, for if there was such a road it would beconferring an incalculable benefit on travellers to explore it. Mybusiness completed, in company with four others, one of them being DonQuavale, an amateur antiquarian, with his servant, Jose, and a man bythe name of Campbell, we set out. I had a servant, Diego, the same whoyou see here every day. It was a small party for such an adventure, butwe were not aware of the dangers that lay before us, and we entered thewilderness with light hearts."
"You followed it up, then?" said Howe; "bravo! you priests have nerveas well as kind words, it seems."
"Yes: we followed it up," replied the curate, quietly. "Light heartedand eager to explore the whole extent of this stupendous monument of alost people, we entered the wilderness, and soon struck the object ofour search. We examined it closely and found it about eighty feet wideand paved with granite in slabs twenty feet long and ten wide, and wereevidently of great thickness. The whole road was covered with a soil,made up of decayed leaves and branches sometimes, more than a foot inthickness. Still we were enabled to follow the road without theslightest difficulty, as it would not support a large growth of trees,for the blocks of granite were so closely fitted against each otherthat it precluded the possibility of their taking root between them.Consequently they ran along the surface, and as soon as the branchesattained any large size the wind overturned them, leaving a broadavenue through the tall forest trees. We followed this road through theday; sometimes the ground had been raised, as was plainly visible fromthe low lands on either side; then again it went through hills that hadbeen excavated, as they rose on either side in their original height,giving the road the appearance of a broad defile between them. Towardssunset of the fourth day we came to a cluster of what we at firstthought to be rocks overgrown with shrubs and moss, but which, on acloser view, proved to be a large building in ruins. Removing theaccumulated soil we found it still perfect in some of its parts. One ofits doors in particular had its lintel of granite on which rested ahuge mass of fallen stone without displacing it. Passing inside thisdoor we entered a room perfect in all its proportions, being abouttwenty feet square; but what excited us still more than the discoveryof the ruins was some beautiful hieroglyphics carved on one side of theroom directly beneath a human figure cut in relief and curiouslydecorated, holding a sceptre in its hand.
"Observing a curious knob in one side of the room, Don Quavale tookhold of it roughly to see if it was a part of the wall, when to ourastonishment it clicked heavily, and an unseen door slowly swung openrevealing an inner room of the same size as the first, but different inappearance. Having been kept closed and, as near as we could tell,air-tight, it was still in its original appearance. The floor which wasentirely destitute of rubbish, was of beautiful white marble, smoothand even as glass, while the sides were covered with paintings drawn onthe wall of the size of life, the colors still vivid and beautiful. Thecharacters drawn were men, birds and fishes, and sometimes anondescript animal--half eagle and half man--a perfect monster inappearance. Overhead was a representation of the sun, the raysemanating from the centre in flashing colors covered the surface andfinally died away in the softest possible tints of rose color. A moreperfect representation of the sun I never beheld, and as we gazed uponit, it seemed as if we were contemplating some beautiful creation of anartist of our own day rather than the remains of a people of whom weknow not even the name."
"What you have seen, exceeds in finish our discoveries," said Howe.
"Yes: we found there stranger things still," continued the curate."Ranged around three sides of the room, at regular intervals, wereknobs like the one on the door by which we entered, and on pressing onewith considerable force it slowly opened, and within we discovered asmall, low niche in which lay a corpse as perfect as if just depositedthere. It was that of a young woman with symmetrical form, dimpledcheeks and flowing hair, decorated in rich habiliments of gorgeousdyes, her waist encircled by a zone of diamonds, and her arms withbracelets of precious stones. Wonder stricken at what we saw we gazedin silence upon her, and while we gazed the body slowly crumbled awayand in half an hour it had dissolved in air leaving but a handful ofdust and the glittering gems that had decked her a bride of death, tomark the spot where she lay. Turning another knob another door openedlike the previous ones, and in a niche before us lay a warrior in theprime of manhood. He was very tall and muscular, a perfect Hercules inproportions, with a broad, massive forehead and prominent features. Hewas attired in a sort of uniform of curious workmanship. Thisapparition vanished quicker than the other, owing probably, to the roombeing better filled with fresh air. We had, without doubt, lighted on amausoleum of the lost people; and wishing to preserve the rest of theniches for scientific investigation, we did not open any more. Withreverence we left the bodies of the builders of these ruins to theirrepose.
