comparative history of institutions, and has thrown on the subject the light gained from his study of ancient Russian laws and modern customs. To the ordinary English reader this book will therefore form a welcome addition to the scanty materials he has at hand for the study of primitive history. Professor Kovalevsky has, too, a second object in writing his book: he has shown that the modern Russian Liberals are not mere Idealists, but look back to the past to justify their proposed reforms in the future. It is however, as a contribution to history that this book will be chiefly interesting to most read. ers." - Westminster review, April. Kraus, E. Adventures of Count George Albert of Erbach; a true story; tr. by Beatrice, Princess of Battenberg. "Plenty of exciting scenes in the terrible experiences of the young count at the hands of Tunisian pirates."L. B. Walford in the Critic. Longstaff, G: B. Studies in statistics; social, political, and medical. "Among the more important papers of geographical interest are the following: -The growth of population in England, with two maps; The migrations of the peo. ple in the nineteenth century, with a map and two diagrams; The growth of new nations, The United States, Canada, South America, South Africa, and Australia; The growth of modern cities; The population of London, and its migrations."-Roy. Geog. Soc., Proc., March. Lowe, R. W. Thomas Betterton. tors.) (Eminent ac "As a Life of Betterton' his book is what it must needs be - an expansion into several chapters of what might easily have been told in a magazine article. As a summary of information concerning the reconstruction of dramatic entertainments, however, it has very strong claims upon attention. It constitutes the handi est and the best guide to a comprehension of the Restoration stage that is at present in existence. Rarely, indeed, is it that a man writing a volume of a series supplies what may be accepted as a text-book." - Sat. rev., Jan. 31. ... McCullagh, T: Sir W: McArthur; a biography, religious, parliamentary, etc. "A biography which will please the Methodist and Presbyterian English-speaking world, as well as the many friends and admirers in other portions of the community of a kind and genial merchant, and member of Parliament, and popular Lord Mayor, whose name will ever remain connected with the annexation of the Fiji Islands to the Empire." Athenæum, Feb. 7. Mackay, T: A plea for liberty; an argument against socialism, etc.; introd. by H. Spencer, and essays by various writers. "Contains an admirable essay by Mr. Auberon Herbert on the New unionism,' and a good article by Mr. George Howell, on closely related topics: but the other contributions are mostly expositions of the principles represented by Lord Wemyss in his speeches against over legislation, and do not contain much that is new or striking. In his introduction Mr. Herbert Spencer writes truthfully of the failure of the socialistic colonies of the past save where celibacy has been insisted on,' and says useful things by the way about our national treatment of aboriginal races." Athenæum, Feb. 21, McLaren, E. T. Dr. John Brown and his sister ... Isabella; outlines. 4th ed. with portraits. "A new and much improved edition of a charming little book. Dr. Brown was a true humourist if ever there were one, as well as a true physician; and no one could have given a more perfect study of him in a few pages than Miss MacLaren.' Spectator, Nov. 8. Male, Rev. A. Scenes through the battle smoke. "There is plenty that is interesting to read,and-though we do not suppose Mr. Male to possess any great literary experience his stories are well told; it is only to be regretted that it should have been thought necessary to swell them t by the interposition of trivial and often tedious details into such a corpulent, not to say puffy, volume." Spectator, Jan. 31. Maugny,, comte de. Souvenirs of the Second Empire; or, The last days of the court of Napoleon. "We have seldom come across a more lively and entertaining book. It gives a most vivid picture of a brilliant society which will probably not be imitated in our time." Athenæum, Jan. 13. Middleton, J: H: The engraved gems of classical times; with a catalogue of the gems in the Fitzwilliam Museum. "The Slade Professorships of Art have produced, perhaps, no more valuable, and certainly no more agreeable book. It is a delightful book, most simply written, and it should prove pleasant reading to many besides the small class of collectors."