THE PREMIER CHRISTMAS NUMBER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 10008, 20 December 1895, Page 5

THE PREMIER CHRISTMAS NUMBER.

The Christmas Number of the AUCKLAND Weekly Nkws, which was issued last week, is boyond all doubt the best Christmas Number that has been issued in the colony. For wealth of illustrations and variety of reading matter it easily eclipses all com petitors. Its coloured supplement of political characters, and the comic cartoon representing Captain Cook's return to New Zealand in the year of graco 1895, are beyond all question the most original and amusing things of their kind ever issued from the colonial pross. The likenesses of the prominent politicians depicted are admirable, and without degenerating into the mere caricature the artist has succeeded in skilfully hitting off their individual peculiarities and characteristics. The Captain Cook illustrations aro both amusing and up to date, and are accompanied by some rhymes which are in thorough keeping with tho humourous sketches. Tho handsome coloured picture "For His Enemy 1 is a well exoculed representation of an incident in the Maori War. In addition to the coloured plates tliore are a large number of beautiful photoengravings illustrative of Now Zealand scenes and young colonials, while the letter press is profusely illustrated. Tho prize competition stories are of an intorcsbinland sensational character, while the usual Christmas reading matter is of a varied and interesting kind. Taking the number as a whole it is, both from an artistic and literary point of view, the most interesting and readable production of its kind that has ever been issued in the colony.