"Proceeding onward we came, in two more days, to a high table land, onwhich was a place known as Gran Quivira. It is now in ruins, but bearsthe appearance of once having been a large populous city, regularlylaid out in streets at right angles. The city is about three mileslong, running from north-east, to north-west, and nearly a mile inbreadth. It is built of stone hewn and accurately fitted together. Someof the houses are still standing, though the greater part of them arethrown down. Entering one of these which exhibited signs of originalmagnificence amidst the crumbling ruins around it, we found ourselvesin a capacious hall, the walls of which were covered with paintings ofwhich a faint tinge of distinct coloring was visible, but as thefigures had been cut in the wall before being colored they were easilydefined, and were similar to those we had found in the mausoleum twodays before. This room was so filled with rubbish, among which were thedried bones and decayed carcasses of animals, that we were on the pointof quitting the disagreeable vicinity, when Campbell called ourattention to a stairway that descended to some place below. Descendingthe steps with care--for the slabs of granite which composed them wereloosened and seemed ready to tumble down--we found ourselves in a roomentirely empty about eighteen feet sq
uare, the walls of which werecovered with figures in bas-relief and colored elaborately, the tintsbeing still vivid and quite fresh.
"We discovered on examination that we were on a level with the street,and that time had accumulated a soil to the depth of many feet, hidingthe exterior of what had been, originally, the first floor, from view.This room was also strewn with rubbish, but we saw enough of it tosuppose that the structure had been an imposing one when in thepossession of its builders. Leaving this structure, we followed somefallen and shapeless masses of ruins until we came to a range of hills,where we found a curious opening in them, which we soon ascertained tobe artificial, with the rock hewn away so as to give free egress fromwithin. Providing ourselves with torches, we penetrated this cavern,and discovered it to be an ancient mine, with the implements of theminers scattered around, as if the artisans had been suddenlyinterrupted in their labors. There were crowbars quite like our own,though not of iron, chisels, hammers, and a kind of axe more wieldythan ours, but not unlike it. These implements of mining were black,and all of the same kind of metal, but what metal it was, we could notdetermine. We found also here vessels of pottery, beautiful in shapeand highly colored.[16]
[16] Since the above was written, a gentleman who became acquainted with the above facts from the Curate, visited the spot and made other discoveries of importance, which he communicated to the Maryland Historical Society in an important document, to which the reader is referred.
"Returning from the hills, we came to a large building, which must havebeen five or six stories high, of which half of the walls were throwndown. On clambering over the blocks of granite, we found, by whatremained that it had been a guard-house, as there were port-holes inthe walls which were four feet in thickness. This building, like theothers we had seen, was made of hewn stone, smoothly cut and fittedtogether without any cement. Indeed they needed none, for the thinnestknife-blade could not have been inserted between them. To the north ofthis guard-house we found a reservoir in the form of an ellipse, itsaxis one hundred and fifty yards in length, its breadth at least onehundred, and its depth about fifty feet, paved at the bottom, and builtup at the sides with hewn stone. At the northern side an aqueductentered it, and this we followed a long way, but not finding where itterminated, and being too fatigued to pursue it farther, wereturned.[17] The width of this channel is about twelve feet, and ten indepth, finished at the bottom and the sides like the reservoir.Continuing our journey, we followed the road which led us a littlenorth of west. We often saw Indians entirely nude who fled from us, andas we took the precaution of getting out of their vicinity as soon asour horses could carry us, we were not molested by them. We saw nothingfurther of interest, until we struck the desert through which the roadlay, and, for the first time, we found it difficult to follow, as thedesert was without vegetation, the dry sand covering the whole extentfor miles around, with an arid and even surface. We should, in allprobability, have lost ourselves in that trackless waste, had there notbeen huge shapeless piles of stone at intervals, and we soon found thaton digging down near these, we came to the paved road, and that onremoving the sand from around one of these piles of stone, we came uponunmistakable evidences that they had once formed a building in allprobability to refresh travellers while journeying over this barrenwaste.
[17] Within a year past the aqueduct has been traced forty miles, terminating at the banks of a beautiful stream, which now empties its waters into the Pecos, the mouth of the aqueduct being blocked up.
