The History of the Rebellion in Ceylon. By Captain J.
Macdonald Henderson. (Skeet.)—Tho title promised an interesting book. Captain
Henderson is quite right in thinking that recent events in Jamaica give a special interest to an account of the revolt in Ceylon ; if ho would only have given us something of the kind, we should have been very much obliged to him. Anything more dreary than what he really does give us it is impossible to conceive. In fact we have here in print that terrible thing which some of us may have been unlucky enough to encounter in real life, the experienced officer with a grievance. Nearly 300 pages are filled with a long indictment against Lord Torrington, Sir Emerson Tennent, and a certain Captain Watson. Where the truth lies it is probably beyond all human power, certainly beyond ours, to determine. But we are quite capable of seeing that the book is fright- fully dull. Yet Captain Henderson must have seen and heard things which it would be worth while to read about. Here is an instance of the wild rumours which convulse Orientals with such strange fears. Sir Emerson Torment had been making inquiries about the stature of the native tribes : forthwith goes forth a rumour "that the women were to be taxed in proportion to their girth across the breasts."
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