New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-22
NEW PUBLICATIONS.


1,r Mitchell has succeeded so wen in making his
book interesting and suggestive, that the reader Is
inclined to find fault with him for not DONG the
xerv little more which was needed to add mncn 10
,,s yalne and charm. Though his aim is steady ana
his purpose. as it eventually appears is unmistaE
able one ia somewhat at loss, in the earlier por'
tions at least to divine exactly bis methods OF liz
meanings With this criticism faulthndhe niAS
properly come to an end, so Tar as the author
manner goes. It is not intended to Imply tnat
there is any lack of cearness in his style or Ian
cuage. With neither of these is any fault TO DC
found But the bearing of his facts and iilustra-
tions is not always obvious, and his line OF aIgu'
ment would. have been far better il We had been
forewarned of what he meant to prove.
The correctness of Dr. Mitcheps ultimate thesis
which will be explained hereafter-need not he dis
c,,ssed now. 1t is question for PROFESSIONAL
archeoloests to decide in the end. For the present.
all that need be said is that his criticism Oh ac-
copied beliefs is mainly negative and at the pes'
barely goes further than to show that the theory
of evolution and of continual progression. 10
man as an individual, may be untrue, or perhaps ~
would be better to say improved. lhis oaio s'a'o-
ment, without explanation. would put TOO low al
estimate upOn the value of DR.. Mltchelfs WORK.
But even without regard to the acceptance OF To-
lection of his views his collection and presentation
of facts his method of dealing with them, and his
affections to some prevalent methods in arch@olo-
pica inquiries are of great Importance and interest
and so far as one not professionally engageu al
archaeology may Judge, are in the main sound
The book consists of two independent but re-
lated courses of lectures 1.-The khlnd LECTURES On
Archaeology 1.-THE former course of SIX oeine EMU
tied The Past in the Present., and the subsequent
course. What is CivilizationP Added TO THESE Is
an appendix of great length. explaining and verify
rx,-th
analytical index. There are numerous h'us'i"'
tions of the objects describd.
In the first lecture, Dr. Mitchell takes up the
81 wborlv and spindle. The whorl is sort OF fly
wheel attached to the spindle to make 1t rotate
easily. 1t is usually perforated disk OF stone or
ay.though Dr. Mitchell found potato used tor the
purpose in Daviot near Inverness. lie also louhu
soapstone whorls in use and in process OF making
in the Shetland Islands. Now the whorl Is at tne
present day. most commonly found in museums Oh
,ntiouities. and the interest attached to 1t Is Oh
course chiefly archaeological. Yet Dr. Mitchen
found it and the spindle in daily use IN country
in an advanced state Of civilization, which at the
Same time, and in almost the same place. employs
the most complex machinery in spinning. lie
nopts out that it is mistake. therefore, TO attrb.
utc the use of an inferior method of spinning 10
lower capacity Or to lower grade OF civilization
even when superior methods are known and en-
Moved at the same time. The finest fabrics pro-
duced in the world, the Dacca muslins are spun
from the hand-spindle by Indian women. and no
effort to rival them by machinery has as yet sue
ceeded; while the spindle, as used IN Dacca or III
the Shetland Islands to-day, is the same as that
used in Egypt in it's most highly cultivated epoch
Another point that DIR. Mitchell makes is, that in
feror and ruder forms of the whorl--such as the
potato spoken of-do not imply priority in time
When an old art is suDplanted by new one, 1t I'M
dergoes in dying. process OF degradation; as inc
producing manuscripts.
In the second lecture larger variety OF similar
objects are discussed in the manner and with
the same differences. The author in 1863 visited
the island of Lewis. and in tine village of Barvas
found women engaged In the manu- facture OF coarse
sarthcnware vessels called craggans" These were
shaped entirely with the hand, without the aid OF
a wheel or any instrument except a curved stick
which was used to fashion that part OF the inside
which the fingers could not reach Nothing ruder
in pottcry ancient or modern, says Dr. Mitchell, is
known than these craggans, and yet In the home OF
the woman whom he watched Willie making them
be saw Manchester cottons Sheffield cutlery
sugar, tea and tobacco, and stranger than all,
crockery from Staiiordshire. Dr. Mitchell again
warns us against the conclusion that the nation
ware must be PARTIAL composed of barbarans or
that the actual producers may not be capable I'M
medately of receiving the very highest culture
Next We arc introduced to "qucrns"-still IN com
mon use in some parts of Scotland. Quern is a
rude mill foI grinding corn. standing on liked
wooden tray which is built into the wall OF the
house. The whole continuance, though capable OF
doing fair work, is of the simplest description
Mention is also made of the knockin-stanc," a
large stone with an excavation in side, in which
barley is pounded with o wooden mallet. In con-
nection with craggans, DR.. Mitchell notices
curious modification OF taste among tho people who
use them. On account Of their porousncss, it is
difficult matter to keep milk fresh for any length of
time. and the result has been that tainted milk is
now preferred to fresh. So Shetlanders prefer
tainted fish, q result of their habit of wind-drying
them. and so, Dr. Mitchell suggests comes the
fashion OF prcfcrring game when high" because
before the days of railways it necessarily became
high" in going from Scotland, where II was shot,
to London, where il was chiefly eaten.
Next are mentioned the BLACK" house and
q Beehivep house of the Hebridcs, which are still
to be seen in Scotland. The former is constructed
of wall of two facings of rough unknown stones
filled in with turf several feet thick and six feet
high, surnounted by thatch. There is no WIN
dow and but one low door. In this dwelling, Win
no other division than line OF rough sIoheS ho
hgher' thar curbstOne, live entire families, to-
.cther with the cattle and horses belonging to
them. Chairs and tables arc almost unknown ana
the domestic utensils are OF the rudest pattern The
whole description reminds oue of the underground
HORSES Of Armenia described by Xenophon more
than 1000 years ago. Tho inhabitants of these
wretched dwellings we are told are well .condi-
toned physically, mentally and morally" in far
better state than the dwcllcrs in the much better
built houses in the slums of any great city.
The Beehive" house-still tenantcd-is moro
narkable still 1t is dome-lIke structure, not
moe than six feet high in the Interior built of I'M
dressed stones put together without cement and
cayerad W ill tnrf Two OF more of these Structures