The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-16 00:00:00

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gloat, arc I ill°.

HER MAJESTY, &c.

OSBORNE', Feb. 15.
The Queen went out yesterday afternoon, accom-
panied by Princess Louise and Princess Beatrice.
This morning her Majesty and all the royal
family walked and drove in the grounds.

The Marquis and Marchioness of Donegal have
arrived at their residence in Grosvenor-square, from Hamp-
stead Marshall, near New bury.
The Earl of Lonsdale intends to leave town to-
day for the seaside. His lordship has considerably improved
in health of late.

The Countess of Caledon has arrived in town in
order to take her turn in waiting on her Majesty.
Lady Stanley of Alderley will have an evening
party to-night at the noble lord's residence in Dover-street,

Lord Seaton returned last week to town.

LITERATITRE.

A New History of Scotland.

The History of Scotland, from Agricola's Invasion
to the Revolution of 1688. By John Hill Burton.
Vol s. 1., IL, 111., IV. William Blackwood and

Sons.

The history of Scotland is without doubt, among
all the nations of Europe, one most fraught with
the elements of the picturesque, the chivalrous, and
the romantic. The luxuriant beauty of no southern
clime has been capable of endearing itself to its
children with a tender affection in any way com-
parable to that which " the land of brown
heath and shaggy wood" possesses for its hardy
inhabitants. Rich and powerful lands have again
and again become the prey of the spoiler, while the
barren hills and heaths of the mountaineer have
been defended with a resolute patriotism which has
proved itself irresistible. The history of Scotland,
so attractive in itself, has been rendered delight-
fully familiar to us all in those annals of the great
Sir Walter, which the memory of most of U 3 may
recall as among the most delightful literature of our
youthful days—
" Beloved as Fable, and believed as Truth."

Such associations and such remembrances aro con-
, jured up by the appearance of a history of Scotland
as are likely to prove dangerous rivals in the way
of any new historian. It is not, therefore, a great
matter of surprise if the reader is at first somewhat
' disappointed with this new history, complete and
comprehensive as it is. A closer examination does
more justice to the history and the historian. Mr.
Burton begins with the invasion of Agricola, in the
year 80 of the Christian era. The various warlike
operations of Julius Car he regards as acts of in-
vasion, and nothing more. The achievements of
Agricola, as he justly observes, " hold a greater place
in history than they would have reached had they
not been told by his son-in-law, Tacitus, the most
powerful of Roman historians. The light thus cast
on Scotland for a time is more remarkable for its
brightness than its clearness." Aided by this
transient glimpse, we gain a certain idea of
Northern Britain in those remote times, after
which are some chapters devoted to the " unrecorded
ages," and " the early races," until the dawn of
Christianity happily brings us to the beloved names
of Columba and lona. Here again Mr. Burton is
likely to suffer by a comparison with the eloquent
biography of St. Columba just given to us by the
hand of Montalembert. A. little later on we come
to Macbeth, whom we find always spoken of
as Macbeda, and the historian tells us in
afoot-note that, among the variations of spelling, ho
has purposely selected ahebeda, instead of Mac-
beth, in order to " keep clear of a name summoning
a story so different from the meagre outline which the
general materials of history have preserved." In
alluding to the " Macbeth " of Shakspere Mr. Bur-
ton adds, " Shakespere followed the histories he bad
before him, probably the chronicle of Holinshed•
No man of his age could have helped him to the
truth. Macbeth is no exception to his marvellous
power of seizing and giving life to the reality of his-
torical traditions. Bring it down 250 years, and it
takes us thoroughly into the life of the feudal court
of Scotland." Be that as it may, we find it diffi-
cult to dislodge Macbeth and his terrible
wife from the place they have so long held
in our imagination, and to regard the actual
Macbeda, and his lady Gruach as rather respect-
able individuals than otherwise. As Ma,wworra
exclaimed—" I like's to be despised," so in regard to
these old stories we must say we prefer to be
deceived ; but this we may be told is not the spirit
in which to read history. Let us pass on to a more
attractive theme, the beneficent reign of Malcolm
Canmore and St. Margaret. "The good queen
Margaret had a❑ influence on the destinies of Scot-
land much greater than that of her husband," as
Mr. Burton admits, but his record of her life is as
brief as possible. Malcolm Canmore, says Mr•
Burton, " comes forth as the first king of Scots
who has something like an individuality about him
—who is more than a name, and a pair of dates,
with a list of battles between them." In alluding
to Malcolm's vain but gallant efforts to servo the
cause of his wife's exiled brother, l‘lr. Burton re-
marks, with truth, it may be, but in a style too
flippant and colloquial as it appears to us, for the
dignity of historical composition, " Malcolm seems
to have found the cause of the Saxon line a hopeless
game with such a card as Edgar the Atheling."
The second volume conducts us through the subse-
quent history of the monarchy, and the troublous
times of the war of succession, which are necessarily
full of interest, and its last pages leave us at the
battle of Bannockburn—that battle so decisive for
the fortunes of Scotland, so disastrous for Eng-
land—

"For ne'er the leopards on her shield,
Retreated from so sad a field
Since Norman William came."
After the death of Robert Bruce the warlike sow
bition of King Edward 111. of England again
threatened the independence of Scotland until the
greater fascination of a French war drew the English
army across the Channel. By an oversight in the
correction of the press we find (page 17, vol. 3
glaring typographical error, in which it is stated
that Isabel, the sister of Louis of France, was mar"
Tied to Edward 111. of England, meaning of course
Edward 11. It was in right of his mother, as is
mentioned on the same page, that Edward ILL laid
claim to the throne of France. To the educated
reader, of course, the error is instantly manifest, but
it is one obviously requiring attention in a future
edition. The Scots had good cause to rejoice ill
King Edward's French invasion, but Mr. Bar-
ton, in remarking on this subject, goes so far
as to utter a doubt which we should never hale
found in the pages of a thorough-going patriot Like
Sir Walter Scott. " Whether," he says, "as the
sole object of ambition to two such potent spirits
as Edward 111. and the Black Prince, Scotland
could have held her own to the end may be doubt-
ful." As a happy exception to the somewhat matter'
of-fact manner in which this history is for the ra°e,
part written, we find a very interesting account of
the romantic battle of Otterburn. In alludiug,ie
Froissart's admirable desziption of that mernora_.'es
but unnecessary fight, Burton happily obserfor
that the great Chronicler recognised in it " gl-1
fighting's sake—the greatest and bloodiest tour
ment that he had to record." The third volume,'
tor y
which these episodes occur, recounts the hisiv.,
of the house of Stuart to James V., and v°lreer
the last volume yet issued, is devoted to the eloe
of the unhappy Mary Queen of Scots.
_joy
not time to dwell at length upon Mr. Burton'si_vtibio
of that remarkable history and that retraul',,na
him designate
heroine, whom we are somewhat surprised to find
on,.
women ever born !" The death of Bothwell
is Ye"
clndes this volume. The tragic fate of Diary's "one of the subtlest and acm,
to come. Two other volumes will complete
e lay coil
history, bringing it down to 1688. Iv
fished
gratulate Mr. Burton on having so far acco...P
ashis task in a very complete and satisfactory _lila s the
notwithstanding the many difficulties whiebe,3_,
net
writer of a new history of Scotland, he co
fail to encounter,