BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9943, 5 October 1895, Page 1 (Supplement)

BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS.

Sir Robert's Fortune : The Story oir a Scotch Moor.—By Mrs. Olipbanb. Methuen and Co., 36, Essex-streeb, W. 0., London. The volume is one of the series of Methuen's Colonial Library. The story is very realistic of Scottish life, and ways and manners, and the plot is a simple one, though it is cleverly woven up into a tale of great and continuous interest. Sir Robert Ramsay is a bachelor who has loft all to his niece, Lily, bub on condition that she marries according to his notions of rank and station. She is in love with a briefless barrister, Ronald Lumsden, who desires to marry the girl, but is loth ab the same time to lose Sir Robert's money, which will fall to her ultimately. In order to wean Miss Lily away from her romantic attachment, Sir . Robert sends her away to a lodge '.' on a lonely Scottish moor." Love, however, defies bolts and bars, and Ronald Lumsden keeps up a clandestine correspondence with tho young maiden, and persuades her after a time into a secret marriage, the knowledge of which would be kept from her uncle. In due course a child is born,necessitating further deception and concealment;, and Ronald Lumsden stoops to spirit the babe away, and told tho mother ib was dead, in order to lessen the chances of Sir Robert detecting the deceit practised towards him. Sir Robert dies suddenly, when further concealment is unnecessary, and in open day and at the funeral Ronald Lumsden proclaim? his marriage, and subsequently produces to the mother her babe, which she had thought to be dead, and which was now the heir bo wealth. Disgusted at the mercenary traits of character displayed by her husband, the young wife begins to feel a loathing towards him, more especially as he had also in telling her the story of the child's death, practised a cruel deception upon herself. His accidental death, while inbeotdftfTon inflicting a cruel wrong upen Sir Robert's old and faithful servant relieved a tie which was getting irksome. Such is the plot and finale, and the story is pleasantly and graphically told, of lights and shadows of Scottish life.

Windsor Magazine: Ward, Lock, and Bowden, Limited, London. The August number is to hand. The initial article is of especial interest now Che Arctic and Antarctic exploration is absorbing public interest, and is entitled, "How to Reach the North Pole," by Flora Klickraann. Interviews are given with Admiral Sir

Leopold McClintock and Admiral Markham. The hater officer states that on any Polar expedition he would see to the provisions being packed under his own supervision. One of the most awful things in connection with the Franklin catastrophe was the discovery by the search party of tins profossing to be filled with preserved meat, but which were only packed with stones! These had been supplied by a contractor named Goldner in England. When the poor unfortunate explorers came to open them, what must have been their horror to find the fiendish act which had been perpetrated. Goldner disappeared, but he richly deserved to be hanged. Some account is given of the Jackson-Harms worth barque Windward expedition of 1H94, in which the main interest of English people centres, and the cost of which is being defrayed by the munificence of Mr. Alfred Harmsworth. Among the other articles are "The Spoiling of Veronica," by Barry Pain ; " Art Trea--sures of tho Province : The Pictures at Liverpool ;" " The Progress of Lawn Tennis," by Wilfred Baddelly ; "Round about Chelsea," " Curiosities of Chancery," and " Wild Fowl Shooting." Tho articles are varied in character and charmingly written. The August number is an excellent one. The Pali, Maul Magazine : Published at 18, Charing Cross Road, London, W.C.— The September number is up to its predecessors. There is an excellent article on "Coot and Heron," and is a pleasant story entitled, "Bstween Flesh and Spirit." " In the Duke's County" is a description of part of Devonshire and the ruins of Bolton Abbey. "The Baggage Smasher" is an amusing description of the way railway porters knock luggage about. Wm. O'Connor Morris concludes his interesting narrative of "The Campaign of Trafalgar." There are three new serial stories, The Man that Shot Macturk," "His Honour, and a Lady," and " Lilian : A Portrait." "Gretna Green," with the "old, old story," is the subject of a chatty descriptive article. The series of articles on "Evolution in Early Italian Art" are continued, the current one being on "The Madonna and Saints." The serial literature is entertaining and instructive. A Man ok Mark : By Anthony Hope, Methuen, and Co., 36, Essex-streeb, W.C., London. We have received the above novel through Messrs. George Robertson and Co., Melbourne. The scene of the plot is the Republic of Aurataland, and the period 1384. " Although most happily situated," says the author (it lies on the coast of South America, rather to the north, I musn'fc be more definite), and gifted with* an extensive territory nearly as big as Yorkshire, it had yet failed to make that material progrets which had been hoped by its founders." His Excellency President Marcus W. Whittingham seems to be positively Vogelian in his conceptions, as he had commenced a great scheme of public works on borrowed money. When the loan was spent the works were only half completed, and the methods by which he obtained further advances, to finish his public works, from the representative of the advancing bank shows him to be a financier of the first order. Signorina Christina Nugent plays a not unimportant part in the political intrigues of the day in Aurataland. Thestory seems to be a clever satire on the way matters are managed in the South American Republics or Governments of that type. Of course the usual revolution comes in, which somewhat clears the air. A Veldt Official, a Novel of Circumstance : By Bertram Mitford. Ward, Lock, and Bowden (Limited), Warwick House, Salisbury Square, E.C.—The plob is a very simple one, though it forms the basis of some exciting scenes and incidents. A young man, Roden Musgrave, is appointed by the Cape Government to be clerk bo the Residenb Magistrate of Dappcrsdorp. Landing at Algoa Bay from th,e steamship Siberian, Musgrave went by train and then by two days' po3t-cart travelling to Doppersdorp, where he commences his official duties with Mr. Peter Van Stulz, R.M. Early in his official career he makes the acquaintance of Emma Ridsdale, who is to colour all his after life, and share his fate. His rival in love was a Dr. Lambert, who spares no pains to ruin bim. A rising takes place among the Gaikas, and the burghers are called to arms. The description of frontier fighting with the Gaikas is remarkably realistic, aad there are some fine pieces of word paintiog. Ultimately Lambert finds an American paper containing some references to Musgrave's career, in a Western township in America in which he was tried and charged with murdering his mate, bub was acquitted. The paper is placed in the Free Library of Doppersdorp by Lambert, and the scandal circulates. Mu*grave resigns his post, severs his friendship with Mona Ridsdale, and leaves for England. On board the ship Musgrave found, to his surprise, also Mona and Lamberb. The steamer daring a fog is run into- by another steamer, and the usual scenes of horror and loss of life ensued, through the rushing of the boats. A hatchway is floating about to which Lambert is clinging. Musgrave and he grapple together, and the latter is drowned. Mona is gob to the hatch, which will not bear two, and after a time Musgrave sinks from exhaustion. A passing steamer rescues Mona, who dies of her exposure and suffering. __ The story has an unsatisfactory ending in the death of the two cenbral characbers, bub the frontier wars with the Gaikas and the shipwrack afford ample material for descriptive writing, which is fully utilised. The various characters in the story are well delineated.