PUBLICATIONS RECEIVER

Otago Witness, Issue 2652, 11 January 1905, Page 54

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVER

The November number of the Windsor Magazine opens with one of those lavishlyillustrated article's on art which readers have become, pleasantly familiar with. The current one is devoted to the art of Lady Alma-Taderaa, and is written in a eulogistic vein, culminating in the assurance that in the writer's opinion, the Lady Tadema girl will ere long obtain as muoh popular celebrity as the Dv Maurier girl or the Gibson girl ! An interesting article on "The Small Farmer in England" is written by Rider Haggard; "The Ways of Our Railways" has reached its sixth milestone of interest and instructiveness, and deals on this occasion with "The Work of the Waggons." Lovers of fiction will find plenty of material, light, lighter, lightest, in the numerous short stories of sorts which fill the pages of the Windsor for November. The Review of Reviews for December is characterised for momentary interest by a portrait of Earl Grey, Governor-general of Canada, on its crimson cover, to which a full-page portrait on the inner pages and

some pages of ''A Character Sketch " make supplementary details. An illustrated article on New Zealand scenery is contributed by P. W. Fairclough under the title of* ''Through one of New Zealand's National Parks-." Unfortunately, the very gist of such an article — the reproduction of scenic j beautiesr— is rendered abortive on the ordinary thin paper employed. "First Impressions of the Theatre" is the title of an article by that veteran journalist, W. T. Stead. nor can the impressions of a man who, "until his fifty-fifth year has ' never witnessed any stage play other than the Passion Play at Ober Ammergau " fail to' be interesting. "Interviews on Topics of the Time" embodies the direct views of several notable per&ons on far-reaohing questions ; for example, Rev. R. J. Campbell, of the City Temple, on "The British Working Man" ; and a Polish patriot with an unpronounceable name on "The Resur-

rection of Poland." "The Book of the Month" is H. G. Turner's "History of the Colony of Victoria." The usual precis of notable articles in contemporary magazines and reviews completes an interesting number.

The January issue of the Austral Light is out early, andi operas with an article which will be well read alike by Catholics and Protestants, entitled, "Protestants and the

-Athanasian Creed." The Rev. M. "Watson writes on "The Sunshine of Life" ; and the grave little journal is actually given up to the unwonted gaiety of two stories !

" CasseH's Popular Gardening," Nos. 15

and 16, has reached us from _Mr Prietor, and the publication shows no sign of abatement, either in interest or excellence, as the numbers run up to their final limit o£ 24. The Amateur gardener -who is wise enough to provide himself with "Gassell's Popular Gardening" only needs to bring a moderate amount of intelligence to the task of adapting the vast and varied amount of information contained therein to the difference in season and climate existing between the United Kingdom and New Zealand in order to possess a perfect cyclopaedia of gardening lore.- Flowers, fruit, and vegetables, all are alike regarded in their latest and most up-to-date aspects of culture and

propagation. The greenhouse, hothouse, op&n border, and window-box; the back- , yard and the aquatio garden, the oneeper- > hung trellis, and the :ock garden, are all alike dwelt upon, and their lovely inhabitants named, pictured, and prescribed for. The vegetable garden, from the homely cabi bage to the more aristocratic tomato and ■ celery, their needs in culture and soil, ! their enemies in blights and parasites, are j dealt with — pearl of greatest price — pracl tieally. The same may be said of ihe fruit ! garden : indeed,- the temptation to run into detail on the excellencies of "Cassell's Popular Gardening" is so great that we "put in the plug" by the friendly admonition — ' buy it !

The Daily Mail, anticipating a demand from a cheap summary of English news fcr residents in the colonies, is issuing an "oversea edition," published weekly, at a charge of 5s a year. The edition is printed on thin paper in order to reap the benefit of the halfpenny postage. So far as thesecolonie° are concerned, we feel doubtful as to there being any appreciable demand for the new aspirant for favour, as* the ample cables received daily anticipate nost of its contents, but possibly Canada and India may prove a better field 1 .

Just before the steamer Moresby left Santa Cruz, in continuation of her voyage to Sydney recently, it was reported that the natives there had been quarrelling about a pig. The animal, it appears, found sts way into a plantation and played havoc with the yams. A fight followed, and during the melee three natives were killed. It was stated that a fight occurred some weeks previously among some of the natives, when five lost their lives. This fight, too, was all about a pig.