14 MARCH 1903, Page 24

This is a new edition, revised and brought up to

date, of a wen. known book of reference. It has, in accordance with a demand now coMmonly made upon dictionaries, something of an encyclo- paedic character, and it is furnished with many illustrations. Where a pictured presentment of an object materially helps the reader to conceive it, such a presentment is given. We have, accordingly, butterflies and other animals, coins, &c., figured in separate plates ; and the illustrations in the text are very numerous. We do not know whether a more generally service- able dictionary, of moderate dimensions—the pages number two thousand three hundred and eighteen—and reasonable price, can be found. The supplementary matter—lists of proper names, of foreign words and phrases, of faulty expressions, and disputed spellings—is very useful.—With this we may mention a new edition of the invaluable Hobson-Jobson, by Colonel Henry Yule, R.E., and A. C. Burnell, Ph.D., Edited by William Crooke, B.A. (John Murray, 28s. net). The sub-title runs thus: "A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases, and of Kindred Terms, Etymological, Historical, Geographical, and Discursive." The title itself may be explained by a quotation from the glossary : "It is an Anglo-Saxon version of the wailings of the Mahometans as they beat their breasts in the procession of the Moharram,—`" Y h HASAN ! Ya Hosain ! " We can see the process of corruption in various passages quoted. Fryer has "Hosseen Gosseen," Wheeler "Hossein Joasen," Vsdentijn "Jaksom Bak- sora." "Hobson-Jobson " appears for the first time in print in 1873.