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dote and comment. We are not disappointed in the substance of his book,* on which the future historian of the events and scenes here described by an eye-witness will probably draw largely for striking, suggestive, and illuminating details. The author's style, while having no pretensions to extreme literary finish, is fluent and readable; Mr. Poore can tell a story neatly, and depict a person or an incident with a few rapid, telling strokes. Nor should we omit to mention that the publishers have done their share of the work well, contributing, by numerous illustrations of more than average merit, to render the book attractive to a wide audience. We scarcely need say that the volume that is likely to give most pleasure to the present generation of readers is the second, which deals with the quarter of a century beginning in the last year of Mr. Buchanan's administration. The impressions made at the time on an intelligent spectator by the stirring and pregnant events that have taken place in the Federal Capital during the momentous period just named are here delineated with the joint efficiency of a practiced pen and skillful engraving. The prospective usefulness of such a record may be measured, if we reflect how much life and spirit might have been infused into the pages of Bancroft and Hildreth could those writers have availed themselves of similar assistance for the epochs they described.

Few persons who have not themselves tried their hand at it have a just conception of the difficulty of putting a French novel into idiomatic English, which shall satisfy Dryden's definition of a translator's duty to his original, to be "true to his sense, but truer to his fame." The difficulty is, of course, redoubtably enhanced in the case of authors accustomed to think in metaphor and whose analogies and similes take a wide range, and often stray into recondite or technical fields of knowledge or activity. Perhaps the work of no French prose writer, not even Theophile Gautier's, lends itself less tractably to adequate reproduction in English than that of Balzac. Not only, moreover, is his style peculiarly refractory to transplantation, but the vast extent and variety of the ground covered by the novels grouped under the general title of the "Comédie Humaine" are calculated to dismay the most accomplished and self-confident translator. It is, therefore, hard to speak, except in terms of superlative satisfaction, of the American translation of Balzac's novels which is now in course of publication. The particular volume of the series which now lies before us, the version of Le Médecin de campagne, is a memorable example of what translation ought to be. In the first place, it is a faithful transcript of the original, faithful not only to the nicest shades of meaning, but to the play, the color, the analytic subtlety, the infused emotion, the nervous energy of Balzac's diction. Secondly, while scrupulously accurate, it is at the same time singularly free from Gallicisms; it is not French-English, but good English, idiomatic, flowing, racy, smacking of the soil and hitting the nail on the head. We do not mean to say, indeed, that the tran-lator has not shrunk from disclosing the crudities and nudities in which Balzac was at times permitted to indulge by the widely different composition of the French novel-reading public. But even what might seem to an American or English ear indelicacies of expression are not austerely excised or utterly denaturalized; they are only, so to speak, parboiled in a lukewarm paraphrase.

* Perley's Reminiscences, or Sixty Years in the National Metropolis; by Ben: Perley Poore. Two volumes. Philadelphia, Hubbard Brothers.

+ Honoré de Balzac ; The Country Doctor. Boston, Roberts Brothers.

INDEX

20 THE

HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOURTH VOLUME

OF THE

North American Review.

ALLEN, I. J. Donn Piatt on Arthur | BRINCKLE, ADRIANA P. Life Among
Richmond, 432.

Americans, Un-American, 545.

American Stage, The Condition of the,
169.

Andover Controversy, That Everlast-
ing, 477.

Anthracite Coal Pool, The, 43.

Are the Heathen our Inferiors, 110.
ARGYLL, THE DUKE OF. A Letter on
Prayer, 272.

ARMITAGE, REV. THOMAS, D.D., LL.
D. Why Am I a Baptist? 232.
Art in America, Destruction of, 381.
ARTHUR RICHMOND, Donn Piatt on, 432.
Assumption and Pretension, 208.
ATKINSON, EDWARD. Economic Pessi-
mism, 540.

AUSTEN, COL. DAVID E. A Chaplain's
Record, with Comments by, 411.
American Vedas, The, 637.
Baptist? Why Am I, 232.
BEAUREGARD, GEN. G. T.

Drury's

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the Insane, 190.

Burnside's Controversies with Lincoln,
196.

BYERS, S. H. M. War Letters, 291,
374.

CALDWELL, M. H. H. Rip Van Winkle's
Manual, 545.

Chaplain's Record, A, 411.
CHASE, CHIEF JUSTICE. The Constitu-
tional Amendments, 74.
CHASE, SECRETARY.

Some Unpub-

lished War Letters, 291.
Civil War, Some Legacies of the, 583.
CLARKE, EDWARD GORDON. Henry
George's Land Tax, 107; Scientific
Taxation, 209.

Coercion Bill, The, 528.
COLLIS, C. H. T. Mr. Conway's Dress-
Coat King, 317.

Commercial Education, 462.
Condition of the American Stage, The,
169.

