MISCELLANEOUS WORKS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1746, 23 August 1905, Page 15

MISCELLANEOUS WORKS.

“Tree-culture in New Zealand.” By V ' Henry J. Matthews, Chief Forester. Issued by the Department of Agriculture. This work, capitally bound in cloth, and 'beautifully illustrated by plates prepared from photographs taken by Mrs H. J. Matthews^is a credit alike to the Department, the author and Mrs Matthews, and the Government Printer, j It is a complete compendium of the science of forestry in its applicability to the conditions of our own colony, and collates from- many sources information of the most practical kind. There •is no phase of the art of artificially propagating timber trees and ornamental and protective plants, which is omitted. A large amount of space is rightly given to the useful native timber trees and shrubs of New Zealand, while the merits .and • methods of treatment of trees not indigenous to this colony are •amply explained and illustrated. The chapter on the Eucalypti deals with, species which have proved suitable to the climate of New-Zealand. In order to do this the author wisely confines •himself to species peculiar to Tasmania, or common to that state and the mainland. Useful lists are given of species which have stood the test of the severest- winters of the South Island. -Thus of Eucalyptus Regnans (Swamp Gum of Tasmania) Mr Matthews says:—“ln vertical growth it exceeds the largest c ßig Tree’ of California by 21ft, a specimen found at Mount Baw-Baw measuring 471 ft. It is hardy at Greendale, Canterbury, also at Rotorua and Invercargill, resistant 22deg. of frost without injury. The first appendix consists of an alphabetical list of suitable trees —both native and exotic-—the scientific and common name being accompanied by concise descriptions of uses and qualities. A further appendix classifies the trees according to their suitability for special purposes, and -a useful bibliography of recent works on forestry is added. To every intelligent farmer and. landholder in the colony who contemplates putting in a tree which “will be growing while he is sleeping,” Mr Matthews’s book is indispensable.

“Horatioi Nelson. By R. H. Holme. The Walter Scott Publishing Co. This is a clearly written narrative of well-known facts in the public life of the great Admiral. It seems, inevitable in every -such work that the influences exercised by, for and against Lady Hamilton should be discussed at considerable length. Mr Holme now has his say, and it might well be wished that the subject were closed for good. A different and . indifferent generation cares not at all for Lady Hamilton, but a good 'deal for Nelson, the weaker aspects of whose strenuous life might well be left without further comment. “The Thousand and 1 O'ne Indian Nights.” By A. Sarath Kumar Ghosh. William Beinemann, London. This is a clever and well-written hook. It is a rotnace of rare interest and striking novelty. The hero, one Narayan Lai, loves the daughter of a king in the thrice blessed land that lies between the sacred waters of the Jumna and the Ganges. When Lai declared his love lie was a court juggler. This avocation he renounced and proclaimed lnmself a prince of royal blood. To prove this he had to go through six tests and come forth unscathed. First, be had to ascend a lofty tower, already tottering to its fall, walk through fire, take poison, he buried alive for a week, •and so through a series of cruel trials. It is perhaps unfortunate that a safi®

emergence from them all can .. almost be taken for granted. Also, the author has, with great ingenuity, suggested after . each of the earlier chapters a method of explanation for each seemingly miraculous escape—hypnotism, suspended animation, or sheer juggling. The reader might well prefer to accept the miraculous outright. The hero displays courage, skill, wit and ability to extricate himself from difficult situations. His experiences are thrilling and constitute the charm of the Oriental author’s gorgeous effects. The hero hides from Thugs in a lonely valley. He enters a dismal cavern in search of an idol’s eye and in the darkness he has an encounter. The trying moment is thus described: “In that supreme crisis it was mere instinct that prompted him to act, the love of man for his life. He turned on his side, curved his legs inwards under him. an inch at a time, lest, the sound should betray him. He prayed for time—just the bare moments to curl himself by the altar- rails. Slowly the knees came up, too slow for such a peril. Hie felt a breath upon his face. Tine strange, intermittent sound had risen to a steady flow. The cold, clamouring wind enshrouded him like a blast from a. grave. The Thing was upon him—-a dark mass looming over him! O Bhugwan, grant one single moment —one single span to recede in silence! One little .span for a human life-—Too late! too late!” Of course there would have been nothing more to tell if the hero had been crushed and all were over. No; it is not too late. He emerges from this trying ordeal, and goes through ethers equally weird and daring. The novel has all the glow and mystery of Oriental fiction.