Picturesque Ceylon. By Henry W. Cave. (Sampson Low, Marston, and
Co.)—" This work," says the author (whose name appears as the local publisher), "is a pictorial, not a literary, effort." The letterpress, which he so modestly depreciates, is -.sufficient for its purpose, for it is adequately descriptive. As for the illustrations, which are excellent reproductions of photographs, . they are all that could be wished. The localities represented are "Colombo and the Keltani Valley." The Cinghalese people, details of natural life, landscapes, architectural effects, and other _things are represented in the illustrations, which number thirty- six in all. Some are notably effective. "Afterglow," for instance, which serves as the frontispiece ; the "Sacred .Bo-Tree," a remarkable specimen of the ficus religiose, planted in 288 B.C. (" no tree in the world," writes Mr. Cave, "has had its history so carefully preserved ") ; "Jungles in the Khetam Valley ; and "From Karawanella Bridge," a landscape which, but for some variation in the foliage, might be matched in the Highlands of Sootland. We are glad to see that this volume is to be followed by others.
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