REMINISCENCES. By A. H. Sayre. (Macmillan. 18s. net.) Dr. Sayee's
work as an archaeologist is well known and respected, and in this book he shows himself in lighter vein— witty, gently reminiscent and anecdotal. He reveals the story of his life for no more serious purpose than to provide 'himself with an elaborate set of pegs upon which to hang his store of anecdotes. How many of those anecdotes are worth saving and printing it would not here be to the point to say • they serve to titivate the tale of a life exceedingly active and useful. It is a rather disarming statement, however,
that Dr. Sayre makes on an early page when he says : " One result of these youthful ' waking visions ' was that in some cases I cannot tell whether scenes that I can still see vividly before me have really formed part of my workaday life." The unkind critic might easily read therein a semi- confession as to the truth of some of the " yarns " that follow. For instance, the author tells of an experiefice of " the ways and wiles of the newspaper correspondent." During the last Carlist war in the Basque country, St. Jean de Luz was filled with the correspondents of London newspapers. An old marketing woman had been despoiled, by the Carlist soldiers, of her donkey load of 16,000 sardines. A correspondent hurried to telegraph home. His message reported that a great• battle had been fought in which 16,000 prisoners had been taken. Dr. Sayce's work and leisure have taken him into almost every country under the sun ; he has numbered amongst his friends and acquaintances Pater, Kingsley, Matthew Arnold and Ruskin; the present book leaves us regretting that he has not rawn more copiously from this rich store of memories.
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