thunder," and "in the name of spotted Moses," and so forth, are
Americanisms, and the tone of these two smart Etonian writers has a
certain Yankee ring in it. Why not leave this sort of thing to MARK
TWAIN, BRET HARTE & CO., who are past masters of their own native
slang? _Seven Summers_ will interest and amuse Etonians of all ages.

And here, attracted by a quaintly-designed cover, the Baron takes up
_Ballads from Punch, and other Poems_, by WARHAM ST. LEGER, published
by DAVID STOTT. That a considerable number of these have appeared in
_Mr. Punch's_ pages, by whose kind permission they are reprinted, is
quite sufficient guarantee for their excellence. _The Lay of the Lost
Critic, The Plaint of the Grand Piano_, are capital specimens of the
author's humour, and _Christmas Eve_ of his true pathos. No influence
of American humour visible in any of these. As a rule, the Baron
doesn't recommend betting, but advises his readers to go in for this
St. Leger.

The contents of _The Universal Review_ this month are varied,
interesting, but not sensational. The article on Westminster Abbey, by
FREDERICK GEORGE LEE, D.D., with its humorous notes and observations,
will have a charm for many readers, and so will that on the painter
BERNADINO LUINI. The novel entitled, _The Wages of Sin_, is now at
the first chapter of the fifth book, and there is an illustration
representing a lady in a Victoria pulling up in Waterloo Place.
Underneath is the legend--"She leaned forward smiling, beckoning as
the Victoria drew up against the curb." First, she is not leaning
forward; secondly, she doesn't appear to be "smiling;" thirdly, she
doesn't seem to be "beckoning;" and, fourthly, though the horse is
being pulled back, probably on the "curb," yet, if the author means
that the carriage is being pulled up against the pavement, then