CURRENT LITERATURE.

London Society for October has so many stories and fragments of stories, that it is difficult to give any adequate idea of its contents. The

"Cricket Reminiscences" are not so good as last month. "A Dream of Love" is a bright little tale by Mr. Saville Clarke. The illustrations are very poor. New features are promised with the now year, and not before they were required.

In Belgravia, Miss Braddon continues her forcible story of "Joshua Haggard's Daughter." Mr. G. A. Sala has unearthed from the Netogate Calendar and elsewhere the records of Bean Feilding's trial for bigamy,

a task it was hardly worth while to undertake ; the best part of the narrative is on the last page of it. There is a quaint "morality "called

"Cupid's Alley," by Austin Dobson. The remainder is slight enough.

We cannot find anything noteworthy in the St. James's Magazine this month, except that the pagination or stitching in our copy is all awry. Mr. Gladstone's recent essay is described as "mischievously inadequate," and we are reminded "that it is in the power of the veriest demagogue to throw fuel upon the fire of the nation's wrath."

Among other articles on out-of-the-way topics which distinguish Chambers's Journal is one, this month, on "Curiosities of the Wire," from which we could make some amusing extracts, did space permit. The high character of the magazine is maintained.

The Nautical Magazine for October is so very professional, or rather, technical, that we are at a loss to give either praise or blame. The

editor kindly essays to supply our deficiencies by sending 118, not only some "extracts for the Press "—we have seen this done elsewhere—bnt also a ready-made critique, describing its contents as "forcible," "vigorous," "often amusing," "well-written," "complete and valuable," and the like. "For this, much thanks."

The Popular Science Review changes its editor, and is to become more

"popular," as opposed, we presume (and hope), to "professional," than heretofore. We have the admirable Royal-Institution lecture of Pro- fessor Tyndall on the "Parallel Roads of Glen Roy," with a plan and drawing. The article on "The Vivisection Clamour" is written in a thoroughly narrow and cliquish spirit, but we cannot discuss the matter here. The other papers (including one by Mr. Procter,—" Astronomy in America ") seem quite up to the mark, and the illustrations are unusually good.

Evening flours is an extraordinarily good sixpennyworth. The print of the celebrated "Death, the Friend," and Mr. Walter Bryce's verses are well worth the money. Besides, we have a serial tale by the in- defatigable author of " Ginx's Baby," verses by Edward Capern, and articles by Lady Barker (the editor), Mr. Smiles, and others.

Aunt Judy will in future cost its subscribers eightpence, instead of sixpence. It hardly seems quite as fresh as of yore, but it is thoroughly good and often very amusing. The pictures might be more attractive for young people.

The boat article in Mr. Dale's Congregationalist is one on "Doddridge as a Hymn-Writer." The specimens given are certainly far above the capacities of many more fashionable moderns. "The Editor on his Travels" still amuses us by the odd juxtaposition of some of his "thoughts." At Baalbec, by the moonlight, he "remembered that the great congregation which had probably listened to the annual Missionary sermon in Westminster Chapel was breaking up." The Bishop of Bath and Wells is very roughly, and as we think, most unfairly, taken to task for preaching at Archdeacon Denison's harvest-home. By the way, the last incumbent of the see was not a " Whig Earl," as is stated ; and there are other inaccuracies.

The Irish Monthly is a pleasant little magazine from Dublin. There is one small tale, by Louis Veuillot, which is a surprise,—it is quite a gem in its way. "Old Houses Re-storied "is a very readable chapter about old Dublin. "Winged Words," a collection of sayings and short extracts, mostly from contemporary books and newspapers, is a good idea, well carried out.

The portraits this month in Men of Mark are of Lords Shaftesbury and Redesdale and Archdeacon Denison. These are truly admirable, but the "Memoirs" are carelessly written, and not invariably accurate.

The Portfolio (October) seems hardly up to the mark, though there is a fine etching of unusual size by M. Toussaint of the "Sainte Chapelle," from a French periodical. " Wrecked " and "Saved," too, give excellently contrasted effects.

The Art Monthly Review gives us another illustration of Blake, some " studies " of J. D. Linton and a very poor photograph from a Picture of Adolf Dillons. Mr. Cave Thomas has some sensible words about criticism. The Blake drawing, "Satan calling up his Legions," is the most noteworthy contribution. There is an obituary notice of Mr. F. J. Lewis, R.A., a name unfamiliar to us, but frequently so printed here.