"Keeping in the track as near as possible, we came to the Colorado, andcrossing over on a raft we made for the purpose, we saw on the westernside, rising from the plain at a considerable distance, a curiousshaft, and we soon found that the road ran by it. It must have been sixor eight miles from the Colorado, for we rode two hours before comingto it, and when we did our astonishment was overwhelming to find apyramid rising one hundred and twenty feet from its base. It was levelat the top, and about fifty feet square, and afforded an easy ascent onthe opposite side from which it leaned. This pyramid projected tendegrees from the perpendicular. I am inclined to think it was not builtin that position, but has been thrown out of an erect construction bysome convulsion of nature which, at the same time, displaced and threwdown the top. This conclusion we arrived at unanimously on examiningthe structure, and a mass of fallen stone that lay at the base on theside towards which it leaned. These were in a pile, shelving from thepyramid, looking as though but lately fallen from above. If we wereright in our conclusion, the structure must have been one hundred andfifty feet high. The sand had accumulated about its base to a greatdepth, a fact we ascertained by digging it away a few feet. To lay barethe shaft to the base was a greater task than we were able toaccomplish, and we left it to be more thoroughly explored by somefuture antiquarian.[18]
[18] Early in the year 1853, a party of California explorers came across this same pyramid, but as they were not prepared to investigate it nothing new was elicited.
"It is impossible to describe the sensation we felt in standing beforethis monument of the past--this proof of a once strong and powerfulpeople, who erected the structure. We knew that no European had evergazed on it before, and we almost expected to see the builders,indignant at our intrusion, start up from the desert around, and driveus from their shrines. Pursuing our journey, we found the road dottedon either side, at intervals, with evidences of a once civilizedpeople; but nearly every vestige of peculiar interest about them hadbeen destroyed by time, save the bare blocks of granite, cut intovarious forms to please the mysterious builders, all, all was gone! anddesolation had made their pleasant places her abode."
Twelve years have passed since Mr. Duncan and his family settled on theCalifornia coast of the Pacific; and, in conclusion, let us look inonce more upon them and witness their prosperous condition.
In a neat and tastily arranged cottage sits a woman in the prime ofmatronly beauty, with love and happiness beaming from her soft blueeyes, as they wander in gratified pride from a fine boy some eightyears old, who stands at her side, to a man who sits reading by awindow that overlooks the beautiful landscape. This is the home ofSidney and Jane, and they are now enjoying a life of contentment thatcannot fail to encircle their lives with a halo of bliss which gold cannever buy. They never recrossed the Sierra in search of the riches thatstill lie buried in the mountains and desert, for the mere mention ofthem, vividly recalls the recollection of the terrible sufferings theyendured in their wanderings through the wilds of the west. The rest ofMr. Duncan's children are also happily settled near them, while thetrapper is an inhabitant of each cottage and the forest alternately, asinclination dictates, and is supposed to be the most contented man inthe Pacific valley.
We said that twelve years had elapsed since our wanderers reached thePacific Valley--that is a short period of time, yet it is long enoughfor events to transpire whose influences shall be felt for centuries tocome; long enough to develop the strength and resources of a continent.Great is the change which civilization has made in that portion of thewest. The broad and almost interminable forests have yielded to thewoodman's axe; the streams and rivers, and even old Ocean itself, havebecome transformed into channels of commerce and trade, and bear upontheir bosoms the auxiliaries of progress and science. The mountains andvalleys, where once nothing but the wild shouts of untutored savagesand the howls of beasts of prey broke the stillness of the dismalsolitude, are now vocal with the voice and bustle of civilization, asin giant strides science and art triumph over the rough barriers, andopen avenues for the advancement of moral reform.
The changes have been equally advantageous to the prosperity of Mr.Duncan, whose evening of life is surrounded with ease and wealth, whilepeace and the love of his children render those years the most blissfulof an eventful lifetime. Everywhere throughout the Pacific border ofthe Sierra Nevada, the indomitable spirit of enterprise and theunchecked perseverance of Americanism are busy at work, and th
e _goldenresults_ bid fair, in a few years to convert that auriferous regioninto a granary of wealth and agricultural prosperity.
THE END.
