Italian Explorers in Africa. By Sofia Bompiani. (Religious Tract Society.)—This
volume contains a series of papers which originally appeared in the Leisure Hour. (It is the third of a series entitled "The Leisure Hour Library.") Few of the names will be familiar to English readers. The last, Gaetano Casati, who was Emin's companion, and whose travels have been recently published in England, is probably the best known. Yet much patient and useful work has been done by these Italian travellers. The volume begins with an account of Giovanni Mani, who was very nearly anticipating Speke in the discovery of the Victoria Nyanza Lake. Some false information from the natives deterred him from completing his explorations. One of the most romantic stories is that of Romolo Gessi, who in 1876 explored Lake Albert in company with Piaggia, and did other good service, not only as an explorer, but in the suppression of the slave-trade. Another remarkable man connected with African travel was Cardinal Massaja. We have here a few glimpses of his work; a fuller account would certainly be interesting. In significant juxta- position to the Cardinal is the Waldensian missionary, Pastor G. P. Weitzecker. This is a book well worth reading.
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