PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

Otago Witness, Issue 2600, 13 January 1904, Page 49

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

The Jauuaiy number of the Austral Light is a more entertaining one for the genera! leader than is usual, the ccclceiastical to.ie being hgLte-n-ed up by a wise- lea\cu of ge-.t-ral article-, O uc-U na "A Half Hour with Australian Poets, ' "A Christmas S^oiy," j 'Tortign Proycibs," 1 ■■Modern Aolioncnay," Cic. Ahcg-jthcr, tho imprcvemojt in the general interest of the magazine by this month's arrangement of topics is so marked that all persona de-siring to sco its dr-cula- ' : tion enlarged w-i'l hope for a continuance of the ue'v iegin~.?. The Tiiad for Januaiy :a bright, amut,inq. and versatile- as usur.l, full of '"quips »nd querks" and useful inionnjition in that tabloid oi conJeasrd form wliieli iathc-1 appeals to tho liasty modem reader. Th? announcement if the v. inner m the "Six Greatest Artists competition i= also announced, and the tditoi- vnne- with con- ■ sid«rab!e jubi ation of the ""quite .■■emark- \ able knovvk'-rlgs of painterfi and painting" ! Cii=piaycd by the comj-etitoi- lhe iliiv- ; trstions of the «iaau?iy l.uuiber compo&o ( some \eij yetly sc-eaic rtproducticnr,, and ' include a ir.o.-j iitUrc^iiny. item in the [ thi-p-e vorj- charming jiortraits or Dune-din i young- ladies who ehstinsiushcd themselves ' ft the rccont festival of the Dencdin Com petitions iSoctety ' The Rc\i..'>v of Ecueiv? for December notiiies in detail he> clianqco which will manifcet theni-ch-as under the new regime end ehango of editorship which will tckp rffect in tho January nuinbci "The paitmg of the- w-aj'c ' has b^eii ioac-hed, and with : arparently undimmished personal admr a- ' tion for and confidence in one another Mr W Stead and Dr W. H. Fitchett havo agrcc-d to part, Mr H. Stcid assuming the | editorial c' air for the Au=lralasJTn edition, j Some matcnal improvem-tu'.ts, long necdcJ, I aie promised : an increase in siz?-, the sub- I slitutiou of better papei. many r>o:c> (and, 1 let us hope, very much bettor) initiations. J Meanwhile, the prefont number dec^is with • the ucual list of topics through its u=ual ' departments. The "Posiry of "the Month"' ; is s good selection; the "H\ tory )f tbe i Alontli" is absolutely disfigured by the • Vn'ctched blurs vh:ch ar^ misnamed "ilnn- ; t rations."' '"Csricatur^i of the Month," as | ritual, are fairly good. Mr Steed, in his j Lappic-t style, contributes die character sketch of tli? Duke of Dcvoivhiro. "Books of the Month '5 more a scientific or anti- | Cjiiarlar selection than a por.ula- one. The { usual resume of uotab'e avticlos in conttm- j pcrary magazine-s and re-vif-v.s n perhaps , the meat usefu' nart of the number ! The Monthly Ke%i?w for Dccemhc-r (London: John Mm lay, 2.= 6d n^t) fuFv maintaici3 its reputation as the be~t of all ILo , larger marazincs The' pnront issue -oil- i fains an aiticle by the Hca. Vi 7 Ppmbcr ! Reeves, Agent- general for thi= co'eny, en- ( titled. "The D.-.ughters of the Hoiue," and iii which Imperial questions a- they pffect the Old Country ar:l tho colonies arc dis- I roui'sed uroii in a fair-minded and impar j tial manner. Theio is an abundaiic? of li\e I and valuab'p recent history and a' c o of i suggestion in Mr Reeves"? article In '"The ' Cavalry md Iti- Principal Arm,'" "Eqi ~s" , strongly cntic'rse'S proposed ohans^s in this , branch of the army. Mi- Julian Corbetl'i ' remarks upon '"£W Repori. on the Fleet ! Manoeuvres," though necessarily somc-v>hat | technically worded ir pirt, cnn\ cy a | good idea of thc^e colossal exppiimcrts in , naval .nimio Warfare. In "'Public Opinion and Macedonia." by Noel and Charles Buston, international apathy concertina tho. vile domjrs o f Turk.oh tjranny awl mime ] ir. scathingly conr-rmned It is "with th" callousness of the 'Christian' people* that : the blame- chiefly lips." "Charlp- II ari j Reunion With Ilom^," by Arthur S Buncs, i= a fragment of history rcriccrning a fclicme | that failed Tl.nt Char 1 ?? "at th° rriomcnt of hm accession. . vras Siiucuine and ; full of hope thpt before many yeai= h?d passed he wou'd ho -pinning as a Catholic ■ Em? over pn K-igland o'^ce pore united to the Roman S" 1 is made pretty plain from numorous lctte:i- and papers here emote.- 1 . In courso of "A liDmblo in ClvblanJ." .'V A Inpca Shand, we nnss to very i^v.ch ]igbt°r purro'inc'iiigs Con e idpring tap London clubs a« bp"'ng "the centre- of liff-. li^hr. and leading," the writer goes on to d^'ciibo ', the typical ;lub as "a social borrse foi* tiio expression cf free thoutrht ard the intci j change- of ideas." Editorial su'hclp- intlrc 1 " i an amusing skit on currp/it rclitic^, "A ] Second Voyage to Liputp '' and so'tip- ( able liteiary revicms -'ThrodoiP Mrnin-- i ron," historian and .'rchroolo-i-- . i~ both culogis?d and criticised hv Dr Einil Rcic' 1 ', "Th' 3 Ye-il of the Temple" of co-- , versational disou=-ions on re'igior.s. scieuti- | fie. moral, and philosophical ouestions of j the day ends wuh the A'av, and an in<tr t !- : ir-nfc of "Fort Amity,"' by A. T Qr^r- ' Co ii Hi, ii- the final item m a very sterling number . | From Pieforia 'v« ha^e »ccci"cd f 1 nov , of tho Ti-Tnsvaiil A?; irultnral Jomrnl (or Orfobev. 1903. ;==uM b-v t]-n Acri" \U v- '1 D-"p<»itm*ri<- of the Trin^ail G ni . prrr.-fiit -n thp interest 1 - of fa'-mprs, ctcrkow nn «, o-chir-

