REVIEW.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 64, 18 September 1862, Page 2

REVIEW.

Chapman's New Zealand Monthly Magazine, No. 2. We very briefly noticed this new candidate for the public favor on the receipt of the first number, as we felt that the many difficulties attendant on the commencement of a work of such a nature, would probably place the undertaking in a rather more unfavorable position than it would really occupy, and as we were anxious that this attempt to sujrply an acknowledged hiatus in the literature of the Colony should not fail, as previous attempts in the same direction have done, we were not inclined to be severely critical, and therefore preferred to await the appearance of the second number. The ditliculty of undertaking to publish a periodical in which, to quote from the Editor's Ftw words to the Public, “ Everything bearing on sect or party will be excluded” including even every* subject connected with “ local or colonial politics,” must be very evident to all. We fear that if this resolution is to be fully maintained, the range of subjects to be discussed in the New Zealand Magazine will be extremely limited; indeed we are not sure that the promise immediately afterwards given that “ the interests of the Maoris will be attended to” can be fulfilled, or on the other hand if all the references to “ this wonderful people” must not be confined to the “ collection” of their “ legends, their habits and fast departing superstitions and customs.” The general appearance of this second number, in respect of its typographical exeeuium, is (as was the first) remarkably creditable to both editor and publishers, and we notice that the errors of the press are but few, and of minor importance. Neither on the score of quantity can any fault be found, where some 48 closely printed pages of matter (mostly original) is provided for one shilling, some of which are really valuable, as for instance, the paper on The Culture of the Strawberry, which will be duly prized by not a few of the cottage gardeners of the Colony- t We are by no means certain that the edi-

tor does not, just a little overstep the somewhat narrow bounds of his self-imposed neutrality in colonial questions, in New Zealand Wars and their Chroniclers. If these bounds do not entirely exclude all allusion to such subjects as that of the Taranaki War, they are subjects certainly of so delicate a nature as to constitute very dangerous ground, and perhaps the “ tale” somwhat severely criticized in the article, has, after all, too much of the romance in its composition to deserve the attention here bestowed upon it. In addition to the above we have the two first chapters of A Rolling Stone, ■which promises to afford some amusement if it be not spoiled by too much drawing out; and the same remark will equally apply to Nights by the Camping Fire, where “ Peter” commences a tale of circumstances that occurred two and a half centuries ago, with all the minutiae of incident which convinces us that he must have been a witness and a prominent actor in the scenes described, and in consequence must, “ twenty years ago,” have been a very old man indeed, but with all this, we doubt not that both these tales will prove acceptable to a numerous class of readers. We are sorry to say that we cannot pay even this compliment to “ A Maori Tale,” Kohuki and his Two Wives. We are not informed if this is one of the “ legends of that wonderful people,” which we were promised in the first number —nor, indeed, does it profess to be a translation from the Maori tongue, it rather appears to be an abortive attempt at romance-writing in this direction, and by one who seems to know but little about the people—terms such as court-yard, CHRISTENED, SETTLEMENT, SIRE, &C., which are freely introduced in the tale, are sufficient to condemn it, but whether it be an original paper, or a translation from the Maori, it is of far too paltry a character for the pages of the New Zealand Magazine. First Experiences in New Zealand is the commencement of an interesting paper by a new arrival amongst us, and as such, (apart from its merits, which are considerable) will invite a perusal, which will be amply repaid. A continuation of The History of New Zealand, and an extracted article. The Darien Expedition, showing somewhat better taste in selection than those in the first number, conclude the present. On the whole, we have felt a little disappointed in its perusal, and for the credit of the literary talent of the Colony, trust we shall in the next number find a marked improvement in this publication, which we would fain see go on and prosper, by attaining to a high degree of excellence, and to this end we invite our fellow-colonists who have, by long experience acquired a knowledge of things desirable to be generally known and understood, to aid the worthy editor, by contributing papers that shall prove to be of real practical value to the settlers of New Zealand.