New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-03-01
BRITISH TOPICS.
IR. STILLMAN ON HERZEGOVINA.

OF THR UPRISING DIsCLoSED-A SERIES OF IN
CFIlFNT PRIMERS PUBLISHED-DEATH OF
vERTTABLE CENTENARiAN.
IrRom THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.l
LONDON. Feb. 9.-Mr. w. J. Stllman has written
and Messrs Longmans have published a l2mo vol
ume of some $50 pages on Herzegovina and the
Late Upris,ug; the Causes of the Latter and the
Remedies" which l heartily commend to anybody
in search of exact and trustworthy knowledge about
the insurrection which the prelude to the war
now interrupted by an armistce Mr., Stiinan was
The Times correspondent IN Herzegovina. lie
brought to the service of that journal very remark
able qualifications; knowledge OF the coun-
try the peoples, and the languages; great
industry in collecting facts perfect hdelity
in reporting them, aud style OF ms
own sometimes incorrect but lucid ana
picturesque to an unusual degree. Add TO all this
a profouud sympathy with the victims of Turkish
misrue quickencd by dire experience in Crete
where Mr. Stillman was consul durng the IN
surrection of 1865 and we have the material for
spccial war correspondence quite unlike the common
article good as the common article is This book Is
based on notes and letters doneat the time. Ii is,
however something more than reprint or colnpila-
tion Mr. Stillman defines his principal purpose i'll
publishing this fragment of history to he the placing
Gin clearer light certain motives and causes TOT tle
Uerzegovinian instruction which arc not gem
the general public" They were not inclndod
in his letters either because learned subsequently,
or because they became known 10 me rather from
REGARD for a certain reputation acquired III years
gone by during an inSuTrcctOn in Crete, OF helhS
svnpathIzer and active friend OF the RaNahS' thah
because was correspondent Of an Enghsh Jourhal'
and in some cases were only open TO me OH the I'M
Outstanding that they were not to be alluded 10 III
correspondence" Iquotc this because 1t Is the Key
90 the book. This is an inside view; statement
of what the Hcrzcgovinians and Montenegrlns
themselves feel and think, well as OF what they
I'D updcr Mr. Silmans eyes, and of hls own con-
cusiops He of course makes no secret OF ms SYM
7,1tbics though he will not admit nor do | THINK
that his sympathies produced any such hlaS as 10
lcadtoa dscoloratiOn of the events" or anything
like dsingcnuous statement, Mr. StInan Is inca
pahle and in saying that speak from knowledge OF
the man as well of his book He is the soul OF SIN
ceritv and honor When he tells us that the con-
dition of the Christian Herzcgoyinian the most
intolerable Of all the subjects of Turkey, he says
what he knows; it is the evidence OF an eye-Wl-
ness. and as such / commit it 30 the perusal OF
those indo,ept theorists on the Eastern question
who doubt whether there any real cause Tor
revolt beyond the Vaccinations of Russian agents.
Iuuote also for their benefit passage which seems
10 me to contain the secret of the whole matter
very compactlv and forcby put
Hinder governments which give basis or motive for
lovaity Isrcction is chonic If latent; and under
the rule u the Turks there is peace only truce
between couQucror and conquered IN which no law mas
ever incryeued 70 limit the right OF the victor 0V ais
victim II is only tie Law Of force III lte hrst ana ui-
long time feared by all Europe and since respected rs
ya accOmp with the respect men pay 10 jnt WorS f
n itself utterly evil This truce Is liable AZ an ,ules 10
Ir broker, BY any indIv idua MuS-ulman on his own
Irsr0lsbllty-a condition which naturally Involves II"
corresponding Of readiness OF the RIyah to revolt
at all times.
Ii must not I've supposed that the book is mainly
occupied with political speculatons; it is spirited
narrative of actual warfare diversified with many
descriptions OF scenery which reveal Mr.. Stlllmans
natural artistic bent. Ii would not be easy to find
ANYTHING better in its kind than the following;
The h.,ult, dizzy road from Cattaro seems to he
great LABOR for little fruit, whcn after four hours OF
Climbing You enter the OucrmoSt plain 81 the Cfuaso,
and dnd few arid acres in the midst Of great arph
tcatcr ~ gray sten:ug rock the neIsuces of winch
hardly give roofing to chance shrub Here ana there
dwarfed evergreen t. he seen ana only on one siGe
strip Of forest of stGryclng dwarfcd ana sarci b, echs
more like a cupsc than forest; Int with tnis narrow
exception all round The circle the dGsoaQn Is iike una.
silent volcano arid as # Internal ne5 taa burnt oHt
along the edge the hills where the soil has been held
b, basins OF rock, husbundman has made bis oppoI-
tiny and the little Wallcdn fractions Of road some
Of them not larger than feet by 10 feet make tiei
hest Though poor return of maize, potatoes. wheat
grass Where the space TO be reclaimed permits H. the
earth teraced aud protected from the wash OF the tor
rents II Is a poor, gcayrly soil at best, even in The
plains little OF at that, u comparison with the cN-
pan>y of bare rock, and certainly holhihg bnt ipcIJ
could make any people fight for 1t or care To KEEP It,
The last observation has been anticipated. hap
pcned to travel last Summer in company with DIS
tingushed Westener through the whole length of
Massachusetts, from Pttsiied to Boston. He had
never been in the before, and its ruggednesS
contrasted with the fertile and smiling prairieS he
was wont 10 see impressed HIM strongly. He broke
ont from time to time in strong Explanations,
which came finally TO a climax in the remark that
he had never before felt the full degree of merit
due TO the patriotism of our Revolutionary fathers
in being willing to fight for such country as that.
1t has been said that great book is great evil;
if that be So good little book must be very good;
and such is Mr.. George Groves Geography
Primer which is the latest addition to the excellent
series of primers published by Messrs. Macmillan.
have spoken of some of these before. There are
three series Of them-Scicnce Primers, edited by
Profs. Huxley, Roscoe and Stewart; History Prim-
ers edited by J. II. Green; and Literature Primers,
with the same editor. ] don't know whether they
have come into use in the United States, but they
seem equally well adapted for American and for
English use In NY day never had anything
nearly so good though our schOol-bcoks in New
England were certainly better, as a rule than the
school-bo then used iii Old England. Many OF
these primers are done by the most eminent in
the subject Of which they treat. Besides those al
ready named Prof. Geikie writes on Physical GcOg-
graphy and Geology, DR. Hooker on Botany, MIR.
Freeman on Europe Prof Jebb on Greek Literature,
Prof Dowdcn on Shakespeare and on. They
little books of 100 to 100 pages each; clearly
printed and illustrated; thoroughly well arran god
and practical, and sold at a shilling piece Mr..
Groves Geography is good sample of the way III
which they deal with their subject. The style is
easy; You begin at the beginning you learn what
Geography Is and then you start at once with gen