-Sat. rev., Feb. 21. Morison, J. Selections from [her] poems. "The author mistook. She had a gift of soft singing, some imagination not far-reaching, but clear and real as far as it went some sympathetic perception, and a quiet emotional pathos of the especially womanly kind. And having so much to help her write desirable verse often and sometimes poetry, if she remained herself, she set to work to be a Milton modified by a desire for the dramaticism frequent among nineteenth century writers of blank verse."- Athenæum, Dec. 6. Osborne, Lord S. G. affairs. pub. in A. White. 2 v. "Perhaps it was as one of a multitude of good parsons, rather than in the labours of which these volumes are the records, that Sidney Godolphin Osborne did his best work. Judiciously selected, and elucidated by Mr. White's explanatory notes of time and circumstances, the letters of S. G. Ö. have a value of their own, historical, now, rather than controversial. The period they cover is bounded on one side by the administration of Sir Robert Peel, and on the other by that of Lord Salisbury, and there is scarcely a social topic agitated within these limits of time that they do not touch." Sat. rev., Jan. 24. Letters of S. G. O. on public the Times, 1844-88; ed. by Page, S. The Chevalier of Pensieri-Vani; with frequent references to the Prorege of Arcopia. "To delight in this book requires a certain attitude for cosmopolitanism, not unlike the author's own. To readers who have this, the refined satire, without acrid or bitter savor, the rare literary temper, the active presence of the elusive divinity called Style, and the clever and unexaggerated noting of characters perhaps types rather than individuals will afford a pleasure, genuine and unusual in degree and in kind." -Literary world, Jan 17. Pico, G. F. Life of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, etc.; tr. by Sir T: More; ed. by J. M. Rigg. "A reprint of Wynkyn de Worde is always accept able and a translation by Sir Thomas More has a value both to students of history, literature, and language."Athenaeum, Nov. 8. "Except as a peg to hang Mr. Rigg's learned introduction on, this sumptuous reprint was scarcely worth undertaking. Mr. Pater and Mr. Symonds, among others, have recently written of this famous Renaissance figure, the phoenix of his age. The task which Pico set himself, Mr. Rigg points out, was to reconcile Catholicity not only with Aristotle, but with Plato, the Neo-Platonists, the Neo-Pythagoreans, the Orphic and Hermetic Theosophies, and the Kabbala. The result was a jumble of incompatible ideas, in which not only Catholicity and Christianity, but even the Deity was explained away. Yet, in spite of this, Pico never seems to have entertained any doubt of the perfect orthodoxy of his teaching, and it was the genuine piety of his life quite as much as his learning that moved More to trans. late his biography into English." - Spectator, Jan. 3. Picturesque Mediterranean, The. Vol. 1. "Among the writers are H: D. Trail, E: Dicey, Grant Allen, Canon Tristram, Professor Bonney. The literary value and interest of the book are great. The frontispiece, executed in color, after a painting by Mr. Birket Foster, represents The Rock of Gibral tar. The other illustrations are engravings on wood, and are, taken as a whole, most satisfactory examples of the art."— Spectator. Plato. Talks with Athenian youths; tr. from the Charmides, Lysis, Laches, Euthydemus, and Theaetetus, [by Miss E. F. Mason]. Pollock, W. H. Old and new. (Rosslyn ser.) "The writer has succeeded in writing lyrics that are satisfactory as songs. Either unconscious instinct or conscious culture has taught him the lesson that 'brevity is the soul' of song-writing as of wit."- Athenæum, Dec. 20. Povey, J. M. (Sister Mary Agnes). Nunnery life in the Church of England; or, Seventeen years with Father Ignatius; ed., with pref., by Rev. W. L. Holland. ... "It is a very strange story that she tells. It would be easy to extract from it passages which would cause amazement, disgust, or amusement, according to what the reader's mood might be. We have nothing to say about the wisdom or good taste of the writer, but, on the supposition that she is writing the truth, though possibly with a good deal of bias, her narrative is worth considering."