English Travellers and Italian Brigands. A narrative of Capture and
Captivity. By W. J. C. Moons. 2 vole. (Hurst and Blackett.)—We•
suppose everybody will read these two volumes, or at least parts of them.
The latter is more likely ; for what with Mr. Moons' moralizing and Mrs. Moons' diary, which contains her reflections daring her husband's captivity, very proper in themselves, but not interesting to the public, the-
story is frightfully spun out. But there is a real story to tell ; and when Mr. Moons applies himself to this, when he leaves off telling us what he
thought, and gets to what he saw and did, and what was done to him, se
naive and graphic is his narrative that he carries us with him, thankful that it is only in imagination. For he had a very hard time of it in his
captivity ; he was kicked and beaten, not allowed to wash or change his clothes, harried from place to place at any hoar of the day or night,. kept without food until he was glad to eat boot-grease and gnaw bones which were thrown in his face, "hurting him a good deal," and all with- in sight of villages, and even soldiers. He says that he really had but one chance of escaping, and that was on an occasion when he was alone with two of his captors, and they had gone to sleep, leaving their rifles- unguarded. But he shrank from taking life, and the result is that he• has paid 5,100/. to the brigands for himself and his companion, and un- done all the good that had been effected by the exertions of the Italian authorities. He is very angry with the latter, and having shaken of his merciful fit, advises them to hang any peasant found with more bread on his person than "a specified amount, say sufficient for his mid- day meal ;" but it is quite evident, from the uncomfortable life that ha and his captors led, that the authorities are tolerably vigilant, and per- haps they might urge in reply to his remonstrances that they expect their efforts to be seconded not only by the country people, but also by some display of readiness and resolution on the part of those who are unlucky enough to fall into the brigands' hands.
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