, 1877-01-13

The throne 10 q bed on tho ecnf{nIh. lfe talc II
one Of the ernelest In al h!story. for tho indie
scrlbahle sorroxs which the youthful pair were
called 10 undergo were the hcrllagc left by
a succession Of fni7niton. ancestorr, rather
than tho sequence Of their own mfsdcc'ls.
Marie Antoincttc was 4 child oi little more than
IA years when s!Ic left her Austrian home to be-
como the wife OF the Dauphtn, only few
months older than hcfseIf. She wns gifted with
extraordinary personal charms. with engaging
traits Of character, and With hlgll moral quail.
ties; and size had received from her !llaetrioua
mother the training bef1tt'ng a Princess and
future Queen. But atc was still child At the
death of Louis XIV, aud II, during her carly ffc
as Uauptfncss AMI as the rilc pf I King, sflH
betrayed q foluintss fur amusement, tendcEcy
e gaycty to fnlrth 10 leviy cvSn. i %as ut
the natural consequence of the thnughtsesancas
AMI the Volatility of her years.
To of1.tt her yonthful errors and ind1scrt-
tfons. there WAS tender. generous hcnrt,
!1r nHFy y e. @ e. s ,f ssonsr q !i Il :4 sas s.se TED
bril-. and statInn, which intlinu the balnItc nt
Justice overwhelmingly IT. her faror. Cnnsld-
erinR tho diLlls,llt'cs uf l'er post'nn, The I'M
ssrupulous assaults q her enemies, t',e sorrup-
c1, and thu weak iIal,Irn of Louis XVI, 1t Is
marvellous that shc was able to .pass through
these accumulated trlnts with llcr wotnanly
purity unin,pc1sl,rl, With hrr 1oyal Affection To
diminished, and with character constantly de-
vcloping a,l,i refining through the terrible dis
c!plnr u c1,asess p,lgnans r. tcfe The patience,
and couragc. and dignity With which abe bore To
her proved that her mind was east In a htruic
mold, and tlat she xns the worthy daughter OF
all august Queen. No pcrsunagc who has III
any capacity traEessed the sccnn Of this Norld'a
md, In nlany respects our admiration.
The fresh narrative of the life OF t,ls beauti-
~ and unfortunate ~on!an, p,rrcparc'l by Mr.
the *rIcr ] sre *.riniy eni!.ed IN tho case Of of
hls subject: yet he Is at,tr, BY the evidences
cited, 10 persuade hft rea,iers that III most cases
bis Partially 10 well founded. He bus drawn
considerably from the testimony Afforded in the
letters Of Marie An,oInette to ler mother and 10
the Austrian Ambassador at Paris, 10 Comtc
Mercy d'Argenfeau, with arc preserved IN tho
prc1ifvcs Of fic.la, anil were p,t,lshcd br ~
Arneth, ut paris. tn lS15. and by n. Fc,tIlct de
'fls>c letter. give minute account Of the incl
ticntt transr.istng At thu French Court Until the
death Of Maria Theresa In 17Stt, and throw n
strong light on the avtluns nj Marie Antbinette
up to the time tf llcr imprisonment In t1!t2.
The author has nlrrcifu1ly atttAfntI1 from
detailed recital Of the Horrors Of the last months
OF the Quccn's lifc, antl has tiwet a. lightly u
possible upon the ntrUcio,Is cruelty with which
moment OF her reltaac l.y thu Eultloiinc.
Through tho wEotc oi thu biography, Indeed, he
has conlutted hs cout1c with nltcl, taSt and
th"n,, ~ trn.tinr a. strorat For!sst VI .,
,1nnrrsrndina Mi stvirh IT, ~ .nnr.imnt hrtrr. III II.
British prcjudtecs, ~ where nc deals with the
support which France Ease the United States in
rasilv nrrrinntri IN ricw RI thr ,nrr., .i'I1fi,.
with which he Inns accomplished hts undertaking.
The volume Is accompanied with a portrait Uf
Marte Antoincttc, taken IN her youth.
r,~.,,t,,.r ,,,,o,,,,,,, -, ,,,,,, ,,,,,
EN- HAoAa 4l1UCna!h aai' Las
,,,.. GESTl'nm. ,1,
nisT0IM I,,,. op d., ENnm!Si THOUGHT IN TIE
Mlul,!EESTa GESFtHt. " l.EsLiE sfxrHEN.
Two elamee' sSo' new 1ofS: u. y fnt-
,r, o"'s.
INC nuthoe u Inc ano'e "osh ftatef IN nus
by an essay on lhc "Tcntlc1cirs Of Religious
Thmurht in Env,.ni frnr, 1,,ss IN 175nu. anil
lin, II. o,,frr, has hccr =, c,rc ,no,c ,,ct ,tloi
TINT n's onlec1 s'aS oceh 10 G'se more ucta''c"
account OF that movement 10 thls extent fhc
lille fitG the houk. 1t Is an elaborate md very
conn,cte essay Oh the religious controversies uf
The Inter quarter Of the scycntecnib and tn.
wh,,o =, .hs s,,,',.sn,h @ snn,r.,r. WEI,
strong RatIonalrtc bias, and in ua'lissuisct
admiration for Hume, Mr. Stephen has
entered with plcasurs into discussion
ri ". ,,,,,,,,r,u, -.,,rI,.,,. .o,t.o,,n..ta.
@"as 'ae'
ol tlte iast century, ahd mas SHOWN
the tendency of the present century toward Ma
tcrialisn. ThTec.sourths OF his two bulky oc-
t,yox orc ouc,,ntrd wtth ,hc ,,cpc,o,1,,,+ ri rr-
nE1s1,.stinns " tbe var1",,. Ws;irrs t. c ccnrniy
nsft IKE ,, 4d u y: .S Hdsnt o tns Tr
tl!slss., be ta!ls 70 grasp tllsa as a wlols, aud
~ tarrtiieiM "n&5 t"o ~noe bearing ~ tne'f
impression uf liz tendency OF cGcrt3 Of lie r..
lIeioub thought Of the lns. century, Us compared
with that oi Tic present ogr. K frcqactt IN.