remote parts, Odoric being a Franciscan of Pordenone in Northern Italy, who dictated an account of his travels in 1330."

South Africa: its History, Heroes, and Wars. By Professor W. DOUGLAS MACKENZIE, assisted by ALFRED STEAD. London: Horace Marshall and Son. (English Edition.) Pp. 675. With Illustrations.

Professor Mackenzie tells us in his preface of his "earnest desire to tell to thousands of Americans a complicated story which was being most seriously misrepresented, and whose misrepresentation threatened to interfere with the growth of that frank avowal of friendship for Great Britain which during the last two years has been so rapidly spreading throughout the nation." He gives a prominent place, as is natural, to the story of the Jameson Raid, with the organising of which he emphatically maintains that Mr. Chamberlain was associated. It does not seem to have occurred to Professor Mackenzie that such conspiracy on the part of a responsible Minister of the Crown is scarcely likely to win for us American sympathy. Apart, however, from this point, we cannot describe the book as a success. Its design is evidently to tell all about South Africa. It sketches the past history of the country, describes its leading towns and men, tells of diamonds and gold, and gives an account of the causes of the war and of its progress so far as Lord Roberts' occupation of Pretoria. It is unfortunate that, with such a field to cover, the style of writing is so diffuse. In several instances statements are inexact, and it is not clear that any of the information is first-hand. On the whole, Professor Mackenzie would have been wise in restricting his labours to the life of his father, the Rev. John Mackenzie, of Bechuanaland, who plays an honourable though minor part in the story.

Russia in Asia: A Record and a Study, 1558-1899. By ALEXIS KRAUSSE. Second edition, 1900. London: Grant Richards. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1900. Pp. xxx +411. Price 10s. net.

Those who had acquainted themselves with the first edition of Mr. Krausse's masterly book, Russia in Asia, will not be surprised to learn that a second has been called for within a comparatively short period. His work constitutes the only complete account of Russian activity throughout Asia that is at present before the reading public, and no one who is at all interested in the question of our future eastern policy can afford to overlook this study. Mr. Krausse brings out with almost painful lucidity the fact that all along the line from Constantinople to Port Arthur, it is really Russia and this country that are engaged in silent conflict, and that hitherto all the advantage has lain with the Slav. He also anticipates the time when the conflict must become open, and shows us to be either sadly illinformed or indifferent to the real state of matters, and, in consequence, for the most part unprepared.

A

Chapters are devoted to the various stages in the Russian advance on Asia, and bulky appendices contain the text of her various opportunist treaties. prefatory chapter is added to this edition which brings the book up to date. In it, however, we find a statement with regard to British influence in the Persian capital (p. xxii.) which hardly tallies with others on pp. 17 and 120. We also find in the same chapter (p. xi.) the peculiar variant, Hinka for Khanka. A portion of the account of the Trans-Siberian railway has not been revised in accordance with the latest plans. Thus it is now generally understood that the Trans-Manchurian branch will leave the Siberian trunk at Kaidalova, some fifty miles to the east of Chita, and not from Nertchinsk as stated on p. 210. Further,

the railway had to be carried and has been carried beyond that town to Stretyensk before effective river communication could be instituted with Khabarovka. It is certainly true that in 1897 "trains were run as far as Omsk," but as a matter of fact the line was open for regular traffic as far as Tomsk the previous year, and the present writer travelled by special permit as far as Krasnoyarsk. We also have become acquainted in these pages for the first time with the statement that there was initially a proposal to carry the railway round the north end of Lake Baikal. A glance at the map will show that there is either some error here or that Mr. Krausse has put on record a scheme that most Russians have recognised to have done little credit to its deviser, and consequently have omitted to chronicle. Khabaroff (p. 26) and Chabaroff (p. 123) is doubtless a printer's error, as is also Tchinovik (p. 19). Apart from these minor blemishes, we have a volume which is certain to remain a standard for many years to come.

Scrambles in the Eastern Graians, 1878-1897.

By GEORGE YELD. London:

T. Fisher Unwin. Pp. 275. With Illustrations, Map, and Index.

In Piedmont, a little south of Aosta, lies a climbers' district, which Mr. Yeld has annexed by right of conquest. In its small compass are some dozen peaks or cols of 12,000 feet or over, and two dozen others of 11,000 feet, whose ascents he describes in this book, many of them first ascents either actually or by his routes. Some peaks still remain unconquered, but his enthusiasm has spared few, and, to judge from the attractive photographs which adorn his pages, a climber will find here a rare field of interest. Already the rude simplicity of the eighties is giving place to comfortable hotels, and there may be many to whom the author's perversion may apply

"Though Zermatt's glories did his youth engage,

He sought the Graians in his riper age."

