NOTICES OF BOOKS.

Evening Star, Issue 3482, 21 April 1874, Page 3

NOTICES OF BOOKS.

Under the Southern Cross. A Tale of the New World. By the author of “The Spanish Brothers. Nelson and Sons, London and Edinburgh. William Hay, bookseller, Princes street, Dunedin. There is a dark page in the world’s history which has scarcely been touched by the novelist, but which affords scope sufficient for tales of thrilling interest. “Under the Southern Gross 1 is perhaps one of the pioneers. It is said to be a tale of the New World, but that scarcely defines the scope and purpose of the story. Its intention is doubtless theological. It is founded upon the missionary efforts of the Spaniards to Christianize and at the same time enslave a highly civilized people, inferior to them mainly in knowledge of weapons of war. The conquest of Peru—a nation with a population of two millions and a-half—by a mere handful of Spaniards, under Pizarro, is one of the marvels of the sixteenth century; nor could it be supposed that so easy a conquest could have been achieved, but for the fact that it was over a people at the time divided against itself. There is a melancholy interest inseparable from the destruction of national institutions that had effected such social wonders as were developed in Peru. No doubt we have had handed down to us the bright side of the picture; for benevolent as the rule of the Incas is represented, there is not an instance on record of a pure despotism untainted by injustice and cruelty. But whatever may have been the faults of government under the Incas, they almost stand in relief as virtues when seen side by side with the military ecclesiasticism of Spain, It is one phase of that fanatic tyranny that this work deals with. Many years back we remember reading a most graphic history of Spain’s bigotry, intolerance, and cruelty by an Enebsh writer of the period, “ Gage.” He had been mixed up with the scenes that he described, and on changing his religious opinions and adopting the Reformed faith, with some difficulty, and at no small peril, he escaped. Under the Southern Cross,” in the character of the most prominent character. Fray Fernando describes a similar circumstance. The author traces the events that led to his change of opinion, relates how he became subjected to the persecution of the Inquisition, and how, through the capture of the vessel in which he was shipped for Spain, he and his adopted child, the last of the Incas, were liberated and saved from torture and death. For the thorough enjoyment and comprehension of this work, one singular feature in the relation of Spain to the rest of the world should be known. Claiming dominion over the whole of America, through priority of discovery and under authority of the well-known bull of Pope Alexander Vl., the Spanish Government sought to secure this vast territory by excluding every native of another European country. Unlike the liberal colonizing policy of Great Britain, which welcomes every new-comer, no matter ot what nation dr creed, Spain had determined to make all America Spanish and Roman Catholic. The natives were converted to the Church by thousands; being driven into the rivers by force of arms to be baptized ; but French, English, Portugese, Hollanders—then the principal maritime rivals of Spain—were treated as smugglers and robbers. They were hunted like wild beasts, and murdered wherever they were found. The events connected with the late Cuban murders are only a repetition of the horrible cruelties of the sixteenth and following century. All the rest of the world has changed but Spain is still the Spain of those hundred years ago. It mujt not be imagined that this antagonism was confined to nations at war with Spain. In Europe nations might bo at peace with each other,, and trade amicably, but there was no peace in Ami r.ca. The political and ecclesiastical blindness of Spain brought about its own retribution. As her hand was against every other, in America, so every maritime nation waged war'against her. She wanted to monopolise the treasures of the West, and the spirit of mankind rose against her. This basin °l ■^ ac^c “ which we now dwell was the scene of many exciting adventures. In it the ships of Spain and the towns on the Coast were attacked and plundered by English, French, and other adventurers, who were known by the name of Buccaneers, They had settlements on the Gulf of Mexico, and amongst them were many names diatinquished in maritime history. Amongst British celebrities were Henry Morgan, afterwards knighted by Charles 11,, Basil Eingrove, Sharp, William Dampier, Lionel Wafer, Richard Sawkins, John Watling, and others. Many of them were incited by an equal desire to punish the Spaniards for their cruelties and to share the gold they had robbed the oppressed natives of. As an instance we may mention the name of Montbars, a Frenchman who, on reading the accounts published of Spanish cruelties, conceived such a deadly hatred to them, that he joined the Buccaneers, and killed so many Spaniards in the West Indies that men called him “ The Exterminator. ” As illustrating the morality of the period in regard to ineum and teum, many respectable men joined the “ Brethren of the Coast ”

as a profession ; or as in the case of Raveneau de Lussau, because they were in debt, and wished, as every honest man should do. to have wherewithal to pay his creditors,” So says the chronicle. Bearing these circumstances in mind, “Under the Southern Cross" will be read with interest as tending to present a social phase deeply interesting not only to those who read for amusement, but to students of the philsophy of history,

Lives of Labor. Incidents in the career of eminent naturalists and celebrated travellers by C. L. BrightwelL Nelson and Sons’ London and Edinburgh. William Hay, bookseller, Princes street, Dunedin. *

