CURRENT LITERATURE.
Horse-Racing in France. By R. Black, M.A. (Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, and Rivington.)—There is nothing in the whole world more serious and bardness-like than sport. Hence it is only right that Mr. Black's history of horse-racing in France should be a grave and solemn work, conceived in a spirit of the classic historian. The work is fall of facts and names and prices, not tabulated, bat con- ardentionaly worked into the narrative. The subject is an interesting one, and but for this prevailing spirit of gravity, the book should be ' entertaining. This it hardly is for the general reader. The racing or horse-breeding enthusiast will no doubt seen its pages with breathless interest ; bat the less serious student will look for a little more sensation. The account of ' Gladiateur,' however, the first French horse that won the Derby, is very spirited and interesting. The curious story of the famous racer's birth is given, though as to whether the authority is undoubted, we are left uninformed. The line taken by Mr. Black on the question whether the French should be allowed to compete freely in our races, while we are shut out from most of theirs, is sensible and fair. He shows that the demand for reciprocity is not reasonable, and that, in feet, we are not injured by the French protection. On the whole, Horse-Racing in France is a well.written book of its kind, and will prove a most useful collection of facts for any one who desires to study the question of how the breed of horses may be improved.
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