PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

Otago Witness, Issue 2302, 14 April 1898, Page 38

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

It will be evident to anyone going over the Art Journal for March that its projectors are engaged in a determined end successful attempt to add materially to the already great excellence cf their mag£z"ne. The previous numbers contain abundant; indications of this fact, while the present issue ia still more lavishly endowed in the same way. The ariicles upon "David Cos; " and " The Present Condition of Art in Scotland " are really superior productions of the pea. They arc far from that kind of writing (ao common, in attempted expositions of art subjects) that is too superior to be readable ; on the contrary, their papers are of a sort to be gone through by the ordinary picture-lover with genuine pleasure and profit. The illustrations, too, are simply faultless in technical quality. We would strongly urge our artistically-inclined friends to needfully peruss these valuable contributions. Another item possessing both arbiptic and literary interest is the second instalment of " From Pfailas to Koro&ko," by ' George Montbnrd. The artist-author here gives 1 us vivid glimpses, and plenty of them, of life on the Nile and it 3 banks. M" Montbard ocenpies a foretßOst placs »3 an illustrator, and these sketches ar9 plainly the woHr of a master hand and mind, and the notes are exceedingly pithy, insfcruefch-e, and amusiDg. Tha well-illustrated commentary upon " The Collection of I. Julius Weinberg, Esq., Dundee," showa it possessed of some of the finest efforts of Phillip, Archardaon, MacWhirter and M'Taggart. The articles elucidative of " Cunning Work for Clever Fingers," " Canura Craffc," '« Arts and Industries of To-day," &c, all have special interest ; while the large photograving plate, " The American Puma,'' by J. M. Swan, A.X.A., forms a splendid irontispieco to a really brilliant nuxnbeic. "Austral Light" for April opens with a capital paper on " Cardinal Wiseman " by W. H. Archer. A series of "Tales of the. Papal Zouaves " is begun by George Collingsidge, and Henry A. White concludes the interesting articles on the prison hulk Success. A very pretty poem by Marion Miller, book notices, and current topics make up the number, in conjunction, of course, with the instalment of the serial' stow, "On the Banks' o£ the Swan

" The Leisure Hour for February presents, aj usual, an excellent bill of fare to its readers, and successfully strikes the note between the heavy magazine and the light. There is a very interesting article on " Chess Playing To-day, }: accompanied by capital illustrations, one oi which, " A Chess Match at the City of London Civb r " forms the frontispiece to the number, ••A Saddle-back Academy" is an extremals bright little article, while heavier matter is supplied in the article on " Greenwich Observatory," and colonial topics find an exponent in C. H. Irwin, M.A., who writes on " Politics and Public Men in Australia." The serial stories keep up their interest, and there art various excellent and amusing articles, which go to make up a number in nowise inferior tc the usual good standard of the Leisure Hour. The Triad for April dispenses with its usual musical supplement iv favour of a large number of capitally-executed views of Old Dunedic and Dunedin of the present day, several of the contrasts being particularly interesting. A portrait and sketch of Miss Fanny Wcntworth is among the other attractions. The Australian edition of the Review ti Reviews for March is even more interesting than usual. Prominent politicians from each colony give reasons why the colony which he represents should accept the Federation Bill. While dealing with the drift of politics in New Zealand, Sir Bobert Stoub delivers a crushing blow to Seddonism, and indicates how the Ballance policy has not only been departed from but in many important respects reversed, ~ Prince Ranjifcsinbji brings his series of articles on the ■ cricket matches to a close. The history of the month is- told in the caricatures reproduced. "John Burns, the Statesman ot Labour'"" is" the subject of the character sketch. The English and Australian notes of the match are carefully written. The magazines are, as usual, skilfuUy skimmed of their cream. "The Pall Mall Magaz'ne" (publishing effice, 18 Charing Cross road, London). — In the March number the Duchess of Cleveland tells in a charming manner the history of Battle Abbey, founded by William the Conqueror on the spot where he gained his battle wish the Saxons and won the Crown of England. Tha Hon. Mrs Armytage briefly outlines the career of Jean, | Duchess of Gordon, who raised tha well-known | Gordon Highlanders, whose latest exploit on ; ihe Indian frontier is now so well known. Mr ! Gibbon has a paper on "The Record of the Gurkhas," a well-known fighting tribe. It will be remembered by old colonists that the late I Cracroft Wilson strenuously endeavoured to | have a contingent of these famous lighting men introduced into this colony when Tifcokowaru and Te Kooti seemed able to defy the forces which our Gov,ernmenb was able to put in the fi4d. Sir Walter Besant hag another of hia interesting articles on tha early history of London. Anthony Hope's "Rupert of Heutzau," a continuation of the story of "The Prisoner of Zonda," has reached a stage calculated to excite the interest of the reader. " The Story of Major And; c " is reteld, and among the short complete tales may be noted as worthy of mention "A Scarlet Sin" and "Lost in a Blizzard." As usual, tho illustrations are high-cliss.