The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-11-08


and revolutionary history have been hitherto by nc
means satisfactory BANcRoFTs three volumes
come down only to the commencement of the fourth
and last French war-the period at which the colo
MES first began to act with something of concert
and at which the history of the Union may be said
to commence The merits of that work consist not
in its narrative much in its episodes; and what
in historical point of view, must be pronounced
its superuous disquisitons As TO the facts of our
colonial history, il affords but very limited and
satisfactory information The four volumes of Ora
| HAM bring down our American story TO the Decla-
| ration of independence But, besides the dsadvan-
| tages which the author abored under from the
deficiency of materials and from being stranger
To the country, he is utterly destitute both of the
perspicuity of understanding and the graces OF
style essential to historical composition. Nobody
can read his book without very great effort For
the history OF the Revolution, the only book much
read at present is Ors's translation of BoTTA. That
work undoubtedly has high merits of arrangement,
and, in the original, of style; but tina too, labors
under the fatal disadvantage of being written by a
foreigner, and from very imperfect materials The
only other book at all in the hands of the general
reader, covering the same ground with the work
under review, is MARsHALLs Life Of Washington
To make the history of nation an appendage TO
the life of an individual, however worthy and dis
tngushed is destruction of all ideas of historical
proportion and perspective. The first volume of the
first edition of MARsHALL's work, since published
in separate form, and containing a sketch of the
anti-revolutionary history of the United States, is
| dull and superficial The main body Of the work
though ii contains as Mr.. SPARKS Justly observes
an excellent military history of the Revolution, is
exceedingly defective in those civil details without
uyhc Of 1ftar ,,F
| little consequence
Let any person read the whole fourteen or fifteen
volumes above enumerated, and besides great de-
! ficiency of information on many very essential
points, he will also fail of any general comprehen-
sive idea of our history So far, at least as it de-
ponds on the historians he will look in vain TO see
the course of events rising UP before him in orderly
arrangement and due proportions. To heap toge-
Their three or four volumes of historical facts is
very easy matter, requiring nothing but labor and
industry to arrange those facts in their due order
so as TO exhibit their real combinations and mutual
dependence, requires the skill of an artist
Here is the want which MIR. HIDRETH has under
taken To supply; and as 1t seems TO US, with dis
nguished success OF his skill in this respect his
first chapter affords an agreeable specimen 1t con
| tains rapid view of the discovery of North Amer
ica and of the principal voyages thither during the
ensuing fifty years, with notice of the territorial
claims set up in consequence by the English French
and Spanish. Instead of treating of these dis
coveries and claims as BANCROFT and so many
other authors have done, in separate chapters de-
voted to the several nations they are all brought
together in their true relations to each other and to
the general progress of maritime discovery SO that
we see North America rising, it were, year after
year, out of the ocean, the coast is gradually
| made known by successive discoveries.
The second chapter gives sketch of the aspect
OF North America as it appeared to the original
discoveries, with general account, concise but
comprehensive, of the aboriginal nhabitants-an
| essential preliminary towards understanding the
relations of the Indians towards the colonsts who
presently came to settle among them, as well as to
the proper comprehension of the more detailed ac
count afterwards given of the particular Indian
| tribes. The third chapter includes the history of
| sixty years, ending with the incorporation of the
Virginia company, and including the attempted
French colony the coast of Florida the settle
ment of st. Augustine and New Mexico the search
for the northwest passage, the voyages of Gilbert,
brakes discoveries on the west coast of America
Raleigh colony of Roanoke, the exploration by
i the French of the gulf and river of St Lawrence
| and the Bay of Fundy, with their anticipation
OF the English In the occupation of the coast of
| what is now New England; finally the discovery
| of the Hudson-thus bringing down the history of
| the North American coast to period at which the
| foundations of permanent colonies begin TO be
| laid, and showing the origin Of those territorial
disputes which led afterwards to a series of trou-
blesome These three chapters embrace the
| preliminary period of a hundred and ten years, or
Whereabouts, between the discovery by the Cabots
and he first efcctua settlements in North America:
and they afford much more clear and connected
| idea Of that period than we have been able 10 OBJ
tain elsewhere.
| The colonial history proper may be said 10 com
mcnce with the fourth chapter devoted 10 the set.
| Element Of Virginia. The fifth chapter gives the
settlement Of New Netherland; the sixth and sew
| enth the settlement Of New England; the eighth
the settlement of Maryland; and in the five fol-
lowing chapters the history of these settlements is
| carried down TO the restoration Of Charles H. and
in the case OF New Nehcrand, TO the period of the
English conquest
To most readers, even those who consider them.
selves tolorably verscd in our early annals these
chapters will have all the charm Of novelty. The
history Of New Netherand is given with slight
touch Of badnage, which reminds one occasionally
Of the famous Knickerbocker. Rich materials,
drawn from the statutcs at large of virginia.
/ s'S'f
history of that important commonwealth Indeed.
the attention paid throughout TO the origin and
progress Of the colonial codes must render thi.
book quite indispensable to every American law
| student.
The history Of New England, here given, is
the first approach have met with towards full
and impartial account Of the puritan founders Of
that very remarkable group Of colonies. In most
of those who have hitherto attempted their history.
they have found blind admirers and devoted apollo
gists. The pertinacity with which BANCROFT
labors to cover over the political nakedness Of the
New England fathersin fact, TO trick them out as
almost, If not quite, good Tammany Hall Demo.
crats-is highly amusing, at least il must become
- 20 all who read this book. The author seerns 10
have an instructive adherence Of humbug. and he
strips off the veil without hesitation lie does il.
however, without the least unkindness, exposing
the weak points Of the puritan character and set
ting forth the New England system Of theocratical
arstocracy, and its stern dealings towards hcretics
political agitators, and the native Indian tribes
with quiet humor and good nstured irony which
/ Al. 4.