Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1875-08-22

NEW WORK BY A NEW AUTHOR
One Of the most gigantic literary
efforts ever undertaken by a single
man is that of Hubert Bancroft's.
Like everything else connected with
this great western North America, it is
first OF all remarkable for its magni-
tude. A citizen of San Francisco leaves
a successful business, spends fifteen
wears and 100000 in collecting books
and manuscripts, and a Lifetime
in studious, patient investigation, in
| order 10 present to the world a series
of works on this new western teri :
tory, The first of these writings is
| The Native Races of the Iucifc States.
in five volumes of about 700 octave
pages each, with maps and iilustra-
trations. The plan Of the work is es-
| sentially unique. The term "Pacific
States" comprises the western half OF
| North America, including all of Mex
| leo aud Central America. Commence
ing at the north, the author divides
the whole territorv-over 1000 miles
of sea coast-into six main divisions.
or groups Of aboriginal nations in the
order following, from north to south:
Hyperboreans, or people north of the
ffty.ffth parallel; Columbians, living
on and around the Columbia River
and its tributaries; Californians, New
Mexicans, Mexicans, and Central
Americans. The and Gus
toms Of the wild tribes inhabiting this
vast domain are described in Volume
One. Volume Two takes up the story
of the civilized nations of Mexico and
Central America, as found by Cortez
and other Spanish c%onqnerors. Vol
ume Three gives the mythology and
languages of the whole territory; Vol
ume Four, the antiquities, and Volume
Five, the aboriginal history and mi
~grations of the AZtecs, Mayas, and
Clutches. Schoolcraft's famous book,
in six volumes, is not to be compared
with Mr.. Bancroft's in scope, com
pleteness, and thoroughness; and yet
Schoolcraft never could have done his
work at all except for 500, 900 or so OF
Government money. Hence it is safe
to conclude that in the annals of abo
riginal history, there never has been
issued a work that bears any compari.
son to this of Hubert Bancroft's. Nor
are we alone in our opinion of it.
Governor Booth says: 81 find the
plan of the book original; it's materials
collected with wonderful industry. pa.
!ience and care; the system admirable;
the style clear and concise" j. Ross
Browne says that "Buckle's History
of Civilization is the only work thai
now occurs to me in which such a vas,
amount of painstaking and conscien-
tious research is manifest" President
Gilman, Of the University of Califor
mia, that it is a work '.of instruction
and entertainment to all who care fol
the history of the Pacific Coast;'
Brantz Mayer, that it is ''of inestima.
BILE value in developing our aboriginal
story" BENZ. p. Avery, that it is 20
work of standard value;" Judge
Deadly, of Oregon, that ''the genera
| style of the work is a~dmirable;" the
| Overland Monthly, that 'but for the
lavish expenditure of money and labor
bestowed by d single man on this sub
ject, much of the best material for {
thorough account of the Pacific States
their antiquities, and the origin o
their modern condition, would have
been, if not lost, too widely scattered
ever to be available"