Reviews.

REVIEWS .

War and Invasion . A Loyal and Patriotic Address to our Young Riflemen . Harrison , Exeter Change . Loyal and Patriotic Songs for our Young Riflemen . Ibid . " Who'll beard the Lion in his den , " is tho motto of the first mentioned of the above publications . And certainly from the historic view of the invasions of this country set before us by the authorit would seem to bo a very unluck

, y . attempt to do so . The pamphlet is written in a style that ' ws cannot approve . Its tendencies are to exagerate the chances of a war between this country and France , and no very kindly words are used when speaking of Napoleon III . Still it is well written , interspersed with apt quotations , and calculated to keep the passions up to boiling point . The Loyal and Patriotic Songsby the same authorare

, , creditable specimens of rhyme but totally unsuited for music . Mr . Edward Moody , who has arranged the music , has simply disarranged many good tunes . His rhythm is defective , and accentuation bad . and the whole , or any one , of these ¦ songs never likely to become popular .

Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character , by E . B . Ramsay , M . A . ( secondseries ) . EdmonstonandDoiiglas , Edinburgh . Dean Ramsay has produced a second series of Reminiscences of Scottish Life arid Character . Continuations , ancl second series are not usually half as attractive as the first issue , but we must exempt from this rule the book now before us . Turn to whatever we willthere are such

page , racy tales , anecdotes , and stories ) ' that the book will be at all times a resource of infinite amusement . Take , for instance , the following specimen of one of the ministers of the Scottish Kirk , and his hankering after tho good things ¦ of this life : — „ " We have more than once had occasion to mention the late Rev . Walter Dunlop of the U . P . Church , Dumfries . * * He was very

much esteemed by his congregation as a faithful ancl affectionate minister . * * He was firmly persuaded that the workman was , worthy of hisjmeat , and he did not hesitate occasionally to intimate how agreeable certain ' presents' would be to him and his betterhalf . * * One evening , while making his pastoral visitations among some of the country members of his flock , he came to a farm-house where he was expected ,- and the mistress , thinking that he would be in need of refreshmentproposed that lie should take his tea

, before engaging in exercises , and said she would soon have it ready . Mr . Dunlop replied , 'I aye tak' my tea better when my wark's dune . I'll just be gaun on . Ye can lung the pan on , an' lea' the door ajar , -an' I'll draw to a close in the prayer when I hoar the haam fizzin' . ' Another day , while engaged in the same duty of visitation , ancl while offering up prayer , a peculiar sound was heard to issue from his great coat-pocket , which was afterwards discovered to have

proceeded from a half-choked duck , which lie - 'had gotten in arrest-Hi , ' and whose neck he had been squeezing all the time to prevent its crying . On another occasion , after a hard day ' s labour , and while at a 'denner tea , ' ashe called it , he kept incessantly praising the liaam , ' and stating that 'Mrs . Dunlop at hanie was as fond o'haam like that as he was , ' when the mistress kindly offered to send her the present of a ham . 'It's unco kin' o' ye , unco kin / hut I'll not pit to the troubleI'll just tak'it hame on the horse afore me . '

ye ; AVhen , on leaving , he mounted , and the ham was put into a sack , but some difficulty was experienced in getting it to lie properly . His inventive genius soon cut the Gordian-knot . ' I think , mistress , a cheese in the ither en' wad mak' a gran' balance . ' The hint was immediately acted on , and , like another John Gilpin , he moved away with his 'balance true . ' One day , returning from ashovt visit to the country , he met two ladies in Bucclouch Street , who stopped

hiin to inquire after his welfare , and that of his wife . Lifting- his hat politely , to the consternation of all three , out tumbled to his ¦ feet his handkerchief , followed by a largo lump of potted-head , which he had received in a ' present , ' and was thus carrying home , but which , at the moment , he had entirely forgotten . One Sunday , after sermon , just before pronouncing the blessing , he made the following intimation , ' My freens , I hae a baaptism at Tjoeharbriggs the riichtan' be some o' wad be sae kin' as to ie me a cast

