The New York herald., 1879-03-03
LITERATURE.
MI. Justin MoCarthy's Slapdash
History of Our Time"
BARONESS BUNSEN'S RECOLLECTI0NS.
A History Of the English Church-A
Naturalist's Voyage-Book Chat
A HISTORY OF OUR TIME.

A HISTORY OF OUR TINE.
The writing of a history of our time is task that
has its advantages well it's disadvantages. Its
advantages are the facilities for gathering material.
its disadvantage is the great delicacy required in
handling this material. Every man is self-consti-
tuted critic of his own time. and the chroncler
does not agree with his deductions he is not slow
with his criticism Mr.. Justin Mccarthy has written
two Introductory volumes of "A History of~Our
Own Time (Scribner 4 Weford which, if it does
not attain the highest rank literary achievement is
destined to popularity for the entertaining manner in
which it written But clever magazine writingis not
history Mr.. Mccarthy is generally just and always
bright. but is the brightness of journalist rather
than of the essayist historian. For example, on
page 3S7 he says Thirty six years have passed
away Mr.. Ruskn leaped into the literary
with spring bold and startling that Of Mr..
Kean on the Kemble- haunted stage" Scattered
throughout the book Illustrations drawn from
the fiction or the stage of the day. For example. in
writing of serious subject the Chartists'
movement, he illustrates from Dick Swiveller and
the Marchioness. Lord Pamerston's reason for ac-
cepting the Office of Home Secretary he gives as the
that of Fritz. the "Grande Duchesse," for
becoming schoolmaster, and on; all very much
to the point, perhaps. but hardly dignifed.
Mr.. Mccarthy begins with the accession of victo
ria TO the throne and will end with the Congress of
Berlin. Besides being of letters he is poll
tican and strong partisan of the liberal side. New
ertheless, he has not lauded his own party up to
the skies and painted the tories black. but has en-
deavored to give fair estimate of all political ques
tions. personal government ended with the death
of William ". When Victoria ascen6ed the throne
the country was in an excited condition and things
were looking omnous for the reign. The
Parliament certainly remarkable with Russell
for the leader of party and Peel for the leader of
w md heil indie nCeut
supporters of the Ministry; with Mr. Gladstone still
comparatively to public life. aud Mr.. DIsrae to
address the Commons for the first time; with Pal
merston still unrccognized and Stanley lately gone
over to conservatism; with Grote and Bulwer, and
Joseph Hume and Charles Butler; and Ward and
viliers Sir Francis Burdett and Smith o Brien and
Tom Duncombe. The first disturbance to the quiet
of the reign came from Canada. which
settled by Lord Durhams policy. The Chartists
the first agitators treated of by Mr.. Mccarthy
He has no sympathy with them but he thinks
that nothing could be more unjust than to repre-
sent the leaders of the movement mere factous
and self-seeking demagogues. Its fanaticism, he
says, had in many instances strong flavor Of noble
ness and virtue. In writing of the Queens marriage
he takes up the gauntlet for Prince Albert who he
says was combination of 1.-The troubadoar. the
savant and the of business" OF the opium
war he says. reduced to plain words the principle
for which We fought in the China was the right
of Great Britain to force peculiar trade upon for
eign people in spite OF the proestatons of the gov
ernment and all such public opinion there was of
the nation. OF course this was not the avowed
motive OF the war; The Afghanistan troubles that be-
gan in 1885, and lasted for years amented by
MIR. Mccarthy the result of enterprise founded
on false and fatal policy The Oregon Treaty, of
the last acts of Peels government, Mr. Mccarthy
sders one of the great things he did, it Of
his latest trumphs This is of the few instances
in which this writer refers to America Indeed Eng
land is the only country whose history he relates;
any reference others is only in connection with
their relations to England. In closing chapter on
the Irish famine he says
Terrible the immediate effects of the famine
were it is impossible for any friend of Ire
land to say that on the whole it did not bring
much good with it. 1t first applied the
scourge which to drive out OF the land thor
oughly vicious and rotten system. 1t first called
the attention of English statesmen irresstibly to
the fact that the system bad TO its
hearts core and that nothing good could
OF it. 1t reused the attention of the humble
Irsbman, too often inclined put up with
everything in the lazy spirit of Neapolitan
fatsst to the tact that there for nim too a
world elsewhere.
In discussing Chartsm and Young ireland he treats
the subject lightly; while he admires tho pluck and
patriotism OF the leaders of the Young Ireland move
ment. he says OF the movement itself that it came
and went like shadow; that it never had any reality
substance in it, Ii a literary and poetic insp
ration altogether. It took the slightest hold of
the peasantry. II hardly touched any of mature
years. 1t was rather apretty playing at rebellion"
In reviewing the Crimean he says that the
soldiers did spenddly, but that the generals and the
system poor indeed. and he regards the political
resu. Of the war equally unsatisfyinp. The last
chapter OF the present volume is devoted to a
survey of the literature OF the reign In this chapter
Mr. Mccarthy is quite at home, but not altogether
satisfactory. he says that "in strength and depth OF
passion and pathos. in wild humor, In emotion of
every kind. Mr.. Browning is much superior to Mr.
Tennyson." which is doubt true, and if ii b. true
the next line which says "the poet laureate il the
somple,er man must be false. But this is a subject
TOO subtle for discussion here. Mr. Mccarthy seems
to have confounded the difference between a poet Of
polish and poet of art. Take it all in all this
chapter is one OF the most interesting in the book
MIR. Mccarthy, however. is happest in his portraits
These he has sketched with quick eye and
bold hand and If his nkenesses are not always cor.
rect they are vigorous pictures.
That the book IL destined to popularity Is proved
by the fact that the first edition was subscribed for
before II left the press There two more volumes
10 come before the work is completed
LIFE AND LETTERS OF THE BARONESS BuNsEN
It is hard to find any interesting reading than
personal rccollections of distinguished people, and
few books Of this description are more thoroughly
entertaining than the "1Afe and Letters of the
baroness Bunsen, edited by the Rev. Augustus j. c.
Hare, and published by George Routedge q Sons.
frances, the baroness Bunsen, WAS the grandnioce
of the venerable Mary Granville. Mrs. Delany, who
as achid had sat upon Lord Boiingbrokcs knee, who
as young woman. had been maid OF honor to Queen
Anne; as middle-aged woman had been intinlate
with the most remarkable characters of the rcgns of
George l. and George H. ami who. in her old age
sided at Windsor the cherished friend OF George ILL.,
and Queen Charlotte. 1t Of her that Edmund
Burke said that she mot only truly great
woman Of fashion, but the highest bred In the
world" After the death of this remarkable woman.
in her eightyninth year, hor niece Miss Post. who
also her adopted daurh tor married Bnninnlin