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ENGLAND, PICTURESQUE AND DESCRIPTIVE. By JOEL COOK, author of "AHoliday Tour in Europe," etc. With 487 finely engraved illustrations,descriptive of the most famous and attractive places, as well as of thehistoric scenes and rural life of England and Wales. With Mr. Cook'sadmirable descriptions of the places and the country, and the splendidillustrations, this is the most valuable and attractive book of theseason, and the sale will doubtless be very large. 4to. Cloth, extra,gilt side and edges, $7.50; half calf, gilt, marbled edges, $10.00;half morocco, full gilt edges, $10.00; full Turkey morocco, gilt edges,$15.00; tree calf, gilt edges, $18.00.
This work, which is prepared in elegant style, and profusely illustrated, is a comprehensive description of England and Wales, arranged in convenient form for the tourist, and at the same time providing an illustrated guide-book to a country which Americans always view with interest. There are few satisfactory works about this land which is so generously gifted by Nature and so full of memorials of the past. Such books as there are, either cover a few counties or are devoted to special localities, or are merely guidebooks. The present work is believed to be the first attempt to give in attractive form a description of the stately homes, renowned castles, ivy-clad ruins of abbeys, churches, and ancient fortresses, delicious scenery, rock-bound coasts, and celebrated places of England and Wales. It is written by an author fully competent from travel and reading, and in position to properly describe his very interesting subject; and the artist's pencil has been called into requisition to graphically illustrate its well-written pages. There are 487 illustrations, prepared in the highest style of the engraver's art, while the book itself is one of the most attractive ever presented to the American public.
Its method of construction is systematic, following the most convenient routes taken by tourists, and the letter-press includes enough of the history and legend of each of the places described to make the story highly interesting. Its pages fairly overflow with picture and description, telling of everything attractive that is presented by England and Wales. Executed in the highest style of the printer's and engraver's art, "England, Picturesque and Descriptive," is one of the best American books of the year.
HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA. By the COMTE DE PARIS. With Mapsfaithfully Engraved from the Originals, and Printed in Three Colors.8vo. Cloth, per volume, $3.50; red cloth, extra, Roxburgh style, uncutedges, $3.
50; sheep, library style, $4.50; half Turkey morocco, $6.00.Vols. I, II, and III now ready.
The third volume embraces, without abridgment, the fifth and sixth volumes of the French edition, and covers one of the most interesting as well as the most anxious periods of the war, describing the operations of the Army of the Potomac in the East, and the Army of the Cumberland and Tennessee in the West.
It contains full accounts of the battle of Chancellorsville, the attack, the monitors on Fort Sumter, the sieges and fall of Vicksburg and Port Hudson; the battles of Port Gibson and Champion's Hill, and the fullest and most authentic account of the battle of Gettysburg ever written.
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"The head of the Orleans family has put pen to paper with excellent result.... Our present impression is that it will form by far the best history of the American war."--_Athenaeum, London._
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"We advise all Americans to read it carefully, and judge for themselves if 'the future historian of our war,' of whom we have heard so much, be not already arrived in the Comte de Paris."--_Nation, New York._
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"This is incomparably the best account of our great second revolution that has yet been even attempted. It is so calm, so dispassionate, so accurate in detail, and at the same time so philosophical in general, that its reader counts confidently on finding the complete work thoroughly satisfactory."--_Evening Bulletin, Philadelphia._
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"The work expresses the calm, deliberate judgment of an experienced military observer and a highly intelligent man. Many of its statements will excite discussion, but we much mistake if it does not take high and permanent rank among the standard histories of the civil war. Indeed that place has been assigned it by the most competent critics both of this country and abroad."--_Times, Cincinnati._
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"Messrs. Porter & Coates, of Philadelphia, will publish in a few days the authorized translation of the new volume of the Comte de Paris' History of Our Civil War. The two volumes in French--the fifth and sixth--are bound together in the translation in one volume. Our readers already know, through a table of contents of these volumes, published in the cable columns of the _Herald_, the period covered by this new installment of a work remarkable in several ways. It includes the most important and decisive period of the war, and the two great campaigns of Gettysburg and Vicksburg.
