The Rival Treasure - Hunters. By Robert Macdonald. (Blackie and Son. 3s.
6d.)—Mr. Macdonald takes us to a field of adventure which has not been chosen by writers of fiction,—British Guiana and the debatable land, or what used to be such, between that country and Venezuela. There is a certain admixture of the politics of the country, for in the last chapter we hear that President Castro has run away and that the Venezuelan sword is to be beaten into a pruning-hook. Mr. Macdonald puts on the scene a fine company of actors, the fighting parson and "Doe" and "Big Tassy " being prominent among them. They are in search of blue diamonds, quite as much for the sake of the searching itself as of the diamonds, and others are on the same quest. As it may be supposed, there is no lack of exciting adventure, and while this is going on plenty of spirited dialogue.—The hunting and finding of treasure is a subject which never fails to attract. So we have A Hidden Nugget, by Alexander Macdonald (same pub- lishers, 3s. 6d.) Here the scene is more familiar, Australia, the country which, perhaps, is first recalled by the word "nugget," though, of course, nuggets have been found elsewhere. It argues courage, to say the least, to begin a story of treasure-seeking with a cryptogram. One cannot fail to be reminded of such a story by a master-hand with which it seems dangerous to suggest com- parison. Still, if it is not given to every one to write a "Gold-bug," we may have a quite exciting tale of adventure. The nugget, we see, when it is found, is measured by hundredweights. We venture to suggest, in the interests of education, that it should have been by troy-weight.
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