The New York herald., 1874-10-10

TO do him full justice. Frederick knew
him only % q military commander, ana In CON-
parison with his own brilliant campaigns, by
which the art OF war was advanced. those OF
Washington must have seemed to besoken COM
monplace order OF generalship. The Fabian tao
tics OF the prudent American commander must
have seemed tame to the great captain who had
astonished and dazzled Europe by almost mlracu-
lous victories against mighty ODDS. No public
man In Europe had SO early and intuitive per.
ception OF the hopelessness OF tine British attempt
TO subdue us as Frederick the Great The copious
extracts from his correspondence given in MI
Bancroft's third chapter are among the most In
terestng things In this volume. When, in l777, ne
was trying to push France into the con test. Fred
erick wrote to his Ambassador at Paris Her nrst
interest requires the enfeebement OF Great Britain,
and the way 10 This Is to make it lose its colonies
in America. Her present opportunity is more
favorable than ever before existed and more
favorable than is likely in three centuriesn
In the same year, commenting on the military
movements in America, Frederick SAID :-"England
made originally an awkward mistake In going to
war with her colonies; then followed the illusion
Of being able to subjugate them with seven thou.
sand men; next the scattering OF It's dinerent
corps. which has caused the failure OF all its enter
prises.u
which new light 10 she'd upon our contest Tor inde
pendence by the rare and curious materials which
Mr.. Bancroft has gathered in his European
researches. He states tnat the best existing
account OF the proceedings OF the CONT
mental Congress- which sat with closed
doorA 10 iound In the dispatches OF
the French agents, who found means OF gaming
the confidence OF members and sent home to their
government an exact recital OF every important
thing that occurred In discussing the motives
which impeed England to commence. and France
and Spain afterward to participate in the war,
Mr.. Bancroft is agreeabiy tun and instructive.
His first chapter. especially, in which he deals
with the causes which led Great Britain into her
great mistake. is one o Mr. Bancrolt's best titles
to the character OF q philosophical historian. He
maintains that the American war was q natural
outgr0wth OF the supremacy Of Parliament. first
established by the Revolution OF 1883, and con.
frmed by again changing the succession In
favor OF the house OF Hanover. BY its sue
cess nj resistance to regal tyranny Parlia-
ment won the support OF the people
and then took advantage OF their confidence
to undermine their liberties. The narrowness of
the representation made Parliament the instru-
ment Of the arlstocracy, and as the people ielt no
love Tor their foreign kings they had no railying
point for creating counterpoise to aristocratic
supremacy. One OF the 1rst evil fruits or Parlia.
mentary arrogance was the oppression OF Ireland,
and then followed the attempt to crush freedom
In the colonies. The American war was, there.
fore, as Mr.. Bancroft holds, also against the
rights OF the English people, and British liberty
well as American was staked in our contest. If
Parliament mad succeeded In main tanning the om-
Impotence 1t asserted over the colonies English
freedom would have fallen in their subj ugaton.
Close upon our success efforts began to be made
for Parliamentary reform, and the partial ema
cipati0n OF Ireland was another direct conse-
quence. This train OF sequences Is very clearly
developed BY Mr.. Bancroft.
The diplomatic intrigues Of Spain. as peace ap-
preached, TO confne our boundaries SO as not to
endanger her possessions on the Mississippi form
the subject OF curious and interesting chapter.
Spain desired that the ridge OF the Alleghanies
should form our western limit and insisted that,
AZ all events, 1t should not extend to the Missis-
sippi. From the grandeur OF destiny foretod by
the possession of that river" says Mr.. Bancroft.
''and the lands drained BY Its waters, the bour-
bons OF Spain, hoping to act In concert with
Great Britain as well at France, would have ex-
cluded the United States totally and forever" In
describing that great water way as q bond OF the
American Union Mr. Bancroft gives 8 character
istic specimen OF mis- e0quence which we will here
insert
The Mississippi River is the guardian ana the
pledge OF the union OF the States OF America Had
1egnanieg there would have been no geographical
unity between Them, and the thread OF connection
must soon have been sundered The Father OF
Rivers gathers his waters from all the clouds that
q sna ae and n
the eastern chain bow their heads at the nor IN
and at the SOUTH 80 that long before science be-
pointed out to the barbarous races how short port
ages oln his tributary rivers 70 those OF the Attain
terl0cks with the Of the oregon and the Colo
rado and 6y the me conformation @ o. the earth It.
rem remotess springs he rsfuses to suer his Waters
to be divided; but as ne bears them all to the
bosom OF the ocean the myriads OF nags
people. States larger than kingdoms nourish
where he passes aud beneath his steps cities start
tabled creations OF enchantment. HIS magnificent
valley, lying in the best part OF the temperate
81 Ss s ee
human culture brought together by men, sum-
moned from an the civilizeo nations Of the earth,
and joined In the bonds OF common citizenship by
the strong, invisible attraction OF republican free.
dom. Now that science has come to be the house,
that nature has lent to wealth and intellect her
constant forces, the hills, once walls OF division,
oceans besween which the Republic mas anassaiis
bly, lntrenched Itself against the outward world,
are bound together across the Continent BY friendly
links OF iron.
TO severe taste there may, perhaps, seem q
tinge OF literary anectation in this, bnt 1t never
theless emDodies majestic conception i'm
pressively ampllied and developed. 1t is the
most ambitious passage in the volume and the
thought is important enough 10 support good
deal OF embellishments In recounting the military
events OF this period, Mr. Bancroft makes no
strained attempts at fine writing, and his nara.
tive Is always perspicuous and interesting. There
is occasionally summing up, which Is model OF
rigorous conciseness. The last specimen s this
severe but admirable review Of the military career
Of General Howe In America r.a..t
Brave and an adept in military science, Howe had
failed IN the conduct OF the war from sluggish
dllatoriness. want or earnest enterprise and love
OF the pleasures which excite o coarse nature.
On landing near Bunker Hill he had Sufficient
troops TO nave turned the position Of the Ameri-
cans: put ne delayed just long enough for them TO
prepare Tor his attack. He was driven out OF
Boston nom bis most unmilitary neglect to oc-
cupy Durcheeter Heights, which overlook the