The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-31 00:00:00

HISTORY OF THE MAMMALIA.

" In previous volumes," says the editor of Knight's
admirable series of Shilling Volumes, " we have given
a full account of the elephant,' 'the horse,' and the
dog;' the importance of these animals in the service of
man, end the interest attached to the account of them,
justified, as we thought, the devotion of a volume to
each. To the history of the 'Monkey Tribe ' we
have also given a volume ; and we now propose, in as
short a compass as possible, to complete a Sketch of
the History of the Maminalia:" This " sketch" occu-
pies six of the little shilling volumes, and no wonder,
when we consider the vast multitude of which it treats.
To give an idea of the contents of this work we can-
not do better than enumerate the subjects to which
each volume relates. Vol. I. describes to us the
important " family" of Felidte (or cat tribe) ranging
from the lion to the lynx, the "family" of Ursidm, in
which v‘e count no less than twelve kinds of bears,
&c., and the " order" Marsupialia, which treats of
opossums, kangaroos, and other creatures of their
kind. Vol. 11. tells of wolves, hymns, weasels,
hedgehogs, and bats, and the other members of their
several " families" and "orders." Vol. 111., after de-
scribing the hippopotamus and the rest of his order,"
the peccary hog, and others of the " family" of Suidm,
treats of the " extinct fossil species," the mastodon,
&c., and then introduces us to a different race
again divided into " families"—the porpoise fa-
mily, the whale family, and the seal family.
Vol. IV., includes the order " Rodentia," (gnawing),
of which are squirrels, rats, mice, beavers, &c., and
the several " families" of the porcupine, chinchilla,
paca, and hare; the order "Edentate," in which are
the sloth, and the ant-eater. Vols. V. and VI., com-
prise the Ruminative order from the camel down-
wards ; from this summary the comprehensive nature
of the work will be seen. Its very great attractions
as a book for the young may be surmised from the
fact of its containing not far short of a thousand
engravings, representing the various animals and
scenes described in the letterpress; for example, on
one page, we see a representation of a tiger springing
upon a buffalo, and in another a specimen of ancient
Egyptian ploughing. This work, which abounds in
anecdotes and interesting descriptions, is of course
designed for readers of all ages, but its pictorial
contents render it, in our opinion, an inestimable
treasure for the young—even for the denizens of the
nursery to whom the alphabet is unknown.

MEMORIALS OF THE CIVIL WAR. Edited
by Robert Bell. 2 Vols.
From sundry references occurring in these vo-
lumes, and in the recently published work of Eliot
Warburton, it would seem that Mr. Bentley must be
in possession of a perfect treasury of manuscripts.
The future historian of the Civil War will find
more abundant sources of information in New Bur-

lington-street than in the British Museum, and very
valuable and right welcome will these documents be
to that future historian. In waiting for his advent,
however, it is not fit that matters of such national
interest should be wholly withheld from the public.
So thinks Mr. Bentley, and, accordingly, he
gives us at intervals some specimens of these
precious memorials. Eliot Warburton borrowed
largely from that collection in his " Memoirs ,
of Prince Rupert," and in the two volumes now before
us Mr. Robert Bell, the talented biographer of Can•
ning, introduces to our notice a variety of interesting
epistles illustrative of the stirring period of the Civil
\Var. The valuable characteristics of this collection
are best described in the words of the editor. "These
volumes," he tells us,
"Embrace the period of the Civil War and the
Restoration, and contain a mass of original Letters from
nearly all the famous men who were actively engaged in
the struggle—the Fairfaxes, Cromwell, Fleetwood, David
Leslie, Hugh Peters, Hammond, Hutchinson, Bucking-
ham, and many others. Crowded with minute details
and individual experiences, they bring us closer to the
actual vicissitudes of the flying campaigns—from the
hoisting of the Royal standard at Nottingham, to the
imprisonment of the Ring at Carisbrook—than any
previous publication. Written for the most part on the
instant, under the walls of besieged towns, in the Com-
mittee-rooms of the House of Commons, on the field of
battle, or in the midst of councils of war, they are dis-
tinguished by a freshness and freedom seldom found in
documents of a more formal and elaborate character. In
some cases—such as Rushworth's account of the forcible
entry of the London Apprentices into the House of
Commons—these letters afford circumstantial relations
of particular facts which have not hitherto been so com-
pletely described ; and in other instances they reveal
secret opinions and feelings which exercised an important
influence anon the conduct of public men. Fairfax's
share in the Restoration is here, for the first time, dis-
closed in full. The Correspondence also incidentally
illustrates the Personal History and Social Life of the
times."

These " Memorials" form an interesting appendage
to Mr. Warburton's admirable " Memoirs." Mr.
Robert Bell is far less loyal in his predilections than
the above-mentioned writer. He does not scruple to
denounce the tyrannous ambition and the vacillating
cowardice of the unhappy King. Some original
letters of Oliver Cromwell's in this collection will be
read with interest. That sagacious foresight which
afterwards exercised such a beneficial influence
on the destinies of the Commonwealth is
visible in these compositions, ride the following, as
Mr. Bell calls it, "curious relic in Cromwell's hand-
writing, urging the youth of Huntingdon to contri-
bute muscles and money to the common cause :"-
COLONEL CROMWELL'S LETTER TO THE BACHELORS AND
MAIDS, 2ND AUGUST, 1643, FROM HUNTINGDON.
" Sir,—l understand by these gentlemen the good
affections of your young men and maids, for which God
is to be praised. I approve of the business, only I desire
to advise you that your foot company may be turned into