19 FEBRUARY 1876, Page 25

Tales of Australian Life. By W. Walter Swan. (Chapman and

Hall.) —" Marie Denton," the longest and most important of these tales, is a tragical story. A. man condemned to transportation for life comes back, and haves it out in the society of the small provincial town in which his wife and daughter have taken refuge. A beautiful girl, worthily loved, and a villainous father, still addicted to crime, and in the power of old accomplices, are dramatic personages, and Mr. Swan, who knows better than to make his colours too black, shows a certain skill in dealing with them. The other stories have something of the same character. We cannot say that they are attractive, but they show signs of power.