, may ye g oot in a dandy-cart . ' On descending from the pulpit , several vehicles ¦ of the description were placed at his service . He would not allow any of his congregation to sleep in church , if his eye caught them . One day he suddenly stopped in his sermon , and said , 'I doot some o ' ye hae taeu owre niony whey porridge the clay : sit up , or I'll name ye oot . ' Some four-ami-twenty years ago , when Mr . Dunlop lost his excellent and amiable wife , to whom it was well known he

was strongly attached , Dr . Wightman , parish minister of Kirkmahoe , in the immediate neighbourhood of Dumfries , then upwards of seventy years of age aud a bachelor , was invited to the funeral . On entering the house , he was surprised to observe that Mr . Dunlop , now a widower for a second time , did not appear to be much affected , as he would have expected , and , indeed , seemed wonderfully composed and cheerful . His peculiar humour could not be repressed even on this occasionfor he said' Come awa' Dr . Wightman

, , , , come awa ' , it will he lang to the day when ye hae onything of this kind to do . " There arc many illustrations of customs and manners which have long since died out , or are confined to remote places , ancl they throw considerable li g ht on the life of the working classes of the day . Of such is a carter ' s holiday in the midsummer of 1786—90 . AVe do not remember

having seen a previous account of such sport , more especially in conjunction as an aid to a benefit society . The Dean describes the scene thus : — " On all such occasions it was the custom for each ofthe members to appear mounted on his best nag , saddled and bridled , well curried , and decorated , head , name , and tail , more or less with ribbons . The principal himself , in his best suit—a large broad bonnet ,

stitched all over with ribbons of every colour , and obtained for the day from wife , sweetheart , or neighbour , and broad sash of same materials ; also , when mounted , suspended at his left wrist , a wooden mallet , with a handle about thirty inches long , the purpose of which will be explained after . Th e place of rendezvous of the troop having been agreed on—generally a few miles in the country , having the advantage of a barn or such like accommodation , for lunching-drinkingor dancingancl a good public-house at no great .

, , , distance—to which locality the whole party make off in procession , with colours flaunting , horses curvetting , and all in the best possible glee for a day's fun . That which at the time the writer witnessed was at tho villa- e of Blether Liberton , about two miles south of Edinburgh , then a large thriving populous place , where , upon a spot selected for the purpose , were erected two firm posts , stuck in the ground at about ten or twelve feet distance , a good height , and

bound at top with a cross beam , thus forming a kind of arch . Midway on the cross beam hung , by a rope of about three feet long , suspended by the bung-hole , a barrel or firkin of about two feet long in size . If it is asked , what of this barrel , to which all eyes are turned up , and such mighty preparations directed , for ? Could any one of the present day he made to believe that the members of such a society could originate , and that thousands of citizens of all classes could witness with the greatest delight , the cruel torture of

a poor animal—as in this said barrel was coopered up a live cat , with a largo quantity of soot ? The method of torture , or eliciting tlie fun , as it was termed , was in this manner—vi ::., each mounted clown ivas required to march in procession under the archway , and on passing to strike with his mallet the end of the suspended barrel , which if missed was a fine of sixpence . The first stroke on the barrel of course sont it swinging considerably from the perpendicular ; hence the difficulty of the next trooper to plant his

hit ( as it was required to keep moving ); also , if he did hit , not to do so with too much vigour , lest he should stave the barrel , ancl thereby have the eat and soot down upon him and his horse—the great point of the tomfoolery of the day . Consequently the fun was in watching the alternate hitting and missing of each trooper as he advances ancl passes , which he has many times to do , returning to the charge in a circle , ancl lasting probably for an hour , till the

last stroke causes the descent of poor puss and the soot on the luckless clown of the day . " There is scarcely a page but what gives room for such extracts as tho foregoing , ancl we might fill the whole of our periodical with quotations of equal curiosity and mirth . The eccentricities of good Scottish families are not amongst the least amusing part of the book , and although it is

arranged in a miscellany , it is one that will often be found an agreable companion , as a relief from more studious reading , or to introduce title by title , into the home circle . Dean Ramsay ' s Reminiscences of Scottish Life and , Character will repay perusal , andfiu'nish thereader with an overflowing amount of anecdote and quaint illustrations enough to set himself up as a wit for no inconsiderable portion of his life . Open the book where you will , there is no lack of entertainment .

The Boys' Own Magazine . S . 0 . BEETON , Strand . This is about the cheapest two-pennyworth we have seen for a long time ; romance , biography , history , boys ' games , poetry , conundrums , & c , all finding their appropriate place . The Magazine is carefully edited , ancl the illustrations well executed .