CURRENT LITERATURE.
THE SCOTCH MAGAZINES.—In the new number of the Scottish Review, the most generally interesting articles are those on "The Scottish Peerage" (a good example of the historical multurn in parvo), "Current Fiction," and "The Natural Truth of Christianity." The writer of the second contends with much vigour in favour of more prominence being given in novels to the morally heroic. The third deals very sympathetically with the " Discourses " of John Smith, a selection from which has been ably edited by one of the most thoughtful of the younger Scotch clergymen. "A Conservative" manipulates the figures in the Scotch elections rather cleverly in the interests of his party. The summaries of foreign reviews are exceptionally good, even for this magazine.—The most notable of the miscellaneous articles in the February number of the Scottish Church, is a clever paper by the editor on the Bill of the Member for the Inverness Burghs to " declare " the constitution of the Northern Establishment. The writer, who would accept the Bill which, according to its advocates, would give the Establishment as much freedom in the matter of constitution as its leading Dissenting rivals, rather pertinently suggests that it should have equal freedom in the matter of creed. Among the other papers is the first of a series which promises to throw some new light on the old romance of Flora Macdonald. Mrs. Oliphant's story, which began rather tamely, has become very interesting.
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