The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-12-11


Elmer, will be again presented at Holiday Street
Theatre this evening, to be followed by farce
Tom THUMB and company are still at the Temper
ance Temple, Gay street.
NEW BOOKS.
HISTORY OF New ENGLAND. By J. GoRHAM PALFREY.
Nee mihi materiam taatalis terra megabat,
Et Plus est patri@ facta referre labor,
Vols. I and II, PIP. 636-64O. 1859-GO.
Boston: Little, Brown & Company; for sale by
Cushings 4 Bailey.
1t is eminently proper that the land now so pro-
life of historians of other countries, should have
one exclusively of and to itself Nor need better
man be found to write the story of the Pilgrim
than so clearly representative of that
peculiar people. 1t would not offend, but on the
contrary, we presume, would rather crafty Mr..
Palfrey, to be called a New Highlander of the
straightest sect. Some Of eur readers WILL perhaps,
recognize him member of the Thirteth Congress,
where he was distinguished as ultra abolition
ist, when abolitonists were not so numerous
now. lie is better and more favorably known as
editor, for number of years, of the NORTH Amer'-
can Recie,c, to which he largely contributed, and
for his theological and political writings.
Among his qualifications for the task which
he has now assumed, he recko1s his even
GRAFTON for the founders of New England"
1t was Lord Bryon, we believe, who first admit
ted ''partiaity" among the necessary qualities of
good historian, when, referring to Mitford's Histo-
ry of Greece, be observed that it made a man
write in earnest. We doubt however, whether in
the present instance, there any special mission
to write this history any history, much the
possession of that resouteness of purpose, which,
with sufficient capacity, enables man to do, and do
reasonably well, whatever he undertakes. There
is in these volumes, that which marks the digent,
orderly and methOdical workman who, with plenty
of clay and straw, can make his tale of very good
and sufficient bricks day by day, according to the
pattern rather than the inventor OF the process
Mr.. Palfrey knew beforehand that New England
had history, which he set himself to explore, in
order that he might write and publish it in these
fine octavos, in this most excellent type of the
and impreguated with story that for very ease he
mus deliver it. Tie writing of history has lately
looked up in Massachusetts, and given certain lit
erary ability and habit abundant materials at haud
lively demand, and ten to one but history vii,
be produced. Nor let us scorn or under
value this process. Builders who work
upon good old models are on the whole,
perhaps, more useful than architects who attempt
to create If we had not had Prescott or
DduCIplt we HljSuG possibly not nave nld raj
frey-.at least as historian; but, it were a pity,
had the historian Pafrey not been developed
by the circumstances which we venture to believe
called him into existence. For style, he may
be compared with the New England landscape in
its common forms-not naturally rich, smooth,
inviting, but improved and rounded and made
pleasant by honest and careful labor. That he is
one able to perform what he undertakes too must be
JyriIb Dali.
his showing, is three score, at the least, and
this History Of his has Already in two octave
volumes, but reached so far as July 9th, 1GGS.
II these he has certainly overcome the
preliminary labors of American historians,
involved in the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES univer-
sal we suppose necessary-of the discovery
of the American Continent. In very few
chapters he has disposed of the early voyages,
including those of the Northmen to the new
England coasts. If forty years Of the earliest and
perhaps least interesting portion of NewEngland his
tory, occupy two octavos, we may compute how many
it will require for the whole two hundred and forty
years, over which it extends. There should be- at
least, ten more, upwards of ten, if Mr. Palfrey
means to make an end of it. We do not find that
he has pledged himself to live long enough to COM
plete the work upon this scale yet it would be ex-
tremely gratifying to us to know that he had done
so, and will be able to keep covenant with US.
1t is, we repeat, eminenty proper that New Eng
land should have historian to itself, for New Eng
land for the most part has stood alone. The foun-
ders of it were Englshmen alone.
Their emigration to New England began in 1920
1t was inc0nsderable till 1880. At the end of ten
years more, it almost ceased. people consisting
at that time of not many more than twenty thousand
persons, thenceforward multiplied its soil, in
M ar q hln hnr
nearly a century and half. Some slight emigra. |
tions from it took place at an early day; but they
were discontinued, and it was not till the last
quarter of the eighteenth century, that those |
swarms began to depart, which have since occu-
pied large portion of the territory of the United
States. During that period, and for many years
later, their identity was unimpaired. No race has
ever been more homogeneous than this remained
down to the time of the generation upon the
stage. = Thus the people of New England
are singuarly unmixed race. There is probably
not county in England occupied by population
of purer English blood than theirs. 1t is race
still more characterized representing peculiar
type of the Englishmen of the seventeenth century
A large majority of the early planters Puri-
tans. :" Sequestered from foreign influences,
the people thus constituted was forming distinct
character by its own discipline, and was engaged
at work within ITSELF on its own problems, through
a century and a half. * This people, so
isolated in its rupilage, has dfused itself wide
ly. | am to tell the story of a vast tribe of men
at the present time, it is like, some
screen or eight millions. presume there is
one third Of the people of these United States
wherever now resding-of whom individual
could peruse this volume without reading the his
tory of his own progenitors.
very large circle of readers directly interested
moving good cause for the writing of this History
As the best evidence of what Mr.. Pafrey calls
he efficiency" of this people he presents the fol-
owing statistical exhibit.
Massachusetts, in her early years Her soil was
arren; and she has no staple commodity of great
alue in the markets of the world. Yet, at the
present time, little more than two centuries and
quarter from the date of her foundation, her tax
bic property, exclusive of property belonging to
of religion education and beneyolenee
to a thousand millions of dollars. Equal
Y divided, lit would afford more than eight hundred
nd eighty dollars to every man, woman and child
,ithin her borders. From the reserved fruits of ,
be labor of eight generations, she could give a
oar to each ofthe thousand millions of the inhab-
ants of the earth, and still have all her schools
leeting houses, town houses. almshouses, iails,
nd literary, benevolent and scientific institutions
1T as nest-eggs to begin the world anew.
Now, when these 10000 God-fearing men of Old
ngland landed upon the soil of New, they found
bout $4,000 other men-"salvages'' they were
allied in that day-who knew not God; and accord
10 to Mr.. Palfrey and other authorities equally
OOQ, knew pretty huSh hot'ipS NJ f"' S"othS
18th proper condensation from text, we find
lat these "abariginal inhabitants (cborigiHal,
owever, seems word begging the question; for
ow does MIR. Palirey know that the undeveloped
rogenitors of the first observed natives, and frs
oonists of New England were not seals or bears?)
re find, we say, that these pre-occupants of Yam
zee land were l
of tall stature, comedy proportion, strong,
ctive, and as it should seem, very health
u" They were sin color swart, their hair long,
heir bodies painted" The women and children | ,
we're acIean and STRAIGHTFORWARD with countenance
weet and pleasant and behavior modest and coy.
The first English visitor had reason to be satisfied
With his reception, when "there presented unto
aim, men, women and children, who with all cour-