CURRENT LITERATURE.

The most notable article in the new number of The Scottish Review is one by Mr. Bourinot, clerk to the Canadian House of Commons, on "The Political Development of the Dominion." It is valuable, in the first instance, for containing a succinct account of the actual political position of the greatest of the dependencies left to Great Britain in America ; and in the second, for giving, with perfect impartiality, the pros and cons of each of the three courses that seem to be open to Canada in the future,—independence, annexation to the United States, and federation to Great Britain. Mr. Bonrinot is the most cautions of prophets, and he does not allow himself to be carried away by the more dreamy of the enthusiasts for Federation; but we quote two sentences from his paper to show what his sympathies may reasonably be supposed to be. He says, in the first place, that "every year which carries Canada further in her career of political and industrial development, renders annexation less probable." In the second place, in expressing his opinion that after a few decades, Canada may "prove a formidable rival even of the United States in the great work which both have to accomplish on the continent of America," he asserts that "it is assuredly the earnest desire of Canadians as well as of Englishmen that, if when that time comes a large scheme of Federation is clearly impracticable, there may at least exist such an alliance between Canada and the parent State as will give greater security to both." There is a second American article in this number of the Review, one dealing with American Loyalists. In it there is a good sketch of Sir John Johnson, the son of the better-known Sir William, who did such service on the British side among the Indian tribes in the struggle with France for the possession of Canada. The "Stuart Pretenders" is the title of an informative paper, containing fresh light, chiefly from Italian sources, on "Prince James Stuart," who claimed to be the illegitimate son of Charles II., and his son. Among the other articles in an excellent and varied number of the Review are "Hampole's Psalter," and "Scotch Art." The latter, though here and there somewhat thin in style, is discriminating, and hits the weak point in Scotch art, which is a rather affected picturesqueness. We are glad to see among the summaries of foreign reviews, abstracts of contributions to Russian periodicals which are too little known.

The Prettiest Woman in Warsaw. By Mabel Collins. 3 vols. (Ward and Downey.)—The author energetically denies that a well-known tragedienne whom the London public has lately had the opportunity of admiring, is the heroine of this story. She will acknowledge, doubtlese, that the identification has been a natural mistake ; all the more so when she remembers what she has herself told us about Madame llodjeska's life. So much having been said by way of preliminary, we may go on to praise Miss Collins for having produced by far the best book that we have yet seen from her pen. We cannt..., profess to have much liked her earlier novels, considering that they consisted of commonplace material, .which was made unwholesome by illegitimate interest. Here she has a good

story to tell, and she tells it in a vigorous and interesting manner. The "prettiest woman in Warsaw " turns out to be, so to speak, the " two, prettiest women in Warsaw,"—Wanda and Zadwiga, slaters, and both of them actresses. The elder makes a great marriage, as it would be reckoned, winning the heart of a certain Prince Nik-o Ghyka, and overcoming the hostility of his family td the marriage. The folly of this Prince Niko, who is a jealous, weak-minded fool, with no strong passion except that for gambling, and the villainy of a certain Prince Demetri, his cousin, bring about a terrible catastrophe. In this catastrophe both sisters are involved, the complication by which this is brought about being ingeniously contrived. The dialogue is brisk throughout the three volumes, and the style generally bright and lively. Altogether this novel may be pronounced a success.

Fly-Fishing. By Edward Hamilton, M.D. (Sampson Low and Co.) —Dr. Hamilton is a veteran professor of the art, and has some valuable hints to give to his brother-anglers, about all three subjects of his volume, to wit, the salmon (with which is coupled his first cousin, the sea-trout), the trout, and the grayling. He has some carious anecdotes, too, to which the present writer will add one of his own. Ile was playing a small salmon which he had hooked—it was in the uppermost pool of the Laxay, in the island of the Laws—when a huge eel, probably four or five pounds in weight, suddenly appeared out of the depths, and made a number of darts at the fish. This went on till the fish was landed. We can recommend this little book as pleasant and readable, and useful withal. The writer has evidently had a large experience, and knows how to turn it to advantage.

