REVIEW.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2415, 13 December 1880, Page 2

REVIEW.

The “ New Zealand Illustrated Annual,” edited by M. Mosley, and printed by J. T. Smith and Co., Christchurch : This neat little tribute to the literature of the Season is deserving of widespread patronage. Its poems and tales, richly embellished with etchings by Cosens, of Christchurch, are good specimens of colonial talent. Mr W. J. Steward contributes a couple of seasonable effusions, “ The Angels’ Christmas Gifts” and “ The Christmas of the South,” which might pass muster were it not for the presence of a beautiful lyric gem, entitled, “ Waipomamutu,” illustrative of Maori life, and full of beauty and vigor, by Mr Thomas Bracken, Such lines as the following, by Mr Steward : " And thousands of thousands they numbered, That blessed evangel that hymned, All clothed in a glory of radiance The stars in their beauty that dimmed, Cannot afford to be contrasted alongside of such versification as “ Morning on the mountains, Brilliant on the fountains, Dazzling in the distance, sparkling in the sun, Dashing down the ledges, Leaping through the hedges, Scattering their diamond spray around them as they run. See 1 the lake is dreaming, While the rays are streaming, Dancing on its bosom:—love of mine, awake! Long hast thou been sleeping, Watch have I been keeping;— Spirit of my spirit, rise, and look upon the lake. The Maori legend, as told by' MiBracken, is full of sweetness and pathos, and the the versification is characteristic of the author’s happiest efforts. “ A Wasted Life,” by G. J. Shaw, is a somewhat dismal story, but it is well told, and will elicit the sympathy as well as interest of the reader. “ Diamond cut Diamond,” by' J. A. Selfe, exposes some of the scenes behind the scenes in sporting life, and it will consequently be perused with avidity. The Bev. 11. C. Watson “ Heroine ” is a pretty' little love story', prettily told, of a girl who sacrifices her own affections at the altar of a jilted rival and her faithless lover. “ Money or Love,” by Mrs Innes, is a tale of heaitlessness revenged and fidelity' rewarded. Mr Vincent Pyke contributes “ Under the Wattles'” an Australian romance, but the plot is unlikely, the coloring is laid on so thickly as to mar the effect, and the excessive use of adjectives renders the y'arn as wearisome as a cockney ballad. Three pretty' little tales from the editor’s pen conclude the Annual. “ Peace on Earth ” is a Dunedin Christmas sketch, remarkable for its pathos. “Lost in the Malice ” is a sorrowful incident told with childlike tenderness, and “ The Kismet of Caste ” gives a somewhat romantic and tragic picture of life on the European Continent. The Annual is well printed, and the tales and poetry are arranged in a manner highly creditable to Mr M. Mosley. It deserves an extensive circulation among colonial readers, and the Christmas parlor will hardly' be complete without it.