Literary Gossip.

issue of his cards . His opponent had two " trays " and a " deuce . " Tho farm was consequently lost , and its owner exclaimed"Ace , deuce , and tray , Londscales go thy way . " This is sometimes used as a cautiou against relying upon a merely probable certainty . The Rev . W . Henry Jones , F . R . S . L ., is preparing a work on the folk lore

of Holderness , and will be glad to receive comunieations from any person interested iu the subject , at his residence , Pryme Street , Hull . An eminent Yorkshire antiquary and philologist has just passed away in the person of Mr . Francis Kildale Robinson , author of a " History of Whitby and its Abbey , " and of a valuable glossary of " Yorkshire Words and Phrases . " " The Pantomimes and all about them , " is the title of a little book by Mr .

Leopold Wagner , brought out at a seasonable time . It contains much appropriate information ; but where the matter is more ori ginal than the portions which have been compiled , the style is slipshod , and not always in the best taste . We doubt not , however , that the booklet will have a large sale . Heywood is the publisher . We are glad to learn that a third volume of " Old Yorkshire" will be published towards the end of the year . The volumes already issued are both useful and popular , and do great credit to their editor , Mr . William Smith , F . S . A ., S .

The Hull Literary Club held its annual dinner on the 10 th January . We are very pleased to note that the club continues to be a great success . On the 23 rd January the Rev . Sir George W . Cox , Bart ., M . A . lectured before the members on " Myths , or Migrations of Fables . " Golden Hours is now edited b y the Rev . J . Jackson Wray , of Whitfield ' s Tabernacle , author of " Nestleton Magna , " and several other semi-religious

stories , in which surprising powers of depicting character are evinced . The Art Chronicle is a worth y and interesting periodical , well calculated to keep its readers an courant with art events . The Portfolio , edited by Philip Gilbert Hamerton , continues as excellent as ever . The January issue contains some splendid artistic contributions , while

the literary contents are supplied by first class writers . The absence of international copyright between Norway and any other State has recently forced itself into notice in a peculiar way . It appears that Henrik Ibsen ancl Bjornsen , the two Norwegian poets whose fame is European , are each in receipt of a pension from the Government . Ibsen has written a letter , published in a newspaper at Christianiaurging that the amount of these

, pensions should be increased . In the absence of a literary convention with other countries , his books , ancl especially his plays , are reproduced everywhere without the slightest profit to himself . On tlie other hand , he finds the home market flooded with foreign books , which equally pay no copyright to any one , and compete unfairly with his own . The curious point is that Ibsen does not press for any change in the law . He admits that it is of the first importance

for the Norwegian people to get their literature at the cheapest rate . He only suggests that national authors , being thus sacrificed to the public interest , should receive compensation from the State . His own compensation he asks for iu the form of an increase to his not excessive pension , which at present amounts to only 801 . a year .