Innumerable as are the memorials of the Tercentenary of Edinburgh University, not the least interesting is .4 Short Account of the proceedings on that occasion, including the speeches and addresses delivered, which has been published by Mr. R. Sydney Marsden (Black. woods). The speeches deserve reproduction, if only for their international character. Not within recent years, at all events, have so many men of so many nationalities assembled to speak eloquently about the interests of education. The variety of the compliments paid to Edinburgh and to Scotland is further very remarkable, not to say amusingBat the palm must be allowed to have been borne-off by Sir Frederick Leighton in a characteristic oration, in which he affirmed, among other things, that "Music flings along a warp of purest science a fiery woof of passion." For he said, "Speaking as one who has seen many lands, under many skies, and who has sojourned on three Continents, 1 say, and say it without hesitation, that in none is colour so royally supreme as in your own, when the sun's gold is shed on the purple Mlle, and when the corn stands yellow along the steel-blue lochs." Royal supremacy in colour—that is surely a new feather to put in the national cap.

Car/merle; or, Among Lothian Folk. By Annie S. Swan. (Oliphant, Anderson, and Ferrier, Edinburgh.)—A pretty and pathetic little tale. Elsie Beatoun is the daughter of a damsel of high degree, who leaves her home to marry a poor doctor. Father and mother die, and her father's kindred take charge of her. In their home she learns to love one of what she has been always used to believe was her own station ; but her aristocratic grandmother finds her out, claims and takes possession of her, and plans a great match, which shall keep the hereditary estates in her own family. So Elsie has to choose between the old life and the new. There are, perhaps, too many coincidences in the plot ; but about the writing of the story, the skill with which the characters are drawn, the effectiveness of the pathos, and the general interest which it will have for the reader, there cannot be a doubt.

The Accursed Land ; or, First Steps in the Waterway of Edom. By Lieutenant-Colonel H. E. Colville. (Sampson Low and Co.)—In spite of the author's modest assertion in his preface with regard to his book having been written against time, we can congratulate him upon having produced a really charmingly-written book of travel. Lieutenant-Colonel Colville is already known to the public as the author of "A Ride in Petticoats and Slippers," a work in which he rather surprised critics by his novel spelling of Arabic words. There is an interesting reference to this in the work before us. In the autumn of 1883, the author, at the request of the Palestine Channel Syndicate, undertook a mission to the Arabah, the object of which was the preliminary examination of a proposed line of canal, from -the south end of the Dead Sea to the head of the Gulf of Akabah. The Accursed Land is a record of the soldier-traveller's experiences and adventures while on thie mission, and is interesting in many ways, though it is to be hoped that it will not advance the dismal project to which it owes its origin.

Early Chronicles of Europe.—Italy. By tgo Balzani. (S.P.C.K.)— With the aid of his wife, the anther has succeeded in furnishing us with a very accurate and truly interesting account of the authorities for Italian history daring the Middle Ages. The work covers a period of about 900 years, extending from the time of CassiodOrus, who wrote in the early part of the sixth century, to that of the Villanis, who flourished between 1350 and 1409. In dealing with the chronicles,

Signor Balzani has explained their historical position, and also given us an idea of their style by means of specimens, admirably translated from the Latin, Greek, or Italian originals. Biographies of the most prominent chroniclers, and the introduction of historical matter, have made the work in reality a succinct but connected history of Italy during the Middle Ages.

