BOOK GOSSIP.
One of the most interesting books of travel issued of late years is that entitled, Arminius Vambery: His Life and Adventures (London: T. Fisher Unwin), which is now in the third edition. This Hungarian traveller is a man of rare courage and will, and possessed of high literary accomplishments; and the narrative of his wanderings in various capacities in Asia and Europe is told with a graphic and picturesque power which is extremely captivating.
Vambery, who was born in 1832, had a singularly hard up-bringing, and the story of his early years is quite as interesting as his later adventures in foreign lands. His father died a few months after the birth of the boy, leaving the family in extremely poor circumstances. When he was twelve years of age—up to which time, from lameness, he could only walk with the help of a crutch—his mother thought him old enough to shift for himself. He had previously been three years at school, where he had drawn attention upon himself by his precocity. But the inexorable poverty of his parent stood in the way of further education, and at twelve he was apprenticed to a ladies’ dressmaker, but only stayed long enough in this employment to learn to stitch two pieces of muslin together. He left the shop of the ‘dress-artist,’ and did a little teaching in the family of an innkeeper, ‘occasionally waiting on thirsty guests.’ When he had saved up eight florins, he hastened from the Island of Schütt, where he had spent his years, to a gymnasium in the vicinity of Pressburg, and here began a strange struggle for existence and education. His money was just sufficient to buy the necessary books, and he had to depend on the kindness and charity of others for his food. Seven different families each gave him one day in the week a free meal, adding to it something for breakfast and luncheon; and he got the cast-off clothes of the wealthier school-boys. Notwithstanding all drawbacks, he made great progress in his studies, and took a high place in the Latin class—he was indeed able at fourteen years of age to speak Latin with considerable fluency. We cannot follow his career further, but can with confidence commend the singular story of his life and adventures to all readers, both young and old.
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Literature and angling would seem to have something in common. The number of books that have been written on the ‘gentle art,’ and that by men of striking ability, is too well known to require enumeration. To this list we must now add Sprigs of Heather, or the Rambles of ‘Mayfly’ with old Friends, by the Rev. John Anderson, D.D., Minister of Kinnoull. Mr Anderson is a veteran angler, and is able to look back to days spent by the river-side with the great Christopher North, and with others who, though of less note in the angling and literary world, were still such as to afford to the author the opportunity of telling many amusing and characteristic stories regarding them. He is, as many, perhaps most, anglers are, delighted with the scenes of rural beauty into which his pursuits have led him, and he describes them with the pen of a ready and accomplished writer, and with somewhat of poetic fervour. Mr Anderson is a strong advocate of fly-fishing, and almost scornfully speaks of those who use bait, as ‘ground-fishers,’ and the like. We are not sure but his indignation on this point is misplaced, as all bait-fishing is not done in muddy or discoloured water, and perhaps as much skill is required to fish successfully a small clear stream with worm as with fly. Stewart and other well-known anglers have long since acknowledged this. In other respects, however, Mr Anderson’s little volume is such that lovers of the rod and line will find it entertaining reading.
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Those who love Scottish music and Scottish dances will hail with pleasure the appearance of two handsome volumes entitled, The Athole Collection of Dance Music of Scotland (Edinburgh: Maclachlan and Stewart). These volumes have been compiled and arranged by Mr James Stewart Robertson (Edradynate), who has done his work in a most efficient manner. He, as an unprofessional musician, apologises for having undertaken such a work, which, he says, was only done by him because he did not expect, from the disfavour into which, for the present, Scottish music and dances have unfortunately fallen, that any professional musician, competent for the task, ‘could be induced to devote the time, and to run the chances attending the production of such a work.’ So far as Mr Robertson’s execution of the work is concerned, no such apology was required; while his devotion to the task which he has so satisfactorily accomplished renders his services to his country almost patriotic. He has selected his airs with admirable taste and skill, and the two volumes contain within them specimens of almost every characteristic of Scottish dance music. No better or more acceptable present could be sent from Scotch folks at home to Scotch folks abroad than this Athole Collection.
AMONG THE DAISIES.
Lay her down among the daisies,
With the fringes of her eyes,