"The great civil war has had no better, no abler historian than the French Prince who, emulating the example of Lafayette, took part in this new struggle for freedom, and who now writes of events, in many of which he participated, as an accomplished officer, and one who, by his independent position, his high character and eminent talents, was placed in circumstances and relations which gave him almost unequalled opportunities to gain correct information and form impartial judgments.
"The new installment of a work which has already become a classic will be read with increased interest by Americans because of the importance of the period it covers and the stirring events it describes. In advance of a careful review we present to-day some extracts from the advance sheets sent us by Messrs. Porter & Coates, which will give our readers a foretaste of chapters which bring back to memory so many half-forgotten and not a few hitherto unvalued details of a time which Americans of this generation at least cannot read of without a fresh thrill of excitement."
HALF-HOURS WITH THE BEST AUTHORS. With short Biographical and CriticalNotes. By CHARLES KNIGHT.
New Household Edition. With six portraits on steel. 3 vols., thick12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, per set, $4.50; half imt. Russia,marbled edges, $6.00; half calf, gilt, marbled edges, $12.00.
Library Edition. Printed on fine laid and tinted paper. Withtwenty-four portraits on steel. 6 vols., 12mo. Cloth, extra, per set,$7.50; half calf, gilt, marbled edges, per set, $18.00; half Russia,gilt top, $21.00; full French morocco, limp, per set, $12.00; fullsmooth Russia, limp, round corners, in Russia case, per set, $25.00;full seal grained Russia, limp, round corners, in Russia case to match,$25.00.
The excellent idea of the editor of these choice volumes has been most admirably carried out, as will be seen by the list of authors upon all subjects. Selecting some choice passages of the best standard authors, each of sufficient length to occupy half an hour in its perusal, there is here food for thought for every day in the year: so that if the purchaser will devote but one-half hour each day to its appropriate selection he will read through these six volumes in one year, and in such a leisurely manner that the noblest thoughts of many of the greatest minds will be firmly in his mind forever. For every Sunday there is a suitable selection from some of the most eminent writers in sacred literature. We venture to say if the editor's idea is carried out the reader will possess more and better knowledge of the English classics at the end of the year than he would by five years of desultory reading.
They can be commenced at any day in the year. The variety of reading is so great, that no one will ever tire of these volumes. It is a library in itself.
THE POETRY OF OTHER LANDS. A Collection of Translations into EnglishVerse of the Poetry of Other Languages, Ancient and Modern. Compiled byN. CLEMMONS HUNT. Containing translations from the Greek, Latin,Persian, Arabian, Japanese, Turkish, Servian, Russian, Bohemian,Polish, Dutch, German, Italian, French, Spanish, and Portugueselanguages. 12mo. Cloth, extra, gilt edges, $2.50; half calf, gilt,marbled edges, $4.00; Turkey morocco, gilt edges, $6.00.
"Another of the publications of Porter & Coates, called 'The Poetry of Other Lands,' compiled by N. Clemmons Hunt, we most warmly commend. It is one of the best collections we have seen, containing many exquisite poems and fragments of verse which have not before been put into book form in English words. We find many of the old favorites, which appear in every well-selected collection of sonnets and songs, and we miss others, which seem a necessity to complete the bouquet of grasses and flowers, some of which, from time to time, we hope to republish in the 'Courier.'"--_Cincinnati Courier._
"A book of rare excellence, because it gives a collection of choice gems in many languages not available to the general lover of poetry. It contains translations from the Greek, Latin, Persian, Arabian, Japanese, Turkish, Servian, Russian, Bohemian, Polish, Dutch, German, Italian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese languages. The book will be an admirable companion volume to any one of the collections of English poetry that are now published. With the full index of authors immediately preceding the collection, and the arrangement of the poems under headings, the reader will find it convenient for reference. It is a gift that will be more valued by very many than some of the transitory ones at these holiday times."--_Philadelphia Methodist._
THE FIRESIDE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF POETRY. Edited by HENRY T. COATES. This isthe latest, and beyond doubt the best collection of poetry published.Printed on fine paper and illustrated with thirteen steel engravingsand fifteen title pages, containing portraits of prominent Americanpoets and facsimiles of their handwriting, made expressly for thisbook. 8vo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, gilt edges. $5.00; half calf,gilt, marbled edges, $7.50; half morocco, full gilt edges. $7.50; fullTurkey morocco, gilt edges, $10.00; tree calf, gilt edges, $12.00;plush, padded side, nickel lettering, $14.00.
