CURRENT LITERATURE.
A Colonial Tramp : Travels and Adventures in Australia and New Guinea. By Hume Nisbet. (Ward and Downey.)—Hume Nisbet is not a mere "globe-trotter," not one of those travellers who gallop rather than trot across continents, and vainly try, as if they were photographic cameras, to remember the rapid succession of crowded scenes that cross their mental vision. He had to hurry, it is true; but then, this is not the first time ho has tramped the Australian Colonies. He knows the Australians thoroughly, forgets whatever useless conventionalities are likely to hinder a good understanding with squatters and gold-diggers, " stood treat" often—a sure way to the Colonial heart—and showed himself pos- sessed of a firm and independent temper, and a good pair of fists. He tolls us of the very mon we want to know, the hardy squatters and pioneers of Colonial enterprise, by far the best side of the Colonies, and the opportunities awaiting all true and well
"plucked" Britons. As an artist, he adds to the vigorous and descriptive style just that tinge of the eccentric which is so refreshing. He is full of yarns, reminiscences of younger days, and innumerable little sketches and touches that bring the Australian vividly before us ; and is thoroughly imbued with that sense of freedom peculiar to the Australian, the American plainsman, and the Canadian, that smell of the bush and the prairie which a Colonial never gets out of his nostrils. Of course, he gives vent to a certain contempt of civilisation, speaks disrespectfully of England. as worn out, and invites the emigrant to lose no time in casting off the last relics of feudalism ; but we have got used to this bubbling-up of healthy spirits. He reiterates the note of warning as to the class of emigrant likely to get on ; it is a pity that it will fall on heedless ears. With the exception of the early days of the Colonies, he never touches on the dark side of the Colonial picture,—the readiness to borrow, which will some day cause them trouble. The book has many vigorous sketches, which remind us that the sunset frequently tempts the writer to paint in words. A Colonial Tramp is one of the most instructive and entertaining of modern books of travel.
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