insurrection in 1894, about the Royal family, and Korea's situation between Japan and China, and Japanese rights over Korea. Part two gives a description of the country. Part three presents us with the state of affairs before the Japanese occupation. And part four deals with the Japanese policy in Korea. In conclusion the author discusses, and gives us his opinion on, the Far Eastern question. There are 50 illustrations.

HURST AND BLACKETT; LONDON.

Viewed simply

9. Pioneering in Formosa, by W. A. PICKERING, C.M.G. as a narrative of "Adventures among Mandarins, Wreckers, and Headhunting Savages," Mr. Pickering's book will be found sufficiently interesting to commend itself to the general reader on this ground alone. Yet it would be a mistake to regard it as a narrative and nothing more. The author, at any rate, does not limit himself thus narrowly; he supplies us, besides, with clear and comprehensive descriptions of the physical features, the history and political status, and the various civilized and uncivilized inhabitants of the "Beautiful Island." But over and above this, in a series of extracts from various journals and magazines, which he has included as an appendix to the book, he explicitly sets forth his views on the main aspects of the "Chinese Problem," to the vital importance of which he wishes to call public attention at home, and on which he is qualified to speak with authority in virtue of his exceptional knowledge of all that pertains to China and the Chinese. On the whole, this may fairly claim to be the best account of Formosa under Mandarin rule that has appeared hitherto; following, as it does, on a long series of books and articles written by competent observers in recent years, it should finally dispel the lamentable ignorance that still hampers our policy in China and the Far East. The book is handsomely bound and well printed, and contains. numerous illustrations. G.

LONGMANS, GREEN AND Co.; LONDON.

10. Modern Mythology, by ANDREW LANG. The pages which follow cannot but seem wandering and desultory, for they are a reply to a book, Mr. Max Müller's Contributions to the Science of Mythology, in which the attack is of a skirmishing character. The ordinary reader will endorse Mr. Andrew Lang's opinion, and regret that he did not devote his time to writing some further brilliant criticism of so-called philological mythology instead of a somewhat laboured and detailed defence of a position that no one nowadays wishes, in its general outlines at least, to assail. It is possible, no doubt, that in some cases an original verbal confession underlies strange mythological stories, but who would seriously argue at the present day for the solar myth exploration of the tale of Troy, or describe mythology as a disease of language. Presumably it is only out of deference to Prof. Max Müller's eminent position and reputation that Mr. Lang has taken the pains to argue with him in so grave and matter-of-fact a position. But the result is not very readable, while the volume contains no contributions to anthropology of any particular value.

SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON AND Co.; LONDON.

11. Hausaland, or Fifteen Hundred Miles through the Central Soudan, by the Rev. C. H. ROBINSON, M.A., Ripon Diocesan Missioner, and lecturer in Hausa in the University of Cambridge. (New edition.) This is a new edition of a book published some 22 years ago, and will prove exceedingly interesting at this time, when our attention is so much drawn to West African affairs. The author describes his journey from Akassa to Kano and back in the form of a diary, and tells us how the king or chief of every village where the traveller may stay expects a present, otherwise his reception is ungracious and often insulting. Hausaland is composed of the following states-Sokoto, Gando Gober, Kano, Kwontagora, Zaria, Katsena, Yakubu and Adamawa which are tributary to either Sokoto or Gando. The rulers of these states are of a different race altogether from the people, and are Fulahs. They are distinguished by their lighter skin and less woolly hair, and are a shrewd and intriguing race of soldiers, whilst the Hausas are a quiet commercial people, and in great demand as soldiers or carriers, both by the English and French as well as the Belgian and German authorities in West Africa. The Hausas are both intellectually and physically superior to all the other natives of Equatorial Africa. Onethird of them are Muhammadans, and their language is spoken by fifteen millions of people. Hausaland extends from about Lat. 80° N. to 140° N., and from Long. 4° E. to 11° E. The author says that the country may appropriately be called "Central Soudan." Much information is given of slavery and slave-raiding. A good map accompanies the volume.

12. The Invasion of Egypt in A.D. 1249 by Louis IX. of France and a History of the Contemporary Sultans of Egypt, by the Rev. E. I. DAVIS, M.A., chaplain of St. Mark's, Alexandria. The author gives an interesting account of the object of the King of France invading Egypt, the position of the Sultans in those days, and the several sections into which the followers of Mahomet were divided. Considering the position of the country at the present time, its protectors, and the attitude of France, the work cannot fail to be perused with pleasure.

