LITERATURE, AMERICAN, IN 1883. (POETRY.) 



481 



ered together the reminiscences of a pro- 

 tracted and leisurely journey through Europe 

 and the East. A well -written account of Ori- 

 ental travel was contributed by William W. 

 Warren, under the title of " Life on the Nile 

 a Dahabieh " (Lee & Shepard). This work 

 Iso included shore-excursions between Cairo 

 and Assouan, and a tour in Egyt and Pales- 



tine in 1866-'67. " The Middle 



pt an 

 Kingd 



om," by 



Prof. Wells Williams (Charles Scribner's Sons), 

 thoroughly revised and rewritten, was among 

 the most important publications of the year, 

 it is, perhaps, the most exhaustive and 

 lorough study of China, its history, institu- 

 ions, and customs, easily available for the 

 jneral reader. The painful interest which 

 kept at tension for many months in the 

 of the Arctic explorer De Long, turned 

 leserved attention to the work edited by Mrs. 

 Emma De Long, called "The Voyage of the 

 Jeannette : The Ship- and Ice-Journals of 

 George W. De Long, Lieutenant-Commander 

 U. S. N., and Commander of the Polar Expe- 

 dition, 1879-'81 " (Houghton, Mifflin, & Co.). 

 This pathetic record is the lost man's own 

 story, and is one of the most interesting 

 narratives of Arctic adventure and suffering 

 written for many years. In connection with 

 the above may be mentioned " Ice-Pack and 

 Tundra," by W. H. Gilder (Charles Scribner's 

 Sons), which described the experiences of the 

 expedition sent out by the United States Gov- 

 ernment in search of Commander De Long's 

 party. Among works of travel may be classed 

 several noticeable books, which embodied remi- 

 niscences either of the author or of other trav- 

 elers in a fictitious form, such as " Our Boys 

 China," by Harry W. French (Lee & Shep- 

 ard); "The Bear-Worshipers of Yezo and 

 the Island of Karafuto," by Edward Grey 

 (Lee & Shepard) ; and " The Boy Travelers in 

 Africa," by Col. T. W. Knox (Harper & Broth- 

 s' It need hardly be said that the latter three 

 works were designed specially for the amuse- 

 ment and instruction of the young. Other 

 books of travel and description were "On the 

 Wing : Rambling Notes of a Trip to the Pa- 

 cific," by Mary E. Blake (Lee & Shepard); 

 'The Storied Sea," by Susan E. Wallace 

 (James R. Osgood & Co.) ; " Travels and Ob- 

 servations in the Orient," by Hon. Walter 

 Harriman (Lee & Shepard) ; and u Guide to 

 Mexico," by Alfred R. Conkling (D. Appleton 

 & Co.); Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississip- 

 pi," and Stoddard's " Red-Letter Days Abroad " 

 (James R. Osgood & Co.). The latter-named 

 two books were among the literary successes 

 of the year in their class. 



The most noteworthy American reprints of 

 foreign authors were Willis's " In the Land of 

 the Lion and the Sun," James's " Wild Tribes 

 of the Soudan " (Dodd, Mend, & Co.), Robin- 

 son's " Sinners and Saints " (Roberts Brothers), 

 "A Visit to Ceylon and India," by Ernst 

 Haeckel (S. E. Cassino & Co.), Miss Bird's 

 " Golden Chersonese " (G. P. Putnam's Sons), 

 VOL. xxni. 31 A 



Symonds's "Italian By- Ways" (Henry Holt & 

 Co.), "Egypt, Palestine, and Phoenicia," by 

 Felix Bovet (E. P. Dutton & Co.), "John Bull 

 and his Island," by Max O'Rell (Charles Scrib- 

 ner's Sons), and J. J. Rein's " Japan " (A. C. 

 Armstrong & Son). 



Poetry. The additions to American poetry 

 do not show marked development of poetic 

 genius, or promise of forthcoming poets to 

 take the place of those who long since won 

 their spurs, and are one by one taking their 

 leave of us. A few of the poetical ventures, 

 however, show vigorous and genuine poetic 

 quality. " Poems," by Jones Very (Houghton, 

 Mifflin, & Co.), were marked by a subtile beauty 

 and an insight into the analogies of physical and 

 emotional life which attracted wide attention. 

 " Songs of an Idle Hour," by William J. Cough- 

 lin (A. Williams & Co.), and " Songs of Toil 

 and Triumph," by J. L. McCreary (G. P. Put- 

 nam's Sons), contained much verse marked by 

 genuine feeling and some technical skill. A 

 similar recognition may be extended to " Stray 

 Chords," by Julia R. Anagnos (Cupples, Up- 

 ham, & Co.), and " Verses," by Kate Vannah 

 (J. B. Lippincott & Co.). " Lyrical Recrea- 

 tions," by Samuel Ward (Macmillan & Co.), 

 may be fairly called American, though issued 

 by an English publisher, and the verses were 

 bright and agreeable, if in no sense great. 

 Longfellow's "Michael Angelo" (Houghton, 

 Mifflin, & Co.), if in no essential sense a dra- 

 matic poem, as apparently designed, displayed 

 the finest qualities of the lamented poet's gen- 

 ius, with an even riper breadth of treatment. 

 " Mercedes and other Lyrics," by Thomas Bailey 

 Aldrich (Houghton, Mifflin, & Co.), had the deli- 

 cate qualities of this author's verse, and Whit- 

 tier's " Bay of Seven Islands, and other Po- 

 ems " (Houghton, Mifflin, & Co.), showed no 

 decadence in the aged Quaker poet's lyrical 

 fire and tenderness. " Love Poems of Louis 

 Barnaval," edited by Charles De Kay (D. Ap- 

 pleton & Co.), was noticeable for a somewhat 

 tropical exuberance. W. W. Story's " He and 

 She, or A Poet's Portfolio " (Houghton, Mifflin, 

 & Co.), was a collection of poems marked by 

 grace and strength. Taylor's " Dulce Domum " 

 (S. C. Griggs & Co.) was a good piece of 

 work by a well-known Western poet. "Love 

 Poems and Sonnets," by Owen Innsly (Cup- 

 pies, Upham, & Co.), and "Poems of Pas- 

 sion," by Ella Wheeler (Belford, Clarke, & 

 Co.), possessed the merits of feeling and good 

 treatment. Other poetic works, to which we 

 can only give passing mention, were "Ange- 

 line," " Brangonar, a Tragedy," " Joan of Arc," 

 "Mirabeau, a Historical Drama," "Sibyl," 

 and "The Nazarene," all by George H. Cal- 

 vert (Lee & Shepard); " Claribel and other 

 Poems," by Walter Maloue (John P. Morton 

 & Co.) ; " Destiny and other Poems," by M. 

 J. Serrano (G. P. Putnam's Sons) ; " Elfrida, 

 a Drama," by Dishon Rishell (J. B. Lippin- 

 cott & Co.); "Legends, Lyrics, and Son- 

 nets," by Frances L. Mace (Cupples, Upham, 



