1937-12-30 — Page 22

10

THE

HONGKONG

TELEGRAPH. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30,

1937.

W

'HETHER, when the time comes, you pack your holiday reading carefully at the bot- tom of the bag or leave it to the last and have to struggle with that lock again; you will already be saying to yourself, "What shall I take with me?" For, among other Joys, holiday-time 1# reading-time for almost overy-

onc.

Well, let mo make some aug- gestions for you from the fiction, the travel books and the remini- scences that havo attracted me during the last three months. grading them, as far as possible, according to Particular Readers.

For those who like a note of ro

Vaughan mance in their novelists. Wilkins Icatis, the lat with that gai- loping atage-coach of a yam, And So...- Victoria, the summer's most rensa- tional historical tale. Erich Marin Remarque offers Three · Comrades, simple, idyllte and most moving. And, in Tod Wiley, Robert Darnell Jus written a fresh, lively and convincing

HOLIDAY BOOKS by the Half-Dozen

story about a London lorry-driver. H.. Wells fuses romance and intire in the stimulating pages of his "long-short' Star Begotten. How readable he rematas, after more, than farty furious years of authorshipi Tannie Hurst's Great Laughter is the immense, sprawling, lush chronicle of An immense. sprawling : American family. There is an inevitablo, fairy- tala touch about Lewis CHbbs' quiet, sensitive Loix in Love,

For those who want reallim in their noveliste, Despite that professor's daughter. All Handst is a splendid sen story in If. M. Tomlinson's happlest mood. Six Days" Graer, which stages an election for the Governorship of one of the United States, is W. R. Burncit's bent yet. And Rudolf Brunngrabera Radium 13 b fasci- nating, pioneering tale about the most precious substance in the world,

Murray Constantine's Awastika Night Bris a dark curtain from the seventh century of the Hitlerian Era.... In' Is a Ship Burning? Richard Bale tells

you, tensely, what happens when Are

sweeps a boat at sea. Lion Feucht- wanger's The False Nero is a long, magnificently staged novel about a dia mal little dictator in Roman times.

For those insatiable sleuths who pre- jer tales of mystery and detection. I thought Elspeth Huxley's Murder si Government House one of the season's most Ught-hearted and ingenious storics. If you are A Dorothy I Bayers' fan, you may forgive her for thelove stun" in Busman's Honey. mego. And make a note of Margery Allingham's necomplished Dancers in Mourning.

Josephine Bell has arrived with that lively, original tale of the warda, Muc- der in Hospital. Agatha Christio is as competent, baming and convincing no ever in Dumb Witness. And, if you do. mand on authentic nightmare setting to your detective fiction, Jonathan Latimer's The Lady in the Morgue will be the Real Right Cloods for you.... For those who like the true life flavour of reminiscences. Unfinished Journey, by the Welsh miner-author, Jack Jones, is a richly entertaining

CHOSEN BY ROGER PIPPETT

Old

and significant autobiography, Jules features, with the aid of his daughter, Mari Sandoz, the surliest and toughest. of Nebraskan ploneers. And Oliver St. John Gogarty delights to set the cat among the Dublin pigeons in As X Was Going Down Back- ville Street,

T. E Lawrence, by Illa. Friends, In which eighty men and women unite to praiso Lawrence of Arabla, is one of the most remarkable biographical mosales of our generation. Blevenson's stepdaughter, Isobel Field. writes re- venlingly of R.LD. and his circle in Thin Lo I'va Loved, Anthony Wey. mouth's Who'd lo H Doctor? Is crowded with good-natured-and good -stories of the consulting room,

For the reader of travel books. Among the coolest and most cour ageous volumes this summer is F. 8.

DOLLAR STEAMSHIP LINES CANADIAN PACIFIC

AMERICAN MAIL LINE Sailings

SEATTLE and VICTORIA

Via Kobe and Yokohama

S.S. PRESIDENT

GRANT

Sails Saturday, Jan. 1, 6 a.m.

NEW YORK and BOSTON

Via Manila. Singapore, Penang. Colombo. Bombay. Suez Canal, Naples, Genoa and Marseilles.