Exciting as are narratives of military adventures, there is a drawback to their enjoyment. The history of the bravest soldier and the most skilful general tells of human misery beyond the battle-field. It points to wrongs in which the innocent are involved as well as the guilty, and of barbarisms which not even the eupho“glory” can disguise. But none of those unpleasing associations detract from the doings of men of science. With courage equal to that ef the moat daring soldier, oftentimes in perils greater than the battle-field, they pursue investigations almost without expectation of reward. The sketches contained

in Mr Brightwells work detail many perilous adventures in which calm and quiet heroism and extraordinary presence of mind were manifested by men whose objects were to add to human knowledge. They braved dangers in the woods and on the wilds r on the sea, in rivers m prames, in regions of frost and cold, among savage and cruel tribes. The world owes them much, for they have done much for it and daily are doing more. Such names as Audubon, Yaillant, Humboldt, Park, Livingstone and pthwe on that increasing roll of men of science

will never be forgotten; and in times to come will be esteemed more than the Wellingtons or Napoleons. Their work—thatforwhich they led thousands to the graves of warriors—is already swept away, They fought in vain to maintain institutions of which the utility was gone. But the triumphs of the soldiers of science are enduring. They alone achieve conquests that cannot be shaken. Naturalists have frequently met with adventures more perilous than the wildest tales of fiction; one of which, as told hy Mr Brightwell, we present to our readers. It is entitled “Captain Mayne Reid and the Quicksand.” Captain Reid, while in Mexico, wanted food, and riding alone, came in sight of two antelopes. In order to get within rifle range, he had to leave his horse tethered and to descend the bank of a stream nearly to its bed. Having shot the animals, he was about to move forward—

{When, to his amazement, he found himself caught by the feet ; held firmly, as if his legs had been in a vice. He made an effort to extricate himself; another, more violent and equally unsuccessful, and, with a third, lost his balance and fell back upon the water. Half-suffocated, he regained his upright position, but only to find that he was held as fast as ever. Again he struggled to free his limbs. He could neither move them backward nor forward, to the right nor the left, and he became sensible that he was gradually going down. The fearful truth flashed upon him—he was sinking in a quicksand ! A feeling of horror came over the hapless prisoner, a,s, with a feeling of desperation, he renewed his efforts, leaning on one side, then to the other, almost wrenching his knees from their sockets. His feet, despite all, remained

as fast as ever. He could not move an inch! “ He has thus thrillingly narrated the issue. * The soft, clingy sand already overtopped my horse-skin boots, wedging them around my ancles so that I was unable to draw them off and I could feel that I was still sinking slowly but surely, as though some subterraneous monster was leisurely dragging me down. This very thought caused me a thrill of horror, and I called aloud for_ help. To whom ? There was no one within miles of me—no living thing. Yes ! the neigh of my horse answered me from the hill, mocking me in my despair. “ ‘I bent forward as well as my constrained position would admit, and, with frenzied fingers, commenced tearing up the sand. I could barely reach the surface, and the little hollow I was able to make filled up almost as soon as it had been formed. A thought occurred to me. My rifle might support me, placed horizontally. I looked for it. It was not to be seen ;it had sunk beneath the sand. Could I throw my body flat, and prevent myself from sinking deeper? No ; the water was two feet in depth, and I should drown at once! This last hope left me as soon as formed. I could think of no plan to save myself ; I could make no further effort. A strange stupor seized upon me. My very thoughts became paralyzed. For a moment I was mad.

“ * After an interval my senses returned. I made an effort to rouse my mind from its paralysis, in order that I might meet death, which I now believed to be inevitable, as a man should. I raised myself. My eyes had sunk to the prairie level, and rested upon the still bleeding victims of my cruelty. My heart smote me at the sight. Raising my eyes to heaven, I gazed upward with earnestness known only to the hearts of men in positions of peril like mine. Against the sky I distinguished the outline of a large bird. I knew it to be the obscene bird of the plains, the buzzard-vul-ture. Whence had it come ? Who knows ? Far beyond the reach of human eye, it had seen or scented the slaughtered antelopes, and on broad, silent wing was now descending to the feast of death. Presently another, and another, and many others, mottled the blue field of the heavens, curving and wheeling silently earthward. Then the foremost swooped down upon the bank, and, after gazing round for a moment, flapped off toward its prey. In a few seconds the prairie was black with filthy birds, who clambered over the dead antelopes, and beat their wings against each other, while they tore out the eyes of the quarry with their foetid beaks. , , .

