LITERARY NEWS.

The two concluding volumes of Mr. Thomas Carlyle's "History of Friedrich the Second of Prussia, called Frederick the Great," have just been sent to press. They will be published by Messrs. Chapman and Hall about the beginning of the next season.

Mr. James Blackwood has in the press "The Discoveries of Columbus and the English in America, including concise Narrations of the first Settlements formed by our own Countrymen in that important Continent," by the Reverend Henry Peter Dunster, author of "Stories from Frois- sart," and " Stories of the Times of Richard II."

A translation of the "Correspondence of Alexander von Humboldt with Varnhagen von Enset" noticed in the last number of the Spectator, is announced as forthcoming by Mews. Triibner and Co. It is stated to be a copyright edition.

Among the works of fiction announced as forthcoming are "Rotten Row," to be published by Messrs. Saunders and Otley; and "The Exile's Daughter ; a Story of the Italian War," by Mr. S. W. Fullom, to be published by Mr. Skeet.

Two Manchester gentlemen, whose names are not given, have offered

a first prize of 1001., and a second prize of 501., for the beat "Essays on Revivals." The Judges are to be the Reverend Prebendary of St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Reverend Charles Stovel, a Dissenting min- ister.

Mr. Leasing, of New York, author of the " Pictorial Field-book of the Revolution," is preparing for the press a similar work, illustrative of the history of the last war between England and the United States, under the title " The Pictorial Field-book of the War of 1812."

Messrs. Derby and Jackson, of New York, announce as forthcoming "Pioneers, Preachers, and People of the Mississippi," by the Reverend W. H. Milburn, author of "Ten Years of Preacher Life ; " and "Loves and Heroines of the Poets," a profusely illustrated work, by Mr. R. Henry Stoddard.

Messrs. Little, Brown and Co., of Boston, have in the press, "The Speeches, Orations, and Arguments of the Honourable Rufus Choate; with a Memoir of his Life," by Professor S. G. Brown, of Dartmouth College ; " A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New Eng- land," in four volumes, by Mr. James Savage ; and the twelfth and last volume of " Shakespeare's Complete Works," edited by Mr. Richard Grant White.

The seventeenth volume of M. Thiers's " Histoire dm Consulat et de 1'Empire," is announced by M. Paulin, Paris, for the 20th of this month. This volume will conclude the History proper ; but it is stated that M. Thiers intends publishing, some time hence, two supplementary volumes, giving a resume of the history of the first Restoration, and of the Hun- dred Days. Shakespeare is becoming popular in France. A new translation of his works, with notes and introduction by M. Guizot, is announced by Messrs. Didier and Co., Paris ; while another Paris publisher, M. Pag- nerre, advertises the fifth volume of the new translation by M. Francois Victor Hugo, eldest son of the poet.

Messrs. El/min Didot, freres, have just issued "Memoires secrets sur la Russie et sox les Regnes de Catherine II. et de Paul I.," by M. F. Barriere ; and the thirty-first volume of their "Nouvelle Biographic Generale," edited by Dr. Hoefer. The last named volume, curiously enough, begins with "Liu," and ends with "Louis Napoleon."

Dr. A. Des Etangs, a writer of some repute, has published through M. Masson, Paris, a curious work entitled " Etudes sur la Mort Volon- taire : du Suicide Politique en France depuis 1789 jusqu'a nos Jours." The writer attempts to prove that many of the political executions which have taken place in France during the last seventy years have been sui- cides on the part of the victims.

The second volume of a notable historical book, " Les Inondations en France, depuis le Salerno Siècle jusqu'it. nos Jours," by M. Maurice Champion, has appeared at Paris. It gives the history of the inunda- tions of the Seine, the Oise, the Eure, and the Marne, and a bibliogra- phical index of all the books and pamphlets published on the subject.

A French translation of Dr. Barth's Explorations of Central Africa," now in course of publication by Perthes, Gotha (and in an English dress, but abridged, by Messrs. Triibner and Co., Paternoster Row), is an- nounced by M. A. Bohne, Paris, and Messrs. Van Meenen. and Co., Brussels. It is to extend to ten volumes.

The Geographische Mittheilungen contains" the interesting news that a printing-press, the first of its kind, has been erected in Greenland, and has begun work with the publication of a serial, entitled " Naladit Okalluktualliait," or a collection of the tales and legends in Greenland. The village of Godthaab, a little Danish colony in the south of the island, is mentioned as the place of publication of the work, which is printed in two languages, the vernacular and the Danish.

The Artnoriea of Turin, a fiery clerical periodical, announces the second edition of " Risposte Populari alle Obbiezzioni pia comuni centre, la Religione " (Popular Answers to the most Common Objections against Religion) by Father Second() Franco, a Jesuit. The first edition of the book was sold in a very short time, and the present edition is looked for with considerable interest. It is to contain thirteen new chapters on the leading topics of the day.

THE OPERATION OP THE PAPER DUTY.—Taking the circulation of Cas- sel's Family Paper at 250,000 copies weekly, we will assume that it is affected by the difference represented by the smallest coin. Starting with paper at a given price, one farthing per pound gained on 250,000 copies amounts to a gross sum of 15/. per week, of itself a handsome profit ; but if, on the other hand, only a farthing per pound be added to the price of paper, the profit on the whole vanishes, and a further advance of a farthing would leave an intolerable loss. Herein lies the secret of the abandonment of many enterprises, the success of which would have been for the advantage of the general public. A demand in any quarter for an increased quantity of paper, under the existing monopoly, is the signal for an advance in the price of all the paper actually supplied, and thus it acts with the most de- structive effect on the very publications which are in most demand. This is a fact to which many large publishers could bear painful testimony. The same thing applies to a higher class of publications, published in a cheap form, although to a less perceptible degree. " Cassell's Elements of Euclid," a book published at Is., and of which nearly 100,000 copies have been sold, chiefly as a school-book, weighs 41 ounces, and is sold to the trade at aid.; in this case, the duty paid upon the book, with the expense attending upon its being levied, cannot be estimated fairly at less than one penny, or -34 per cent upon the price. Take the Cornhill Magazine for another example; a halfpenny on the shilling amounts to 10s. on 240 copies of a book sold at that price, and consequently to 501. on 24,000 copies; but the sale is under- stood to be three times that number of copies ; this would give, as the re- sult of the fractions Mr. Bohn despises, a sum of more than 1501. per month available for further division between authors, artists, and publishers.— 21r. Fetter's Reply to Mr. Bohn.