3 JANUARY 1863, Page 58

Versicks from the Portfolio of a Sexagenarian. (Longman and Co.)—

We gather from an advertisement appended to this volume that it is the work of Mr. Robert Rockliff, of Liverpool, who published some time ago a translation from Yriarte's "Literary Fables." This gentleman writes verses with considerable fluency and vigour, his most successful productions being in a light style, which reminds us of some of Hood's poems. It is rather unfortunate that Mr. Rockliff should be himself aware of this similarity, and should have attempted to make it still closer by the perpetration of a number of puns, all of which are simply pitiable. In spite of this mistake, however, the volume does Mr. Rock- tiff considerable credit, and goes far towards justifying the favourable opinion which, he tells us, was passed some time ago on some of his productions by Maga herself.