21 DECEMBER 1901, Page 24

Yorke the Adventurer. By Louis Becke. (Fisher Tinwin. 6s.) —This

is a book of stories and impressions of the South Seas and

of Australia early in the last century. The people who went to those parts seem to have been all either heroes or ruffians, who, under the thin disguise of trading with the natives for " copra " or shell, ruffled about the islands and fought with bloodthirsty vigour. But, besides this, there are some beautiful descriptions of the scenery of these fascinating islands and some interesting accounts of their natural history.