25 MARCH 1905, Page 20

Barham of Beltana. By W. E. Norris. (Methuen and Co.

6s.) —Mr. Norris breaks some new ground in this novel, and though he cannot altogether keep away from the calm and polished paths of " county society," yet his most prominent personage is a prominent Australian, and in the course of the book he introduces his readers to a mildly sensational mystery. Barham of Beltana himself (the prominent Australian) is a well-drawn, consistent character, though he too closely resembles the conventional " Colonist " of fiction to be called original. Mr. Norris is always readable, and though his manner is so individual that his readers can recognise his hand in every page of the story, yet the present novel contrives to avoid the sameness from which some of Mr. Norris's recent books have suffered.