2 OCTOBER 1880, Page 23

Columba. Parts I. and 2. By Mrs. J. Francis Foster.

(Satchell and Co.)—Here is a novelty in form ; a serial story, with occa- sional papers on subjects connected with it, brought out in very handsome style. It is too soon to pronounce any definite judgment upon the story, but we may at least say that it is attractive, and that Mrs. Foster's style is cultivated and elegant. The occasional papers in the first number, on "An Old Book" and "On the Art of Garden- ing," are pleasant, polished essays, and although we do not quite take to the idea of a running commentary of this quaint kind upon a serial story, they strike us as useful and congenial reading for girls, among whom Columba will find its most numerous and appreciative readers.