18 JUNE 1887, Page 24

A Terrible Legacy. By C. W. Appleton. (Ward and Downey.)—

This is a tale in which, we may say, we are reminded sometimes of "The Castle of Otranto," and sometimes of Albert Smith's "Chris- topher Tadpole." On the whole, the tragedy, or quasi-tragedy, in the better part of the book. The reader cannot help believing in the reality of the "terrible legacy," and is genuinely surprised when he comes to the discovery of the truth. On the other hand, the humour is often poor, and sometimes vulgar. fipink, and his misanthropic spouse, Angelina, are perhaps the best characters of the comic kind. Bat there is by far too much of the book. Only it was necessary, we suppose, to have so many pages for a " six.shilling noveL"