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. By Paul Barron Watson. (S. Low and Co.)---In his preface, the author of this volume alludes to the fact that the life of Marcus Aurelius "has never before been written in the English language." It is a rather notable circumstance, therefore, that this want should have been supplied by an American student, and by means mainly of the resources of the Harvard College Library. The merits of the book are considerable. Mr. Watson has obviously read everything of consequence that has ever been written about his hero ; indeed, the formidable list of authorities he has given at the end of his work was hardly required to prove this. Then he endeavours to be perfectly fair. We are by no means satisfied with the conclusions he has arrived at regarding the relations of Marcus Aurelius towards Christianity. To say, as Mr. Watson does, that "the Christianity which was offered to Marcus Aurelius was not the Christianity of Christ, it was heresy, and he rejected it," is one of those clever half-truths, the best refutation of which is the simple statement of them. Surely it was the business of any honest inquirer, not to say a man in the position, and holding the philosophical creed, of Marcus Aurelius, to ascertain what was really the Christianity of Christ, to accept that, and even to recognise the elements of it to be found in the imperfect Christianities offered to him. Again, "the persecutions under Marcus Aurelius were in reality a blessing to the Church, inasmuch as they helped to purify her from the heresies with which her life was threatened." Of course offences must come ; but on whom do the woes descend ? Notwithstanding this, Mr. Watson balances all the evidence that he has been able to accumulate, before he comes to such decisions as he has announced. The same impartiality is indicated in what Mr. Watson says on the vexed question of the character of Faustina, the wife of Marcus. The faults of this work, which are on the surface, are two. It has too much the air of being got-up, of being the production of a diligent student rather than of a master of the subject. In the second place, Mr. Watson seems disposed to give a too ready credence to Roman annalists who, in the opinion of most scholars, have been found guilty, we shall not say of fiction, but of partisan pamphleteering. Yet, taken for what it professes to be, this volume deserves, and will reward, careful perusal. For ourselves, indeed, we confess to hoping, and very nearly to believing, that with the essays of Mr. Arnold and M. Renan, the last words on Marcus Aurelius have been uttered. His " Thoughts "can be best understood, and will be most useful in shaping the conduct of life, when they are regarded as the crown and flower of Pagan morality—of the morality of that Roman world of which, be it always remembered, Christ's Kingdom was not.

Roger North. By Mrs. John Bradshaw. 3 vols. (W. Swan Sonnenschein and Co.)—When a good-looking young man has, "in the lower portion of his face, something which would have detracted from the pleasing characteristics suggested by the handsome eye and brow," we know, in spite of some want of clearness in the language, that mischief is brewing. Such is the case with Mr. Sydney Ferrara ; and Mr. Sydney Ferraro does much mischief accordingly. Of course, the hero of the story, who has nothing to recommend him but being an honest and decent-looking gentleman, has no chance ; and the heroine marries the wrong man. But a marriage which takes place before the middle of the three volumes is reached is not intended to be final, and we accordingly do not give up the hope that all will yet be well. In the second volume the tale, which up to that point has been very commonplace indeed, decidedly improves. The author gets to ground which is apparently familiar to her, viz., South America. The characters are more vigorously drawn, and the interest increases. On the whole, we get a novel of fair average merit, distinctly promising, if, as we suppose, it is a first effort.

Harrow School and its Surroundings. By Percy M. Thornton. (W. H. Allen and Co.)—Harrow School, as Mr. Thornton hints in his preface, has always depended very much on the personal character of its head masters. It is not very ancient (dating practically from 1608, when the Founder's widow died), nor of distinguished foundation, yet three or four of its masters have given it a celebrity which has put it in the very front rank. It has fallen very low indeed, even in recent times. Under the late Bishop Wordsworth, for instance, its numbers sank to seventy, as almost exactly a hundred years before it had sunk, under a certain Dr. Cox, to fifty. But as Dr. Cox was followed by a successful teacher in Thackeray, so Dr. Wordsworth's failure was redeemed by the prosperous reigns of Drs. Vaughan and Butler. We have no reason to regret what Mr. Thornton calls the 'prevalence of a biographical-element" in this book. Any book of the kind would be dreary reading without it. This particular volume is passably, but not more than passably, good. The writer has an

