Western Woods and Waters. Poems and Illustrative Notes. By the
Rev. John Hoskyns Abrabali, jun., M.A. (Longman and Co.)—A description in the metre of Hiawatha of the writer's tour through the American Lakes. The author's copious notes to his preface, to his poems in an appendix, and to the appendix—together with a poetical motto for every stanza—create a comical sense of confusion ; but the notes are really valuable as illustrations of Indian life and traditions. We think, however, that Mr. Abrahall would have done better to write his tour in prose. His solid matter would then have appeared in a continuous and readable form. His verses, though free from nonsense and bad taste, except indeed where humour is aimed. at, are scarcely worth publication. They, however, who admire the metre of Hiawatha may reverse this verdict, and see great charms, for instance, in this description of the canal from Lake Huron to Lake Superior :— " Hewn by cunning of the white man,— Path meet for his hugest fire-ship, From the leap of Mary's River, Leap of Keetchi-Gahmi-Seebi,— To the white man's Lake Superior, To the red man's lieetchi-Gahmi' — To the red man's Grand Great Water."
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