The Hawaiian gazette., 1868-10-14

of manuscripts arrived from Spain! AS
he was busy unpacking and classifying
them, another obstacle, of different ma
ture to those be had already conquered,
came across his way, and almost put an end
to his intended work He was told by a
common friend that Washington Irving
was also preparing history of the Con
quest of Mexico, and had begun long
time before he had thought of writing it.
The same friend also stated that when he
heard of Prescott's intention, Irving de-
cided upon giving up all claims to priority
in favor of the author of " Ferdinand and
Isabella"
In this delicate conjuncture, Prescott
resolved to do what was worthy of him
self and of the celebrated writer of the
Life of Columbus he wrote to Irving to
elucidate the matter. Courteous letters
were exchanged, creditable to the good
faith and noble feelings of the distin-
guished correspondents, and at length,
Washington Irving abandoned his project.
Perhaps Prescott would have hesitated to
accept, had he known how painful was
the disappointment of his rival. when
l made that concession to Mr.. Prescott" ("
said Irving, many years afterwards, "it
was my bread, as it were, that l was
giving away, for l was calculating on the
profits of the sale of that book to restore
my scanty finances. My situation might
have been altered but l do not regret
what | have DONE"
Being re-assured in that respect, Pres
colt pushed on his studies with more per-
severance than ever, but the difficulties to
be overcome were far from being so great
as before, and in five years he had COM
pleted his task. The History of the Con-
quest of Mexico appeared on the 9th of
December, 1843, and met with universal
success. This work has become a standard
and classic book in American literature,
and, we may add, in the literature of the
10Th century. 1t may be remarked that
Prescott made a happy selection. The
history he relates has but one hero, Fer
nando Cortez and but one object, the
possession of Mexico and, during the
whole proceedings of the expedition, the
interest is concentrated on one individual
only, and the action tends only towards
one end We hardly know any other
book of history that unites in itself all the
elements of work of the imagination.
The heroic deeds, and the truly epic char
acter of that famous campaign, undertaken
by few men against an immense Empire,
resemble so much the exploits Of knight
errantry and the legend of Roland, at
Ronceyans, that it would have been quite
natural if Prescott had been led to speak
of it in glowing or exaggerated terms.
But he saw where the danger was, and
carefully avoided lessening the historic We
racity by an over-fowery style, and took
great care not to give too large place to
descriptions of scenery and battles, and in
setting forth the semi-religious spirit by
which the Spanish conquerors were ami
mated. His pure taste fashioned his style
to the events to be described, and if we
say that some of his battles recall to mind
those of the Iliad, and that his descrip-
tioDs can be placed in parallel with those
of the Martyrs" of Chateaubriand, it
will be easily understood why the Con-
quest of Mexico holds the first rank in
American literature, and how it would be
difficult to find, in old Europe, work Of
the same kind to be deliberately compared
with It,
A short time after the History of the
Conquest of Mexico, he published the
History Of the Conquest of Peru, which,
it must be confessed, is far from being as
good as his preceding works. 1t is totally
inferior to the Conquest of Mexico, not
so much for the manner in which the sub
ject is treated as for the great difference
existing in the relative interest felt for the
two heroes and the two conquests. 1t
would be advisable net to analyze it, if it
were not for special feature in it, which
makes it highly interesting, inasmuch as it
touches the most important question which
has ever been debated or discussed in
America since the war of Independence.
Everybody knows the cruelties of the
Spanish conquerors of the 10th century
to the miserable Indians, principally in
Peru. and how heavy was the yoke Of
servitude imposed on the unfortunate In
cas-. No one is ignorant of the generous
efforts of Las Cases to diminish their suf-
ferings, and 70 lead to the proclamation Of
their independence. One of the principal
episodes Prescott had to relate was that
of the terrible revolt provoked by the pub
Iication of a series of ordinances of the
Indian Board, which, although not in keep
ing with the requirements of prudence,
were to result, after certain time, in the
freedom of the Indians. Prescott could
not avoid oiyinc his oninion on those orii-