S.S. PRESIDENT

S.S.

VAN BUREN

Sails Sunday, Jan. 2, 8 a.m.

MANILA

PRESIDENT COOLIDGE Sails Friday, Dec. 31, 9 p.m.

KOST FREQUENT BERVICE ON THE PACIFIC

DOLLAR STEAMSHIP LINES.

AMERICAN MAIL LINE.

PEDDER BUILDING-RONG KONG,

CANTON BRANCIL-21, PRENCH CONCESSION.

BURNS

PHILP

M. V.

LINE

"NEPTUNA”

DUE 5th JANUARY

PASSENGER & FREIGHT SERVICE TO AUSTRALIA

Sailing Sunday, 9th January

for Saigon, Madang, Salamaua, Rabaul, Sydney & Melbourne.

First Class to Sydney: Singlo: £47.10.08. Passenger & Freight Agents:—

Return: £76

GIBB, LIVINGSTON & CO., LTD.

Telephone 28031

P. & O. Bullding. Joint Passenger Agents:—NIPPON YUSEN KAISHA

King's Building.

HONGKONG SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN The estimated expenditure for carrying qui the Society's work among the children during the financial year ended 31st October, 1938 iF

$30,000.00.

The Society is in urgent need of funds and asks for donations from the public towards this expenditure,

Hon. Treasurora;

Mr. D. BLACK, O.A.,

c/o Peroy Smith, Seth & Fleming,

0 Dos Vocux Road, Central,

Mr. KWOK OHAN,

c/o Banque de L'Indo China,

Hongkong.

December 4, 1937.

STEAMSHIPS HOTELS RAILWAYS EXPRESS

A DIFFERENT WAY

TO GO HOme on youR 1938 LEAVE

TRAVEL BY THE PALATIAL WORLD CRUISING

EMPRESS OF BRITAIN

sailing from Hong Kong March 14, calling at Manila, Batavia, - Bali, Sydney, Melbourne, Wellington, Auckland, Suva (Fiji Islands), Honolulu, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Panama Canal Zono, New York, thence to Southampton. First Class Throughout.

Fares from £153.7/- by above itinerary. Other, fares and information from

Union

Building

Canadian Pacific

NJEMA DE

WORL

Tolophone

20752

EIN.Y.K.

San Francisco via Japan Ports & Honolulu.

(Starts from Koba).

Taiyo Maru

Tatasta Maru

Chichibu Maru

Seattle & Vancouver (Starts

Heiun. Maru........

New York via Panama.

+Noto Maru

Nako Maru

.Mon., 10th Jan. (1938) Tues., 25th Jan. (1938) Tues., 22nd Feb. (1938 from Kobo).

South America (West Coast)

·Sat.,-22nd-Jan-(1938)-

..Fri., 31st Dec. Mon., 24th Jan. (1938) via japan, Honolulu

Hilo, Los Angeles, Mexico & Panama.

Rakuyo Maru

Wed, 12th Jan. (1938)

London, Marsailles, Antwerp & Rotterdam.

Kashima Maru

Yasukuni Maru

Hakone Maru

Thurs., 30th Dec.

Fri., 14th Jan. (1938) .Sat., 29th Jan. (1938)

Liverpool via Port Said, Beyrouth, Istanbul, Piraeus.

and Marsellies.

+Durban Maru

Bmythe's record of Himalayan moun laineering, Camp Blx. H. P. Smolka'a Forly Thousand Against the Arcila is n stirring revelation of the crusading spirit in Russia's Polar Empire. And, in Sons of the Eagle, Ronald Matthews paints a brilliant portrait of Albania.

Lastly, here are two six-book generat Aclections for the experimental readers holiday.

The first. Winlfred Holtby's post- humous Letters to a Friend, full of her shrewd. Bunny vivacity. John P. Marquand'a nrt- tul memoir,' The Late George Apley. And four varied novels-E, M. Dela fleld's Nothing Is Safe. L.co Walmsley' Sally Lunn, F. H. Darsel's The Marching Cloud and

Ramon J. Bender's Mr. Witt Among The Rebels.

