LITERARY NEWS.

A considerable number of new works and new editions are announced for the coming season by Messrs. Longman and Co. The former com- prise a "Seven Years' Residence iuthe Great Deserts of North America," in two volumes, by the Abbe Domeneeh ; a work on Ceylon, also in two volumes, by Sir J. Emerson Tennent ; a practical treatise on "Falconry, its Claims, History and Practice," from the pen of Mr. G. E. Freeman, (the "Peregrine" of the Yield newspaper,) and Captain F. H. Salvin.; a "Glossary of Mineralogy," by Mr. H. W. Bristow; an English trans- lation of Palleske's "Life of Schiller," in two volumes, by Lady Wal- lace (dedicated, by permission, to her Majesty, the Queen) ; and the third and concluding volume of Captain Brialmont's "Life of the Duke of Wellington," by the Reverend G. R. Gleig. The last-named work, which is now in the press, will take up the history of the "Iron Duke" from the Battle of Waterloo, representing him as ambassador, minister, and citizen.

The same publishers promise in their monthly trade circular, a cu- rious work, entitled "Moral Emblems from Jacob Cats and Robert Far- ley, with Aphorisms, Adages, and Proverbs of all Nations: the Illnstra- theta freely rendered from Designs found in Cats and Farley," by Mr. John Leighton, F.S.A. The book is to be in one volume, square crown octavo, with sixty large illustrations on wood and numerous vignettes. These " Emblems " and other works of Dr. Jacob Cats, or Sir James Cats, as he is sometimes called, have for the last two hundred years been household hooka in Hollmid, and were well known also in England during the last century. Sir W. Beeehey, in his Life of Reynolds, states that Sir Joshua's "richest store was Jacob Cate' Book of Emblems,

which his grandmother, a native of Holland, had brought with her from that country."

Mr. Moy Thomas, one of the contributors to the extinct Household Vords, promises a collection of tales, written by him for that periodical, under the title "When the Snow falls." The same author is at pre- sent editing a new edition of the "Complete Works of Lady Wortley Montagu,' which will shortly be published by Mr. Bohn.

Mr. F. W. Fairholt, whose interesting "History of Tobacco" was lately reviewed in these columns, is preparing for publication a new and cheaper edition of his "History of Costume in England," with some extra illustrations. It is intended to be a complete history of dress from the earliest times to the close of the fifteenth century.

Captain Drayton of the Royal Artillery, announces a work to prove that Great Britain has been, and will be again, within the tropics."

Various rumours are current in respect to the offer made to Mr. Charles Dickens to give " Readings " in the United States. The American Evening Post, a geaerally well-informed paper, asserts that "the dis- tinguished author is under engagements to give sixty Readings, accord- ing to a pre-arranged programme, at various points, for the very reasonable remuneration of twenty-five thousand dollars cash at the start, and one-fourth of the net profits of the exhibition." On the other side, the Publishers' Circular as distinctly asserts the non-acceptance of the offer by Mr. Dickens, adding, "The fact is, that Mr. Evans of New York, who has crossed a second time this year on the same errand, has again proved unsuccessful, although increasing his offer to 10,0001. down.

In the Paris literary world expectation is on tiptoe for the appearance of Victor Hugo's new volume of poems, "La Legende des Siecles," which is about to be published by Messrs. Hetzel and Michel Levy. It is modelled on the "Divina Commedia " of Dante, and describes, under the mask of some heroical or historical personage every great phase in the history of humanity. Each canto possesses an action and interest of its own. The first volume is divided into six parts; the first compre- hends the period from Eve to our Saviour; the second, the Fall of Rome; the third, Islam ; the fourth, the Christian Heroic Age ; the fifth, the Knight Errants ; the sixth, the Thrones of the Orient.

A well-known American writer, Mr. William J. Rhees, of Washington, is about to publish a book upon which he has been engaged for many years, entitled "The Public Libraries in North America, including the construction of buildings, the publication of catalogues, together with every detail of general management." The volume is to comprise about five hundred pages, and will no doubt be very complete, as the author, who is at present Chief Clerk of the Smithsonian Institute, has great facilities for acquiring information on all subjects connected with American bibliography.

The French Academy has at last, after twenty-four years of prepara- tion, issued the first part of the first volume of the new edition of the " Dictionnaire Histmique de la Langue Francaise." The part now _published contains 368 pages, ending with the word "0/n481m/tent," and M. Guillaume Guizot, who reviews it at great length in the Journal des Debate, calculates that if the rest is to go on at the same rate, it will take 144 parts, or 52,992 pages, in quarto, to finish the work, so that the great grandchildren of the present generation have little chance of wing the end of it. The first edition of the Academy's Dictionary contains but 1872 pages.

A comedy in verse, from the pen of M. Emile Augier, destined for representation at the Theatre Francais, is announced as immediately forthcoming.

The second volume of the great historical collection, "PIListoire des Croisades," published under the direction of the French Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, has just been issued under the title of "Les Historiens Occidentaux." The volume contains details of the Crusades gathered from many writers of the Middle Ages, hitherto un- known, or nearly so.

