CURRENT LITERATURE.
We should gladly give a cordial welcome to the first number of the Scottish Review (Alexander Gardner), the latest venture of a very enterprising and, in the best sense, patriotic publisher, were it only because it is an evidence that the Scottish people desire, as literary pabulum, a treatment of the subjects that are specially interesting to them more characterised by thoughtfulness than that supplied by their daily journals, which, honourably distinguished by enterprise, are not yet so distinguished by amenity. But the new quarterly, which is not to deal exclusively with Scottish matters, and which the editor says "is intended to be the medium for the unfettered expression of opinion on all subjects," has intrinsic as well as extrinsic merits. This first number contains six original articles, on such subjects as "The Progress of Theology in Scotland," "The State of the Highlands," and "Letters in America," which are all marked by good judgment and good taste, and are manifestly the products of original research and careful refleotion. The first article, on " The Progress of Scottish Theology," is evidently written by a scholarly and fair-minded man, one, too, who, though the reverse of bigoted, is no irreverent unbeliever. While he does not conceal his Broad-Church sympathies, he is fair to all denominations, and does not hesitate to tell the clergy of the Establishment of their weaknesses, such as a tendency to dreamy and barren speculations about "the higher life." The article is chiefly of value, however, as being itself a proof of the more genial and comprehensive view of the Divine Economy that is now being silently evolved from the religious consciousness of Scotland, and taking the plane of the traditional Calvinism. "The state of the Highlands" is informing and moderate in tone ; we could, however, have wished the writer had gone more courageously into the crofter question. " Letters in America" and "The Poems of Dr. W. C. Smith" are two good specimens of "the purely literary article." The one is careful, and the writer of the other knows his subject, although ho occasionally ventures on the grand, or at least the grandiose style. Mr, Gardner has incorporated in his magazine the excellent feature to be found in some of its existing contemporaries, that of notices of books under the title of " Contemporary Literature." These are admirably done, and so are " The Summaries of Foreign Reviews," which form the last section of the magazine, and which, being conscientious, are certain to be attractive to readers who have no time to ransack the Continental magazines themselves. Altogether, the Scottish Review —to the paper, type, and general appearance of which no exception can be taken—has made a modest and solid rather than a bold and brilliant beginning, a fact which shows the wisdom of its editor. When it is a little older, we shall be better able to say whether it will " do," than we are at present. Meanwhile, it has, and it deserves, our best wishes.
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