The second. Olaf Stapledon's in- spiring Tour of the Universe, Star Maker, a superb super-fantasy. Eric Ambler's Uncommon Danger, a fast- oving. out-of-the-ordinary thriller. And four novels-Esther Forbes' Parn- dise E. C. Large's Sugar in the Air, Graham Bentli's Belet Flower of Youth and Daniel Fuchs' Neptune leach,

ENVOYS EXTRAORDINARY

T

By Edmund B. D'Auvergne fflarrap, 103. 6a)

HE trade of ambassador is not what it was, Telegraph and telephone have cramped His Excellency's style.

But in the "good old days" when there was neither wire nor wire- less and His Majesty's dispatches went by sailing ship, Ambassadors and Ministers Plenipotentiary were

on their own."

Bo these envoya extraordinary, with tittle guidance from home but a gen- eral--and sometimes out-of-date-iden of "H.M.O.'s" policy, plotted and in- trigued, bribed and bullied, cozened and cajuled.

Mr. D'Auvergne has told vividly and excitingly the story of five of them: John Harris (Lord Malmesbury), Hugh Ellot, William Bentinck (nfterwards Viceroy). Stratford Canning and Sir Henry Bulmer.

It is good reading: it is a quite valuable site-light on the history of their times: and a salutary comment on affairs: for how foolish in retro- spect seem many of the burning issuca which so excited thein.

Did you know that there was onco talk of an Anglo-American war about the independence of the King of the Mosquitos?

W. N. E.

THE

Among other jous, holiday-time is reading time for almost everyone.

KING OF THE CANNIBAL ISLES

By A. B. Brewster (Robert Hale, 18.) CANNIBAL, we are assured in this book, can be really quite, a pleasant person, ex- cept for his table manners. And Ebenezer Thakombau seems to have made a very amiablo Fijian king.

True, he had kingship more or less thrust upon him. He threw away the crown they made for his coronation (it was of gine, studded with gissa), and he found being a king a bit of nuisance because other countries held him responsible for all sorts of things ho could not be blamed for.

But he did his best. le formed a government with an upper and a lower house and a "Mister Speaker and a very nice mace. And the government appointed Judges with wigs and robes and passed all sorts of laws that pushed cannibalism farther Into the background and presumably put Fiji on the Path of Progress.

All that was in what we must assume were "the good old days," before the formal annexation by Britain, when gin in Fit was ten shillings or so a case, land was to be had by settlers from Sydney and Melbourne for the asking and it was possible to live easily and comfortably, even though lurking round the corner was always the chance of being served up as a dainty dish.

King Thakombau, of course, no longer reigns in Fiji, but they thought such a lot of him when he died in 1803 that they kept hla body for four months before the funeral honours.

SWEDISH EAST ASIATIC

COLTS

SERVICE OF FAST MOTOR VESSELS (with limited, but exceptionally good, passenger accommodation). -TO-PORT—SUDAN,-PORT~~SAID,~ALGIERS,—ORAN,

ANTWERP, ROTTERDAM, (AMSTERDAM), HAMBURG, OSLO, GOTHENBURG and other SCANDINAVIAN PORTS. HOMEWARDS

M.S. "NAGARA" M.S. "SHANTUNG" Passenger Rates:

Hong Kong to Algiers

Hong Kong to Antwerp or London

Agents:

..Mon, 10th Jan. (1938)

Sydney & Melbourne via Manila & Ports.

*M.V. Neptuna

Kitano Maru

Kamo Mara

Sun., 9th Jan. (1938) Wed, 22nd Jan. (1938) Wed., 26th Jan. (1938)

Bombay via Singapore, Penang & Colombo.

+1Iekodate Maru

Toyooka Maru

Calcutta via Singapore, Penang

Tottori Muru

Kobo & Yokohama. (Omitting

Fushimi Maru

Hakozaki Maru

Kamo Maru

Terukuni Maru

↑ Cargo Only.

