2 NOVEMBER 1867, Page 20

Is Roman d'une Veuve. Par Louis Enaalt. (Hachette.)—Recalling to our

minds with some pleasure a former story of M. Mundt's, and thinking of the part that widows play in works of fiction, we took up this book with some curiosity. As soon as we found that the scene was laid in India, we began to doubt of the author's success. The widow is one who is saved from her husband's funeral pile by British interven-

tion, and the hero of the deli, is a young 'Englishman who, affilr taking partin the rescue, falls in love-with the-Widow.. .In writing of English habits" M. Enault cannot free himself from the usual French 7bItmders.

He shows us young officers at breakfast in India washiiig down puddings as heavy as lead with the generous wines of Spain

and Portugal. Every one knows that young English officers in

India do not adopt the customs of the natives, and that their imprti. deuce in matters of diet has serious consequences. But even in England we aro not given to drinking port and sherry at breakfast, and it is not likely that our nationality would be so exaggerated in a hot climate as to drive us to excesses which would be fatal in the midst of our fogs and rain. We do not know how far M. Enault is to be trusted in purely Indian affairs. His descriptions are often animated and pic- turesque, but many of them seem too theatrical, and the tiger hunt in particular is contrary to our experience of professed books of Indian sport.