-Spectator, Nov. 8. Rogers, W: H: H. Strife of the Roses, and days of the Tudors in the west; illust. "Wordiness is certainly the most prominent charac teristic of this book. He perpetually wanders away from his immediate subject. Mr. Rogers evidently has a genuine love for antiquarian pursuits, for old buildings, and for beautiful scenery. His book is writ ten in a spirit of reverence for the best things of antiquity; it is the result of no small amount of labour, and contains a good deal of information about heraldic bearings and genealogies.". Sat. rev., Mar. 14. Selway, G. U. A Mid-Lothian village; notes on the village and parish of Corstorphine; with introd. by Rev. J. Taylor; illust. "The seventy-two illustrations, as a whole are valuable; nay, the book itself is acceptable, for want of a better." Athenæum, Jan. 3. - Shelley, P. B. Hellas, a lyrical drama; ed. by T: J. Wise. 1886. (Shelley Soc.) Sims, G: R. Dramas of life. Mr. Sims is one of the best, most popular and most realistic of writers of short stories in which 'umble' and 'igh' life are contrasted with dramatic effect." Spectator, Jan. 31. Sinclair, J: Scenes and stories of the north of Scotland. "Chatty, descriptive volume, wherein we find topog raphy, legend, and history fitly blended. Local lore is also chronicled, as in the interesting sketch of those notable characters of Thurso known as Pheelans."" Saturday review, Aug. 2. Smith, A. A. Views in historic Dedham; [photographs]. Smith, W:, and others. Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. 3d ed., rev. and enl. Vol. as an open book, glowing with the beneficent splendour of God, which produced such astonishing results in the history of European ideas, and which while it made pos. sible a Christian Art for Italy, made inevitable a Christian political ideal for England. It is because Mr. Kings. ford does not appear to see this that we cannot regard his work as satisfactory. When he says it is the most complete contemporary statement of the programme put forth by the constitutional party, and it is to this that the Song owes its position as an historical document of the first importance,' and again, it is its very character as a party pamphlet which constitutes the true value of the Song' he seems to us to miss the very marrow of the matter, which is, that the 'Song of Lewes' is the key to the part played by the Friar Minor in the English Renaissance." - Spectator, Dec. Stebbins, G. B. Upward steps of seventy years; autobiog., biog., historic; growth of reforms, anti-slavery, spiritualism, etc. 6. Stephens, F: G. Memoir of G: Cruikshank; and an essay on [his] genius, by W. M. Thacke ray. (Great artists.) "What is wanted Mr. Stephen's preliminary memoir, although nesessarily limited in extent, practically supplies. It bristles with facts and details, which will be of greatest value to the student, and are everywhere characterized by the writer's habitual minuteness." Saturday review, Mar. 7. Strong, H. A., and others. Introd. to the study of the history of language. "This is a free adaptation of Prof. H. Paul's Principien der Sprachgeschichte.' The object of the adaptation is to bring home Paul's principles to the English-speaking philological student by illustrations taken chiefly from English, and at the same time to set forth the principles themselves in less abstruse form. To this end, the writers, after omitting altogether the philosophic Introduction,' follow strictly the order and titles of Paul's chapters, but within each chapter, take what liberties they choose with the order and manner of his exposition. It is a novel procedure, which doubtless will have had the author's approval, though this is not stated. The result, in any case, is a book upon which no pains have been spared by the writers, and which will reach and affect many who might find the translated work too hard for them, while yet it will form an excellent introduction to the study of this."- Mind, April. Stuart, M. Exegetical essays on several words relating to future punishment. 1830. Tanner, H: S. Map of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. [1823.] Ohio and Indiana; [map. 1819]. Torrey, D. Contribution toward a genealogy of all Torreys in America; genealogical notes showing the paternal line of descent from W: Torrey of Eng.; with app. Universal Peace Congress. Proceedings in London, 14-19 July, 1890. Wheatley, H: B: London past and present; its history, associations and traditions; based upon the Handbook of London by P: Cunningham. 3 v. "Mr. Wheatley's additions to the work must be considerable. Not only have the two small volumes of Cunningham's original publication increased to three of goodly size through the insertion of new subjects, but a comparison of the two books shows that fresh information has been introduced into the articles which have been allowed to stand. It hardly gives the impression of being the result of careful inquiries made upon the spot about the various streets and buildings which it professes to describe, and needs a thorough overhauling before it can take its place as a standard work of reference."- Athenæum, Feb. 28. ... Aldrich, T: B. The sisters' tragedy; with other poems, lyrical, and dramatic. 36 lyrics and 12 sonnets; sel. from Cloth of gold, and Flower and thorn. Arnold, M. Poetical works. "We have all Arnold's poems, and the best of his portraits, in one volume. There are two poems, not hitherto included."