Mon., 10th Jan, (1938) Thurs., 27th Jan. (1938) & Rangoon. ..Wed., 26th Jan. (1938) Shanghai)

Mon.. 3rd Jan. (1958) Fri., 14th Jan. (1938) Fri., 21st Jan. (1938) .Tues., 8th Feb. (1938)

General Passenger Agents in the Orient for the CUNARD WHITE STAR LINE. Tel. 30291.

(Joint Passenger Agents for Gibb Livingston & Co.)

TRAVEL A.-O. LINE

To AUSTRALIA, Calling at Manila, Thursday Is.. CAIRNS Townsville, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. British Steamora: CHANGTE TAIPING (Oll Burnor) FASTEST & MOST UP-TO-DATE STEAMERS IN THE SERVICE OPEN AIR SWIMMING POOL

ELECTRIC LAUNDRY, BARBER SHOP, SURGEON.

AND STEWARDESS CARRIED, Enjoy Your Leave in Australia and New Zealand. Hong Kong to Sydney-19 Day.

FIRST CLASS FALE TO SYDNEY, £76 RETURN

P

STEAMER

"TAIPING

CHANGTE TAIPING

LONDON (via Australia) from £127.15. (Australian Newspapers on file).

Due H'Kong Leaves H'Kong Leaves Manija Duo Sydney

7 Jan.

11 Feb.

14 Jan. 18 Feb,

10 Jan.

31 Удо,

21 Feb.

8 Mar. 10. Mar.

18 Mar.

9 Mar. 3. Apr.

8 May

CHANGTE 12 Apr. 19 Apr. 22 Apr.

AUSTRALIAN-ORIENTAL LINE, LIMITED,

* Sailings subject to alteration without notice. ~

bor Freight or Passage, apply to:-

Butterfield. & Swire. Agents-Hong Kong-China-Japan

GILMAN & CO., LTD.

Hongkong,

Balling about

.26th Feb. 29th March

..£49 .£53

G. E. HUYGEN Canton.

Then a great meteor exploded, and the natives Bold it was his spirit expressing Indignation at being so long unburled, Ebenezer, says Mr. Brewster, was thorough in all things" Aa n conni. bal he was terrible and bloodthirsty. When he embraced Christianity he did so with his whole heart, and finally, na a subject of the Queen, he gave her his full obedience."

Only once he seems to have kicked over the kingly traces, when, in his fecblo old age, he insisted on wed- ding a young and buxom mail He had nativo custom on his side, but ho didn't live long after that,

The author of this book is now eighty-three. Ho went to Pili as a boy and spent forty years in Govern- ment service there. Memory 'Corner is not always boring. When this octo- genarian takes you there it becomes entertaining as well as informative and sometimes very lively.

There is, for instance, that story of the missionary who, giving evidence in a law court one terribly hot day, seized what looked like a water-bottle on the barristers' table. Alled a tum bler, took a deep draught and dashed the glass down in disgust and anger. It was good Hollands gin, that liqueur which, it is sald, used to stand In large, innocent-looking carafes, on the samo table as the mace in Fiji's House of Commons,

I. G. P.

TI-TREE

OIL SOAP

THE Germicidal Toilet Soap.

A safe & effective remedy for-

PRICKLY HEAT,

HONGKONG FOOT and;

ALL TROPICAL SKIN COMPLAINTS.

A Skin Tonic--Pleasant and

| Invigorating, particularly sooth-

ing. after exercise. Also effectual DEODORANT.

an

OBTAINABLE. EVERYWHERE. Sole Agents; DANBY & HANCE, Alexandra Building.

COUNT THE

TELEGRAPHS'

EVERYWHERE

THE TAIKOO DOCKYARD & ENGINEERING COMPANY

OF HONGKONG, LIMITED.

BUILDERS OF ALL CLASSES OF SHIPS.

BUILDERS OF RECIPROCATING STEAM ENGINES, BUILDERS OF MARINE AND LAND BOILERS. BUILDERS OF TURBINE MACHINERY

Undor Licence From Messrs. Parsons.

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Undor Special Licence From Massrs. Bulzer Bros., Winterthur.

Licensed To Manufacturo Lanz Porlit Iron, Specially Suitable

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| Call Flag: "Numaral One" over "Pennant Ans.”

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