New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-21
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
AID rrCKy,S NEW VOLUMES.

mans
II ia one of Mr.. Lecky's singular merits as
historian that he combines characteristic excel
fences of schools which usually have little Ill
common 4, He has the power of broad goneranza-
t;on and clear insight which distinguishes the
philosophical student. the keen love of research
which animates the historical explorer and the art
of seizing and arranging effective details when
give life and brlliancy to the picturesque nara
tives of the school Of Macaulay. This variety oil
charm in his method is enhanced by an eXcehen'
style perspicuous and simple, careful without tno
appearance of art, fluent without an ehor' a'
vivacity, never dull and never rhetorica' oo"0
times brilliant phrase flashes ont oil the qu'e' anu
easv narrative: rs where Mr. Lecky remarks Oh
the early letters of JuniusD that it was only by
slow degrees that the writer learnt the sScreV VI
true dignity of style, and exchanged the tone Vi
simple scurrility for that measured maugnlty VI
Islander in which he afterward excelled" or where
ne saws of Lord chatham Continually harassed
by the conflicting pretensons OF titled begears
whose sole merit lay in their properties and their
names. he met them with pride which was beyond
the pride of birth or wealth. and he made personal
enemies at every step; but his style is generally
that best of styles which carries us along so quickly
that we hardly stop to notice how good IL Is LiAo
Macaulay he loves to delve in obscure PAGES an"
to draw illustrations from newspapers, proausiuee
forgotten diaries and unknown pamphiets. ~ -
practice which has its dangers as well as i'S las
cinations Sometimes it reflects upon 'lo eo"0i
page of history the transient scandals OF con'c'"
porary rancor and results in the eNhioluoh VI
nicture ot life and manners vivid enough indeed'
Int by no means faithful. In weighing the N"iuo
If the miscellaneous testimony he has thus acculnu'
Ia,.d Mr. Iecky is not always judIcl0us. fer-
hons II il in mart owing TO an excessive iondhesS
Cor ouas-historcal gossip that he so rarely hhus Il
nersonage to admire very fragrant eNaihpie Vi
Injustice occurs in remark about hooerU MOTIFS
the distinguished fnaDcier ana PatrloV Oh I'll"
AmerIcan Revolution. Morris lifted out many
nrivatcers so that his fortune rose " In the most
disastrous period of the American war TO between
600 600 and 100000" and Mr.. Lecky adds that
according to a note appended to the Englsh
translation OF" the Travels of the Marquis dc
fbostellnx "a large part of the great fortune OF
Morris was due to other canseS, and especially 10
the manner in which he employed his position oil
r;o,ncier Ceneral TO the Colonies TO subserve his
,rivate interests" To repeat a charge OF that knd
ogainst n man Of MOrris's character upon no better
authority than the anonymous translator OF book
of travels was bad enough; but, moreover. MI
Iecky ought to have known that the charge was
long ago examined and proved false ii MOTIFS
made a fortune during the war-not ont OF MS
country as our historian seems disposed 10 ihSinu-
ale. but by prizes from tho enemy USED MS
money and his credit 10 sustain the American army
Nevertheless like most of the other patriots ne
was slandered and misrepresented. The report
that he had "empoyed his position of financier
General TO subserve his private interests" was
made the subject OF official investigation ana
Morris was triumphantly relieved of all suspicion
The history of the American Revolution takes up
q large mart of the two volumes now before u.s. III
the treatment of this subject Mr. Lecky illustrates
that intellectual habit of impartlaty when I'm
peIs him in cOntroverted questions to make the
clearest and fullest statement of the arguments on
each side and a candid consideration OF their force
But his impartiality is as far as possible removed
from neutrality. His opinions are positive on
almost all points. The three measures, he OBJ
serves. which produced the American Revolution
were the attempts to enforce strictly the laws Oh
trade which crushed the industry of the colonies
for the benefit of English merchants TO establish
permanen,ly in America portion OF the BRITISH
army and TO raise by Parliamentary taxation OF
America at least part of the money necessary LOT
the support of these troops Mr. Lecky examines
them all in detail lie reaches the conclusion that
the commercial policy of the mother country
though there was much to be said IN palllatiOh OF
It, was real grievance The project OF placing an
army permanently i'll the colonies he Iully Ju"tlhes
nnon the plea set forth by the Ministry that the
troops
true that the colonies declared themselves able and
willing 70 undertake this duty alone; but Mr..
Iecky paws little regard to that fact nor docs he
give nnch weight to the consideration which was
chiefly effective with the Americans, that the army
was sure to be to enforce the tyranmcal meas
ures OF the Ministry and strengthen the authority
of the King. Assuming that the troops were 10 DC
employed in the defence of the colonies, Mr.. Lecky
thinks it no than Just that the coonists shoud
have been asked to pay Tor them but AFTER a long
examination of the reasoninCs pro and con, he
admits that the imposition OF tax by farliaincn'
in which the colonists not represented did
p,onestionably infringe upon q principle which the
English race both at home and abroad have always
regarded with q peculiar jealousy. The prin
cple which led Hampden to refuse to pay twenty
shilIngs of ship money was substantially th'
same as that which inspired the resistance 20 th'
Stamp ActU "The theory of English lawyers that
n Parliament in which the Americans were un
represented might fetter their commerce III all III
parts and exact in taxation the last smiling OF Ihe
fortunes and that their whole representative
system existed only by the indulgence of England
would if fully acted on, have reduced the colonies
IN ahsonte slavery" of the later acts of the Min
istry particularly the arbitrary dissolution of the
colonial Assemblies and abrogation of the charter
rights under the influence of which the demand
for a redress of grievances gradually rpened INTO
demand for independence, Mr.. Lecky says too
little. He expresses the opinion that England wal
quite right in her belief that in some of the coonia
constitutions the executive was far too feeble, tina
the line which divides liberty from anarchy wa
often passed, and that the result was profoundly
and permanently injurious TO the American CHAR
acter'; aud no declares that principles OF a lar
reaching and revolutionary character with
dangerous habit of scrutinizng too closely tn
become
familiar TO the people.
Mr.. Lecky seems to have an odd dislike for law
ycrs. He speaks OF their prominence in the Con
aress and the Parliament as q great evil, am