Cradle and Spade. By William Syme. 3 vols. (Swan Sonnen-
schein and Co.)—Both " cradle " and "spade," it may be explained, are the names of miners' tools, used in gold-digging and gold-washing. The story, in fact, is a story of hunting for gold, not in California or Australia, but in Wales. A shepherd's daughter finds a little gold in the sand at the mouth of a burn ; and the place becomes the scene of a great mining operation. Mr. Syme, however, is not bold enough to describe the finding of enormous nuggets and the sudden construc- tion of vast fortunes in the bed of a Welsh stream. The search for gold has a good deal of the two common elements of swindle and disappointment in it. The real interest of the story belongs to the fortunes of one particular miner, who, having made a failure of his first chance of success in the Session House at Edinburgh, casts away his barrister's gown, and dons the attire of a digger. How he turns out to be somebody far different from what he seems, and how his fate is linked together with that of an Edinburgh young lady, for whose sake he goes forth to seek his fortune, and with the original gold-finder, the shepherd's daughter, Mr. Syme must tell for himself.
We found the story flag a little towards the end, and are inclined to think that it is too long. But it has unquestionably much of the vigour which we are accustomed to find in Mr. Syme's work.
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