POSTED TO CANADA: THE WATERCOLOURS OF GEORGE RUSSELL DARTNELL 1835-1844. de Pencier, Honor. Toronto, Dundurn Press, 1987. 112 pp, paper, $14.95, ISBN 1-55002-021-8. CIP Grades 8 and up Reviewed by Gary Robertson Volume 16 Number 1 1988 January This small book contains a collection of fascinating stories and personal accounts of an army surgeon's life in the nineteenth century. Early accounts ranging from the "borrowing" of corpses for medical research to dealing with rogue elephants in Ceylon help set the stage for a very readable and enjoyable life story, punctuated with on-the-spot sketches and paintings. Dartnell had a purely amateur interest in art, and yet over two decades he produced hundreds of sketches and small water-colour paintings. His early English and Indian paintings displayed a difficulty with figure drawing and architectural perspective, but as time passed his Work greatly improved. In 1835 Dartnell was posted to Canada. Along with his medical bag he brought many treatises and ideas on how to improve his water-colour technique. His spectacular views of ice flows on the St. Lawrence River, unspoiled forest wilderness and early architecture give us a unique view of pre-photographic Canada. There are sixty-one black-and-white and nine colour reproductions of Dartnell's work. These show a wide interest and insight into the life-styles with which he came in contact. Throughout his professional career Dartnell exhibited a genuine care and sensitivity towards his patients. These same attributes are inherent in his writings and art work. His images of nineteenth-century Canada come from the eye and heart of a true gentleman. This book is easy to read, well bound and will contribute another view of life in early Canada to our library. Gary Robertson, Thom Collegiate, Regina, Sask.