Peter Parley's Tales of the Sea will be the most
popular of his little books, both with the juvenile reader and the teacher ; for besides the exciting nature of the subject, the clear, forcible, and lively manner in which information blended with amusement is conveyed, gives it interest and value. Parley begins by describ- ing the realm of ocean, its geographical divisions, their names, extent, and position ; explaining the cause of the tides, and of the colour, saltness, and phosphorescent light of the sea. He then describes a ship, its rigging, the compass, &c.—strangely omitting, however, the mode and principle of its construction—and the dif- ferent kinds of smaller vessels; and having fairly embarked the young sailor, carries him out on a voyage to the whale-fishery ; of which he gives an animated picture, illustrative of the perils of life at sea. But though he tells of the icebergs, &c., he passes by other dangers, such as sand-banks, rocks, coral-reefs, and water- spouts ; and makes no mention of lighthouses, life-boats, or diving- bells. These omissions should be supplied in another edition ; in which also the diffuse and too minutely scientific account of the sword-fish, the dolphin, and others of the finny tribe, might be con- densed and simplified with advantage. Indeed, the latter part of the bsok bears marks of haste, as though it had been prematurely brought to a close. The wood-cuts are numerous and distinct.
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