Silas Verney. By Edgar Pickering. (Blackie and Son.)—This is a
tale of the days of King Charles II. The hero is the grand- son of an old Parliamentarian officer, and expects to be his heir,— as, indeed, he is by natural right. But a villain, in the shape of a cousin, intervenes. The old man is murdered, a forged will is produced, and Silas is ousted from his rightful possessions. Various adventures follow : a brawl with a London 'prentice, who ultimately turns out to be a fast friend; kidnapping ; a sea-fight, ending in capture by a Dutch ship ; and sundry exciting adven- tures in the Low Countries. The story is one that has been told, in one form or another, not a few times, but will always find, and not undeservedly, interested readers.—From the same pub- lishers we have also received Marian ; or, the Abbey Grange, by A. E. Armstrong. Here also the villainous cousin appears, but the century is the nineteenth, and the dagger has gone out of fashion. But the true heirs are put out of their rights, and in due time restored to them. The surroundings of the story are somewhat commonplace, and we cannot say that it roused any excitement as we read.
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