The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-04 00:00:00

LITERATURE

The History of Scotland, from Agricola's Invasion to the
Revolution of 1688, by John Hill Burton, Vols. IV.,
V., VI., VII. Blackwood and Sons.

The present moment when the minds of men and the
columns of newspapers are occupied with war and the
rumours of war, and the actual state of Europe is exciting
all our sympathy and attention is hardly a fitting time to
accord to the pages of a byegone history, how-
ever valuable in itself, or however excellent in
its treatment, an attention in any way ade-
quate to its deserts. We must content ourselves
therefore, with bestowing on Mr. Hill Burton a brief but
emphatic commendation for the very careful research and
manifest impartiality with which he has carried out his
task and brought his work to a successful termination:
The first of these four.volumes recently published, and
which complete the work, commences with the imprison-
ment of the hapless Mary Stuart, and the last volume
begins with the history of her grandson, the heir of her mis-
fortunes and her fate, Charles I. The wars of Montrose,
the struggles of the Covenanters, the Commonwealth
and the Restoration complete the volume, which
breaks off "as Scotland watched the great
events in England, following on the landing of the Prince
of Orange." The reader of this history will find no efforts
after effect on the part of the writer, no outbursts of elo-
quence either in description or in panegyric; the object
of the author is evidently to weigh well the evidence
which he has cillected with no lack of painstaking
labour, and to convey to the reader a faithful record of
actual events. The most eloquent historian of modern
times has been condemned as a partizan pleading at the
bar,-rather than a judge pronouncing frtim the bench. It
is otherwise with the author of this history of Scotland.
He is the careful judge summing up the evidence, and the
jury of readers (while they perhaps may regret the ab-
sence of eloquent enlogium or rhetorical display), cannot
but pronounce a verdict in approval of his manifest im-
partiality and care.

A Cruise in Greek Waters. ByE. Trench Townshend, 8.A.,

Captain 2d Life Guards. Hurst and Blackett.

The favourable reception accorded to Captain Towns-
hend's former work, " Ten Thousand Miles of Travel,
Sport, and Adventure," has naturally induced the adven-
turous author to publish a record of his more recent
experiences. In a very pleasant and lively manner the
narrative is penned, and the places visited and the scenes
depicted are all of most interesting character. Captain
Townshend was already sufficiently familiar with the
countries he describes, this being his third visit to Spain,
and his second to Algeria, Greece, Turky and Egypt. At
Lisbon we take part in a Portuguese bull-fight, which is
very vividly described. It is less cruel than the Spanish
as far as the human combatant is concerned, but equally
pitiless to the unfortunate Tauro. The bull-fight, it
would seem, is the favourite amusement for the
Sunday afernoon at Lisbon. The young King and
Queen and some of. their ' children watched the
"sport" from the royal box—yet with the recol-
lections of the gentle pastimes of Hurlingham fresh in our
memory, how can we sit in judgment on the barbarity of
Spaniard or Portuguese ? Captain Townshend's very in-
teresting adventures conclude with an account of a hunt-
ing expedition in Tunis.