Under Many Flags. By W. H. Davenport Adams. (F. Warne
and Co.)—" Stories of Scottish Adventurers" is Mr. Davenport
Adams's sub-title. Among his heroes are the Scottish soldiers who took service with the French King (best known to most of us under the familiar figures of Le Balafri, and Quentin Durward), Sir John Hepburn, who had command under Gustavus Adolphus, and died at the siege of Saverne, having been first created Marshal of France by Louis XIII., and General Patrick Gordon, who served Peter the Great, and seems to have been a man of not dissimilar temper. The soldiers done with, we come to William Paterson, the founder of the Bank of England, and John Law, the famous financier. It is not clear why they appear.
Adventurers they were, but how about the flag? However, the two stories are sufficiently interesting, and need no excuse for their presence. Finally, we have sketches of the two "famous
brothers," George and James Keith.—Another volume of biographical sketches bears the title of Men who Win, by William M. Thayer (T. Nelson and Sons). The sketches are
seventeen in number, and include among the better known names, Thomas Arnold, John Bright, Whittier, Agaasiz, Living- stone, George Stephenson, and Spurgeon. We have no fault to
find with either plan or execution. "These sketches prove," says the author in his preface, "that ' luck ' is a myth." That is hardly so. What we call " luck " is a combination of un- recognised and sometimes unrecognisable aptitudes. There have been men whose industry, integrity, and ability left, as far as can be seen, nothing to be desired, but they wanted this bide finable quality.
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