New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-30
THEIRS AS A HISTORIAN.
A NEW EDITION OF HIS WORKS ON THE
REVOLUTION, THE CONSULATE
AND EMPIRE

Illustrations on Steel, Engraved by William
Greatbafh v6 IN five pp Eo is b. Lppincot
Company.
HISTORY OF THE CONSULATE AS SD, THE THE EN- NJ
Louis Adolphe Theirs; Translated, with the
Sanction and approval OF the s, Ahthor' with
Thrty-six Steel Plates In Twelve Volumes. j.
g. Lippincott Company.
AS long as that period of French history from
the rise Of voltaire to he fall of Napoleon re-
tains for mankind the interest which it has
held now for more than century. these two
great works (Which really one) OF NJ. Theirs
will continue to be the first and the last resort
of the scholar who looks for a dspassionate mar
ratiye In which general views are sustained by
the utmost minuteness of detail. The author
MANNED his history on lines extensive enough
10 embody even trivial facts without enhancing
their importance or marring the perspective IN
which the greater facts must be viewed lie
could paraphrase whole speech or Pitt or
Mirabeau If the speech was one tnat gave d
new turn to events. or even If 1t gave them n
coIor which they were not likely to wear with
out IT, And he did not have to invent his para
phrases. as Thucydides did and 10 make them
fit the time and the Character--a practice In
which the Athenan writer resembled the MIS-
torical novelist rather than the modern MS
torian BY the time of the French Revolution
the world had taken to heart lesson which
had been only partially learned by other ages
even those that had elapsed since the invention
of printing. The lesson was that anairs must pe
a matter of record and not matter OF opinion
bearsav and tradition The methods of procur-
ing. preserving and publishing such records then
6eveloped enormously. and it is only the vastly
greater improvement in such matters In the pres
ent age that has obscured the change which came
vi he
eighteenth century. In publications. in archives,
in memoirs Theirs had the material necessary
for a study of events which has never been chal-
Ienged since. except in details. Not that the
countless publications Of recent years are to be
neglected They correct in places most uneX-
pected the earlier narrative of Theirs. and yet
every one who has read his work. and subse-
ouently the memoirs Of Marriott and Pasquier. by
all odds the best Of the number can testify that
the notifications do not relate TO the main racts
Of the history They correct details to when the
authors Of the memoirs were eye-witnesseS. or
for which they had the evidence of eye-witnesses.
In the matter Of public records Theirs can rarely
no corrected even with the more indulgert meth
DDS toward investigators Of the present day
II is mistake to be led into enthusiasm over
sudden discoveries that change the aspect or
come particular chapter in history. The question
for mature consideration Is whether or not these
novelties affect the general drift of the MARIA
tive. H. for example. Theirs knew. as he did
know, that Napoleon's inactivity after the battle
of Dresden and his failure to support ana rescue
Vandamme were due to n severe indlgeston' thd'
Is enough without the minutiae which those VINO
were near the Emperor could have furnished.
The main point was that he failed II he tanced
that he was poisoned. his imagination played him
L yff i.Hl
ment was not excused by error respecting the
cause He broke down and became useless as
commander before he had time to find out what
his Imagination had to say on the subject Inc
thing wears slightly different aspect In TINS
particular case IL Thierss absolute denial Of Ma
no,eon's alleged indispostion is weighed against
the crcumstantial narratives that have been
made public since his time particularly that OF
Pasouier But 1t is possible that some clever bits
of writing will have to be cancelled in Thierss
work in the light of later disclosures Inc ihost
remarkable example Of this sort IL MS account
OF the storming OF the Bastle. Pasquer was an
eyewitness Of that affair. and his evidence now
made public In his memoirs. shows that the high-
" colored statements upon which Iniers pased
his version Of the affair were incorrect. lheic
could have been no resistance to the ATTACKING
party says Pasquier in effect. because there was
no garrison. This was a fact Wnicn snouio nave
been obvious at the moment Of the surrender OF
the ancient fortress. But those who were DENT
on iustifyng the mob easily explained mat the
efficient portion of the garrison had escaped
leaving the invads under command or the uii-
fortunate De Launay to the fury OF the popu-
lace Rut these vanished troops never existed.
One might almost infer this from the lack OF
circumstance in Thers's own narrative at this
Ii,,Ia Of
the Bastile. which, it seems. was delivered only
in the Imagination OF certain writers Of the Time
and then, after sentence or two about the sur
render Of De Launay adds: 1.-The Swiss found
means to escape" How where. 1t would puzzle
the most acute student Of the plan OF the fortress
IN saw But in this vague sentence is comprised
the substance Of a myth which exalted the de-
struction Of the Bastile into an episode OF nero
ism. and gave Carlyle preteXt for some OF MS
most lurid apostrophes. 1t must be observed that
beneath all this the only Significant facts Dear
ing on history were beyond dispute, sucn as inc
destruction Of the prison itself and the murder OF
De Iaunay 1t will be found throughout Thierss
great work that nothing escaped him which could
ne stated correctly in his time Where ne errs'
h,s veneral statements are not vitated, nor his
conclusions disturbed, for these are based on a
multitude OF testimonies existing in writing. HIS
extraordinary devotion left untouched nothlhs re-
,atinp to his theme that accessible to him.
He came to his task with very high concepuons
NJ the historians duty. He felt that he mus.
make himself certain Of every fact whch iormed
mart OF his narrative. His proofs were gathered
with unremitting toll and when he was iorceu
back upon conjecture he wrote. as he said' ac-
cording to his innermost conviction, and with con-
slant fear before his eyes Of sef-deception that
would lead him to deceive others The COMPOSE
ton OF his work was the smallest part OF MS TASK
81 have at times" he said, devoted "hoie
year to the preparation OF volume "hich mas
taken me but couple Of months to write" This
prenaration to which he alludes. involved the
oh ho considarod