Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-02-01
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.

"NmsuHR's History of Rome, Parts III, ~
r." Philadelphia, Lea q Blanchard.
We are indebted to the publishers for these, tn,
complement of the volumes lately noticed.
They form, we now perceive, as to both the thirc
and the concluding volumes, something not precisely
what we had expected. The third is, we now find
the complex at not corrected sequel to his re
gular wges which he left at his death in 1890 l
is printed with scrupulous fidelity to his manuscript
except omissions of what he had introduced into
the first and second volumes, in rewriting them
These three bring the work, in NEBuHR's own
composition, down to the first Punic war; The re-
manning volumes formed out of the coIated notes
OF some of his best pupils, taken while attending
the Lectures Roman History which he delivered
at the University Of Bon in 1889. OF these,
delivered always extempore, and offering the COM
plete results of all his investigations in his avorite
subject no written trace by himself was left; and
they could be recovered, in their substance merely,
only by that process which LEoNHARD ScHMITz one
OF his pupils, has adopted. These lectures, as by
him restored, bring down the history to the time of
supplement, coalesce with those of GIBBoN.
The Introductory lectures, eleven in number, offer
an examination of the sources of Roman history,
their credibility, certainty, &c. He discusses the
progressive forms which history takes among early
nations-traditons, lays, rude brief annals regular
narrative He shows how the regular Roman re-
cords were destroyed and how restored; and how
much the frequent chasms were of necessity sup
Piled out of the only memorials of the remote past
x,ot -
Descending from these he gives an account of the
historical literature proper of the Romans, both in
Its Greek and Latin authors, down to DION Cas- I
sIUs; surveys briefly the modern writer's and then
points out the critical methods to be pursued, and
the sciences to be mastered for the successful study
of Roman history sketching, finally, the great pur
poses to which that history is applicable.
The regular history which ensues is less COM
plete narrative than continual commentary on the
received accounts of Roman affairs. He has now
arrived at the period which history written from
more authentic materials, goes back; and it is
enough therefore, to correct and to elucidate The
however, the creduity or the par
TALLY of great part of the writer's still leaves him
a vast body of labor to perform.
We cannot at present follow any further the plan
or describe the merits of NIEBUHR. But we have
lighted upon passage in his twentyeighth lecture,
which, in describing the character services and fate
OF one of the most admirable patriots that the Com
monwealth ever produced, approaches SO singularly
near to the remarkable public virtues of one of the
great men of our day, and their popular reward,
that we cannot avoid copying it. One has only to
substitute for the words "Aristocrats " and t" SEN
ate" the equivalent names of those who, in this
country, hold the same power-the Democratic
Dictators and the so-caled party and you have
almost precisely our own contemporary history:
"While CArus GRAccHus thus quietly proceeding as
legislator while he engaged in distributing the public
land and founding several colonies in which the Latns and
Italians allowed to take part the jealousy and exaspera
ton of the Asocras to the highest PITCH and the SEN
ate had now recourse to peculiar kind of s:raagem NJ
LrvIus DAusus of the colleagues Of c. Gracious was
prevailed upon to try to undermine his popularity Here we
have instance in which is clearly that the Constit
ton of Rome suited for city than for whole ma
tion Lus endeavored outbd c. Gracious in comforting
benefits upon the people He acted in the name of the SEN
ate and succeeded For the take the trouble to
consider who the that offers them advantages and in
this instance they unable recognise the actions of
C. Gracious the purity and sincerity of his intentions The
majority Of the inhabitants of Rome, whom / call Romans
only with great reluctance consisted Of freed and their
children, grandchildren, and they perhaps thought that
Gracious intended deceive them As Lvus held out TO
them the advantages Gracious greater ones
the multitude followed him, although they have seen
through his scheme Such the character Of the Romans
this day for if to give them his advice
any matter out Of true sympathy, and with the greatest pos
sbe disnteresednes they will will always indulge in the
suspicion that he has impure motive for doing So that
he is knave. This trait is TO all classes in modern
and proposed to found twelve colonies each of which
consist Of three thousand citizens
"CAIrs GRAccHrs that the thoughess multitude fol-
lowed the Senate, whose sole object was to deceive them
There two classes Of men, the consisting Of those who
sincere and and seek and love the beautiful and
lime, who delight in eminent men, and in them the glory
Of their age and nation the other comprising those who think
unhappy creatures without having distinct will Of their own
they cannot bear great in the enjoyment Of the
general esteem II these latter, set Of more fatal
TO mankind than original SIM that against G. Gracious
He was too pcess too pure, and too glorious be an
offence to many for every reminded BY his example
Of what he ought TO be- 1t the greatness Of Gracious
which determined them bring him down. II supris-
ing to find that this disposition existed among his colleagues
but thousands Of others wanted make him feel that they
had gratitude for him. When the tbunes for the year
following elected he taken notice Of"
Wehave received from VIM Taylor & Co the number Of