irritating way of' going round and round his subject, and, it would sometimes seem, a dislike to speaking directly. There is a paragraph, for instance, about Dr. Sumner (1760-1771), from which we infer that he committed suicide. But why not have said so plainly, instead of wrapping the fact up in fine phrases ? Still, Mr. Thornton's industry and desire to do justice to his subject have not failed of their aim. He has had, too, some valuable help. Dean Merivale, e.g.; contributes some eight or nine pages of recollections of his own school.. days (1818-1824), which, it is almost needless to say, are very interesting. Dr. Butler, afterwards Dean of Peterborough (Butler seems a name of good omen among schoolmasters) was then Headmaster. Under him was Henry Drury, the Dean's own uncle, also venerabile nomen, who had trained himself for writing Latin verse by learning the whole of Ovid's Elegiacs (which may be roughly estimated at about 24,000 lines), and repeated the 8,000 lines of the Pharsalia in a day's walk from Harrow to Eton. We may safely say that there is no one alive who can do that. Those were hard days for boys. "The smaller rooms had no fire at all." It was about the same date that fires were first .used in Merchant Taylors', since 1666, when the school was supposed, it may be, to have had enough of the element. To turn to another kind of reminiscence. The "sixth-form game" (cricket) of 1823-1824 comprised among its players two future Archbishops (Manning and Trench), three Bishops (Terry, C. Wordsworth, and Oxenden), and one Dean. A chapter on the famous match, "Harrow v. Eton," concludes the volume.

Annals of Lloyd's Register : being a Sketch of the Origin, Constitv, tion, and Progress of Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping. —The Society connected with Lloyd's Register having reached its fiftieth anniversary in October of last year, the chairman and committee decided that the occasion was a fitting one on which to present to subscribers an account of the Institution. This account has taken the form of an edition de luxe, the whole work, frith fac-simile reproductions of extracts from the oldest registers and portraits of the Society's greatest men, being prepared in a most admirable manner. As regards the verbal matter contained in the work, we have no hesitation in saying that it shows signs of very careful research, that its compilation has been efficiently done, and that it cannot fail to interest all who take an interest in shipping. Lloyd's Register, as founded in 1834, was the incorporation of two books upon shipping known as the "Green Book" and the "Red Book." The former is said to have been founded in 1760, though it was doubtless only a continuation of a series of Ships' Lists first begun by Edward Lloyd at his coffee-house, a famous place of resort for mercantile men at the beginning of the last century. At a later time this work came to be used chiefly by underwriters, and in 1799 a "Red Book" was established in the interests of the shipowners. The following passage will serve as a useful example of information upon the general head of shipping contained in the work :—" It is interesting to notice the low estimation in which vessels built in the northern ports were held, not only at this time (1798), but for long-after. Twenty years later considerable evidence was taken upon this subject, and it was the general opinion that usually the London-built ships were worthy of at least a year longer classification than those of Newcastle, Sunderland, &c."

Guy Darrel's Wives. A Novel. By E. Iles. (John and Robert Maxwell.)—The conception upon which the plot of this story is built is exceedingly improbable and. repulsive. It is that of a man who has been cheated of the woman he loves by another, whom he ultimately marries. Upon the death of his wife he becomes a recluse, imbued with spiteful hatred against his own-child (a daughter) and the son of his first love. This bate continues, even after he has been, informed of the deceit practised on him, and leads him to revenge himself by the cruel device of promoting a marriage between his own daughter and the son just mentioned, and then causing this young man (who, soon after the marriage, leaves his wife under the guardianship of her father and joins his regiment in India) to believe that that wife is dead, when she really is not. When next the soldier and his wife meet, it is on the eve of the former's intended marriage with his own daughter. Such is the brief outline of the story. The writer tries to excuse the inhuman conduct of the cheated man by an implication of extreme eccentricity ; but, in our opinion, the details of the work disprove this. The only commendable part of the book is the aptness with which the author suits the scene-setting to the characters. We have read it with much mental discomfort.