lar^e amount of matcei- liko 3 - ro dc of great cervico to all" whoso intfrvesta ar-e bound up in the land, its vegetable and animal productu- and depe-nclenci?i-. The journal is liberaliy, even lavishly, illustrated with, coloured and monotone plates anti line drawings. Many article^ elucidative _pf the deadly pests that must make tho Transvaai farmers' life a grievous hrrd-e-r at times are ghen, lernttlie-s and preventive meaeureii being The natural \i!encs3e-s thua dealt with include "'Ticfe end African Coosfc Fever," "Scab'es, or Mange of the Eorse, A^s, and Mule, ' "Foot and Moutii Dia ease," "'Swine Fever," "Tick Fe-ve-r,' etc. Eien p quite cur. oiy perusal of these papera euggcgi= the trough t that life to the manfully rtrugglinp Cape farmer -nd stoekraiser must b^ largely a compound of heroism md martyrdom. As pleasant as the above are the reverso of it are a variety of papers devoted to tropical frails and plants grown 'i the Trar.fivaal Atrong th-sse are tlic iijango. Icquat. pompeliuou^, pay. paw. p'antain, tom^ of which ar© shown coloured to nature, and ■very luscious they iook With suitable land, rki.ig to 70G0ft, everything f'.om r.ppl<s to bananas, pine appk>» and oiang?=, can be grown, ond it is reckoned "that the coming; South Afr.t_a.i will not allow himself to be beater" by either Tasmania or Australia in the production of ordinary fii;i!\ But fiu.t-&'row>ne is as yet 'niclly beyon'l its earliest infancy in tha TrsnsAaal. Other subjects d.a'.t with are "Biids in Rc-lation to Agriculture," ■'O-trjfh Farming," "The- Culture oi To-b-uco, ' "l^^-kep_ning," "Che-<- ! ;© and But lor M'lkaior," ""'lhe Indiaiubber Tree," "Farm Implements" '"Statistical Tables/ etc