The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-04-03
SOME NEW BoOKA


0OmH VIEW OVOh5
The discovery OF Ameries.
In no other way could tho four hundredth an.
nlversary OF the landing Of Columbus DO more
appropriately commemorated than by the pro.
duction Of . history worthy OF the event
Hitherto there has existed in no language an
account Of the finding Of The New World and Of
its consequences which could be deemed en-
tirely adequate on the score at once Of trust
worthiness. breadth OF view. depth OF Insight.
and effective exposition. We have at last such
work in the DiscopnY Of America. by JOHN
FfsKE tHoughton. Miflin 4 Co.l wc do not
hesitate to pronounce this book-and we speak
with distinct recognition OF our indebtedness
TO Bancroft and Prescott-the most valuable
contribution to history that has been made
by an American. 1t Is book OF which
the authors countrymon may well DO proud.
whether they consider the range and variety
OF the topics discussed. or the patience. eagac-
ity. and thorouGhness with which cnch branch
Of inquiry Is pursued. or tho clcarness and
soundness OF tho judgments ultimately
reached. Vowed as II should be. with duo
heed to all that went bofore and after. tho
discovery OF America is themo which might
we'll tax the attachments and tho epcrgies OF
score Of collaborntors, each working in his
special province. That tho whole Of its INST
significance should havo been brought out by
one man with scientific accuracy and with
artistic vividness sccms to US very great
achievement.
This book. which might DO called tho his
tory net only OF the discovery but OF the con-
quest OF America. is presented in two octave
volumes comprising LOO pages and divided
into twelve chapters. Wo must enumcrato
the suggestive titles OF those chapters in order
to give the roadcr from tho outset an idca OF
tho scope OF tho authors researches. which
cover not only the ground traversod by Rob-
ertson. Prescott. Bancroft. Irving. and Helps.
but also that explored by hundreds OF later in
vostigators. The six chapters which mako up
tho first volume are respectively entitled AN
ciont America PRO Columbian voyages:"
Europc and Cathay:" Tho Search for the
Indies: compromising a. tho Eastward or
Portuguese and t2.) tho Westward or Span
1sh route. The volume ends with Tho Find.
ING Of Strange Coasts" and Tho Death OF
Columbus" Under the CAPTION Of Mundus
Novus the FIRST chapter OF tho second volume
recounts tho achievements Of those nnvi-
gators. who in the wake Of Columbus followed
the western route to the Indies and explains
how 1t happened that the namo OF America
rather than that OF Columbia was bestowed on
tho New World. Tho remaining five chapters
deal with the conquest OF Mexico. with an
Gent Peru and the overthrow OF tho Incas. |
with Las Casns and his relation to Indian and |
negro slavery. and finally with tho work Of |
two centuries needed to complete the reveal |
ing Of the New World to tho Old. What will |
invest this book with strange charm for the |
general reader Is the fact that there is not one
Of its twelve chapters in which the |
author. though he evinccs no prociv-
fty to paradox. does not arrive at
conclusions moro or less divergent from the |
commonly received opinions. so that tho work |
gains from It's treatment something OF the |
same fascination Of novelty which the subject
had for tho contemporaries Of Columbus
Where. on tho other hand. the statements and
deductions made by preceding historians are
reafilrmed. as they naturally are in majority
Of instances. it Is always plain that the evil
dcnce has been subjected to Independent
scrutiny. and often oonflrmatory testimony is
added. To indicate oven in outline tho guam
tity and quality Of the work represented in
these volumes would be impossible in the
limited space at our disposal Tho utmost that
we can hope to do is to draw attention to the
authors views regarding some Of the most in
teresting and controverted points in the broad
leld covered by his narrative.