"The editor shows a wide acquaintance with the most precious treasures of English verse, and has gathered the most admirable specimens of their ample wealth. Many pictures which have been passed by in previous collections hold a place of honor in the present volume, and will be heartily welcomed by the lovers of poetry as a delightful ad
dition to their sources of enjoyment. It is a volume rich in solace, in entertainment, in inspiration, of which the possession may well be coveted by every lover of poetry. The pictorial illustrations of the work are in keeping with its poetical contents, and the beauty of the typographical execution entitles it to a place among the choicest ornaments of the library."--_New York Tribune._
"Lovers of good poetry will find this one of the richest collections ever made. All the best singers in our language are represented, and the selections are generally those which reveal their highest qualities.... The lights and shades, the finer play of thought and imagination belonging to individual authors, are brought out in this way (by the arrangement of poems under subject-headings) as they would not be under any other system.... We are deeply impressed with the keen appreciation of poetical worth, and also with the good taste manifested by the compiler."--_Churchman._
"Cyclopaedias of poetry are numerous, but for sterling value of its contents for the library, or as a book of reference, no work of the kind will compare with this admirable volume of Mr. Coates. It takes the gems from many volumes, culling with rare skill and judgment."--_Chicago Inter-Ocean._
THE CHILDRENS BOOK OF POETRY. Compiled by HENRY T. COATES. Containingover 500 poems carefully selected from the works of the best and mostpopular writers for children; with nearly 200 illustrations. The mostcomplete collection of poetry for children ever published. 4to. Cloth,extra, black and gold, gilt side and edges, $3.00; full Turkey morocco,gilt edges, $7.50.
"This seems to us the best book of poetry for children in existence. We have examined many other collections, but we cannot name another that deserves to be compared with this admirable compilation."--_Worcester Spy._
"The special value of the book lies in the fact that it nearly or quite covers the entire field. There is not a great deal of good poetry which has been written for children that cannot be found in this book. The collection is particularly strong in ballads and tales, which are apt to interest children more than poems of other kinds; and Mr. Coates has shown good judgment in supplementing this department with some of the best poems of that class that have been written for grown people. A surer method of forming the taste of children for good and pure literature than by reading to them from any portion of this book can hardly be imagined. The volume is richly illustrated and beautifully bound."--_Philadelphia Evening Bulletin._
"A more excellent volume cannot be found. We have found within the covers of this handsome volume, and upon its fair pages, many of the most exquisite poems which our language contains. It must become a standard volume, and can never grow old or obsolete."--_Episcopal Recorder._
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF THOS. HOOD. With engravings on steel. 4 vols.,12mo., tinted paper. Poetical Works; Up the Rhine; Miscellanies andHood's Own; Whimsicalities, Whims, and Oddities. Cloth, extra, blackand gold, $6.00; red cloth, paper label, gilt top, uncut edges, $6.00;half calf, gilt, marbled edges, $14.00; half Russia, gilt top, $18.00.
Hood's verse, whether serious or comic--whether serene like a cloudless autumn evening or sparkling with puns like a frosty January midnight with stars--was ever pregnant with materials for the thought. Like every author distinguished for true comic humor, there was a deep vein of melancholy pathos running through his mirth, and even when his sun shone brightly its light seemed often reflected as if only over the rim of a cloud.
Well may we say, in the words of Tennyson, "Would he could have stayed with us." for never could it be more truly recorded of any one--in the words of Hamlet characterizing Yorick--that "he was a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy." D. M. MOIR.
THE ILIAD OF HOMER RENDERED INTO ENGLISH BLANK VERSE. By EDWARD, EARLOF DERBY. From the latest London edition, with all the author's lastrevisions and corrections, and with a Biographical Sketch of LordDerby, by R. SHELTON MACKENZIE, D.C.L. With twelve steel engravingsfrom Flaxman's celebrated designs. 2 vols., 12mo. Cloth, extra, bev.boards, gilt top, $3.50; half calf, gilt, marbled edges, $7.00; halfTurkey morocco, gilt top, $7.00.
The same. Popular edition. Two vols. in one. 12mo. Cloth, extra, $1.50.