13. Contributions to the Early History of New Zealand (Settlement of Otago), by T. M. HOCKEN, M.R.C.S., ENG., F.L.S., member of the Otago University Council. In this volume the author has succeeded in recording many old events in the early history of the colony which have never till now been told, and which would otherwise have passed into the limbo of oblivion. In compiling his history he has incorporated, as he acknow ledges, information from numerous "old identalities,” amongst whom may be mentioned Sir Richard Nicholson, Captain Symonds, the Rev. J. F. H. Wohlers, and others. The book treats mainly of Otago, and gives its history from the year 1845 to the present time. It is a useful book, and contains many illustrations and maps.

14. History of European Botanical Discoveries in China, by E. BRETSCHNEIDER, M.D., Late Physician to the Russian Legation at Peking, etc. (Printed at the Imperial Russian Academy of Sciences' Press, St. Petersburg.) Dr. Bretschneider, who during the past thirty years has done as much solid and honest work in the field of sinology as any European, has THIRD SERIES. VOL. VII.

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It might even be said given of no fewer than

now completed what may be termed without exaggeration the labour of his life, contained in two quarto volumes of over 1,100 pages. From its title one might conclude that it was a purely botanical work; but even a cursory inspection shows that it is, as well, a geographical record of the highest order, giving accounts of all the travels which have been performed by Europeans in the Chinese Empire and its vassal states, including in this last term (which is taken in its broadest sense) Corea, Indo China, the Philippines, Central Asia, Turkestan, Tibet, etc. that it is a biography as well, for an account is 700 persons who have travelled in China, beginning with Marco Polo, and carried down to consular or customs officers and missionaries of all nationalities as lately as the past three years. The amount of geographical and personal information alone is thus very vast, apart from the commercial and economic value of the book, which may be gauged from the fact that the second index gives nearly 8,000 names of plants, notwithstanding that only such plants (and their literature) are recorded as have been for the first time discovered in China or her vassal states. A great many documents inédits and hitherto unpublished papers have been utilized in compiling this work, which may fairly be ranked amongst the great achievements of the century in regard to oriental knowledge, and one quite indispensable alike to merchant and scholar in the Far East.

Of course it is desirable that the book should be utilized in connection with Dr. Bretschneider's admirable map of China, reported upon in our issue of July, 1896; and in this connection it may be mentioned that he has now published (Messrs. Stanford, Cockspur Street, London) a further set of five supplementary maps, adapted to the text of the great work now under notice, upon which readers can easily trace most of the itineraries mentioned. These supplementary maps cover (1) Part of Northern ChihLi, (2) the mountains west of Peking, (3) Mid-China and the Yang-tsze River (two sheets), (4) the Great Rivers of the Canton Province, and (5) parts of Yün-Nan Province. E. H. P.

LUZAC AND Co.; LONDON, 1898.

15. Hebrew Grammar, by REV. J. D. WYNKOOP, Amsterdam. Considering the size of the book and its scope, we have nothing but praise for the Rev. Wynkoop's Manual of Hebrew Grammar. It is clear and concise the rules are very intelligible, and the examples are telling. In parts the work is even of an advanced character, and forms a good introduction to larger works on the subject. It is a great advantage to have everywhere throughout the book, in addition to the ordinary grammatical expressions, their Hebrew equivalents added. The Conjugations are presented in an attractive manner, and the Appendices give valuable in. formation. We hope the remark will not be taken amiss, that though the translation of terms such as 19, y, etc., are given on p. 23, their meaning ought to have been repeated at least the first time the verb is conjugated, pp. 28-34, so that the reader might gradually accustom himself to them as he goes along. But, again, we heartily recommend Mr. Wynkoop's Manual, and congratulate Messrs. Luzac on the style of its production.

16. Essays, Linguistic and Oriental, 2 vols., by ROBERT NEEDHAM Cust, ll.d.; 1898. In two handsome volumes of nearly eleven hundred pages Dr. Cust publishes some of his contributions to periodical literature during sixty years. In the two volumes the articles number, in all, a hundred and seventy-eight; and the quite unusual versatility of the writer is shown in the great variety of the subjects with which he deals. Though Dr. Cust is a distinguished Orientalist, his essays are not all of them on Oriental subjects; and though he is a distinguished linguist, many of his Essays have nothing to do with languages: social questions, and questions historical, ethnological, and religious, figure also, and that largely, in these volumes.