But we must enter a protest on behalf of one mountain. The description of an ascent on pages 45 to 48 leaves us in doubt as to which is the peak referred to, and it is only from the index that we learn it was the Grivola. Again, nowhere have we found a note of the height of this peak. But this injustice can be easily remedied. The author's enthusiasm for his hobby, his delight in mountain scenery and flowers, make him admirable company, and we do not doubt that his book will draw others to his happy hunting-ground.

In the Ice World of the Himalaya: Among the Peaks and Passes of Ladakh, Nubra, Suru, and Baltistan. By FANNY BULLOCK WORKMAN, M.R.A.S., F.R.S.G.S., and WILLIAM HUNTER WORKMAN, M.A., M.D., F.R.G.S. With 3 Maps and 67 Illustrations. London T. Fisher Unwin, Paternoster Square, 1900. Pp. viii+204. Price 16s.

This is an account of the personal experiences of the joint authors on various mountaineering excursions among the Himalayas. The scope of these excursions may be most easily defined by quoting a sentence or two from the introduction. “During . . . 1898 we made an expedition from Srinagar, to which point we cycled, into the mountains of Ladakh, Nubra, and Suru, and in the autumn, from Darjeeling into Sikkim. In July 1899, starting again from Srinagar, we crossed the Deosai plains into Baltistan. From Skardu we went to the Shigar valley, over the Skoro La to Askole, and up the Biafo glacier to the Hispar pass. Returning over Askole, we made the ascent of two hitherto untrodden peaks of the Skoro La circle, and of Koser Gunge, from the Shigar valley. We then retraced our steps to

Srinagar, whence we visited the Lidar valley, following it up to its termination in the glaciers of Kolohoi, upon which we made a reconnaissance to the base, 15,000 feet, of the highest peak, which, owing to the lateness of the season, was covered with fresh snow to such a depth, that attempting to ascend it was out of the question. . . . For the last season's expedition, we were enabled to secure the services of the noted guide, Mattia Zurbriggen." Of the three expeditions undertaken by the writers, the second, that in Sikkim, proved quite abortive. Four causes are mentioned as combining to render exploration in this quarter difficult(1) the weather, (2) expense, (3) "the Government authorities are reputed to be disinclined to grant the necessary passes" for exploring in the neighbourhood of the forbidden land of Nepal and Thibet, and (4)" there is, so far as we could learn, no governmental regulations of coolie service, as in other Himalayan districts, to compel coolies to carry out their contracts. . . ." As to which of these four causes was most powerful in frustrating the proposed journey, the reader is left in little doubt; the Political Officer at Darjeeling is the individual whose action or inaction made redress impossible after a large expenditure had been incurred in fitting out an expedition which returned after reaching a distance of twenty-five miles from its base. It would perhaps be interesting to hear the said Political Officer's account of the incidents described. The two expeditions, or series of expeditions, in Kashmir, in 1898 and in 1899, occupy the great bulk of the volume, and form highly interesting reading for the most part. The point of view throughout is that of the mountaineer rather than that of the explorer. It is the personal experience rather than the scientific fact which is generally brought forward. The idiosyncrasies of a native cook or coolie may assume for the time being much greater importance for the mountaineer than the geology of the district, and the loss of a topie in a gale may affect personal comfort more than all the other climatic influences combined. In such cases, the book records the facts in the proportion of their present impressiveness. But to say this is only to indicate that the volume is not a geographical treatise, but a graphic record of personal experiences. And taking them all in all, the experiences are worth recording and are well recorded. They include a vast amount of hard and persevering work,mountaineering carried on, as is pointed out in the introduction, under circumstances vastly more trying than in such regions as the Alps, where civilisation lies at the door. In the course of the last tour, Mrs. Bullock Workman established three consecutive world mountaineering records for women, viz., 18,600, 19,450, and 21,000 feet. This alone, even under the guidance of Zurbriggen, is something for a mountaineer to boast of. An interesting chapter is given by Dr. Workman on his experience of the physiological effect of climbing at high altitudes, and of the use of various foods and drinks by mountaineers. A glossary is added, giving the meanings of the native words employed, as well as some of the mountaineering terms, but the principle of selection in the case of the latter is not evident; it is not clear, for example, why such a word as massif should require explanation, while others like arète and sérac are passed over. The system of punctuation adopted is peculiar, and in some cases has a puzzling effect; for instance, "We have never yet had a servant, who has done for us, what he or she was declared in chits to have done for other employers. It may be, that servants have suddenly become incompetent while in our employ, or, it may be, that, in the enthusiasm for chit writing, their former employers have overstated their capacity."

