BOOKS.

MACKINNON'S ATLANTIC AND TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES..

MIK greater part of this -work is the narrative of a tour in America, embracing visits to New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Wash- ington, with an excursion to the extreme West in the neighbour- hood of the Lakes. The cities and settled parts of the country are not new subjects, but Captain Mackinnon imparts novelty to his matter by the attention he paid to the dockyards and naval economy of the States. He also indicates the ostentation of New York fashionable life, and what is a novelty, the enormous charges of New York hotels; for they used to be considered reasonable. The West is advancing at such a rate, that the features of a few years ago are totally changed when revisited, and a traveller there would find something fresh and astounding in every successive year. Cap- tain Mackinnon also brings a different mind to his task from that of many travellers, and, apparently, had better introductions among the gentry of the older States. He is a devoted admirer of the character of the Americans, and of the material advance of the States ; perhaps without sufficient critical discrimination. It is difficult to combine opposites. The reckless audacity and restless activity of youth are seldom found with the staidness and steadiness of middle age or advancing life ; yet it does not follow that the one is abstractedly preferable to the other—we cannot be old and young at the same time. John Ball is self-opinionated, slow, and difficult to move out of his old ways ; defects, no doubt, but accompanied by a firmness and te- nacity of purpose which rather increase under obstacles, and en- able him to pull through disasters. He has also got old-fashioned notions, in spite of the march of intellect ; and his limitation of a field for industry (as compared with America) may make him some- what sluggish and indisposed to adapt himself to new circum- stances ; but it gives greater thoroughness to what he does. Captain Mackinnon admits that there is little of completeness in American work or American acquirements. The Americans, too, are quickly used up—a short-lived people. According to statistics, only four in a hundred live to sixty ; and almost every age is anticipated. There is no such thing as youth, hardly as childhood. In speaking of the rapid advance of new States in America, we must not shut our eyes to the fact that repudiation past, and, if not repudiation to come, very reckless borrowing, have something to do with it. There has been reckless speculation enough in our own country, and of a more wasteful character than in America; for their canals and rail- ways benefit the district if they do not directly, pay, whereas some of our railways are useless. But we speculated with our own money. Jonathan is undoubtedly a pushing, enterprising, surprising fellow ; and John would be all the better for a little of his go- ahead mobility ; but to make it available, he must get some of Jonathan's confidence. See how poor old John is deprived of his own children, and has them sent back again grown out of know- ledge. "Not a year passes but numerous active, ambitious, and intelligent young Americana, cross the Atlantic, and traverse England from end to end. No novelty, no ingenious or useful invention, escapes their shrewd observation. The knowledge thus acquired is speedily acted upon, and brought into pro- fitable use, throughout the length and breadth of the vast and fertile regions of the United States. It frequently happens that, in a few months, the Eng- lish invention returns to us with material improvements before it is generally known and adopted in England. As this policy is totally neglected by the English, the result must be obvious to the most careless and indifferent. That is to say, Brother Jonathan is rapidly, going ahead, and leaving England behind in all useful and scientific pursuits ; an effect not to be wondered at, as he has the advantage of the experience of both countries."

It is not only machinery that America gets from England. Her navy is manned by English seamen; her dockyards are worked and overlooked by Englishmen ; and, despite our official exclusiveness, she gets at our " secrets" touching gunnery, and other matters, as soon as they are discovered, or at least introduced into practice here. This to a great extent is inevitable ; but we fear it will be found in the case of a future war, that national im- mobility and official supineness have permitted the Americans not only to equal us in a few things, but to shoot ahead in everything connected with the navy. National safety, indeed, is not at issue in a war with America, as it would be in a war with France ; or that discredit and danger which might follow the loss of a great sea-fight, since the Americans have hardly a fleet. Yet why does not England possess the best? we pay enough for it. Why are men to be uselessly slaughtered, the reputation of officers to be wantonly sacrificed, and a slur cast upon the national cha- racter, through the sluggish routine of public offices ? The whole of Captain Mackinnon's visits to the dockyards, and remarks on navy management, are well worth reading. The following pas- sages are from the visit to the Navy Yard at Brooklyn, New York, the second in importance in the States. "A magnificent corvette, the German-town, rated as twenty, but carrying twenty-four guns, deserves some description. She carries eighteen thirty-two pound guns of forty-seven cwt.; and four sixty-three cwt. eight-inch guns. As all the recent improvements in gunnery carried out in the Excellent at Portsmouth are immediately -known at Washington, she has the advantage of them with such improvements as the 'cute Yankee mind might suggest. For example, the gun-locks are simpler and more perfect than those used in the English service. We are informed, upon unquestion- able authority, that no new implement of war is elaborated in England with- out being immediately known to the authorities in the United States; and

• Atlantic and Transatlantic Sketches Afloat and Ashore. By Captain Mackinnon, E.N., Author of " Steam Warfare in the Parana." In two volumes. Published by Colburn and Co.

we are told that the commission of naval officers, now sitting at Washington to reorganize the naval ordnance and gunnery exercise, are assisted materially by, the experience of men educated in her Majesty's ship Excellent.

'It all leaks out, I guess,' were the words used by one of the most intel- ligent officers in the American Navy. And there cannot be any doubt about it.

"The sisters, Saranac and San Jacintho, are models of architectural beauty. The San Jacintho is intended for a screw, and the Saranac for a paddle-wheel steamer. These beautiful vessels are one thousand five hundred tons each, two hundred and thirty-three feet over all, thirty-eight feet beam, and seven hundred and twenty horse-power.