— Academy, Jan. 10. Balzac, H. de. The lily of the valley; tr. by K.. P. Wormeley. Barkley, H: C. A ride through Asia Minor, and Armenia; giving a sketch of the characters, manners and customs of the Mussulman and Christian inhabitants. "Isolated passages are interesting; but there are so many errors that one mistrusts the whole; the style never brilliant, at times sets one's teeth on edge; and the information generally is not up to date." Academy, Mar. 21. Barthélemy, A. J: B. A. de. Nouveau manuel de numismatique ancienne. "Il y a quelque trente ans M. A. de Barthélemy pub liait un Manuel de numismatique ancienne.' C'était presque une œuvre de début, où déjà cependant, se ré vélait le maître. Pendant de longues années, ce manuel a été le seul guide des commençants et aussi, plus d'un fois, le seul conseiller des érudits. Mais la science a fait des progrès, les découvertes et, avec elles, les nouveaux travaux se sont multipliés; de telle sorte qu'une seconde édition de cet indispensable ouvrage était devenue nécessaire." - Bulletin critique, 15 nov. Batchelder, I. K. Reunion celebration; with his torical sketch of Peru, Vt.,and its inhabitants. Bazán, E. P. Un viaje de novios. 1888. Bellesheim, A. History of the Catholic Church of Scotland; tr., with notes, etc., by D. O. H. "There is little trace of original research or inde.. pendent judgment: but he has consulted the best authorities, and has displayed much industry in setting forth their results in a readable form. ... Father Blair's translation, although there are some slips here and there, is well done, and reads smoothly and pleasantly. It is to be hoped that the story outlined in these volumes may tempt some industrious student into this hitherto uncultivated field."- Athenæum, Mar. 28. Belló, A. ... Principios de derecho internacional. Nueva ed. il. con notas por C. M. Silva. 1883. 2 v. Bennett, Rev. F: The marvellous budget; being 65536 stories about Jack and Jill. "Mr. Bennett has four pages marked (1), four marked (2), and so on up to (8). Each of these may be read continuously with each of the other numbers. An ingenious idea this, ingeniously carried out." Spectator, Dec. 13. Bible. O. T. Greek. Vetus Testamentum ex cod. Græco vaticano 1209, phototypice repraesent. cur. J. Cozza-Luzi. 1889. - Job. The epic of the inner life; being the Book of Job; tr., with notes and introd. study by J: F. Genung. Birdwood, Sir G: Report on the Old records of the India Office; with suppl. note and app. 2d repr. Blondel, D: Treatise of the sibyls; [tr.] by J. D[avis]. 1661. Bohn, H: G: Handbook of games. Enl. ed. 2 v. Contents. Vol. 1. Table games. 2. Card games. "There is much that is new and valuable in this new edition." - Spectator. Bowes, J. L. Japanese pottery; with notes describing the subjects employed in its decoration; and illust. from examples in the Bowes collection. "This book, which has been produced with singular care and completeness, is a worthy sequel to the author's previous labours in the cause of Japanese art. As a text-book it is not likely to be soon superseded, and as a catalogue of the exceptionally fine and rare collection of the author it must always remain an indispensable authority. It consists of four parts: (1) a general account of the history of Japanese pottery; (2) an account of the various kilns; (3) a catalogue of the Bowes collection, with a careful description of each piece; (4) notes on manners and customs, folk-lore, fables, poetical associations, romances, and many other of those many things which have stimulated the production, and inspired the decoration of Japanese pottery." Academy, Aug. 11. Brewer, Rev. E. C. Historic note-book; with app. of battles. Briggs, L. B. R. Original charades. Brooke, M. The story of Eleanor Lambert. (Unknown lib.) "The moral must be that in the woman's world men are of no importance." Athenæum, Feb. 14. Calendrier républicain, Le. [18-] Campbell, J. The Hittites; their inscriptions and history. 