The Cruise of the B. Y. S. Eva. By Arthur
Kavanagh. (Hodges, Smith, and 0°0—The author tells us that he was moved to write an account of his shooting cruise along the shores of Albania by a remark in the Field newspaper, expressing regret that none of our numerous yachtsmen ever gave their experience to the public. And those who want a pleasant, readable, unaffected narrative, which will give them a picture of yachting as it really is, cannot do better than read The Cruise of the Eva. The great merit of the book is that it is not the work of 'a man of letters. Such books, however good they may be, as, for instance, Lord Dafferin's Letters from High Latitudes, do not teach people who have never been on a yachting excursion-what the life is like. They leave out all the little trivial every-day incidents, which are worthless for artistic purposes, just as the most realistic novel-writers omit al- ' together the common-place domestic incidents which nevertheless in one sense make up existence. On shore we all know what these are, and do not want to be told in books—000kety, marketing, cabmen, tax- gatherers, and duns. But how does life go on when you live not in a house, but a yacht ? To how many of as does yachting suggest the idea of custom-house officers, quarantine, and a perpetual risk of being run over in the night by a steamboat. This is what Mr. Kavanagh's book brings out, that you do not escape from the petty troubles of life by bounding "o'er the glad waters of the dark blae sea." But he is never querulous, and does not give you too much of the worries of yachtsmen. The sporting narrative gives a deal of in- formation to sportsmen, and affords a good picture of the scenery of a little-frequented coast. Being also a good photographer, Mr. Kavanagh illustrates his book with some capital views of the scenery of Corfu and Albania and portraits of the peasantry of the district.
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