The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-27 00:00:00

NASMITH'S CHART.

The Chronometrical Chart of the History of England ;
Civil and Mili;ary, Religious, Intellectual and Social.
Flom 8., 55, to A.D. 1860. Togeth.r with a Table of
the Contemporary Sovereigns of Europe, from William
the Conqueror to Queen Victoria. By David Nasmith.
Messrs. Philip and Son, Fleet street, London; South
Cas.le-street, Liverpool.
Mr. Nusmit h's idea amounts almost to a discovery.
History is not with him as an old aimanack.
Viewed by this keen•witted, cleat-headed scholar,
it has loomed before his " mind's eye" in various
shapes and colours, as distinctly visible and as easy
of remembrance by the would-be chronologist as
the map of England by the would-be geographer.
The paramount merits of Mr. Nasmith's very
original projection of the History of England
are two—its simplicity and its symmetry. As
now published, The Chart appears under two dis-
tinct forms : either bound in cloth, as an Atias, or
mounted on rollers in a single sheet five feet square.
The Atlas being better adapted for the use of stu-
dents, as a mFst valuable adjunct to the reference
books lying habitually upon the library table of
the lettered Englishman. The hanging chart,
mounted upon rollers, being more suitable for the
purposes of instruction upon the walls of a school-
room. Upon the wall of every schoolroom in the
land we should be right glad to know that this
truly admirable Chart of the History of England
would before much longer be hanging.
We speak of it thus, emphatically, it
is true, but quite dispassionately also :
uttering our opinion solely in our professional
capacity as critics, strangers to the author of the
chart, but grateful admirers of the happy ingenuity
displayed by him in its compilation and arrange-
ment.

how to Explain that arrangement of his in words?
That is our difficulty. Yet another glance at the
Chronometrical Chart almost induces us to believe
nevertheless that a lucid verbal explanation of its ar-
rangement is after all practicable. It is in its entirety
as a chart mounted upon rollers, and suspended
against a wall, that the symmetry, the beauty, and
the perfected completeness of the scheme as a whole
become the most readily recognisable. Far more so
than when the chart, disintegrated, so to speak, and
paged into an atlas, comes the more handily within
reach of the student seated at his desk. It is, there-
fore, of the chart in its five-feet square form that
we would here be understood to speak exclusively.
So displayed to view—the Times of our History, the
events of our History, aro brought before our gaze
altogether. They can be scanned there upon that
symmetrical chart at a glance. They are arranged
there harmoniously, in due proportion, relatively to
each other. How arranged Mr. Nesmith
has himself expltsined with admirable lucidity
in a paper read by him on the 12th of
last November before the members of the
College of 'Preceptors. In the course of that paper
the author reminded his hearers, as we are here,
in turn, enabled to remind our own readers, that—
" The History of England involves the whole or part of
three distinct veriods of 1,000 years each.
" 1. The 1,000 years immediately antecedent to the birth
of Christ, with the history of which in connection with
England we know very little; to this period a very small
space at the head of the chart has been allotted, which con-
tains the notice of but the events, the invasions of Julius

Camar.
" 2. The second period is the first 1,000 years of the
Christian era, containing many more, but still comparatively
few, and for the most part unimportant events. This
period is represented by the long band immediately below
the first division, It is divided into ten parts of one hun-
dred years each; which are respectively subdivided into
ten• parts, viz., a band and nine squares of ten years each ;
and to every event in this partL,n of the chart, the unit
figure is prefixed. Thus, in the fourth square of the
first division, is 4 Beric at Rome ;' and is the
first division represents the period A.D. to An, 99,
the fourth division represents the ten years from 40 to 49;
therefore the figure 4 prefixed to Beric at Rome shows that
Beric was at Rome in the year 44 A.D.
'' 3. The third division represents the second 1,000 years
of the Christian era, not yet completed ; it occupies the
great body of the Chart. In this part the plan of con-
st: uction is fully carried out. It forms a square divided
into a band, and nine squares of one hundred years each.
These periods are respectively divided into a baud and nine
squares of ten years each; which are again subdivided into
a band and nine squares of one year each."
Such is the arrangement of the Chronometrical
Chart, as described in a few simple words by the
ingenious compiler of it. As may be readily con-
jectured, the effect of the spacing of the different
epochs, as we look back from the present time into
the past, the old familiar "air and harmony of grace
express," by becoming as a matter of course "small
by degrees and beautifully less." The clearness and
distinctness of the whole is further securei by
differently colouring the various dynasties; by
printing the names of the Sovereigns, so to speak,
" in relief ;" by giving the narrative in ordinary
type, legal matters in Old English, statistics in
Egyptian or Arabic, and miscellaneous particularai❑
Italics, beyond all this employing a diversity of
compact and easily recognisable symbols. d Scroll
typifying a Treaty, a Tree the acquisition of Terri-
tory, * literary men anl matters, -1- fine arts,—
companies and united action, t (for example) the
particular day of the month, md. married, dr
daughter, bit. built, and so forth. Altogether the
Chart is a wonderful Microcosm. It is a cyclo
; Delia of information. And what is more than that.
it is pleasant to consult—the eye discriminating
easily, and even agreeably, upon the insten,,
by the mere tint of the colour, the particular
people, or the particular dynasty green
Britons, brown Romans, blue Saxons, orange
Dines, drab Normans, yellow Plantagenets,
pink Lancastrians and Yorkists. green Tudors.
rose-coloured Stuarts, with a white patch in the
midst of that blushing space to mark the inter
regnum of the Commonwealth, and finally the red
house of Hanover ! The diversity of information
here compacted together is really something in its
way surprising—something that at times has about
it almost the effect of wit ! Wit being
defined by some metaphysical inquirers as the
effect produced by a sudden bringing together of
two wholly distinct matters, never before
brought thus into direct association. Our meaning
in likening the effect here produced as having in
this sense somewhat of a resemblance to the effect
produced by wit, may be exemplified, by the way,
upon the merest passing reference to the parti-
cular division of the Chart allotted to 1784; where
we find it recorded that in that same year, " Lord
Palmerston was born," and " mail coaches were
introduced !" A certainly startling double-charge
of information that ! Lord Palmerston, born in
the very same year in which mail coaches (long
since: fallen into disuse and almost forgot-
ten) ware first introduced. This good old coach,
however, having long survived—and long may he
still survive them—far into the railway era!
Altogether, we hesitate not to pronounce this
singularly beautiful Chronometrical Chart of Mr.
Nasmith's a veritable boon, in its way, to the
whoie Educated or Educating Community. It
tends, in a delightful manner to systematise the
knowledge of us all. And, for inasmuch as it is
practically calculated to do this, we have reason
to regard with gratitude the intellectual ingenuity
that has produced it.