2 v. "The science of logic, of philology, of history, and prehistoric investigation seem to exist in vain, as far as Dr. Campbell is concerned. Hittite, Basque, and Ja. panese are all used by him to interpret each other. It is painful to reflect on the labour which compiled this huge chapter of 700 pages in the History of Human Error." Sat. rev., Feb. 28. Carew, B. M. Surprising adventures; his life, dict. of the cant language, etc. 1845. "One of the most famous Kings of the British Gipsies was Bamfylde Moore Carew, the son of a Devonshire clergyman of good family. He joined a band of Gipsies in consequence of an escapade at school, and became so enamoured of the life that he was formally iniatiated into the Romani commonwealth, and was elected King on the first vacancy. His principal recommendation was his singular dexterity in mendicancy by the clever assumption of various characters. He was twice transported, and on each occasion managed to escape and return to England after a series of amusing adventures. His adventures in America are exciting. But his presence of mind, and ready wit and resource never failed him. The most amusing part of his life is undoubtedly his adventures in England, exhibiting a protean power of disguise." Spectator, Aug. 2. Carstairs, R. British work in India. "He is a Scotchman, and a civilian of some sixteen years standing, attached to the Lower Provinces. It is clear that he has a healthy liking for his work, that he has mixed freely with the people, that he has taken a measure of their good and bad qualities, and that he wishes to introduce such improvements in the machinery of government as may make it sit more easily on the community: while he is not carried away by a fondness for visionary, sentimental, and perilous reforms. We venture to say that politicians who wish to know something of one large Indian province' up to date' will derive more benefit from perusing this book at their own firesides than if they cantered through India in a coldweather tour, and passed rapidly from railroad to palanquin, from the kacheri' to the palace, and from Raja to Baboo." Sat. rev., Mar. 7. Church, R: W: The Oxford movement, 1833-45. "No book so vivid, and so truthful on the Oxford Movement has been written, or, we strongly suspect, ever will be written in the future, for the men who per sonally knew what it was, are rapidly passing away, and among those that remain there is probably not one possessed as well of all the late Dean of St. Paul's knowledge of its leading men, as of anything like his literary genius. Add to this that his mind had much of the inflexible reality, and his religious feeling much of the lustre, simplicity, and depth which lend so great a charm to Newman's sermons, and that the book gives full expression to these rare qualities, and we have a group of rare qualifications which it is very unlikely that any future chronicler of those vivid twelve years of Oxford life will ever possess in a combination so unique. Delightful and vivid book." - Spectator, Mar. 28. Clowes, W: L. Black America; a study of the ex-slave and his late master; repr., with add. from "The times." "Though there is nothing new or not widely known in the facts of the negro problem' or in the solution suggested by Mr. Clowes, the chief aspects of the question are presented with undeniable force and clearness.". Sat. rev., Mar. 28. Cooke, G: W. Guide-book to the works of Robert Browning. DeQuincey, T: Memorials; letters and other records; with communications from Coleridge, the Wordsworths, etc.; ed., with introd., notes, and narr. by A. H: Japp. 2 v. "Doctor Japp has produced a work which any mod. erately fair and sensible person will find not only interesting but satisfactory. Lovers of the English opium eater will rejoice to find that, unlike some literary heroes of the latter day, he does not grow less but rather more lovable at close quarters; and those who in whim or ignorance have ranged themselves among his detractors may perhaps be the wiser and the better for what may be described as an object lesson in justice and charity." Academy, May 9. Dobell, S. Poetical works; with introd. notice and memoir by J: Nichol. 1875. 2 v. Dominguez, L: L. Conquest of the river Plate. 1535-55: Voyage of Ulrich Schmidt to La Duncan, S.. J. An American girl in London; illust. "Clever and lively book. The writer is a shrewd ob. server, and satirizes, with much liveliness and consid. erable truth, Londoners and London ways." - Athenaum, Mar. 21. Harte, F. B. A Sappho of Green Springs; and other stories. "Mr. Bret Harte has certainly not given us of his best' in his new collection of short stories."- Sat. rev., Feb. 21. Hartmann, F. Life and doctrines of Jacob Boehme; the God-taught philosopher; an introd. to the study of his works. "Dr. Hartmann disclaims the position of commentator or critic. Not claiming to be himself divinely inspired, nor ranking himself among the 'Illuminate,' he does not presume to criticize or amend, or explain divinely inspired writings. Those therefore who would study the thoughts of the inspired shoemaker in their original form must go to the fount of illumination - to the Menschwerdung.' the Aurora' the Mysterium magnum,' and other treatises on the mysteries of nature, man, the angels, and so forth. And Dr.Hartmann, it is probable will incite some few readers to what so many and such various minds have found an absorbing study. His