“‘ I was soon relieved from the sight. My eyes had sunk below the level of the bank. I had looked my last on the fair green earth ! I could now see only the clayey wall that contained the river and the water, that ran, unheeding, past me. Once more I fixed my gaze upon the sky, and, with prayerful heart, endeavored to resign myself to my fate. But, in spite of my endeavours to be calm, the memo ries of earthly pleasures, and friends and home, came oyer me, causing me at intervals to break into wild paroxysms, and make fresh though fruitless struggles. Again I was attracted by the neighing of my horse. At the sound, a thought entered my mind, filling me with fresh hope. ‘Perhaps my horse’—l lost not a moment, I raised my voice to its highest pitch, and called the animal by name. I knew that he would come at my call. I had tied him but slightly; the cactus limb would snap off. Again I called, repeating words that were well known to him, I listened with a bounding heart. For a moment there was silence, then I heard the quick sounds of his hoof, as though the animal was rearing and struggling to free himself ; then I could distinguish the stroke of his heels in a measured and regular gallop. Nearer came the sounds, nearer and clearer, till the gallant brute bounded out on the bank above me. There he halted, and, flinging back his tossed mane, uttered a shrill neigh. He was bewildered, and looked upon every side, snorting loudly. I knew that, having once seen me, he would not stop until £e had pressed his nose against my cheek; for this was his usual custom. Holding out my hands, I again uttered the magic words. Now, looking downward, he perceived me, and, stretching himself, sprang out into the channel. The next moment I held him by the bridle. There was no time to be lost; I was still going down, and my armpits were fast nearing the surface of the quicksand. I caught the lariat, and, passing it under the saddle-girths, fastened it in a knot, tight and firm. I then looped the trailing end, making it secure round my body. I had left enough of the rope between the bit-ring and the girths to enable me to check and guide the animal, in case the drag upon my body should be too painful. “‘All this while the dumb brute seemed to comprehend what I was about. He knew, too, the nature of the ground on which he stood : for, during the operation, he kept lifting his feet alternately, to prevent himself from sinkmg. My arrangements were at length completed, and, with a feeling of terrible anxiety, I gave my horse the signal to move forward. Instead of going off with a start, the intelligent creature stepped away slowly, as though he understood my situation. The lariat tightened; I felt my body moving, and the next moment experienced a wild delight, a feeling I cannot describe, as I found myself dragged out of the sand. I sprang to my feet with a shout of joy. I rushed up to my steed, and throwing my arms around his neck, embraced him with delight. He answered my caress with a low whimper, which told me that I was understood. I looked for my rifle. Fortunately it had not sunk deep, and I soon found it. My boots were left behind, but I stayed not to look for them, being smitten with a dread of the place in which I had left them.’ ” The work is beautifully illustrated with engravings in colors, and is most attractive reading.

England is increasing her hop plantations, and will brew more ale, A commercial traveller is in custody at Aberdeen charged with striking, with fatal effect, an hotel-keeper named William Donald, with whom he had quarrelled upon the subject of the elec- + j'u’ * anner » living near Consett, was attacked by two drunken colliers, and beaten so brutally that his life is endangered. The assailants are in custody. Five Irishmen were charged at Wigan on February 3 with kicking a man to death.

According to the Monthly Letter just isssued by the Protestant Alliance, the total number of Koman Catholic bishops and priests in England and Wales at present is 1,662, which shows an increase since 1851 of eight bishops and 167 priests. The total number in Great Britain is 1,89.3 an increase of 935 since the above date The total number of public churches, chapels and stations in Great Britain is 1,253 (according to the ‘ Tablet ’), and 247 chapels of communities in addition, being an increase of 570 places of worship since 1851. There are 86 religious houses for men, being an increase of 69 since the above date. There are 268 convents, while in 1851 there were but 63. Then there were but 11 colleges, and now there are 20.

SHOCKING RAILWAY ACCIDENT AT NORTH ADELAIDE. < The ‘ South Australian Advertiser’ gives the following particulars of the railway accident referred to in our Adelaide telegraphic intelligence last week :—“ A deplorable accident occurred late on Friday evening, March 27, on the northern line of railway, at the level crossing at the North Adelaide station. About 10 o’clock Mr Crocker, clerk to Mr Hemy Simpson, the wellknown merchant, was driving a family waggonette from the City towards Alberton, having with him his wife and an infant, who were in the back of the vehicle. At the time they arrived at the crossing an engine that had been leaving excursionist passengers, and also railway carriages, at different stations northward, was coming up, sounding the whistle, as is usual when approaching stations or crossings. Mr Crocker, instead of waiting till all danger was over, pushed on; but the locomotive was up before the trap was over the line, and, catching the vehicle at the back part, carried it along the line. Mrs Crocker was dropped about 25 yards from the crossing, and killed instantly. Her husband was thrown out, but not dangerously hurt, and had no bones broken. He complains of pains in the chest, and is much shaken, but his injuries are not considered of a very serious character. The child was jerked upon the engine, and, strange to say, was quite unharmed. The trap was deposited in various portions along the line for a distance of a hundred yards—the body in one place, the wheels widely separated, and other portions scattered for a considerable distance. The horse escaped without the slightest injury. Drs Foster and Astle were quickly on the spot, and rendered all needful assistance to Mr Crocker. His wife was beyond the reach of human aid. Her body presented a frightful spectacle, the head and part of the forehead being smashed to pieces.’^