Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-08-29

nation contained in the circular of our intelligent
correspondent, and have no doubt Of its import
ance being properly appreciated.
NOTES ON NEW BOOKS
The late pressure upon our columns of matter
which, more strictly public, more political-or,
at least passing for politics, now-a-daysand need
ing to be given, if at all to-day because tomorrow
nobody will care for it, has compelled us to neglect
much Of the literary material that we receive from
publishers and, at this season, the latter accumu
lates upon our hands in spite of us. Now, as
books in the present day, like speeches or news,
are subject to be produced and forgotten with an
equal speed-if good, through the public fault and
| if bad. through their own-we consider ourselves
bound to bring about, if we can, some compromise
between these adverse interests fighting for our
space. To many, either side--voumes and
statesmen-it is eternal oblivion not to be mention
ed on the very day that hears or sees them. Why,
then, should the spoken have all the while prefer
ence over the merely written--the spoken which,
at any event, has sort of casual but regular adj
vantage and survives twice-as long for it lives one
day in the utterance, and second when it is print
ed; whereas the Immortality of book in sheets
is but half as perdurable. We must, then, con-
trive some more even distribution Of our newspaper
perpetuity and since, if write large notices Of
books, there is room to print but few of them, we
will celebrate them more briefly; for surely their
authors or printers will like that better than to have
them pass away forever, without the slightest
| memoration.
| s Upon some mighty occasion, when Cambaceres
about to give of those unparalleled dinners
which made, and will long make an era in French
history, his maitre dhofel-perhaps the great Ca
RENE himseIf-presented, in his estimate of provi-
sion to be made, forty hams. Forty hams !"
cried the prince: g Cest impossible, my friend:
you cannot want forty hams for dinner of twenty
guests" Monseigneur," replied the artist,
would have you know that our science can with
ease reduce those forty hams into dainty which
will be but taste for single guest" Something
like this, then, shall we have, for while, to do in
our criticism, beginning as follows.
!. achievements Of the Knights Of Malta. BY
ALEX. SuTHERLAND. Esq. Carey A Hart, Phila-
delphias 1896" vols., square limo. mos.
and 9. Y HIS Library for the People, price 50
cents each.)
| Monks, knights, and corporation, the order Of
Hospitalers of st. John of Jerusalem, their origi
nal name,) afterwards of Rhodes, and finally or
Malta, possessed triple claim to the antipathy of
this age too pous to have saints, too gallant
dure cavaliers, and too liberal to suffer incorpora
tons being to the last, remarkably well-in-
formed as not to know that modern popular freedom
owes its existence, in very great degree, TO the
burghs, the free corporations Of the middle ages.
However, the radicalism that calls itself demo
cracy never was and never will be very particular
about facts, and nourishes no doubt very laudable
contempt for all history, which WILL however, re-
taliate. Yet it must be confessed that this same
corporation of friar-sodiers did great and brave
things in their time, and stood for some centuries,
first the sword and then the shield of chrstendom
against the infdel.
Beginning from the first crusade, their history is
that of the Holy Wars, as long as Europe was, in
those expeditions, the assailant of the Saracenic
power and, when the contest became on her part
a defensive one, this military order remained until
long after the memorable siege of Rhodes, the main
bulwark of the west against the Turkish arms.
In our own language there is scarcely any thing
that can be called history of the Crusades for
Charles Mills's book on that subject is very mea-
ger and dull one, Mr.. Stebbings no better, although
both are referred to with praise by our author
Michaud's Historic DIES Croisades, 70 vols. Svo.)
and its sequel, his BibHofhegue DIES Croisades, "A
vols. Svo.) are the only single work that supplies
a complete account Of them. As to the Knights Of
st. John, Vertots history Of the order is we'll
known, and has, with that contained in Bosgelin's
"Ancient and Modern Malta 70 vols. 4to., Lon
don, l604,) furnished the chief material for the
book before us, which, however, is more compre-
hensve than, from its date (l72c,) the first could
NC, VI TIC scCoHu iroiH us Pla WHICH cOnHneS tSeH
to the last era Of the knights-ther residence in
Malta. Louis de Boisgelin was himself French
companion of the order, who, after what may be
called its subversion in 1898, by Napoeon's seizure
Of their island, retired to England and acquired its
language with such precision to be able to write
in it with much elegance his annals. As relating
to far less splendid timc however, they are much
less interesting than Vertot's.
"a Discourse on the Baconion Phiiosophy by
SAMUEL TYLER, Of the Maryland Bar" Second
edition, enlarged. Frederick city, Maryland, ls46.
| l2mo. 426 PIP.
| We are indebted to the esteemed author for a
copy Of this extension Of his view Of the Induc-
tive Philosophy, formerly mentioned by us with
surprise and pleasure at finding such Investigations
pursued with such success amidst the abors of one
whom we must call country barrister, in despite
of the titular claim of Frederick to be city. Our
former notice Of the work, however, and our pre-
sent necessities of space permit us only to say that
the additions to the volume increase its value and
interest. We commend it anew TO the attention Of
all students Of logic and psychology.
/" HANDLES in the Mammoth Gaze, during lie
year 1914, dy a Tsifer." Louisville, Kentucky.
L