New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-12-25
LITERARY GOSSIP.
MR.. HERTsnETs MAP OF EUROPE.


THE TERRITORIAL CHANGES OF SIXTY YEARS OUT
NFD-EXCRiIENCE OF THE ARRANGEMENT
CoPIoUsNEss OF THE CONTENTS.
frroN TIE REcgLAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIL. rRIBUSE]
IASD0N. Nov 27.-Under the title The Map OF
Enrone bv Treaty. Mr.. Edward Hertslet c. b., has
compiled three large and welprinted royal $40 vol
umes tbe value of which to the student Of political
and diplomatic history can hardly be overstated.
The title but i'll defines the scope of the book, though
the title-page further describes it as showing the
various political and territorial changes which have
taken place in Europe since the General Peace OF
,s14 with numerous maps and notes. II is, in fact
collection, nearly complete, of all the Treaties and
other documents which have given sanction to terri
torial changes in Europe from 1914 to 1879 MI
Hertslet explains his object to be to snow the
changes which, by treaty or other international At
ranoements have been made within this pc
ROD Most men, however, decline TO study
history in this way. They will not read
through all the public documents in succession
which comprise the history of a single State. much
less of All Eurore But they will read one when
they want it. and the advantage and use of these
volumes will be mainly, to most people, as book
of reference 1t may fairly be called authoritative,
for Mr. Hertset is Librarian and Keeper OF the IA
pers at the Foreign Office. He makes no claim 10
official sanction; and none such could be MADE. But
there can be no doubt that he has in every case mad
.cccss IN original documents or TO official copies of
them Trained in habits of accuracy necessary 10
the transaction of such business as goes on al uie
Foreign Office he may be fairly trusted to have
given TO the world exact transcripts of all the pa
pers he has published.
This is. # NAV be remarked, one OF those books
which one will not be expected to have read COM
pletey through before reviewing it. review OF IT,
indeed would be a review Of the history OF Europe
for go wears What il concerns US to know Is
whether such a compilation has been put together
In a workmanlike manner, and on that point one
can speak confidently. The promise of its preface
Is borne out The documents are arranged In chro-
biological order; each paper has distinctive num-
Der and reference is made TO it, when practlcaDe'
by that number and not by its date Zach treaty is
preceded by separate table of contents; each artl-
Gle has descriptive heading; each page has head
line TO indicate the countries between which the
treaties below have been made, with sub-hoading to
denote the subject matter of the document
and in the upper corner of each
page the dates and numbers of the documents
are given To each volume there is table OF
contents al the end of Volume H. there is special
list Of treaties between Great Britain and Foreign
Powers for the maintenance of the peace OF Europe
And there is, finally, alphabetical index, filing
nearly 800 pages which is in its way, a master
piece giving the name of country place, &C.
subject Of treaty or other document the number by
which il is known the number of the article OF each
document in which the indexed subjccti Is mentioned
and the page where it is to be found. The Three
volumes are PACED consecuively and not separately
itself a great convenience, whether for reference
OF citation. This rather minute account of what
may be called the mechanical arrangement of tho
work will not come amss TO anybody who has had
IL use books of historical character to which such
aids have been wanting.
Nor is the labor spent on the book one of accumu-
lation and arrangement merely Summaries are
given Of what passed at the most important Euro
pean Conferences with references to the volumes OF
the state Papers" in which the Protocols viii
themselves be found. The Conference which pre-
eeded the Treaty of Paris will serve as a specimen OF
the way in which the most important have beer
dealt with In the case of the considerable
treates-tbe Vienna Congress Treaty. for example
the analysis of contents given at the beginning
is most full and helpful to the student. Various pa
pers not included in the term treaty are IN
serted declarations of war. DEGREES anneXing terri
tories, and protests against such anneXatlons. A
single item will show how conscientiousy the work
OIL this book has been done. The index contains
under the head Vienna Congress Treaty" mention
of every instance in which reference to that treaty
has been made in subsequent European documents
slight labor IN ltscu
To Americans the book would have been still more
valuable bad treaties between the United States anc
European Powers been inserted. 1heOnly American
treaty given is the Treaty of Client Of 1914. But
don't know that we can complain of the omission II
q work avowedly dealing with Europe only, anc
which. even with that limitation extends to 2.4OI
pages less ono. The opportunity is left for some
American endowed with much diligence and en-
thusasm as Mr.. Hertset to perform similar service
for his Own country. Hitherto, as Mr.. Hertslet re-
minds us in order to obtain the information now as
semblcd, it has been necessary to consult eollec
tons Of treaties in many instances publshe(
abroad and not easily accessible here still les
IN America OF to refer TO Blue-BOOks, or TO The
State papers, OF to Treatises on lntornatona
Law and q variety OF other works Few men owl
ell these books and lift only for saving MS thu
expenditure of time requisite 10 go TO a public
library and consult them piccclncal there, we owe
debt Of gratitude to Mr. Herts'et Henccforward LEI
no historian Of modern Europe nor even the hastJ
Journalist discoursng Of recent WAY OF peace, expect
t. ESCAPE being caught if ne trip. These volumes
must be at the elbow of every writer on public
affairs, by the side Of his cyclopedias, his Time
Index, his Annual Register, his Vapereau, and The
dozen or 50 of other absolutely indispensable helps
CIV. S.
sBuiterWorths London, 1875.