Literature.

Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character . B y E . B . EAMSAY , M . A ., F . R . S . E ., Dean of Edinburgh . Third edition , much enlarged . Edinburgh : Edmonston and Douglas . THIS new edition of a very amusing book has been so greatly enlarged that it " might , in fact , almost have been issued as a new work . " Anecdotes , jokes , and witticisms have always been

considered pleasant reading , and it is well known that every good story finds its way into almost every language in the " known ivorld , whilst , after a few years , the nationality of the joke is entirely lost , ancl it tells equally well in all tongues . The anecdotes in this volume cannot all be said to ho new , as wc recognize many that have been before ns on more than one occasion , yet they are told so graphicallthat we do not become impatient at

y their reappearance . The book is very nicely got up , and is dedicated to Lord Dalhousie . . Thc anecdotes are classified under five heads—Religious Feelings and Observances- —Old Scottish Conviviality—The Old Scottish Domestic Servant—The Scottish Language ancl Dialect—and Scottish Stories of Wit and Humour , Thc first example ive shall select is one on

PAREXTUl-lTICAl , PREACHING . _ " An officer of a volunteer corps on duty in a , place , and very proud of his fresh uniform , had como to Mr . Shirra ' s church , and walked about as if looking for a seat , but in fact to show off his dress , which he saw was attracting attention from some of the less grave members of the congregation . Ho came to his place , however , rather quickly , on Mr . Shirra quietly remonstrating , ' 0 man , will ye sit down , ancl wo'll see your new breeks when thc kirk ' s dune . ' This same Mr . Shirra was well known from his

quaint , and , as it were , parenthetical comments which lie introduced in his readings of scripture , as for example , on reading from the 116 th psalm , ' I said in my haste all men are liars , ' he quietly observed , ' Indeed , Dauvid , an' yc had been i' this parish yo might hae said it at your leesiu-e . ' " 'fhe conviviality of our ancestors has been the subject of many an essay , but of all the jovial souls who loved to drown dull care

in the flowing bowl , the Scotchman ofthe last century stands preeminent ; and as there arc some very good anecdotes which show the maimers and customs of the days gone by , we have marked three to extract for our reader ' s amusement . In the following we have a very fair insight into a Scotchman ' s

" DRINKING CAPACITY - . _ " Lord Cockbnrn was fond of describing a circuit scene at Stirling , in his early days at the bar , under tho presidency of his uncle , Lord Herinand . After tho circuit dinner , and when drinking had gone on for some time , young Cockbnrn observed places becoming vacant in the social circle , but no one going out at tho door . He found that the individuals had dropped down under the table . He took the hint , and by this ruse retired from the scene . He lay quiet till the beams of the

morning sun penetrated the apartment . The judge and some of his stanch friends coolly walked up stairs , washed their hands and faces , came down to breakfast , and went into court quite fresh and fit for work . The feeling of importance frequently attached to powers of drinking was formally attested by a well known western b . u-onet of convivial habits and convivial memory . He was desirous of bearing testimony to the probity , honour , and other high moral qualities of a friend whom he desired to commend . Having fully stated these claims to consideration and respect , ho deemed it proper to notice also his convivial attainments : he added accordingly , with cautious approval on so imp ortant a point , ' and ho is a fair drinker . '"

To such an extreme did the drinking customs ofthe age go that wc have the following melanchol y picture presented to us : — _ " Nothing can more powerfully illustrate the deep rooted character of intemperate habits in families than an anecdote which was related to me as coming from thc late Mr . Mackenzie , author o £ 27 __ Man- of Feelinri He had been involved in a regular drinking party . Ho ivas keeping as free from the usual excesses as he was able ; and , as he marked companions around him falling victims to tho

power of drink , his attention was called to a small pair of hands working at his throat . On asking what it was , a . voice replied , ' Sir , I ' m the lad that ' s to loose the neckcloths : Hero , then , was a family where , on chinking occasions , it was the appointed duty of one of the household to attend , and when the guests were becoming helpless , to untie their cravats in fear of apoplexv or suffocation . " Nor ivas the usage confined to the classes of societyfor

upper , all persons were considered as "hail fellow , well met , " when there were signs of drinking about . One of the most capital stories in the book turns on this point , and is so . excellent that wc cannot refrain from giving our readers a glimpse of " Till-: CIIARO- * 0 . F THE DEE AT BANCHORY . ' ¦ Eoaty was a firstrate salmon fisher himself , and was much . sought alter by amateurs who camo to Banchory for the sake of tho sport aliorded b the beautiful

y Dee . He was perhaps a littlo spoiled , and presumed upon the indul gence and familiarity shown to him in the way of his craft ; as , for example , he was in attendance with his boat on a sportsman who was both skilful and successful , for be cant-lit salmon

after salmon . Between each fish catching ho solaced himself with a good pull from a flask , which , he returned to his pocket , however , without offering to let Boaty have any participation in the refreshment . Boaty , partly a little professionally jealous perhaps at the success , and partly indignant at receiving less than his usual attention on such occasions , ancl seeing no prospect of amendment , deliberately pulled the boat to shoreshouldered the oarsrodslanding-netsand all the fishing