book will enlighten those who regard Boehme as a kind of Christian mystic, or a teacher of practical occultism, and make clear the secret of his extraordinary influence. Even the great Schopenhauer' is claimed as the follower of Boehme, very much to the surprise, we imagine, of the English disciples of that much-discussed philosophy." - Saturday review, Mar. 17. Huish, M. B. Birket Foster, his life and work. Hunter, Sir W: W. The Earl of Mayo. (Rulers of India.) "Sir William Hunter has combined his well-known literary skill with an earnest sympathy and a fulness of knowledge which are worthy of all commendation. Mayo cannot be compared with the greatest of Indian rulers, with Akbar, Dalhousie, and the two Hastings, men whose work seems meant for eternity. But he was a good, brave, and just man; and the world is indebted to the author for a fit and attractive record of what was eminently a noble life." - Academy, Mar. 28. Imbert de Saint-Amand, A. L., baron. Marie Louise and the invasion of 1814: tr. by T: S. Perry. Isham, Lieut. A. B., etc. Prisoners of war and military prisons; personal narr. of experience in the prisons at Richmond, Danville, etc.; with general account of prison life in the South during the war. Jerome, J. K. Stage-land; curious habits and customs of its inhabitants; illust. John, E. (pseud. E. Marlitt). A brave woman; tr. by M. P. Waterman. Note. Same as "The second wife." Lang, A. Essays in little. "One of the most entertaining and bracing of books. Full of bright and engaging discourse on man, woman, and letters, these charming and recreative essays are the best of good reading for those who read in chance half-hours of the burdened day. Hard must be the cynic's lips' from which Mr. Lang's sportive pen does not dislodge the sneer,' harder that 'brow of care' whose wrinkles refuse to be smoothed by Mr. Lang's gentle sarcasm and agreeable raillery." Sat. rev., Feb. 14. Larcom, L. As it is in heaven. Lucas, F. W. Appendiculæ historicæ; or, Shreds of history hung on a horn. "The author has in his possession a remarkable pow der horn of the date of about 1760, on which is engraved a map of the greater part of the scene of the old French War in America. Taking this map as a ground work, Mr. Lucas presents his readers with a comprehensive narrative of this interesting period of American history. The volume is well illustrated with 10 maps and plates." McCarthy, J. Sir Robert Peel. (Prime minis ters of Queen Victoria.) "The brief and rapid portraitures of the statesmen of the first half of this century with which Mr. McCarthy's little volume abounds, give life to its rather superficial history, and its just, if somewhat obvious political judgments. Mr. McCarthy relates clearly and well the main incidents of Peel's political life, and deals fairly with the great controversies which still rage about his conduct in regard to the Roman Catholic Relief Bill, and the repeal of the Corn Laws. He vindicates his scrupulous integrity, and justly.". Sat. rev., Feb. 14. McCarthy, J. H. McConnell, S. D. Lily Lass. History of the American Episcopal Church. [1600-1865.] Mège, F. Gaultier de Biauzat, député du tiers état aux Etats généraux de 1789; sa vie et sa correspondance. 2 v. "M. Mège ne s'est pas borné à une simple étude biographique de son héros. La biographie n'occupe guère qu'un quart de l'ouvrage; tout le reste forme un recueil de lettres et de pièces diverses. Sans doute, elles nous apprennent peu de choses nouvelles sur les événements; mais elles nous font connaître les impressions qu'en reçoit un homme mêlé à action, et qui a brillé au second rang plus que nous ne serions portés à le croire, car les constituants nous sont moins connues que la Constituante."- Revue bleue, 25 oct. Merivale, H., and Marzials, F. T. Life of W: M. Thackeray. (Great writers.) "This little volume will enable those who did not know Thackeray to feel as if they did, and will make many look upon him in a new light. But the life of Thackeray worthy of the man has still to be written, and we earnestly hope that we shall yet have the pleasure of reading such a life by his gifted daughter."Athenæum, Feb. 11. Meyer, H. Across East African glaciers; the first ascent of Kilimanjaro; tr. by E. H. S. Calder; illust. "The general reader will find in Dr. Meyer not only a traveller educated, as most Germans have the good fortune to be, to observe and reason intelligently on all matters of natural history, but also an agreeable and lively writer, who helps others to see what he has seen himself, and makes the presence and charm of the great tropical mountain felt throughout the pages of which it is the centre. The production of the English edition deserves all praise. It is well