The Amphibious Voyage. By Parker Gilmore. (W. H. Allen and Co.)—The " Amphibion" is a machine constructed to pass with equal ease over sea and land. It will be seen from this that Mr. Gilmore is following here in the track 'of Jules Vern& We can hardly say that he rivals that most ingenious of writers in giving an air of plausibility to the wildest inventions. The " Atnphibion " is a little too much in the Miinchausen line. In his own line, of sporting adventures, the writer vindicates his place more successfully. Is the Latin, we should like to know, meant for a joke ? "Vine qua acqueret enndo," and "Mon pro patria eat dulcia," are specimens. The latter quotation is made d propos of Quintus Curtins.

We have received a number of Handbooks of the International Health Exhibition. (W. Clowes and Sons.)—These we must, for the present at least, be content with enumerating. They are :—A/coholic Drinks, by John L. W. Thndichum, M.D.; Salt, by J. J. Manley, MA.; Physiology of Digestion and the Digestive Organs, by Arthur Gamgee, M.D.; Dress, by C. W. Godwin, F.S.A. ; Athletics, Part I. by the Rev. E. Warr, MA., Part II. by the Hon. E. Lyttleton, M.A., and Gerard F. Cobb, M.A.; Schools of Art, by John C. L. Sparkes ; Healthy and Unhealthy Houses in Town and Country, by William Eassie, C.E., and Rogers Field, BA.; On Ventilation, Warming, and Lighting, by Captain Douglas Galton ; Infectious Disease and its Prevention, by Shirley F. Murphy ; Health in the Workshop, by James B. Lakeman ; Healthy Furniture and Decoration, by Robert W. Edis, F.S.A. ; Cleansing Streets and Ways, by William Booth Scott ; Accidental Injuries, by James J. Cantlie, M.A.

BOOKS RECEITED.—A fifth edition of Fry's London, revised and enlarged, corrected up to date, and containing new views and maps. (Allen and Co.)—The Indian Press Guide far 1885 (Anderson and Co.), the first issue of a work which will be published yearly, and which the publishers state is the first complete guide to the Indian Press that has been issued.—Tan of the Windmill; Mrs. Overtheway'.1, Remembrances ; and A Flat-Iron for a Farthing (Bell and Sons), shilling editions of Mrs. Ewing's popular tales for children. They are clearly printed on good paper, and capitally illustrated.—A second and enlarged edition of The Life and Martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket, by J. Morris (Burns and Oates).—Volume II. of Cassell's Popular Gardening, edited by D. T. Fish (Cassell and Co.)—The shilling pocket editions of Walford's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, and House of Commons for 1885 (Chatto and Windus).—The Preacher's Commentary on the Book of Leviticus, by the Rev. W. Harvey jellie (Dickinson).—A new edition of Loch Etive and the Sons of Disnach, by R. A. Smith ; with illustrations by Miss J. K. Smith (A. Gardner). —A new English edition of Swedenborg's Worship and Love of God; Se's Bacillary Phthisis of the Lungs, translated and edited for English practitioners by W. H. Weddell, M.R.C.S. (Kegan Paul, Trench, and Co.)—Transactions of the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science, "Birmingham Meeting, 1884"; a seventh edition of Maoleod's Elements of Banking (Longmans, Green, and Co.)—Part 20 of Sir G. Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians (Macmillan and Co.)—A second edition of Exercises in Latin Prose Composition, by G. G. Ramsay, M.A. (Oxford Clarendon Press).—The Law of Theatres and Music Halls, by W. N. M. Geary (Stevens and Sons).—Fillmore's History of Pidnoforte-Mttsic, edited by R. Prentice (Swan Sonnenschein and Co.)—The Religion of Philosophy, by R. S. Perrin (Williams and Norgate).—Sell's Dictionary of the World's Press.