BOOK NOTICES THE BRITISH INVASION FROM THE NORTH. The campaigns of Generals Carleton and Burgoyne from Canada, 17761777. With the JOURNAL OF LIEUTENANT WILLIAM DIGBY of the 53d, or Shropshire Regiment of Foot. Illustrated with historical notes by JAMES PHINNEY BAXTER, A. M. Square 8vo, pp. 412. Albany, New York. Joel Munsell's Sons. The journal of Lieutenant Digby sheds light upon many features of the famous campaigns of Carleton and Burgoyne in 1776 and 1777, and to Mr. Baxter, we owe a debt of gratitude for its discovery in the British Museum, and presentation to the reading public in the present carefully edited volume. The first part of the journal relates to the events and incidents attendant upon the expulsion of the Americans from Canada in the summer and autumn of 1776. But Digby's account of the second campaign of 1777, in which he followed the fortunes of his general to the bitter end, is the more interesting of the two. He gives a graphic account of the marches of the British army through the woods, in a country with which they had little or no knowledge, and the sufferings and perils of each day. Under date of July 7, he describes a sharp en.. counter with the enemy, whom they routed, and adds, we were obliged to fell trees in order to make a breastwork for our protection. . . We were very badly off for provisions, and nothing but water to drink, and though it rained very hard after the engagement we had no covering to shelter us." On the 9th he writes, we received orders to march toward Skeensborough. We were obliged to leave all our wounded behind us with a subaltern guard, who received orders, if attacked, to surrender and rely on the mercy of the enemy. This was a severe order, but it could not be helped in our situation." In narrating the events of the Saratoga battle Digby says, "We burned Schuyler's house to prevent a lodgment being formed behind it, and almost all our remaining baggage rather than it should fall into their hands. Concerning the surrender he dwells upon the scene when the British soldiers marched out according to the treaty, remarking, "As to my own feelings, I cannot express them. Tears (though unmanly) forced their way, and if alone, I could have burst to give myself vent. I never shall forget the appearance of their troops on our marching past them; a dead silence universally reigned through their numerous columns, and even then, they seemed struck with our situation and dare scarce lift up their eyes to view British troops in such a situation. I must say their decent be havior during the time (to us so greatly fallen) merited the utmost approbation and praise." Mr. Baxter in the opening of the volume gives a clear, succinct account of the "campaigns of Carleton and Burgoyne," occupying seventy-five pages, which will be a boon to the students, and his explanatory and biographical notes scattered through the work are of surpassing value. Concerning Digby, who was among the paroled officers at Saratoga, but little is known of his subsequent career. Mr. Baxter says he has been baffled thus far in obtaining particulars concerning his family and early history, and finds him recorded in the War Office as having retired from military service in 1787. THE SOCIAL INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIANITY. By DAVID J. HILL, LL.D., President of Bucknell University. 16m0, pp. 321. Boston. Silver, Burdette & Co. The recent triangular controversy between Dr. Field and Mr. Gladstone on the one hand, and Col. Ingersoll on the other, has attracted so much attention that if for no other reason the present volume would be timely. But in the light of history such a work is always timely. It is a noteworthy fact that society has organized itself in Christendom as nowhere else in the world, and a philosophical study of the process embraces a wide range of subjects. In a single small volume only the most cursory treatment is possible, but Dr. Hill has brought to bear a skilled hand and well trained mind, and the influence of Christ's teachings, are treated with clearness, brevity and comprehensiveness, including even the modern phases of labor, wealth, marriage, education, legislation and crime. The lesson taught is in brief that the Christian conception of man is closely related to social progress, and that it cannot be neglected without serious danger to the whole social fabric. POLITICAL ESSAYS. By JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL. 16mo, pp. 326. Boston. Houghton, Mifflin & Co. Beginning with his famous arraignment of the American Tract Society in 1858, and ending with "The Place of the Independent in Politics,' an address to the Reform Club of this city during the present year, this series of twelve essays is in substance a review of American history during the most momentous period of the republic. It is only necessary to recapitulate the headings of the different chapters to show how valuable is the volume as a record of current discussion at the periods indicated: "The election in November" (1860), "E. Pluribus Unumi (1861), "The