CURRENT LITERATURE.
GIFT BOOKS.
Cities of the World : Their Origin, Progress, and Present Aspect. By Edwin Hodder. (Cassell and Co.)—We have here the account of seven cities of Europe, four of the New World (contributed by Mr. M. F. Sweetser), and two in Asia, there being also a chapter on "Calcutta and the Cities of the Ganges." Some of these will be, of course, more familiar to the ordinary reader than others, but of all he will without doubt learn much that is new to him. None will, we take it, be found more interesting than the description of Pekin, which, with its cities within the city, reminds one of Egbatana, as Herodotns describes the Median capital. There is a Chinese and a Tartar City, and within the latter, again, there is the Yellow City, and within the Yellow the Imperial City, intended as the ultimate stronghold of the ruling power. Kia-tsing, the founder, intended to make the walls of the Chinese City surround the whole, but this scheme was never carried out, for lack of means. We may note, also, as specially worthy of attention, the account of the two Canadian cities, Toronto and Quebec (these are included in one chapter), and of San Francisco and Chicago.
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