TIIE CURATE OF STEINHOLLT.
Twts is the title of a tale of true love, with which are interwoven descriptions of the scenery and natural phenomena of Iceland, and the habits and mode of life of the people, derived not from personal observation, but from reading and research. The cha- racters and incidents of the story are not remarkable, though many strange adventures are mixed up with it ; and the narrative is literal and matter-of-fact in style, with, however, a quaint, art- less simplicity, that charms by its seeming verisimilitude. The primitive, unsophisticated character of the Icelanders—the mix- ture of romantic superstition with their strong religious belief— their pastoral state of society—the dreary wildness and stupen- dous grandeur of the landscape, and the tremendous convulsions that at times desolate what little fertility the industry of' the peo- ple has produced in this bleak, sterile, and dangerous region, are depicted with more of precise accuracy than vivid fancy ; while the moral and religious sentiment is rather just than profound or striking. Yet though readers accustomed to the smart and highly- charged stj le of modern fiction may consider the matter somewhat twaddling, and the manner formal and prosy. even they will be led on by the homely interest of the story, touched with its humble pathos, and amused by the accounts of wonderful caverns, earth- quakes, volcanic eruptions, and other accessories of the picture of life in Iceland.
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