18 JULY 1885, Page 23

Cruise of the ' Alert ' in Patagonian and Polynesian

Waters. By Dr. R. W. Coppinger. (W. Swan Sonnenschein and Co.)—In 1878 an expedition, under the command of Sir George Nares, was sent to survey the Straits of Magellan, and certain parts of the South Pacific and Western Australia. Dr. Coppinger was appointed staff surgeon, and, in the volume before us, he has given to the world his scientific experiences. The book is written in a pleasant, popular style, and well got up. It should add materially to our knowledge of the southern waters.