Adventures on the High Mountains. By Richard Stead. (Seeley and
Co. 5s.)—The most interesting chapter in Mr. Stead's volume is the story of Napoleon's passage of the Alps in 1800. That describing Sir Martin Conway's ascent of Aconcagua conveys some idea of the difficulties of climbing in the Andes and the scenery of the mountains, but the original vigour and freshness of the narrative have quite disappeared. The term "High Mountains" has been somewhat liberally interpreted. Mont Pelee is not a high mountain ; it may be some day. Nor are the mountains in Socotra lofty, though Mr. leVellsted's adventures there are quite entertaining. There are plenty of amusing, and occasionally exciting, incidents in these adventures, and we can appreciate them; it is the height of the mountains that fails to rouse our enthusiasm. The book seems lacking in spirit, and yet Mr. Stead made the great rivers most interesting to us; it is too obviously a compilation. Boys will find a wide range of adventure to choose from in this volume, and should be able to form a comprehensive notion of the dangers that beset pioneers and travellers in the robber region of the Mexican mountains and the lofty peaks of Abyssinia.
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