George Jackson, the St. Andrew's Student. (Simpkin and Marshall.) — George
Jackson is the son of a Scotch blacksmith, who having shown his powers, and it is to be supposed his tastes, by spelling " Jerusalem " and " Nicodemas " at the age of five, is sent to St. Andrew's to be educated for the ministry in the Church of Scotland. He succeeds in his object, and is drowned, together with the lady he was to have married and his most intimate friend, immediately after preaching his frat regular sermon. This catastrophe seems to be introduced solely
for the purpose of enabling the relatives, the mother of one, the fathers of the others, to improve the occasion for the space of four pages, whilst the bodies are lying on the ground, just taken from the water. We.
mention this incident, as it gives a clue to the whole volume. This consists of nothing but the dreariest preaching, of that peculiar kind which is said to fill the lunatic asylums. There is not a shadow of human interest about any of the characters, who are mere sermon-spouts, to carry off the author's flow of what he no doubt considers good words.
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