NEW BOOKS AND PUBLIC ATIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9160, 15 September 1888, Page 1 (Supplement)

NEW BOOKS AND PUBLIC ATIONS.

Handbook of Gardening for New Zealand, by Mr. Murphy, F. L.S., Christchurch.—We have received from the publisher* of the above, Messrs. Whitcombe and Toombes (Limited), Christchurch, a copy of Mr. Murphy's new work on gardening. It is now several years ago since the iirst edition of this manual was placed before the public. For some time past the work has been out of print, and as application? were still being received for copies, Mr. Murphy decided to meet the evident desire of the public. Instead of issuing a reprint of the former edition, lie has subjected the present edition to a thorough revision, eliminated portions, and added in many instances where experience has shown to be necessary. The changes that have been made may be inferred from the fact that in the first edition, thero were 188 pages of letter press, and in the present the number is increased to 'J-'-i In these 3(5 pages of reading matter very considerable additions have been made to the various sections into which the book is divided. A chapter is added on the culture of the orange, but in this chapter Mr. Murphy confines himself solely to the orange. Had he bean a resident ia Auckland we have no doubt he would have made this section more complete, and instead of restricting it to oranges alone, he would doubtless have dealt with the other members of the citrus family. The orange is far less hardy than is tho lemon, citron, shaddock, &C., and could not be grown successfully where some of tho other members of the family would thrive admirably, and be probably equally 'profitable as the orange itself. Tho Blue Ribbon party notwithstanding , , lemons will long be used for adding flavouring to social beverages, and their production will provide- a wide field of remunerative employment when the local demand is met witn tho products of local orchards. The lemon is comparatively hardy and a vigourous grower as compared with the orange, and its pale yellow fruit find ready purchasers both on sea and land. When stating that "at Waimate and Wanganui as much as seven pounds' worth of fruit is frequently gathered from trees twenty years' old," it is evidently Mangonui that i.s meant, as the district of Wanganui would be rather cold and boisterous for the successful production of the golden fruit of the Hesperides. All sections for the ordinary garden in a temperate climate are dealt with, and instructions given upon the culture of the vegetable garden, the orchard, and the fruit garden, the flowor garden, florists' flowers, grafting, the greenhouse, the fernery, orchids, insect pests and disease- of plants, tho poultry yard, hints for ueekeeping, etc., in each of which the re.ider will find much that is interesting and "seiul Mr. Murphy is a practical worker, and to aid hisreadersintheartof buddingandgrafting a couple of lithograph pages are devoted to illustrating the various forms of this useful art. So with the insects which aro destructive to the crops of the garden or orchard, the most common of these enemies are illustrated with f:iirly executed lithographs. The book will be found useful to very large number of colonists, and though the calendar is chiefly framed for the districts south of Napier, Auckland readers can easily make allowance for the earlier seasons, here, and that done the book will be found useful to those both in the North and South. The publishers have done their work in a creditable manner ; the paper used is good, the printing clear and distinct, and the binding neat and attractive. We heartily commend tho new edition to theattention of our readers.

A Counsel of Pkiifectiok. By Lucas Malet, authoress of "Colonel Enderby's Wife' , (Kejran Paul, Trench, and Co.'s Indian and Colonial Series). —This is rather a mournful story, but, like all of Mrs. Harrison's previous novels, it is charmingly told. The heroine (Miss Casteen) is tho daughter of a clergyman who is a great Htudent. He is a seliish, tyrannical old wretch, a widower, and nearly blind, and ho keeps his daughter immured in a quiet country parsonage as his amanuensis till she is past thirty. At last she gets a chance of going to tha Continent for a trip in company with some friends, and has what the Americans would call "a real good time." She falls in love, too, with a. man of the world named Hammond, who is charmed with her utter innocence and unworldliness. He fails, however, to propose till Dr. Casteen, who finds that he cannot get on without his daughter, recalls her from her trip. Some months afterwards her lover, who is just a littlu afraid of her, and thinks she is "almost too good an;! perfect," meets her at her home, and proposes. The Counsel of Perfection, however, thinks, her first duty i.s to her selfish old father, and refuses. He is astounded, and goes away with rather mixed feelings, being apparently rather pleased than otherwise. She spends the rest of her life as a "slim, upright, maiden lady, with clear, child-like eyes and charming hair, full of the unutterable tenderness of an ideal romance that will never grow old or pass away,' , and derives "exquisite pleasure" from sitting on a tombstone, dreaming of that " brief, .sunny summer holiday" when she met. her lover. The book has a delicate charm about it, and would be delightful reading if it were not so aggravating. At the conclusion, one feels very much inclined to kick the characters all round, and hurl the book in the lire.