How this literary veteran came to publish these volumes may best be told in his own words. "It so happened," says he (writing in February last), "that last year I took stock of my published books, contributions to periodicals, and printed matter of every kind; and I found that up to the end of 1897 the number of them exceeded twelve hundred,—the earliest dating as far back as 1840,-and the number of periodicals contributed to exceeded seventy. Some of these scattered effusions I have been tempted to bring together, and to reprint them. The composition of some of them cost me days, if not years, of labour, and they may be of use to students and scholars of the next generation to criticize honestly, condemn stupidly, or make use of." Elsewhere he says: "Some of the manuscript writings in prose and verse which have come out of my chests, date back to 1837, and even earlier; so my pen has been going during the sixty years of Her Majesty's reign, and promises to go on still." Our courageous author is now far on in his seventy-eighth year; and considering that for a great many years he served as an officer in Her Majesty's Indian Civil Service, retiring as long ago as 1867, the continuance of his faculty for writing in the public press speaks marvels for his physical powers, for his nerve energy, and for his intellectual resource. In the name of Indian veterans, Orientalists, and literary men generally, we venture to offer him our congratulations.

It

Dr. Cust has acted wisely, as we believe, in thus republishing these miscellanea in book-form. In doing so he has rendered a public duty, has served the cause of learning and literature, and has placed future generations under obligations. A careful glance down the list of his subjects, and a quiet look through the volumes, will satisfy anyone of this. "Good wine needs no bush." Dr. Cust is well-known to all learned societies, to all publicists, and to all readers of Oriental research; and his mere name is a sufficient guarantee for industrious and fruitful labour. is not too much to say that some of the best writing of the century lies stowed away in the files of the periodical press; for the responsible editors of such prints must needs be impressed with the value of contributions before they would consent to purchase or to publish them. Of course there are exceptions. Dr. Cust is a free lance with his pen, and his rule has been to give freely of the abundance which he freely received his contributions were not remunerated.

Some of Dr. Cust's writings are of a more or less religious nature, and

in nearly all of them he takes occasion to touch upon the subject of religion. The Asiatic Quarterly Review is not a religious publication, nor is the discussion of religious subjects permitted in its pages. To this element in his work, therefore, we cannot afford space for more than the merest notice. We would not, however, have Dr. Cust construe our silence as consent; indeed, such is his known liberality and fairness in this great matter, that we feel sure he will not expect his fellow-men to accept without inquiry or demur all the opinions he expresses in these volumes on that subject. Further than this we will not go.

Taking the work as a whole, it shows great public-spiritedness. The indefatigable author has kept himself thoroughly in touch with the pulse of his time; and he has espoused every great public question and identified himself with all its best activities. The history of such a man is in some sense the history of the age in which he has lived; and in the present instance it is the history of the age of the most faultless of England's monarchs. If we may except the splendid work of Mons. Dubois, recently noticed in our columns, we know of no better work than this of Dr. Cust's to place in the hands of young Englishmen whose lot is cast in our great Dependency in the East.

B.

17. The Ummagga Játaka, or "Story of the Tunnel," by T. B. YATAWARA, Ceylon. This work is a translation into English of the above-named story, from the language in which it was originally written,-the Sinhalese, the leading one among the several vernacular languages spoken in the island of Ceylon. To convey an idea of the nature of the work one can hardly do better than quote from the translator himself. The work, he tells us in his Preface, "recounts the story of a Birth of Buddha in one of his previous lives, of which as many as five hundred and fifty are recorded in the Játakas. Prof. Rhys Davids, in his Buddhist Birth Stories, has so ably introduced the Játakas to the English reader that it would be presumption on my part to attempt to go over the same ground. Suffice it therefore to say that this volume contains the account of the Birth of the Bodhisatwa, which is the last Birth but one related in the Játakas. I have," he goes on, "selected the Sinhalese version for translation in preference to the Páli story because of the high position the former holds among Sinhalese classics, and because of the consummate beauty of its style and language. Its wide popularity is principally due to the charm of the language used, which no translation can reproduce, and to the human interest of the story itself. It is to be regretted that the author of this popular version cannot be identified with any degree of certainly; tradition, however, commonly attributes the work to a learned Buddhist priest from Tanjore, who is said to have composed it during the reign of Prakkrama Bahu IV. (1308-1347) with the assistance of the supreme minister Wirasinha Patiraja, and at the request of the good minister Parakkrama. From internal evidence, as supplied by the very large number of Tamil words occurring in the translation, we are justified in assigning to the author, if not a Dravidian descent, at all events a very intimate knowledge of Tamil." Proceeding, he says, "I have already spoken of the human interest of the story. Few Eastern tales, indeed, delineate human