5 NOVEMBER 1898, Page 31

Au Pays des Ba-rotsi. By Alfred Bertrand. (Hachette et Cie.

Paris. 20s.)—It seems a far cry from the Lake of Geneva to the Victoria Falls upon the Zambesi, though, after all, there is no reason why the Swiss should not be as interested in African exploration as any other European nation. Captain Bertrand, the author of this handsome volume of African travel, is a member of the Geographical Society of Geneva, and, as far as that Society is concerned, almost a pioneer in a new field of exploration. His journeys, however, on the Upper Zambesi were not undertaken alone, as he appears to have been a member of an English ex- pedition to the country of the Barotsi, and to have assisted in an English survey of those regions. His story of his wan- derings on the wild banks of the great river, and his description, too, of the new country which is springing up round the old kingdom of the Matabele further south, are interesting reading, not only on account of the author's skill as a writer, but also by reason of the new point of view from which he surveys his sub- ject. His book is fully illustrated with some excellent sketches and photographs, and, though the ground which he covers is not new to English readers, well deserves the attention of others besides his own compatriots.