The route maps given at the end are extremely clear and good. The numerous illustrations, reproductions from photographs for the most part, and including excellent portraits of the writers, give a distinctly increased value to the book. They are well selected and well produced, and represent many interesting scenes

and events connected with this chronicle of adventure, "In the Ice-world of Himálaya."

La Hollande. Par MM. FRANÇOIS BERNARD, C. H. B. BOOT LOUIS BRESSON, etc. Paris Librairie Laroupe.

In this account of Holland we have no less than sixteen collaborateurs, and it goes without saying that there is much diversity of style and merit in the treatment of the various subjects which have been assigned to them. On the whole it appears to us that the monographs on the history and art of Holland have been most effectively treated and are the most interesting. The volume, however, contains a fairly full and detailed description of the Holland of to-day-its appearance, population, constitution, army, navy, etc., and there is an useful appendix giving a number of authorities, which a reader desirous of going into the subject more thoroughly may consult with advantage, but we observe that, with the exception of two hardly known if not obsolete petty works, no English book is mentioned as calculated to be of use to the student of Holland and its colonies. The book is profusely illustrated, but the maps are very indifferent.

Lieutentant-Colonel John Haughton, Commandant of the 36th Sikhs, a Hero of Tirah. A Memoir by Major A. C. YATE, 2nd (Duke of Connaught's Own) Baluch Battalion, F.R.G.S. London: John Murray, 1900. Pp. xvi + 238. With 3 Maps and numerous Illustrations.

The first half of the book deals with its hero's family history, early life, and service before the opening of the Tirah campaign in 1897; it includes an account of the military exploits of his father during the first Afghan War. The interest of the work centres in its second half, which relates the part played by Colonel Haughton and his regiment in the war, which, unfortunately, deprived the country of his further services. He is shown to have been a brave and capable soldier, who commanded the confidence and respect of all ranks, and he greatly distinguished himself during the operations which afforded him his first and last experience of actual warfare.

The story of his life is one that may be read with profit by all young officers and by lads who look forward to a military career. If they be thereby induced to follow the bright example of John Haughton, the army will be the gainer. In the concluding chapter the author gives his own views on the lessons of the war and the training of military officers. The illustrations are of high quality.

Hazell's Annual for 1901. Edited by W. PALMER, B.A. London: Hazell, Watson, and Viney, Ltd., 1901.

The Guide to South Africa. Edited annually by A. SAMLER BROWN and G. GORDON BROWN. 1900-1901 edition. London: Sampson Low, Marston, and Co., Ltd.; Cape Town: J. C. Juta and Co. Pp. 416. Price 2s. 6d.

The above are new issues of excellent and well-known handbooks; they have as usual been carefully revised. Hazell's Annual has reached its sixteenth yearly issue, and now comprises a volume of 696 pages of indispensable reference matter. In Brown's Guide to South Africa the information, which is very complete, is written for tourists, sportsmen, invalids, and settlers. The numerous maps will be found of great service.

THE SCOTTISH

GEOGRAPHICAL

MAGAZINE.

A BATHYMETRICAL SURVEY OF THE FRESH-WATER LOCHS OF SCOTLAND.

By Sir JOHN MURRAY, K.C.B., D.Sc., F.R.S., and the late
FRED. P. PULLAR, F.R.G.S., F.R.S.E.

PART II. THE REMAINING LOCHS OF THE FORTH BASIN.

INTRODUCTION.

PART I. of this work, dealing with the lochs of the Trossachs and Callander district, viz., Lochs Katrine, Arklet, Achray, Vennachar, Drunkie, Lubnaig, Voil, and Doine, was published in this magazine in April 1900.1 This second part treats of the remaining lochs of the drainage basin of the Forth, viz., Loch Chon, with Lochan Dubh, Loch Ard, and Lake of Menteith in Perthshire, and Loch Leven in Kinross-shire. The methods and apparatus used were the same as those described in Part I., all the soundings having been taken from rowing-boats with the F. P. Pullar sounding-machine.

MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

The general map of the district published in Part I. includes the lochs now treated of, except Loch Leven. The four maps illustrating this part show the depths in each of the lochs under consideration, on the scale of three inches to the mile (1:21,120), most of the soundings taken during the survey being given in feet. The intervals between the contour-lines of depth are indicated by different shades of blue, and the intervals between the contour-lines of height of the neighbouring country by shades of brown.

Plate I. shows Loch Chon with Lochan Dubh, the contour-lines of depth being drawn in at 25, 50, and 75 feet.

VOL. XVII.

1 Vol. xvi. pp. 193-235, with seven coloured maps.