Pickens-andStealins Rebellion " (1861), "General McClellan's Report" (1864), "The Rebellion; its Causes and Consequences" (1864), McClellan or Lincoln (1864), Reconstruction" (1865), "Scotch the Snake or Kill it" (1865), "The President on the Stump" (1866), "The SewardJohnson Reaction (1866). These with the addresses cited at first make up a notable series of essays. As a leader of contemporary opinion Mr. Lowell has for nearly a quarter of a century held a conspicuous place in American literature, and it goes without saying that the brilliancy of his diction and the incisive quality of his thought lose nothing through the lapse of time. His admirers will re-read with renewed appreciation the addresses, which, when they were originally delivered were received by the loyal states with universal and unqualified marks of approval. His more recent assertion of a right to think outside of party lines has subjected him to much bitter criticism from his former political associates, but he can well afford to break a lance for political freedom where mere partisanship is concerned. A CENTURY OF TOWN LIFE. A History of Charlestown, Massachusetts, 17751887. With Surveys, Records, and twentyeight pages of Plans and Views. By JAMES F. HUNNEWELL. 8vo. PP. 316. Boston, 1888 Little, Brown & Company. The town of Charlestown, Massachusetts, is one of the oldest and most interesting in the country. The author of this well conceived and valuable work has had the taste and courage as well as uncommon opportunities for investigating faithfully the old deeds, plans, records, and other documents, and he has reconstructed from scattered materials a most satisfactory survey of old Charlestown before it was burned a hundred years ago. One newspaper of that day states that when destroyed "Charlestown contained about three hundred dwelling-houses, one hundred and fifty or two hundred of which were large and elegant." But the author explains that "ideas of elegance were then very different from those we have." Mr. Hunnewell's description of the place in 1775 is unique from the laborious examinations and careful stringing together of separate authorities which appear on the face of it. The deeds afforded him the best of all available information, yet they often left the position of estates a puzzle. "The exact site of the first government building of Massachusetts Bay could hardly be determined until the exact position of a certain post in Mary Long's fence was known." Mr. Hunnewell also gives entire, important records hitherto unpublished and not generally accessible, about a great number of persons whose descendants are now widely scattered. And he has made a bibliography in which he has directed the reader to at least a hundred books and pamphlets, and to over four hundred notices in books, about individuals, natives or residents an amount of biographical matter that would fill several volumes. The history of the first church, covering a period of two hundred and fifty years, he has made a chapter of special importance. The Rev. Jedediah Morse, the author of the first geography ever published in this country, was called to the pastorate in April, 1789, and his ministry extended over thirty years. He was the father of Samuel Finley Breese Morse, inventor of the telegraph. The author says: "The effects of the last war with England were severe in this vicinity. In 1815 the town, that then contained about five thousand people, was recovering." On page 261 is a fac-simile of the title-page of the first Charlestown book, written and printed in this country in 1673. The first shop in the town for the sale of books and writing materials was opened in 1715. The first practical attempt to establish a public library was in 1853. The illustrations add greatly to the interest of the book. The view of Bunker's Hill copied from the "Gentleman's Magazine" of February, 1790, is a striking example of the wood-cut of the period. The plan of the pews on the floor of the first church meeting-house, in 1804, and the sketch of Charlestown in 1638, are particularly interesting. The oldest houses in Charlestown are graphically described, and a view given of the one in which the author resides. MEXICO, PICTURESQUE, POLITICAL, It It is not generally realized by the people of the United States how rapidly the two great American republics are being united by railroads and the common ties that unify the nations. They know as little of Mexican conditions and prosperity as they do of her vast resources. is significant, however, that two of the most enterprising of our magazines, The Century and Lippincott's, devote considerable space in their August issues to romances with scenes laid among the mountains of our sister republic, and when popular writers of fiction select a common stage for their romances it is a tolerably certain indication of a coming change. The present volume, with its dual authorship, represents the East and the West. Mrs. Blake being a Bostonian, while Mrs. Sullivan is from Chicago. We are not aware that a similar literary partnership has ever before existed. May it prove an aus WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Portrayed by himself. By ROBERT WATERS. 