translated, beautifully illustrated, and adequately supplied with maps." Athenæum, Jan. 24. Miller, C. G. Chihuahua; a social drama. ... "The letters possess the charm of perfect spontaneity and freedom from any ulterior motive or bias whatever. They deal exclusively with, and form a succinct narra. tive of the writer's personal experience and impressions derived from a business journey she shared with her husband. There can be no more agreeable way of using a spare hour than to run through these brightly and graphically written letters which, besides sketching the leading incidents of a journey not previously made by an English lady traveller, represent a phase of Anglo-African life that, so far as we remember has not yet been much dealt with in book form, and certainly not from the same point of view." - Athenæum, Mar. 7. Mozley, Rev. T: Letters from Rome; the œcumenical council, 1869-70. 2 v. "Mr. Mozley went to Rome in the capacity of special correspondent to the Times' having as a 'collaborateur' on the spot, Mr. Henry Wreford. He saw much and heard much, at least outside the Council Chamber. Of seeing it from the inside he had comparatively few op portunities. Hearing was almost out of the ques tion even for those who sat in the assembly. Nothing is more emphatically stated in the Letters than that, if it is a necessary condition for coming to a conclusion to hear what is said on both sides, this condition was not and could not be satisfied by the arrangements of the Ecumenical Council of 1869-70. Most of the proceed. ings were little more than dumb-show, at least for the majority of those who were taking part in them. His volumes though not history, are excellent material for history.". Spectator, Apr. 18. Oman, C: W. Warwick the kingmaker. (Eng. men of action.) "It was a bold task to undertake to piece together from the scanty chronicles and dry records of the fif teenth century the biography of even the grestest of he. roes. Mr. Oman deserves great credit for having written, though in a short and popular form, a really original piece of work, which is a welcome addition to our knowledge of the most obscure period of English history. He writes with energy, zeal, and interest, and has contrived to put together everything that can be found out about Warwick in an eminently readable and attractive form."- Athenæum, Apr. 4. Overton, J: H: John Wesley. "Mr. Overton's large knowledge of the period and of Wesley has enabled him to compress much interesting matter into a very small space. His claim to attention as a native of the same county, a member of the same University, a priest of the same church, a dweller in the same house, a worker in the same parish,' could not be admitted if the writer were not also able to say that for nearly twenty years he has been a student of the church life of the century in which John Wesley was so prominent a member.'" Athenæum, Mar. 14. Peabody, A. P. Politikos, pseud. Europe. movements. King's Chapel sermons. The sovereigns and courts of "Politikos knows that personal anecdote is more pleasing to the general reader than discussions on legis. lative or international politics, or economic and social His book does not by any means respond to the sentiments of his preface. It is the sov. ereign ruler, not the sovereign people, that figures in his pages, and the presentation is, on the whole, decidedly interesting."- Saturday rev., Apr. 4. Reid, E., and Compton, H. The dramatic peerage, 1891; personal notes and professional sketches of the actors of the London stage. Ritter, W: E. The parietal eye in some lizards from the western U. S. Roche, J. J. Life of J: Boyle O'Reilly; with his poems and speeches; ed. by Mrs. J: B. O'Reilly; introd. by Card. Gibbons. Saint-Saëns, C: C. Rimes familières. "A des vers d'amateur, à des vérs d'album, galamment et lestement tournés, succèdent des strophes d'un essor large et puissant. Peu de musique, beaucoup de pensée." - Revue bleue, 22 nov. Scudder, S: H. The fossil insects of North America, with notes on some European species. 2 v. Skeat, Rev. W. W: Principles of English etymol ogy. (Clarendon press ser.) "We take the most novel and perhaps the most material feature of Dr. Skeat's book, considered as a contribu tion to English philology and not merely as a handbook for learners, to be the clear distinction of the several stages of Romance accretion; the old French importa tion due to the Norman Conquest itself, the continental French additions of the later medieval period, and the deliberate adoption of Latin or Latinized terms, directly or through the language of French and Italian scholars, since the revival of learning. A volume as well packed as it is well ordered." —Saturday rev., Apr. 11. ... |