31 OCTOBER 1885, Page 25

The Cruise of the 'Theseus.' By Arthur Knight. (Griffith, Ferran,

and Co.)—This "yam for boys" ought to please the readers for whom it is, in the first instance, intended. The Theseus' is com- missioned for the service of cruising for slaves on the coast of Arabia. This, on paper at least, is an exciting occupation, as the reader does not realise the long periods of wearisome waiting. Then we have an admixture of war—for the Theseus ' is engaged with a Russian frigate, and, with a well-pitched shell, blows her into fragments—and of sport, elephant-hunting, and the like. Altogether, there is a varied bill of fare, which the youngsters ought to enjoy.