16mo, pp. 347. New York: Worthington Company. An autobiography of the Bard of Avon would certainly be a novelty at this late day, and it is a happy idea to study the most famous pages of English literature with a view to arriving at a just estimate of the author's personality. When no contemporary biography of a person is extant, it is obviously proper to look for material to make good the deficiency in his deeds. Mr. Waters thinks that in the character of Henry the Fifth, Shakespeare drew his own portrait, and certainly many points of similarity are emphasized in a way which, if not convincing, are certainly suggestive. In such a comparison, of course, it was necessary to dip into history, in order to sustain or disprove the theory, and the author has consulted the chroniclers of Prince Henry's time with commendable diligence. It is noteworthy that in the very plays which Mr. Ignatius Donelly selects for the development of his extraordinary Baconian cipher, the present author finds the strongest arguments in support of his own views. Mr. Donelly and his book come in for a full share of criticism in the course of the volume, several chapters being devoted to a review of his attempted demonstrations. Upon the whole, the volume is a very acceptable addition to the already numerous, and rapidly increasing list of Shakespeareana, and every lover of the great dramatist will, after reading this book, turn with renewed interest to the perusal of his favorite plays. HARVARD REMINISCENCES. BY ANDREW P. FEABODY, D.D., LL.D. 16m0, pp. 216. Boston: Ticknor & Co. The venerable Professor of Christian Morals at Cambridge, and long preacher to the University, has done well to place on record his reminiscences of the distinguished men who have been his contemporaries. His purpose is to preserve in permanent form his recollections of the college as it was when he was an undergraduate and during the subsequent years when as a theological student and as a tutor he resided at Harvard. The period covers the years 1776 to 1831 inclusive, and to it is appended a chapter of reminiscences concerning his own novi-, tiate, a period now so long past that it may be safely regarded as beyond the memory of all save a very few among the surviving alumni. To Harvard men it must prove a valuable addition to the memorabilia which form a part of almost every student's library. THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY in the United States National Museum (Smithsonian Institution). With Memoirs and Statistics. By THOMAS DONALDSON. Author's Edition. 8vo, pp. 939. The Government Printing House, Washington, D. C. George Catlin began the work of creating a gallery of paintings of North American Indians in 1829 and completed it in 1838. He first offered the gallery to the Smithsonian Institution in 1846, and in 1881, after many vicissitudes and misfortunes it found a permanent lodgment there. Mr. Catlin was convinced that the decline and possible extinction of the North American Indians would give importance to their pictorial history, and unaided and unadvised, went about the work with his brush and pen. He visited forty-eight tribes, lived with them in their own villages, carrying his canvas and colors with him, and painted a large number of portraits from life. He was very careful in the matter of the authentication of his pictures, not infrequently obtaining certificates from Indian agents, officers of the army, and the fur company's interpreters, who were with him. He had no trading purposes to serve, and excited no enmity among the savages by teachings or otherwise. He made no effort to obtain ancient history of a people who knew no writing, but wisely confined his labors to depicting exactly what he saw and that only. His diaries convey the vivid impressions of the moment-faithful and accurate observations, to which future writers will turn for authentic statements. His unique gallery was exhibited for some time in London, and attracted universal attention. He compiled a work from letters which he had written to the New York Commercial Advertiser between the years 1830 and 1839 at the instance of Colonel W. L. Stone, its editor, adding some additional notes, which was published under the title of "Eight Years Among the American Indians." An effort was made to retain the collection in England. He exhibited it in Paris in 1845, and the press of the French city was unanimous in its praise. Mr. Catlin's drawings and paintings have furnished illustrations and data for thousands of works on the Indians of America, and for theatres and "Wild West" exhibitions. They have been modified, cut, altered, changed, but they nevertheless remain Catlin's work. Authors in all lands have used them, and stories without number have been based upon them. No man of his station or who had done so much, says Donaldson, left so little from which to give a correct account of his private life. Nowhere does he give the date of his birth. He died in Jersey City in 1872. The history of the travels of his gallery is tersely told in the introductory chapter. It was turned out of Paris in 1848 by the Revolution and went back to England. The volume before us is a mine of information. It is impossible to open it at any page without being interested and inclined to read indefinitely. BEFORE THE DAWN. A story of Paris and the Jacquerie. By GEORGE DULAC. 