A RELIEF MAP OF CENTRAL EIIROPE.f WE heartily recommend Messrs.
Philips relief map to all students of the war, and especially to schoolmasters and persons who desire to explain to others the geographical, strategical, and general military situation. The horizontal scale of eighteen miles to the inch and the vertical scale of five thousand feet to the inch have enabled the relief modeller to give us a geographical picture, for such in effect it is, which is not liable to the charge of distortion, as are so many of the small-scale maps of this kind. No doubt this relief model, like all raised maps, requires to be used with a certain caution, but any intelligent person will soon be able to supply the necessary corrective. The study of a good relief map such as this shows very clearly how the force of circumstances drives combatants to the plains. The Germane may pretend, and may even think, that they want to break through to Calais and Boulogne in order to set up submarine bases, and so forth; but in reality they are focussing their attention on the eastern section of the Belgian frontier, because,shall we say P it is shaded pale green on the map. Of course, if a mountainous country is to be invaded, you moat fight in the mountains; but in war the line of least resistance is always edging you towards the plains. Very illuminating is the view of the eastern theatre of the war. Looking at Messrs. Philips' map, one realizes in an instant the importance of Cracow, lying just under the great wall of the Carpathians and commanding the straight and comparatively short road to Vienna. Again, a glance at this map makes one realize why Przemysl is a place of such vast importance. It remains to be said that the size of the map is five feet by three, and that it is enclosed in a plain black frame. The bright, we might almost say violent, blue of the sea, which colour is also employed for the rivers, the cabbage-green of the plains, and the brown of the mountains make the map attractive to the eye, or at any rate to the eye which has not been spoilt by the conventional feeling against bright and vivid or, as some people would say, crude colours.
In this connexion we may mention also Messrs. Philips' shilling photo-relief war map. Though this map is of
• Mary Russell Milford: Correspondence with Mario Boner and John Buskin. Edits-4 by ElizatothLee. With 8 Illustrations. London, T. Fisher Melvin. [10a. 85. net.] t (1) Philips. Relief Model of Contra Europe, London Geographical Midi. tate, 88 Fleet Street vs 6.1—(2) Philips' Photo-Relief Model War Map aJ Central Bum,. se.. perouners. [is. net.]
comparatively small size,the shading of the hills and valleys and the clear indication of the river courses make it not only very attractive to the eye, but a very useful geographical guide.
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