Tropics and Snows. By Captain Reginald G. Burton. (Edward Arnold.)—The
British officer has, in the ordinary course of service, a fair opportunity of testing extremes of climate and seeing men and cities under the most varied conditions of both ; but in the case of Captain Burton, the author of this volume, it was only to the tropical heat of India and the West Indies that he went at the call of duty ; the wintry snows of Russia were encountered for his own pleasure. For the most part his book is composed of sporting chapters, contributed to various weekly periodicals, which are very much the same as most sporting contributions of the same character. He has shot tigers in India—a good many tigers, it would appear, and under a good many different circumstances—also bear and bison, to say nothing of smaller game. He tells the story of his fortunes and mishaps in the ebase with a good deal of spirit, and with some comments ,which are both instruc- tive and interesting, but the tale is one that appeals rather to the sporting than the general reader. Of greater interest to the latter is his account of soldier life in Jamaica and Barbados, and some information which he is able to give as to the formation and maintenance of the famous Cossack regiments in Russia. His other notes upon Russia, political and social, are not of any great value ; nor does his appreciation of Russian literature strike one as very original or happily expressed. However, taken altogether, his experiences and opinions have produced a brightly written and very readable volume, of which his own illustrations are by no means the worst feature.
Previous page
