ary knowledge may be
feverish or moderate, but healthy. It is thoroughly interesting, most
amusing, and really valuable for reference withal. 'Tis written, too, in
so impartial a spirit, that it would be difficult to gather from these
pages to which political Party the Diarist belongs, but for his
exuberant eulogy of the wonderful Grand Old Man. Mr. LUCY is the
Parliamentary PEPYS. The sketches are by an Old Parliamentary Hand,
yclept HARRY FURNISS, and assist the reader unfamiliar with the House of
Commons to form a pretty accurate idea of the men who are, and of the
men who were, and what they wear, and how they wear.

[Illustration: A Reviewer.]

The most interesting part of JAMES PAYN'S latest novel, _A Stumble on
the Threshold_, to Cambridge men or Camford men (for in this story the
names are synonymous), will be the small-beer chronicle of small College
life in their University some thirty years ago. The slang phrases of
that remote period are perhaps somewhat confused with those of a more
modern time, just as an old Dutch Master will introduce his own native
town and the costume of his fellow-countrymen into a picture
representing some great Scriptural subject, thus bringing it, so to
speak, up to date, and giving us an artistic realisation of what may be
concisely termed "the historic present." In the second volume (this
novel is complete in two volumes) the sketches of river-life, including
a delightful one of the old lock-keeper, are refreshingly breezy. The
story, slight in itself, is skilfully worked out; and the only
disappointing part of it--that is, at least to the Baron's thinking--is,
that the villain of the earlier part of the tale does not turn up again
as the real culprit, though the Baron is certain that every reader must
expect him to do so, and must feel quite sure that, in spite of the
author's reticence on the subject, it was _he_ who really committed the
murder, and escaped even the author's detection, unless, out of sheer
soft-heartedness towards the puppets of his own creation, JAMES PAYN
knowingly let him off at the last moment. The judicial portion of the
novel, including the scene in the Coroner's court, is just what would
have been expected from an impartial "J.P."

* * * * *

A DEGREE BETTER.--The Degree of Doctor of Music is to be revived at
Cambridge. The duties will be to attend ailing Musicians and Composers.
When appointed, the Doctor will go o