The Islands of the Pacific, by 11. Stonehewer Cooper (Bentley and Son, Australian edition). —This is a new and revised edition of " Coral Lands," a book which was reviewed at length in the columns of the HiiiULD when it first It contains copious extracts from the articles of Mr Sterndale, which originally appeared in the Daily Southern Cross, and is full of valuable and interesting information about the Pacific past and present. A somewhat melancholy interest attaches to the book, as the author i.s now, according to on Adelaide paper, in u Lunatic Asylum in that city. Tho volume is well printed, aud

strongly bound in cloth, and is a marvel of cheapness, the price being 2s 6d. The original "Coral Lands" was issued at an almost prohibitive price. Wo nave received from Kegan Paul, Trench and Co. another volume of their red cloth Indian and Colonial series, being " The Elect Lady," a novel by George Macdoiialcl.

We have also received from George Bell and Sons a further addition to their " Bohn's Select Library of Standard Works." It is another instalment of Lessing, being English translations of his two plays, "Nathan der Weise" and "Minna von Barnhelm." The former has been translated in the metre of the original by Mr. R. Dillon Boylan, and charming: Minna is presented in an old prose dress, which has been carefully revised and improved by the editor of the volume, Mr. E. Bell.

From the same publishers has come to hand the "Schoolmaster's Calendar and Hand-book of Examinations and Open Scholarships." It give? a large amount of information about University and other examinations in England. The August number of Chamber's Journal, contains as usual an excellent assortment of varied and interesting contents. The continued stories now running are : " This Mortal Coil," by Grant Allen, and "The Silver Stream," by Fred M. White. An article on " The Chinese in the Colonies" is a very fair and temperate statement of the subject. An article on eucalyptus honey, which is made by bees which have fed on the Mowers of eucalyptus trees, states: "Eucalyptus honey is designed to take an important place as a therapeutical agent, and as an article of food, on account of the unusually large percentage of sugar it contains, and of the presence of the eucalyptus essences, the properties of which as antiseptics and deodorisers are well known. It is usually given in warm milk or warm water. One or two teaspoonfuls twice or thrico daily have produced beneficial effects on bronchitis, asthma, and diseases of the lungs and respiratory organs, producing elasticity of the lungs and a decided increase of the vocal powers. The breath is said to be perfumed, and a sense of warmth and well-being to pervade the body. The field for such an important honey would almost appear unlimited, owing to its antiseptic properties ; and already cases have been recorded of its use in typhoid gastric infection, whooping cough, and catarrhs. As a substitute lor cod-liver oil, the advent of eucalyptus honey will be hailed with delight by all who have to undergo the nauseous experience of a course of this oil, while its nutrient powers are not thought to be inferior."

Macmillan's Magazine for August contains a number of interesting articles, the chief of which, by Goldwin Smith, is on federation, and is entitled, "Straining the Silken Thread." It is inspired by an article written by the late Attorney-General of Xew South Wales (Mr. Wi.se), under the heading of " A Memxc.ii to National Unity," in which he showed that the Australasian colonies had no desire lor Imperial Federation. "In return," says Mr. Goldwin Smith, " let me assure Mr. Wise and any Australian who may read this, that Imperial Federation has but little real strength in Canada." The rest of the article is devoted to showing that with Canada at any rate Imperial Federation is an impossibility, one reason being the hostility of the French Canadians —' ; a great block of French population constituting a distinct nationality, and daily growing in intensity"—to anything that would tighten their tie to Great Britain. Other articles of interest are " A Ballad of the Armada," by Rennell Rodd, ,; Gibraltar," "On Some Letters of Keats," by Sidney Colvin, and the first two chapter* of a new tale by Bret Harte, called "Cressy," which opens in Tuolumne County, California, and which has the true Bret Hart km flavour.

The English Illustrated Magazine for August is an excellent number, the most interesting article being a description of the London Post Otiice, parcels, and telegraphs, with illustrations by Harry Furniss. It tells all about the parcels post system, takes us all through the telegraph department, initiates us into the mysteries of the mysterious "central office" of the telephone, shows to us the working of the marvellous system of pneumatic dispatch tubes, and concludes witli an illustration of old telegrams being " pulped " by machinery preparatory to being made into new paper. " A Rugby Ramble " is another illustrated article, which will please many. " The I'iitu'jonia" is the first part of a novelette by Henry .lames. " The Mediation of Ralf itardelot " is continued, and in " Et Cetera" there is a paragraph, written in a rather jubilant tone, anent the chequered fortunes of the Australian cricketers.

Wo have received a prospectus of a new work entitled " Slang, Jargon, and Cant: A Dictionary of Unconventional Phraseology, embracing , English, American, and Colonial Slang, Tinkers' Yiddish, Pidgin, and Anglo-Indian Slang, Quaint Expressions and Vulgarisms—their Origin, Meaning, and Application." The work is being compiler! and edited by Professor A. Barren; and C. G. Leland (Hans Breitmuun). The information for the work has been leathered from all parts of the world by a large band of well-known contributors. " The rich and racy slang of the fifth continent, the mighty Australian commonwealth, of the future" has been collected by Professor I). B. W. Sladen. The first and only complete edition, printed exclusively for private circulation, is limited to ti.iO copies (500 for England and 150 for America), each copy being numbered and signed, and will be sold to subscribers only. Full prospectuses may be obtained from, and subscribers' names received by, .Mr. G. May, 2, White Hart street, Paternoster Square, London, E.G.