I have just finished reading—T am afraid I was nearly writing wading through Mr. Hall Came's latest production, Eternal City," and fear it will never rank with his earlier works, The Deemster" and The Bondman," both of which showed distinct power. To my mind the work is inferior merit to Miss Marie Corelli's Master Christian," to which it is being largely compared. Miss Corelli was accused of treating sacred subjects. in a too flippant manner, but at' the same time her characters lived. Mr. Hall Came's seem to me altogether to lack vitality; in fact, the whole work—and there are 606 pages in it—is distinctly dull. The author, ina speech he made a few days ago in' the Isle of Man, referring to his novel, said The Protestants complain that it is not Protestant, and tae Catholics that it is nob Catholic." "I fear the majority of readers will bring even a graver change, and vote isnot interesting. Tts characters are even less true to life than those in "The Christian." Roma has far less to commend her to us than Glory Quaile, and David is altogether an impossible character.
12th October.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.