7 FEBRUARY 1880, Page 23

The Countries of the World. By Robert Brown, M.A. (Cassell,

Fetter, and Galpin.)—Mr. Brown continues in another volume, quite worthy of its predecessors, this excellent work. He first describes, under the title of "Oceania," the various groups and solitary islands of the South Pacific. All this is very interesting, though the record is a somewhat melancholy one. It is sad to read, especially, of the wanton suffering inflicted on the luckless Tahitians by the French occupation. Tahiti was never of any use to France, which seized it in a fit of jealousy, and has ill-used as well as neglected it ever since. This section is followed by some valuable information about New Zealand, Tasmania, and Australia, and this, again, by chapters on "The Malay Archipelago" and "The Japanese Empire." The text is furnished with abundant and excellent illustrations.