A " Duke Theorique et Pratique d'Economie Politique," in two volumes, by M. Courcelle-Seneuil, was published this week by Guil- laumin, Paris. The writer is one of the French authorities of the pre- sent day in matters relating to political economy.

An interesting work, entitled "Etudes sur la Question du Servage on Runde par un Contempomin," has just appeared at the International Publishing Office of the journal .Le Nord, at Paris. It gives a complete history of Russian serfdom, and while examining with great lucidity the whole question of reform, pronounces energetically in favour of the mea- sures of Czar Alexander II.

A new German weekly paper, called Journal Alletnand (i Paris, has been established at Paris. It is rumoured that the Imperial Govern- ment has had a hand in this affair; and it is very curious that, contrary to the French law, neither editor nor any of the other contributors have signed the articles which have as yet appeared. The paper is exceed- ingly cheap, only 16 francs, or about 138. per annum.

Professor Leopold Neumann has published at Vienna the sixth and concluding volume of his " Recueil des Traites et Conventions conclus par l'Autriche," a most important historical work, based on official com- munications. This last volume contains the Treaties made by Austria from 1763, the end of the Seven Years' War, until 1856, the date of the Treaty of Paris.

The great publishing firm of Cotta and tuttgart, has just sued

the first volume of a " Geschichte der Stadt Co.,k issued the im Mittelalter," (His-

tory of the City of Rome during the Middle Ages,) by Ferdinand Gregorovius. The part now published describes the sack of Rome by Alarie, and the sequel to the end of the rule of the Goths. The whole work is to be complete in six volumes.

An interesting book on Wales, entitled " Das alte Wales ; em n Beitrag zur Volker, Rechts, und liirchengeschichte," (Ancient Wales ; a con- tribution to ethnological, judicial, and church history,) by F. Walter, has appeared at Bonn. Another student of Celtic literature, the cele- brated German poet Moriz Hartmann, has just published at Cologne a translation of "Popular Songs of Brittany," after the collection of La-Villemarque.

The town council of Berlin has subscribed 16001. to a foundation in honour of Alexander von Humboldt, destined to afford aid to learned men and travellers in the prosecution of the studies to which he devoted his long life.

A book from a quarter whence books rarely come, the Austrian aris- tocracy of Bohemia, is reported from Prague. It is entitled "Sustine et abstine by an Austrian nobleman," and contains a graphic sketch of the present position of the landholding nobility lathe Austrian States, and their future prospects as an independent body.

THE ITOESE OF LONGRAN AND Co.—The retirement of Mr. BIOW11, and the death of a former partner, Mr. Orme, have naturally directed at- tention to this, with one exception, the oldest house in the trade in Lon- don. Like some of our other well known institutions, its origin is lost in obscurity, although, unlike many of them, we are able to trace the founder, or, at any rate, the first of the dynasty in the person of Mr. Thomas Longman. When the house commenced business we know not; the first time we find the name is on the titkpage of "An Inquiry into our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue," published in 1725 by J. Osborne and T. Longman ; and the same year we find a book of Whiston's bearing the same names. At this time the sign of their house was the "Ship," which in 1730 became the "Ship and Black Swan." What became of J. Osborn we cannot tell ; but in 1736 we find Thomas Longman alone in business, which he appears to have carried on very successfully until his death, in 1755. On the death of the first Thomas Langman, a nephew, of the same name, succeeded to the business. He died February 5, 1797, leaving two sons. Thomas Norton, the eldest, succeeded to the badness. Mr. Owen Rees entered in 1794, and soon afterwards be- came partner, and the business was carried on as Longman and Rees till 1804. Mr. Rees retired from the business at Midsummer 1837, but died September 5, in the same year. In 1804 Mr. Cosmo Orme, a valued assistant, had entered into partnership with Mr. Thomas Hurst, who had got together a large country business; but it was thought desirable to retain his services, and the firm became that of Longman, Hure, Rees, and Orme. From this time may be dated the great rise in the fortunes and business of the house. Perhaps nothing has tended more to raise the house to its present position than the plan adopted by the principals of introducing fresh blood from time to time—a plan which was carried out by the introduction of Mr. Rees, Mr. Orme, Mr. Brown, and in 1824, when Mr. Bevis E. Green, who had been apprenticed to Mr. Hurst in 1807, became a partner. This gentleman, who has had charge of the country department for many years, is the only remaining partner of the old firm Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green. Mr. T. N. Longman paid the debt of nature at his house at Hampstead, August 28, 1842, in his 72d year. He married Miss Slater, of Horsham, and by her had a numerous family ; the personal property was sworn under 200,000/. His son, Mr. Thomas Longman, entered as a partner in 1832. William, another son of considerable literary abilities, became partner in 1839, and more recently, Mr. Roberts, another gentleman who was apprenticed in the house in 1826, and who for many years represented it m the country, was in 1856 received into partnership. The firm now trade under the name of Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts.—Bookseller,