Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-10-20
PUBLICATIONS.


PUBLICATIONS. ..
MARIUs-Me Third Part Of Les MSeraJles
by Victor Hugo. West & Johnston, Rich
mond.
Marius is a new character introduced int
the tissue Of this singular story. We nee(
enlarge no further upon NJ. Hugo's faults q
a writer in spite of his faults, his strange
book will be read extensively, especially il
our doarth of literature. AS before, the mos
perfect and truly apostolic character of tn
work is Jean Vatican, the ancient thief ant
convict. Little Cosette appears again, ant
finds a lover, to wit, Marius; and this par
ends with another miraculous escape of olt
Vatican from the police.
The SECOND YEAR or TVB WAR, By Edrart
4. Pollard. West & Johnston, Richmond
If this work were to remain, and be accept
ed, Us the standard history of the war, i
would disclose o standing marvel for tn,
amazement of the w~orld-namely, that thes'
Confederate States, cut of from all mankind
totally unprepared for war, having all the ma
chinery of government to create, organize ant
set in motion in face of q powerful inra
ding enemy, and with an army of several hun
dred Thousand men to raise, equip, transport
feed and discipline, have been able to sustain
great war for two years and a half, toto cor
pore reipuJlice-and oil this without interna
commotion and without s%uspending the or
binary operation of law; while at the SAME
time, strange to tell, the whole administration
civil and military. presented nothing but
mass Of imbecility, laundering and incompe
tcnce and the chief magistrate himself, ht
who guided and inspired this heroic effort and
accomplished results so grand, was o weak
e~nvious, ignorant, meddling fool. Readers il
foreign countries will surmi'e that there j:
some mistake.
President Davis is the central figure in the
war, and in the Confederacy. lie is the most
conspicuous representative Of the spirit and
| character of the South. And for this did the
South. on the eve of a gigantic struggle toi
existence as q nation, raise bin up as heI
standard bearer and leader; even rs of old the
l~ong-haired Franks raised aloft upon the
buckler their acknowledged strongest man, and
with changing armor and hearts" proclaimed
him king and leader of the people. And he
Aa, led and directed the whole mighty move
ment; yet here is q History Of the Second
Year of the War;" which has no word for the
President save of c~ensure, complaint, almost
insult. Readers will learn here that our Presi.
dent is "envious or ignorant" given over to
''favoritism" and military pragmatism," and
soforth; and they will wonder that such a work
could have been done by such hands. Proba,
bly the author intended to compliment the
Confederate people at tho e1penso'of their
Chief Magistrate, and to intimate that their
superh.man energy and virtue achieved all'
not only without any aid from their govern.
ment, but in spite Of much obstruction and
embarrassment created by its peryerseness
aud stupidity. Volta un compliment mai
tournc'-if they elected q beadstrong imbecile
to lead and guide them, they must have but
little sense themselves-if they endure such
an incubus at such a crisis, they can have but
little spirit. We prefer to believe that if the
Presidentha has the general confidence of the PEG.
pie ard the army, which never fail him through
good and i'll, in the midst of disaster as vel
as in the hour Of triumph, but 90 on ~increas
ing as hi, great task proceeds towards com
~pletion, there must really be some energy and
virtue in the man, to justify all this.
We have not examined infinitely the details
of the authors narrative but in one instance
Mt least, his eagerness to censure the President
has led him into an error. He repeats the
story that she 1.-THE Presidency defeated the
capture Of Washington by bis interference al
the first battle of Manassas" This statement
has been often denied, and we now again derry
and protest against it. Neither is "inter
ference" the right word to use in speaking Of
tho orders of the COMMANDMENT. Chief, ever
had he given such orders. All disasters and
disappointments, however, are to be charged
upon the Government in this history, and nc
one will be surprised that the President i,
also accused of having caused our disappoint
ment in Pennsylvania: "Thore is reason tc
beliere that Lees return from the territory Of
the North was constrained by the views of the
Executive" who here again repeated his in
termeddling, removed o decisive victory from
the grasp of our army, and turned back III.
car for years."
There is reason to believe that this work
will never rank high a, a history of the war
and, in fact. the most authentic landmarks
standing up amidst and above the wbirl of the
revolution-the best historic monuments by
which the character and main events of our
story will hereafter be judged, and are now
actually Judged by the outside world-are the
series of messages and other State papers by
President Davis.
SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER roR Ocrobrh.
Mr.. Howison continues his History Of the
War. This work als,, though necessarily not
free from errors, will be useful, when the war
is over. ~ a contemporary memoir, to the
writer who is to exhibit the whole grand pic
turo in its true perspective and colors. The
present number of the messenger is, on the
whole, of average merit. It announces that
the subscription for the future is to be $40 per
unnum.