5o 



The National Geographic Magazine 



esting and comprehensive book on 

 Japan by a Russian. Mr De Wollant, 

 Charge d'Affaires at Mexico, was sta- 

 tioned for some years in Japan, so that 

 he had excellent opportunity of study- 

 ing the country, the people, and their 

 customs, and was able to visit many 

 places not frequented by tourists. He 

 speaks of seeing beautiful camellias 

 "which do not resemble much our poor 

 hothouse plants, for in Japan the camel- 

 lia is a large tree with a thick trunk, 

 and there are whole forests of them. 

 The camellia is so plentiful that it is 

 used as firewood." Speaking of a din- 

 ner given him by the governor of Ku- 

 mamoto, he says : "The menu was 

 varied and plentiful. With the cham- 

 pagne the governor made a speech. He 

 asked our pardon for the bad country 

 meal. That is always the order of 

 things in Japan, and it is remarkable 

 how the Japanese always speaks of 

 himself and of all which belongs to him 

 in such a deprecatory manner. He al- 

 ways speaks of his tumbled-down 

 house, of his business as bankrupt, and 

 of his wife as stupid." On the whole 

 Mr De Wollant's account is fair and 

 impartial, and although we may differ 

 with him in his conclusions and his ac- 

 count of the differences betwen his 

 country and Japan, we are glad to hear 

 the Russian side of the controversy. In 

 conclusion he says : "If they (Japa- 

 nese) should succeed in breaking this 

 power (Russia) or even weakening it, 

 and thus raise the prestige of Japan in 

 all Asia, that would already be a great 

 result. Then would follow the turn of 

 other nations, for has not Germany, 

 Shantung, England, Wei-hai-wei and 

 Hongkong, etc. Let there be no illu- 

 sion ! We are living through a sig- 

 nificant moment of human history and 

 are contemplating the first act of the 

 struggle of Asia against the European 

 spirit." The one fault of the book is 

 the absence of an index. E. M. G. 



A Commercial Traveler in South- 

 America. By Frank Wiborg. Il- 

 lustrated. New York: McClure r 

 Phillips & Co. 1905. 

 This little book contains a descrip- 

 tion of a flying visit across the Isth- 

 mus of Panama and along the coasts 

 of South America. 



In Valparaiso "the conductors are 

 women. It seems that during the war 

 against Peru such a large percentage 

 of men and youths were drafted into 

 the army that the women who were 

 left alone had to do men's work as best 

 they could. As conductresses they 

 proved so satisfactory and honest that 

 they have been retained ever since. The 

 platforms of the cars are all furnished 

 with a small seat for the conductress."" 



With Flashlight and Camera. By C. G. 



Schillings. Translated and abridged 



by Henry Zick. Illustrated. Pp. 



434. New York : Harper & Brothers. 



1905. 



During two journeys into Central 

 and East Africa, Mr Schillings suc- 

 ceeded in making more than a hundred 

 telephotographs of birds and animals 

 largely by flashlight. The reproduc- 

 tions are of value and interest both to 

 hunters and students. Those of lion- 

 esses stalking and springing on their 

 prey are the most striking. Twelve 

 species of animals are represented, the 

 most valuable studies being of ele- 

 phants, lions, the hippopotamus, and 

 rhinoceros. The translation scarcely 

 equals the literary qualities ascribed to 

 the original A. W. G. 



The Indian Dispossessed. By Seth K. 



Humphrey. Illustrated. Pp. 298. 



JY% x 5 inches. Boston : Little, Brown 



& Co. $1.50 net. 



No one can read without indignation 

 this story of repeated injustice to 

 peaceful reservation Indians. Unwise 

 if not corrupt legislation, harsh, il- 



