26 DECEMBER 1868, Page 24

Deep Down : a Tale of the Cornish Mines, by

R. M. Ballantyne (Nisbet), is an uncommonly good story, in which the local colouring of scenery and life is very well preserved by a writer who is evidently well acquainted with his subject. There is plenty both of pathos and humour in the story, and an element of religious feeling which, without being obtruded, dominates the whole. The story of how Baby Maggot discovered his father's brandy-kegs, and of Penrose, the local preacher, are good specimens of the writer's lighter and more serious manners.