The War in Cuba. By John Black Atkins. (Smith, Elder
and Co. 6s.)—The ratification of the treaty of peace between the United States and Spain makes the appearance of this book peculiarly appropriate. Mr. Atkins left England on April 23rd, 1898, joined the camp at Tampa—about which he has a good deal to say—in May, and landed at Cuba about the end of June, and, after the capitulation, returned to Tampa, taking soon afterwards a second spell of duty at Porto Rico. A very curious story he has to tell. Certainly, if the Americans made some blunders, the Spaniards made many more. There is some odd reading in the corre- spondence which was found in the Spanish quarters. The Cuban insurgents are strange figures, frightfully hungry, very ragged, very cruel, shameless beggars, not too brave. Their American allies soon became " tired " of them. As for the Americans, mis- takes or no mistakes, any English reader must feel proud of them. Here is a story of General Chaffey. " Two men of a volunteer regiment fell away at a critical moment. The General seized them by their blue shirts, and simply exhorted them thus : ` Look, you're going the wrong way. It's that way the village is." What could they do but go that way ?
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