Round the Grange Farm. By Jean L. Watson. (Edinburgh :
William P. Nimmo.)—This is a collection of pleasing Scotch stories, all nomin- ally of persons who lived in the neighbourhood of the authoress, and illus- trative, we are told in the preface, of national customs and festivals. The descriptions of these do not, however, show much research, and many of the tales make no reference to them, while others ton& only on customs strictly local, and some—like that of Valentine's Day—are not peculiar to Scotland at all. But there is evidently a personal knowledge of the people written about—all of the sombre, thoughtful, religious, and, at the same time, thrifty type—only we trust the sad and tragic histories attached to them all are the creations of our authorese's amiable and cultivated mind, otherwise it must be but a melancholy place of residence for her.
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