16 mo, pp. 307. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. This striking story is a fitting companion for Mr. Walter Bessant's "Sunrise," which is now attracting the attention of novel readers and to some extent, of students of communistic problems. But whereas the one deals with the great reformatory combinations of the present day when the first rays of sunlight may be said to have penetrated the dark cloud of oppression that has hung over the laboring classes, the other treats of the early uprisings of the French peasantry against feudal despotism. The pictures of life in those times, of the fierce encounters between the tenantry and their lords; of the brutal passions of the time are well done and thrilling in the extreme. Apparently the author has made a careful study of the social castes of the time, and has caught the spirit and color of the conditions which he endeavors to present. DISCOVERY OF AMERICA BY NORTH. MEN. With Maps and Illustrations. Address at the Unveiling of the Statue of Leif Eriksen. Delivered at Faneuil Hall, October 29. 1887. By EBEN NORTON HORSFORD. 4to, pp. 113. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, In this elegantly printed volume Professor Horsford presents in permanent form the story of the discovery of America by the Northmen in all its essential particulars. It is crowded with welcome and valuable information. In the appendix he has added notes and data that will instruct the reader as to the principal sources of saga lore. A series of beautiful maps and other illustrations are scattered through the work, explaining much of the text. A heliotype facsimile of a page from the Saga of Eirek the Red -from the manuscript of the Codex Flateyensis -and an artistically executed map of Iceland, are especially deserving of mention. Professor Horsford has been an indefatigable student for many years of this much discussed and intensely interesting subject of the early voyages to this country, and has apparently brought skillfully to the front all the arguments and evidence in support of Leif Eriksen's claim to the original discovery of America, that are worthy of consideration. A colored picture of the monument erected in Boston in 1887 to the memory of Leif Eriksen forms the frontispiece to the vclume, and a general chart showing the discoveries of the Scandinavians in the arctic regions is placed opposite the opening of Chapter I. A sketch of the ruins of an ancient church at Gardar in Southern Greenland, next attracts attention, and we learn that the Bishopric of Gardar was occupied from 1121 to 1537. Excellent authorities are marshaled into service by the Professor to sustain the generally accepted facts that somewhere to the southwest of Greenland, distant at least a fortnight's sail, there were, for three hundred years after the beginning of the eleventh century, Norse colo nies on the coast of the continent of America, called Vinland, and that the first Northman to set foot on the shores of Vinland was Leif Eriksen. The exact whereabouts of Vinland are not so clear, but the obscurity is treated by the author in the appendix in a clever chain of conclusive. And this reasoning that seems same Leif Eriksen was the son of a Norwegian earl, whose ancestry to escape oppression had emigrated from Norway to Iceland in like manner as the early Puritans came to Plymouth. "They were not of the Vikings-the class that conducted predatory excursions over the then known seas. They established and maintained a republican form of government, which exists to this day with nominal sovereignty in the king of Denmark." "Leif Eriksen," says Professor Horsford, was a man of the people, a scholar of the times, a man of faith, a gentleman, an athlete, a man of deeds and renown." But Professor Horsford takes the sensible view of the adventures of the Northmen which led to nothing, and does not in any sense attempt to weaken the claims of Columbus. The Northmen exercised little influence on the philosophy of maritime discovery. Columbus had “a daring, and a conception, and an intellectual train of research and deduction, at its foundation quite his own." Professor Horsford further says: "Columbus ought to have visited Iceland, if he could, whether he did or did not; and so of Ireland or Britain or the Faroes, and other accessible countries that would enable him to strengthen his appeal. Whatever he might have found in Thule could at the best have afforded him little aid in the mighty vision of reaching the land at the antipodes by sailing westward from the Pillars of Hercules. Columbus did not sail towards Vinland, whatever he may have learned of its discovery." |