SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.
[Under this heading we notice such Books of the week as bare not been reserved for review in other forms.] Tales of the Spanish Main. By Mowbray Morris. (Macmillan and Co. 6s.)—These " tales " are, it must be understood, true tales. Mr. Mowbray Morris begins with an estimate of the men who brought it about that the Spanish Main became, to all intents and purposes, the British Main, the long line of heroes from Drake and Hawkins down to Morgan. He begins, indeed, earlier than Drake. His first two chapters are given to the inex- haustible subject of Columbus. Every fresh reading of it makes it more wonderful. .And it has never been better told than it is now by Mr. Morris. After Columbus, Francis Drake; here, too, we have a marvellous tale,—Drake's bold attempt on the Spanish treasure. By how small a chance did he miss a prize which would have almost matched the treasure captured by Alexander in the great Persian cities ! But these adventurers were always going through the same experience. Sometimes the treasure was real, sometimes it was imaginary, such as we read of in the strange tale of " El Dorado." Treasure is, again. the central
interest of the great story of Sir Richard Grenville and the `Revenge.' Grenville and Howard were waiting for the Plate Fleets when the famous fight came off. The last chapter is given to the buccaneers under the appellation of " Brethren of the Coast." There were buccaneers and buccaneers, it must be understood ; did not one of them become in due coarse Archbishop of York ? Of all the tales that Mr. Morris has to tell not one it better worth the telling than this.
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