"It must equally be considered a splendid performance; and for the present we have no hesitation in saying that it is by far the best representation of Homer's Iliad in the English language."--_London Times._
"The merits of Lord Derby's translation may be summed up in one word, it is eminently attractive; it is instinct with life; it may be read with fervent interest; it is immeasurably nearer than Pope to the text of the original.... Lord Derby has given a version far more closely allied to the original, and superior to any that has yet been attempted in the blank verse of our language."--_Edinburg Review._
THE WORKS OF FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS. Comprising the Antiquities of the Jews;a History of the Jewish Wars, and a Life of Flavius Josephus, writtenby himself. Translated from the original Greek, by WILLIAM WHISTON,A.M. Together with numerous explanatory Notes and seven Dissertationsconcerning Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, James the Just, God'scommand to Abraham, etc., with an Introductory Essay by Rev. H.STEBBING, D.D. 8vo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, plain edges, $3.00;cloth, red, black and gold, gilt edges, $4.50; sheep, marbled edges,$3.50; Turkey morocco, gilt edges, $8.00.
This is the largest type one volume edition published.
THE ANCIENT HISTORY OF THE EGYPTIANS, CARTHAGINIANS, ASSYRIANS,BABYLONIANS, MEDES AND PERSIANS, GRECIANS AND MACEDONIANS. Including aHistory of the Arts and Sciences of the Ancients. By CHARLES ROLLIN.With a Life of the Author, by JAMES BELL. 2 vols., royal 8vo. Sheep,marbled edges, per set $6.00.
COOKERY FROM EXPERIENCE. A Practical Guide for Housekeepers in thePreparation of Every-day Meals, containing more than One ThousandDomestic Recipes, mostly tested by Personal Experience, withSuggestions for Meals, Lists of Meats and Vegetables in Season, etc. ByMrs. SARA T. PAUL. 12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.50.
Interleaved Edition. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.75.
THE COMPARATIVE EDITION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. Both Versions in OneBook.
The proof readings of our Comparative Edition have been gone over by somany competent proof readers, that we believe the text is absolutelycorrect.
Large 12mo., 700 pp. Cloth, extra, plain edges, $1.50; cloth, extra,bevelled boards and carmine edges, $1.75; imitation panelled calf,yellow edges, $2.00; arabesque, gilt edges, $2.50; French morocco,limp, gilt edges, $4.00; Turkey morocco, limp, gilt edges, $6.00.
The Comparative New Testament has been published by Porter & Coates. In parallel columns on each page are given the old and new versions of the Testament, divided also as far as practicable into comparative verses, so that it is almost impossible for the slightest new word to escape the notice of either the ordinary reader or the analytical student. It is decidedly the best edition yet published of the most interest-exciting literary production of the day. No more convenient form for comparison could be devised either for economizing time or labor. Another feature is the foot-notes, and there is also given in an appendix the various words and expressions preferred by the American members of the Revising Commission. The work is handsomely printed on excellent paper with clear, legible type. It contains nearly 700 pages.
THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. By ALEXANDRE DUMAS. Complete in one volume,with two illustrations by George G. White. 12mo. Cloth, extra, blackand gold, $1.25.
THE THREE GUARDSMEN. By ALEXANDRE DUMAS. Complete in one volume, withtwo illustrations by George G. White. 12mo. Cloth, extra, black andgold, $1.25.
There is a magic influence in his pen, a magnetic attraction in his descriptions, a fertility in his literary resources which are characteristic of Dumas alone, and the seal of the master of light literature is set upon all his works. Even when not strictly historical, his romances give an i
nsight into the habits and modes of thought and action of the people of the time described, which are not offered in any other author's productions.
THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII. By Sir EDWARD BULWER LYTTON, Bart.Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth, extra, black and gold, $1.00. Alta edition,one illustration, 75 cts.
JANE EYRE. By CHARLOTTE BRONTE (Currer Bell). New Library Edition. Withfive illustrations by E. M. WIMPERIS. 12mo. Cloth, extra, black andgold, $1.00.
SHIRLEY. By CHARLOTTE BRONTE (Currer Bell). New Library Edition. Withfive illustrations by E. M. WIMPERIS. 12mo. Cloth, extra, black andgold, $1.00.
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