Congregationalist? Why am I a, 330.
Conspiracies of the Rebellion, The, 179.
Constitutional Amendments, The, 74.
Constitutional Reform in New York,
307.

CONWAY, MONCURE D. Our King in
Dress Coat, 120, 261.
Courage, 654.

CROSBY, ERNEST H. High License, 498.
CURRENT AMERICAN LITERATURE.
McClellan's Own Story, 213.

History of the Second Army Corps,
by Francis A. Walker, 214.
Persia and the Persians, by S. G. W.
Benjamin, 216.

The Making of New England, by S.
A. Drake, 216.

Rambles in Old Boston, by Edward
G. Porter, 320.

Harvard, the First American Uni-
versity, by George Gary Bush, 321.
Democracy, and Other Addresses, by
James Russell Lowell, 322.

CURRENT AMERICAN LITERATURE.
Memoir of William Henry Channing,
by O. B. Frothingham, 323.
The Naval History of the Civil War,
by Admiral David B. Porter, 323.
Creation and Evolution, by George
Ticknor Curtis, 323.

Historical Atlas, Robert H. Labber-
ton, 324.

Brazil, by C. C. Andrews, 433.
Franklin in France, Edward E. Hale
and E. E. Hale, Jr., 434.
Haifa, or Life in Modern Palestine, by
Charles A. Dana, 435.
Actors and Actresses of Great Britain
and the United States, Brander
Matthews and Lawrence Hutton,
436.

Geographical and Geological Distribu-
tion of Animals, by Angelo Heil-
prin, 436.

A Digest of the International Law of
the United States, by Francis Whar-
ton, LL.D., 546.

Outlines of International Law, George
B. Davis, 547.

The Story of Persia, S. G. W. Benja-
min, 547.

The Story of the Jews, James K.
Hosmer, 547.

The Story of the Normans, Sarah
Orne Jewett, 548.

The Story of the Saracens ; Arthur
Gilman, 548.

Famous Women Series: Margaret of
Angoulême, A. Mary F. Robinson,
655.

Cathedral Days, Anna Bowman Dodd,

655.

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FRY, GEN. JAMES B. Grant and Mat-
thew Arnold-"An Estimate," 349.
Future of the National Banking Sys-
tem, 29.

Future Probation, 129.
GARFIELD, JAMES A. My Public Life,
451; War Letters, 374; My Experi-
ence as a Lawyer, 565.

GEORGE, HENRY. Labor in Pennsyl
vania, 86.

Good Works of False Faiths, 36.
Grant and Matthew Arnold-" An Es-
timate," 349.

Grant, Thomas, Lee, 437.
GRANT, U. S. War Letters, 291, 374.
GROSVENOR, W. M. What Shall be
Done with the Surplus ? 79.
GUMBLETON, HENRY A. Our Lodging-
House Vote, 631.
HALLECK, H. W., Gen.-in-Chief. War
Letters, 291.
HAMILTON, GAIL.

Good Works of
False Faiths, 36; Future Probation,
129; Why Am I a Congregationalist,
330; That Everlasting Andover Con-
troversy, 477; The American Vedas,
637.

Hanged? Should Women be, 211.
HAWKINS, RUSH C. Destruction of Art
in America, 381.

Henry George's Land Tax, 107.
Heroes to Order, 507.
HEWES, JOSEPH. Are the Heathen our
Inferiors, 110.
High License. 498.
HODGES, JAMES.
HUBBARD, Gov. L. F. Progress of
tion, 462.
Minnesota, 22.
HUDSON, JAMES F.

Commercial Educa-

The Anthracite
Coal Pool, 43; Modern Feudalism, 277.
INGERSOLL, ROBERT G. Some Interro-
gation Points, 217.

Jew? Why Am I a, 596.
Insane, Life Among the, 190.

KIRKE, EDMUND. My Public Life, by
President Garfield, 451.

KNOX, JOHN JAY. Future of the Na-
tional Banking System, 29.

Labor in Pennsylvania, 86.

Land Tax, Henry George's, 107.

LATHROP, GEORGE PARSONS. Literary
Backbiting, 200.

Lawyer, My Experience as a, 565.
Letters to Prominent Persons, No. 6.
To Hon. James Russell Lowell, 358.
LEVEY, EDGAR J. Boucicault and Wag-
Ler, 650.

Life Among the Insane, 190.
Lincoln, Burnside's Controversies with,
96.

Literary Backbiting, 200.

LONG, C. CHAILLÉ. Heroes to Order,
507.

Lowell, Hon. James Russell. Letter to,
358.

LYMAN, J. CHESTER. Our Inequalities | Rejoinder to Gen. Beauregard, A, 308.

of Suffrage, 298.

MAGNUS, JULIAN.