, , , , apparatus which ho had provided , and set off homewards . His companion , far from considering his day ' s work to be over , and keen for more sport , was amazed , ancl peremptorily ordered him to come back . But all the answer made by the offended Boaty was ' IS " . ! , na ; them ' at drink by themsells may just fish by thenisells . '" The liberties taken by old and attached servants is a theme often dwelt upon , and in many instances they g ive rise to really

humorous situations . The great bulk of this description of anecdotes ive have read before , but there are some quite new to us , ivhich may also amuse our readers ; take the following as specimens : — " Tho charge those old domestics used to take of the interests of the family , and tho cool way in which they took upon them to protect those interests , sometimes loci to very provoking , ancl sometimes to very

ludicrous exhibitions of importance . A friend told me of a dinner scene illustrative of this sort of interference which had happened at Airth in tho last generation . Mrs . Murray , of Abereairney , had . been amongst the guests , aud at dinner one of the family noticed that she was lookingfor the proper spoon to help herself with salt . The old servant Thomas was appealed to that the want might be supplied . He did not notice tho appeal , ft was repeated in a more peremptory manner , ' Thomas , MrsMurray has not a salt- : ' to which he replied most

ha-. spoon emp tically , ' Last time Mrs . Murray dined here we lost a salt-spoon . ' An old servant who took a similar charge of everything that went on in tho family , having observed that his master thought he had drunk wine with every lady at table , hut had overlooked one , jogged his memory with the question , AVhat ails ye ? at her wi' the green gown . ' " A characteristic anecdote of one of these old domestics I have from a friend who was acquainted with the parties concerned . Tho old man

was standing at the sideboard and attending to the demands of a pretty large dinner party ; the calls made for various wants from the company became so numerous and frequent that the attendant got quite bewildered , and lost his patience and temper . At length he gave vent to his indignation in the remonstrance , addressed to the whole company , 'Cry a' thegither ; that's the way to be served . ' " I have heard of an old Forfarshire lady who , knowing the habits of

her old and spoilt servant , when she wished a note to be taken without loss of time , held it open and read it over to him , saying , ' There noo , Andrew , ye ken a' that ' s in't ; noo clinna stop to open it , but just send it aff . ' Of another servant , ivhen sorely tried by an unaccustomed bustle and hurry , a very amusing anecdote has been receded . His mistress , a woman of high rank , who had been living iu much quiet and retirement for some time , was called upon to entertain a large party at dinner . She consulted with Micliol , her faithful servant , and all tlio

arrangements were made for the great event . As the company wore arriving , tho lady saw Kichol running about in great agitation , and in his shirt sleeves . She remonstrated , and said that as the guests were coming in he must put on his coat . ' Indeed , my lady , ' was his excited reply , 'indeed , there ' s sae muckle rimiing here and rinning there , that I ' m just distrackit . I hae east ' n my coat and waistcoat , and , faith , I dimia ken how lang I can thole ( bear ) my breeks . ' " Wc have purposely forborne adducing any of the Scotch

humour , which is plentifully introduced into the above volume , because southerners do not always understand the dialect , and to seek for the pith of a story by the aid of a glossary , totally destroys the point of a good thing . But to those who can avail themselves of a knowledge of lowland Scotch , we would add , that the Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character is a storehouse for their amusement , and those who , like ourselves , have but a wee smattering with the Scottish idiom , will yet find in Dean Ramsay's book a mine of goodtafes easy to be retained , and very m any well worthy of being retailed in the family circle .

Twenty Years in the Church . An Autobiography . By the Rev . JAMES PA- CROFT , B . A ., Trinity College , Oxford . London : Booth . THE author of this volume is favourabl y known as a writer by his Recollections cf College Days , ancl some part of that work may be said to be remodelled and incorporated in the present bulk y volume , consisting of more than four hundred pages . "Under the

guise of an editor , thc Rev . Henry Austin , the author tells the story of his life from his childhood , through his school days , college life , struggling , unbeneficed ministrations , his subsequent induction to a living , and his now comfortable ancl domestic home . It mi ght be expected in a work like the above , and perhaps it , would be pardonable , that Mr . Pycroft should have tinged it with his views on church matters ; but he appears to belong , as far as ive can gather from his pages , to the Broad Church party in the