New-York tribune., 1894-10-10
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
SOME BOOKS OF TRAVEL.

BY Isabella BIRD Bishop IlSstrs3e9 bm,psms sons Ss.
THE PEARL OF INDIA. BY Maturin NJ Baiioc, n
svo. d. tx, 3s5 Boston Houghton Mfiin
G2lRNER {l%s;ya,sa os svo cAThH pp S 2 NewYork Mae
milan Co.
The only fault to be found with Mrs Bishops
charming book is that it was written ai','o9'
twenty years ago. has been through hVe euit.o"'
in England and has only now been reprihteu ioi
American readers. Mrs. Bishop saw Ha"an
under the most favorable circumstances. ihinsieu
with the natives, became thoroughly acquaih'eu
with their life. studied the foreign eie"ie"''
climbed the volcanoes. showed herseh "a'
eller Of pluck and endurance. ana writes Vi
II all with insight vividness and simplicity.
The letters which compose the volume were not
written for publication; they were merely the ac-
counts Of her Journeys sent from the ISLANDS 10
her family In England.
Mrs R,shop who was then Miss Bird, left
Zealand in January 1873, on her way 10
San Francisco in the Nevada. an old-fashloneu
paddle steamer with broken engines. utterly un-
at for a voyage across even the most peacefui
sea- Not the least interesting OF the letters 'eis
the story Of the Nevada's survival OF reVo'Vi"s
hurricane and her arrival in Honolulu with the
starboard wheel nearly out OF the water lhe'e
everybody turned out 10 greet the strangers all
the natives wearing wreaths and taking III
language which seemed without backbone Inc
illness of a shipboard acquaintance lea the au
thor to remain in Honolulu. and what was IN
tended n he few days stay heightened into
months on the islands short WISH a' '"e
CAPITAL was followed by trip to the largest
island Of the group. Hawaii. over sea 'na'
"was so completely lazy that It was fresh sur
nrise as each indoent indulaton touched the
shore that II had latent vigor left TO thro"
itself inward into clouds Of spray. The natives
on this island received her with great kindness
There were no hotels, and she was the guest
either Of the few white residents or o' ''e
Kanakas Though Chrstianized ana KihoS'
these retained TO great extent Their prini'''e
ways of life They dressed IN bright garments
when they were clothed at all. and universaiy
decked themselves with wreaths OF mowers
Nature furnished them a living: they grateiuhy
accepted It, dwet gregariously and asked loI
nothing more The author traverses the fores's'
notes the difference between their mahy-coio'eu
foliage and "our pale. srnall-leaVed Trees VIII"
,heir uniform green; forests in which there are
no conifers and where the exotic sumach sun
retains its old habit of shedding its leaves
while all the rest Of the vegetable Kingdom
revels in perpetual summer. She wades streams
and climbs mountains in spite Of all discussion.
ard sends back this most vivid picture OF the
crater of Kilauea with its fiery lakes:
Suddenly lust above and in front Of us, CORY
drops were tossed in air. and springng for"diu
we stood on ne brink Of Hale-mau-mau, Whch
was about thirty-fve feet below us 'nlhK Nv we
all screamed ! know all wept but we were
speechless for glory and terror had peei
added to the earth 1t is the most unut'erdpIe
Of wonderful things The words OF hIa ,mhIn
speech are quite useless. 1t is unimigmaole,
irdescriba BILE a sight TO remember forever,
sight which at once took possession OF eNei9
faculty of sense and soul, removing one alto
eether out Of the range of ordinary 'ife Here
are the real "bottomess pit"-the fire whlch Is
not quenched'-"the place Of hell'-'the lake
which burneth with fire and birthstone tine
Everlasting burnngs"-the fiery sea % whose
waves are never weary. There were rE0anliss, r
rumblings and detonatons rushings, hiSsihss
and splashings. and the crashing sounu 81
hreakers on the coast. but 1t the surging of
fiery waves upon fiery shore. But what can
] write. Such words as JETS fountains, aIes
epray convey some Idea of order and regularity
hut here there none Inc prom.
nent object was fire in notion but he s'irface or
the double lake was continually skimming over
for second or two with cooled crust OF
iustrous gray-whte. like frosted silver. iroken
by Jagged cracks of a bright rose "oIor .
Now IL seemed furious. demoniacal. as II no ,ower
on earth could bind II. then playful and sporuVe
then for second lanquid but only because II
was accommodating fresh force. on our arrlVai
eleven fire fountains were playing ))you7iv r"uhd
the lakes and sometimes the six OF the nearer
lake ran together in the centre, 10 go valoWing
dnwn in one vortex. And the color.
Molten metal has not that crimson gleam nor
blood that living light. Had not seen, shouid
have never known that such color was pos
sible There was no smoke rising from
the lake only faint blue vapor which the vino
carried in the opposite direction The neat was
excessive We obliged to stand the whole
time and the soles Of our boots were burned
and my ear and one side OF my face was DIS
tered We able 10 stand quite near
the margin and look down into the lake, as you
look into the sea from the deck Of ship. the
only risk being that the fractured ledge might
Before we came away new impulse seized
the lava The fire was thrown to great helght'
the fountains and Jets all wallowed; new ones
anneared and danced joyously round the margin.
then converging toward the centre they merged
into one glowing mass. when upheaVeu tseli
pyramidaby and disappeared with a mighty
niunpe Then innumerable billows Of fire dashed
themselves into the air, crashing and Iashlng'
and the lake dividing Itself. recoiled on either
side then hurting its fires together and rising as
~ by upheaval from below II surged over thc
temporary rim which 1t had formed. passing
downward In a slow majestic flow, leaving the
central surface swaying and dashing In fruitless
agony. as If sent on some errahd IL iaiieu 10
accomplish.
Miss Bird had then. Mrs Bishop has now.
a sharp eye for scenery keen sense OF humor
and an intelligent grasp OF the political ana
social conditions which she found; and though
twenty years have wrought material changes
in the islands. her letters are as fresh and ABB
sorbng as when they were penned for the eyes
OF anxious relatives.
"The Pearl Of India il volume intended to
give to the untraveed reader a goodly quantity
of information about Ceyon and other topics
TOO numerous to mention The author evidently
writes with an accurate knowledge OF the de-
mands of his public. for the list Of his books oi
travel is a long one, and they have had con-
siderable popularity. The personal element ol
travel and adventure is almost entirely lacking
IN Mr. Ballou's story He wanders through
Cevlon recording all sorts of items as they occur
IN him without any attempt at completeness oi
aven at systematic arrangement. Any number