THE SPANISH MAIN.
Back to Sunny Seas. By Frank T. Bullen. (Smith, Elder, and Co. 6s.)—Thackeray once took a trip as the guest of a great steamship company, and wrote a book on his experiences. Mr. Bullen's latest volume is the product of a similar invitation, which took him to the West Indies and the Spanish Main. It is needless to say that he has given us a fresh and very entertaining account of that land of romance. He has not produced quite so delightful a book as Charles Kingsley wrote when he visited the same region, but that may be because the tropics were new to Kingsley, whereas Mr. Bullen had already covered a good deal of the ground in his maritime career. Mr. Bullen is more concerned with humanity than with the wonders of Nature, and is rather inclined to apologise for not writing "merely from the point of view of the pleasure-seeker." The apology is unnecessary, because the impression of a fresh and clear-sighted observer is always valuable, and not least so in regard to countries which have so much to gain from judicious criticism as the West Indian Islands. Of course the great social question in these islands is that of the status of the negroes. Mr. Bullen frankly asserts that, except in minor cases, the demands of the negroes are adequately met. It seems unfortunately to be almost impossible for the negro to be properly civilised by con- tact with Western manners. The United States, where this question assumes the greatest importance, have scarcely as yet made any serious attempt to grapple with it. In the West Indian Islands the question is one of less magnitude, but it is still vital to the future well-being of the natives, and it must regretfully be said that as yet their statesmen have not succeeded in solving it. Mr. Bullen's remarks on this subject arc: very instructive, though not very pleasant to the optimist. It is more agreeable to turn to the charming passages which describe the pleasures and glories of the sea, the romantic episodes which bedeck the history of the Spanish Main with purple pages, and the amusing incidents of a run through the islands. Mr. Bullen seems to have thoroughly enjoyed his trip, and has paid for it in the best currency by enabling all his readers to share his enjoy- ment, and to see through his busy eyes. The quaintly coloured illustrations of negro types by Mr. A. S. Forrest are a distinct enhancement to the pleasure of owning this agreeable book.
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