LITERARY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1945, 4 June 1891, Page 42

LITERARY NOTES.

Nearly one-half of the newspapers and periodicals published throughout the world are printed in the English language. The well-known song "Within a mile o' Edinboro' toun " was written and composed by Urfey, the court lyrist, for one if the concerts or musical entertainments given under the auspices of Queen Anne and her Danish spouse at Kensington Palace in the year 1703, Some of the ordinary expressions of the Chinese are pointed and sarcastic enough. A "blustering, harmless fellow they call " a paper tiger." When a man values himself overmuch, they compare him to " a rat falling into a scale and weighing itself." Overdoing a thing they call " a hunchback making a bow." A spendthrift they compare to a "rocket," which goes off at once. Those who spend their charity on remote objects, but neglect their family, are said to " hang a lantern on a pole, which is seen afar, but gives no light below." Otago readers will be pleased to read the following notice from the Anti-Jacobin of a local author's recently published work : — "We hope that Mr Dugald Ferguson, who owns a passion for the bagpipes and can hardly dis-t like haggis, will take it as a compliment when we say that his ' Vicissitudes of Bush Life in Australia and New Zealand ' (Swan, Sonnenschein, and Co.) contain a fine amount of confused miscellaneous reading. The writer has thrown his colonial experiences, which- go back to 1850, into the form of an autobiographical novel, or rather story; the plot being of the slightest kind, though adventures abound, E[e has also a way of bringing out interesting facts through conversations of a kind resembling those at the close of each ohapter in Mrs Markham's ' History of E.ngland.' After that it should be needless to add that Mr Ferguson takes eminently correct vißws of men and things. A capital book for youngsters — for anybody not too old toslearn — is this medley of farming and fighting, of courtship and self-help. Healthiness of thought and enjoyment of life run all through it. Next to the 'pipes' Mr Ferguson loves a horse and to talk of horse?, a taste which will assuredly do him no disservice with the right sort of readers either in the Old Country or the new." dickens' daughteb on hbb fathee's JPAMB. Through all these last 20 years I have watched and remarked how each new year seems to bring my father back to this world more and more. How personal the love for him has become; and how his characters live, and walk about with us. One hardly ever takes up a newspaper or magazine without reading something about him, or finding bis words quoted. I have been moying about i Bngland*a great ' deal for the last few years, and have lived amongst " all sorts and conditions of men " and women, and have had many opportunities of observing this personal love for my father. And it will not be out of place I think, or apart from the scheme of your book, if I mention one or two of such instances. In Warwickshire an Irish clergyman came to" call, and to thank me in all simplicity ".for what your father is to me, and to my children." And then he gave a deep sigh, and confided to me with a whimsical seriousness that there was one thing which distressed him greatly, and this was that he could not get the female part of his family to appreciate " Pickwick "I I can never picture him as old. And as he could not bear the idea of losing any of his activity either of mind or body, we must be thankful that he left us in the full power of hi 3 strength and genius, -r- Miss Mamie Dickens, quoted in F. G, Button's « Dickens with Pen and Pencil."

" Gome'along, old fellah ; juab had a Jblg divvy. Join mo la a bottle of.' Lebecra ' Dry Champagne."