Flindersland and Sturtland. • By W. H. Jessop, M.A. Two
volumes. (Bentley.)—Mr. Jessop is, as he takes good care to inform us, a Cambridge man, who went to Australia for some reason which is not immediately apparent, at a time which there is nothing in his book to enable us to determine with anything like accuracy. He appears to have landed at Sydney, whence he proceeded by sea to Melbourne and Adelaide, and to have spent some time at the last-named place. On the strength of this passage he proceeds to give a description of the south-eastern corner of Australia, under the name of Flindersland; and while in South Aus- tralia he went some distance up the country into what he felicitously calls Sturtland. As might be expected from the exceedingly slight opportunities of becoming acquainted with the country which Mr. Jessop enjoyed, his first volume, which deals with Flindersland, is flimsy and unsubstential to an almost incredible and quite intolerable degree. It is chiefly remarkable as containing some very strong—and, we have reason to believe, not undeserved—eipressions of opinion on the subject of colonial parliaments, the members of.. Which Mr. Jessop characterizes as "ignorant, violent, and needy men," exhibiting manners which are "rough, braggart, quarrelsome, coarse, and forbidding." The second volume is a trifle better, as its author had, at least, seen the country which it describes. The most interesting chapters in it are those which contain the results of his inquiries into the customs of the native tribes. According to him, South Australia is the queen of the Australian colonies ; but, as it is the only one of which he appears to have had any real experience, we are, perhaps, justified in conjeeturing that, did he know more of New South Wales, he might not have abused it quite so vigorously as he has done. We mast add that Mr. Jessort writes in a resolutely affected style, which materially detracts from the value of whatever information his volumes contain.
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