" The war armament intended for the San Jacintho, rated in the Navy-list as carrying six guns, will enable her to cope with almost any vessel afloat. She is to carry sixteen broadside eight-inch guns, fifty-seven cwt. each, and two pivot-guns weighing one hundred and seven cwt., foreward and aft, of the same calibre as the broadside guns ; and the vessel is fitted in such a manner that both pivot-guns can be used at either extremity. The crew of both steamers is composed of two hundred and fifty men ; and four hun- dred tons of coal can be stowed under hatches. At full power, they use about twenty-five tons a day ; but, by cutting off the steam and working by expansion, they can go ten knots, and carry fuel for thirty days, or expend- ing fuel at the rate of about fourteen tons a day."

This is from Washington Dockyard.

" Let us now examine the field and boat artillery. These admirable and exquisitely simple howitzer-guns are twelve and twenty-four pounders ; the twelves averaging 750 cwt., and the twenty-fours 1300 cwt. It is impossible to describe the ease and celerity with which these guns are transferred from a boat's slide to a field-carriage, and vice versa. At this time, the guns and slides and carriages were all lying in a confused mass on the floor of the store.

" ' Would you like to see the field-howitzer exercised ?' was the polite offer made to me.

"'Amazingly,' I replied ; ' nothing better.' " Let us, then, walk down to the banks of the Potomac,' continued my companion. And we leisurely advanced down the two hundred yards that separated us from the river. Before, however, the distance was passed, the twenty-four pound howitzer came racing after us, dragged by six and pushed by two dockyard matees. " ' Quick work,' thought I, quick work for matees.'

" Now, sir, take out your watch, and mark time whilst they fire. Mind how you point her; added the Commodore, addressing the men ; see the

shot don't hit that in the bend. Now then, begin.

" ' These dockyard matees are a pretty smart set of sailor chaps, I guess,' said L ' Why, there were four discharges within thirty seconds ; two shots were richochetting at the same moment.'

" The intelligent officer who constructed these admirable field-carriages, as well as many other ordnance improvements, was rewarded for his exer- tions the same day by a vote of Congress, which secured to him one thou- sand five hundred dollars per annum extra.

" Curvetting at a sharp run round an old anchor, lying on the ground, the howitzer disappeared at a rapid pace. I am very much mistaken if this was not the simplest and most effective field-piece in the world—still more mis- taken if the majority of the crew were not brought up in an English man- of-war."

The results of Captain Mackinnon's tour in'the United States only occupy the first and the earlier portion of the second volume. The remainder consists of a variety of sketches; some descriptive of nautical occurrences in the Mediterranean and the West Indies ; others on the Falkland Islands, when Captain Mackinnon was em- ployed on surveying duty. The- papers relating to the Mediter- ranean and West Indian seas have about them something of the magazine article, but with greater reality. The sketches in the Falkland Islands are more various and interesting. They form a series of graphic pictures of the country itself, and of the author's adventures there amongst the natural phienomena and wild crea- tures—chiefly wild cattle, which are somewhat different from the domesticated animal. Here is one adventure.

"After progressing about two miles, we observed,just over the crest of a hillock, a black ridge or eminence, like a bush or small rock, which suddenly started into life, developing a huge head and a pair of horns. It was a bull, grazing; and a magnificent creature he appeared to be.

" These wild fellows are very different from their species in a tame state. I cannot more fitly describe them than by saying they have a terrible aspect ; so much so, that some of our men, and one officer, although as brave and care- less of their personal safety, as any could be, were never able to get over their dread of the gorgon-like visages of these beasts ; which operated so powerfully on one or two occasions, as to prevent the individuals in question from venturing on the main land. This peculiar terror on the part of men of high courage, must, I imagine, have arisen from early impressions made in childhood, similar to the dread some persons have of being alone in a dark place. " While considering how best we might attack the brute, a herd of about forty or fifty was suddenly exposed to our view. Starting La Porte at them, and enjoining my brave young companion to keep close to me, we ran full speed towards the animals ; the whole of which seemed panic-stricken, and scoured off. One bull took a direction across my path, at a distance of about fifty yards. I levelled my rifle at his fore shoulder, and heard (immediately after its sharp crack) the dull sound of the bullet striking him. This enraged the animal ; when, turning his head at me, on he came at speeed, with tail high above his back.

"In a moment I had chariged guns, and with my left knee on the ground waited his approach. La Porte did all a dog could do to divert his course ; but on me the bull had fixed his eye, and nothing could shake his purpose. I must confess I felt as if I should have been much safer anywhere else ; but it was too lute to think of that

"The animal was within twenty yards when my first barrel opened on him. The ball entered his forehead, but not sufficiently deep to cause in- stantaneous death, or even to disable him for the moment. Regardless of pain, be still galloped forward, when, at ten yards, my remaining barrel pierced his left eye. "Mad, and half blinded, he now swerved from me, and rushed headlong on my boy ; whom, without attempting to toss, he knocked down, trampled on, and passed over. Before he could turn, La Porte had him by the nose, and for a few seconds held him ' - but he soon threw the dog off, and came upon us streaming with blood. During the next two or three minutes we exerted every nerve and muscle to keep clear of his repeated though weakened charges, and only succeeded by La Porte's powerful assistance, who, when we were nearly caught, sprang upon him like a tiger.

"At length the bull appeared to stagger slightly, and the dog pinned him. Drawing my. hunting-knife--which, by the by, I could shave with—I ran up, and was in the act of hamstringing him, when once more he threw off the dog and bounded at me. While making the third bound, (and when I fancied I could feel his hot breath, he was so close,) the tendon having been

severed, the remaining cartilages of the leg gave way, and, with a loud bel- low, he was stretched on the earth. The next moment my knife was sticking in his heart."