Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1883-09-01
LITERATURE.


n. Bsncroft's History of the Pacific
States, says: TIE evidences of ex-
haustivs research, careful comparison
and clear judgment are in every
chapter of this new volume of history.
There is . firm Independence, too, IN
the statement of conclusions that
shows the confidence of the author in
his facts and authorities. We doubt
whether any writer has ever brought
to his work better array Of eviden :es,
proofs and truths than Commend
these volumes to the lover Of histori
cal accuracy and certainty. Upon
this feature of his work one Of Mr..
Bancrott's reviewers has said: "He
has rectified numerous errors of date,
has separated events and actors that
have been hitherto described as
identical or confounded with others,
has given the real sequence Of occuf-
rences that have been spread con'us
eddy over longer or shorter periods
than the facts warrant; has credited
to their true authors transaction that
haye been mistakenly attributed to
others, and has accuG ulsted multi
tude of minute an6 interesting facts
that escaped the notice of previous
investigators, which throw new aud
strong light upon nearly Every step,
and which Introduce Us more fully 10
q knowledge ofthe motives, the char
acter, the aims and policies both ot
the conquerors aud conquered. As
to the correction of Inaccuracies lie,
undoubtedly, the most perfect oi any
of the histories of the coDgusst."
Iu the running Of parallels, the rea
soning by comparison and simile,
and the exercise Of Judicial common,
cool, conservative and unimpassion
ed-this historian has a style that is
both attractive and salts ying. Where
the record permits it he illumines
with bright fancy; aud turning
points in history are elaborated with
scholarly erudition and classical re
finement. His pen portraits are
graphic specimens of character draw
ing, as witness the opening chapter
ON Pizarro: "His origin was of the
lowest. Born in bastardy, he WIS
laid by his mother on the church steps,
whence he was taken by a swineherc
TO be snckled by q SOW. Escaping
this master, he lived no one knows
how, until he took ship to San Do
mingo, no one knows when. Thence
forward to the day of his assassination
bis merciless courage found ccngen'si
occupation; neither his ign GRANGE nor
his beastly instincts, nor his Infamous
cruelty and treschery standing in the
way of fame and fortune. Except
Pedrarias there was not q man in all
the Indies more detestsble. InnAtely
he was the cOsrsest of all the conquer
ors. have not seen of his a noble
sentiment expressed or a single NIB Z
action recorded. The Chi, ianiIy
which, as a Spaniard, he vas obliged
to wear had in it not the slightest
tincture of pisty or pity, and the civ
iization under which his geniuA grew
developed in him only the savage
cunning which he afterward display
ed when in pursuit of human prey
Under this same Influence Cortes and
other captains of generous, lordly
nature might wade through horrors
to determined goal, while appalling
tragedies and bloodreskiug treaeh r
les were not what their soul, drnah
ed in. But incsraate vulgsri'y WAS
Francisco Pizarrn, ami dsv"uring
sea of iniquity beside whom beas's
were heavenly beings; for wben mto
sinks to his lowest we must enter the
domain of hideous fancy to fiud his
prototype. He WAS made Of admir-.
BILE stuff for an executioner, brave,
obedient, meroiless, remurseies-."
With the same strength ~ lnnguag
10 portrayed the thrilling story of,,r