Letters Written by Sir Samuel Hood, 1781 83. Edited by
David Hannay. (Navy Records Society.)-These letters and the docu- ments which illustrate them (letters from other officers, &c., and extracts from log-books) relate to the naval war in the West Indies. Rodney was in supreme command and Sir Samuel second. The subordinate was the abler of the two, and expressed his dissatisfaction with the indecision and supineness of his superior. The incompleteness of the victory of Guadeloupe (April 12th, 1782) was a disappointment on which be comments vigorously. Five ships were taken when the whole fleet, or at least the greater part of it, might have been secured. Mr. Hannay points out the close parallel between Rodney and Hood, and Hotham and Nelson. Rodney and Hotham were too content to have done well. He holds, we see, a stronger opinion on this point than he did when he wrote " Rodney " for the " Men of Action."
We have received from Messrs. Nelson and Sons some excel- lently got-up picture-books, giving representations of animal life. Two of these bear the title of Wild and Tame from Far and Near, The pictures are really like the animals which they represent; a brief description accompanies them.—Miss Lovemouse's Letters and Puppy-Dogs' Tales, illustrated by Louis Wain, are good as regards both pen and pencil. Miss Lovemouse and her Aunt Tab are decidedly amusing correspondents. The aunt gives excellent advice. " I should not for a moment consider it wrong to eat my dear mistress's piping bullfinch, or little George's dormouse, or my master's carriage-horse," she writes; "but it would be unwise, especially in regard to the macaw, whose beak is very strong.", The niece gives an account of her studies in arithmetic :—" Take a little milk from your own saucer, that is simple subtraction.' I can do that without a mistake. Same fellows in the lower school can't even do that ; but then they can't see yet, so there is some excuse. 'Compound subtraction' is to take a little milk out someone else's saucer, when you have done your own. This is more difficult " " To take two mice from one cat " is the most difficult problem. " The process is carry one and put it down, then subtract the other if it will go."
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