He had long been known as a descriptive writer, since his publication of The Great Lone Land (1872) and other works and he was the biographer (1899) of Sir George Colley.
Han havde længe været kendt som en beskrivende forfatter, siden hans offentliggørelse af The Great Lone Land (1872) og andre værker, og han var biografen (1899) til George Pomeroy Colley.