Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-05-15
Book Notices.

book Notices.
we thank the publishers, who have sent us
through The hands Of their Washington agent,
MI J. Shillington, for the "Abrid cement of the
Debates Of Cong ress from 1859 to 1856. from
GALES Seaton's annals of Congress: from their
Register Of Debates and from the official report
ca debates by John T.. Rives." By the author
OF the Thirty Years View; Vol. VII New
York ID. Appleton & Co., 3i8 and 3is Broadway;
1885,
This Is the last published volume of the Great
American Work of Thomas Hart Benton. on
winch we have commented of late The volume
I, HS open before us, containing large number
ori.,. sting subjects, presents the reader with
,ha re-, ,s 'oie daguerreotyPe OF all the points
-, -, . OF iAe United States en-
Iiehed by original contrib. ~" mem nom
the pen OF the late distipguIsL a.a me
of late years we have not agreed W. 10y mo"
politically, we freely admit his great '
perience and attainmeuts, and the succea~ h
which, in rearing this monument to his put
services, he has striven to make IL mirror faith
fully rejecting all the points of interest or utility
involved in the history of the legislation of this
Government on questions OF great or small) ma
tiona moment.
We are among those who believe that of al
the peculiarly American books SO far published,
the distribution of this work by Congress among
the members and the public offices, will do
much good; insomuch its restlt viii be to
save labor immensely to all engaged in public
affairs. When either House of Co sSress ap-
proach a subject lin debate) much obscuTed,
thousands and tens of thousands of dollazs are
invariably expended in its calculation, before Ale
members come to vote on 1t. Now, there is nos =
single important subject that has heretofore been
in WI IL he
seeker after information may not in a few brief
hours reading-so admirably has Col. Benton
ranged his index-thoroughly inform himself
of all worth knowing, said and done concerning
ii up To 1856. Were we called upon to select a
new title for this work we should unhesitatingly
style it Benton'S Ready Record of the Legislative
History of the United States.
Subjoned we extract f.om the volume before
US an except description of interesting event
in the early history of St Louis. but little known
TO the country at large:
The RIFLEMEN OF THE WHsr.-Mr Benton
stopped a moment to speak of exploit TOO lit
tie known to history. He said that the British
and Indians, to the number Of eco, appeared be-
fore ~ Louis in the year 1850 Gene al George
Rogers Clark was then upon the American bot
tom with the conquerors of Vncennes aud Kds-
kaskia The French of st Louis sent to invoke
his aid Tie had but 400 men, and mig bt have
declined with honor. He might have said-our
numbers are too few, the river is too wide and
rapid you are strangers and live beyond the
lines OF nv country; you may be in collusion
with the enemy to draw ne across the Mississip-
pi and to revenge in Louisiana the defeat of your
ccuntrymen in Illinois. But such was not the
language OF General Clark nor of the dC0 brave
men that followed his steps He they knew
not danger Knew ii not May their spirits
pardon me, said Mr.. b., for APPLYING to them
such fOuIth-o-Ju.y expression. They did know
ddnSer-were born in its presence, and grew up
IN its company; and each one could say, with
Caesar
Danger and | are brothers,
Twin lions wheiped in one hour
And 4 the elder and more terrible -
They were the rifemen of the West, and took
counsel, not from danger, but from honor and
courage. They divided into two bodies aud
marched to the relief of 81. Louis. Two hun
dred presented themselves opposite the town
aI.d two hundred crossed the river below Attbe
sight of such boidness, the British and Indians.
believing them TO be the vanguard of d great
amy suddenly retired, after killing ci2 hty of
the Inhabitants, and leaving impression Of
terror which sti II marks that year an epoch of
calamity "I'annes dH coup" History, contiIi-
ned Mr. b., tell< Of the passage of the r hone and
the GIanicus; bTt here Is the passage Of a river
unknown TO history, ye: surprising the exploit
of Hannibal and Alexander as much in heroism
and ma naniuity as the Father of Floods sur
passes in magnitude the puny stream of Gaul and
Asia Nina
We are indebted to the publishers, Johnson.
Fry Co, - Beekman street, New York by
their Washington agent, Mr.. Carter, for Parts II
and - Of ''The Life and Times of w ashing ton -
by j. F Schroeder, ID. D. illustrated by Chap
pell. These numbers Of this admirable and val
liable work contain, the first portrait of General
Israel Putnam on horseback, and the second a
full-length portrait Of John Adams-both capital
pictures and fine works of art
From Joe Shillington and Taylor Maury we
have the June number Of Harper's Magazine; as
interesting a number IA usual