The Condition of
the American Stage, 169.
Mr. Boucicault on Opera, 543.
Marriage and Divorce Laws, Uniform,
429.

Maximilian's Fate, Our Hand in, 471.
Medicine, Specialists in, 141.
MENDES, DR. H. PEREIRA. Why am I
a Jew? 596.

Mentality, Storm Effects on, 427.
MESSINGER, WASHINGTON. Un-Amer-
ican Americans, 545.
Meteorological Predictions, 395.
Minnesota, Progress of, 22.
Modern Feudalism, 277.
MOREY, A P.
Army," 316.
MORRIS, HENRY H. Specialists in Medi-
cine, 141.

"The South in the Union

My Public Life. 451.

My Experience as a Lawyer, 565.
National Banking System, Future of
the, 29.

Nationalism, The Renaissance of, 1.
NELSON, N. O. Profit Sharing, 388.
NORTH, THOMAS M. Uniform Marriage
and Divorce Laws, 429.

New Churchman? Why Am I a, 61.
Newspaper, Trial by, 524.

New York, Constitutional Reform in,
307.

Open Nominations and Free Elections,
325.

Opera, 340.

ORD. War Letters, 374.
O'REILLY, JOHN BOYLE. The Coercion
Bill, 528.

OSWALD, FELIX L. Meterological Pre-
dictions, 395.

OUIDA. Vulgarity, 148.

Our Hand in Maximilian's Fate, 471.
Our Inequalities of Suffrage, 298.
Our King in Dress Coat, 120, 261.
Our Lodging House Vote, 631.
Parnell as a Leader, 609.
Parnell and the Times, 648.
Parties and Independents, 549.
Pennsylvania, Labor in, 86.

PIATT, DONN. Defense of the President,
111.

Political Economy in America, 113.
PORTER, DAVID D., REAR ADMIRAL.
War Letters, 291.

Prayer, A Letter on, 272.
Practical Penology, 514.

President, Defense of the, 111.
POPE, GEN. JOHN.

the Civil War, 583.

Some Legacies of

Progress of Minnesota, 22.
Profit-Sharing, 388.

Public Opinion, The Court of, 625.
QUIGG, LEMUEL E. The Court of Pub-
lic Opinion, 625.

Rebellion, The Conspiracies of the, 179.
REED, REV. JAMES. Why Am I a New
Churchman? 61.

Religion, 106.

RICHMOND, ARTHUR. Letter to Hon.
James Russell Lowell, 358.
Rip Van Winkle's Manual, 545.
SAND, GEORGE. Religion, 106; Assump-
tion and Pretension, 208; Storm Ef-
fects on Mentality, 427; Courage, 654.
Scientific Taxation, 209.

SEARLE, W. S., M. D. Beecher's Per-
sonality, 487.

Shakespeare Myth, The, 572.
SHERMAN, GEN. W. T. War Letters,
291; Grant, Thomas, Lee, 437.
Should Women be Hanged? 211.
SMITH, DATUS C. Economic Optimism,
422.

Socialism; Its Fallacies and Dangers, 12.
Some Interrogation Points, 217.
Some Legacies of the Civil War, 583.
Specialists in Medicine, 141.

Storm Effects on Mentality, 427.
Suffrage, Our Inequalities of, 298.
SULLIVAN, ALEXANDER. Parnell as a
Leader, 609.

Surplus What Shall be Done with the,
79.

SWETT, LEONARD. The Conspiracies
of the Rebellion, 169.
Taxation, Scientific, 209.
TAYLOR, REAR-ADMIRAL W. R.
Rejoinder to Gen. Beauregard, 308.
Telephone of 1665, The, 649.

A

That Everlasting Andover Controversy,
477.

"The New South," Financially Re-
viewed, 161.

"The South in the Union Army," 316.
The American Vedas, 637.
The Court of Public Opinion, 625.
TOURGEE, JUDGE. The Renaissance of
Nationalism, 1.

Transportation Problem, The, 402.
Trial by Newspaper, 524.

Un-American Americans, 545.
“Union Army, The South in the," 316.
VAN ETTEN, IDA M. Working Women,
312.

VERDERY, MARION J. "The New South"
Financially Reviewed, 161.
Vulgarity, 148.
Wagner-Boucicault, 650.
War Letters, 374.

War Letters, Some Unpublished, 291.
War Memoranda, Some, 55.

WELCH, JOHN C. The Transportation
Problem, 402.

What Shall be Done with the Surplus?
79.

WHITMAN, WALT. Some War Mem-
oranda, 55.

Why Am I a Baptist? 232.
Why Am I a Congregationalist? 330.
Why Am I a New Churchman? 61.
Why Am I a Jew? 596.

WILKS, HELEN MAR. Should Women
be Hanged? 211.
Working Women, 312.

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