2 JANUARY 1897, Page 35

The Royal Christopher. By Justin Huntly McCarthy. (Chatto and Windus.)—This

is a story of adventure on the sea, of mutiny, fierce fighting, and ultimate triumph of the right. It is a good story, with a well-conceived and well-developed plot, but so far not materially differing from others of its kind. Its distinction is to be found in the style, which has a certain quality of dignity that puts it quite above the average level of this kind of litera- ture. We have seen various specimens of Mr. J. H. McCarthy's work, but none which have done him so much credit as this. It is not too much to say that The Royal Christopher might have been written by R. L. Stevenson.