New-York tribune., 1902-04-28

81 E. p Dutton & CO.
This magnificent volume is the first frult OF
an undertaking OF monumental scope giving
assurance that 4 Will be carried out IN man
ner fully 1ustifying the high expectations
aroused by its announcements. Inc projected
series of county histories Of England VIII IA
clude 16o volumes. Of which from TWO 10 eIsiA'
will be devoted TO each county Ihese are -
form, q national survey Of the condition OF the
country at the present day, tracing the ooiles-
tic history Of the counties back to the earliest
r,n,es They begin at the beginning, with an
examination Of the geology, climate, paleon-
+ology and natural history Of each county
treated with the utmost thoroughness ana oe-
tail by specialists, and then, proceeding 10 lhe
earliest history follow IT down TO the present
time TIE volume now before us, the nrsl ol
four that are TO deal with Hampshire, Is an
admirable example Of the skill and scholarship
with which the work is carried out ana 1usu-
aes the highest hopes for the undertaking as
q whole It is a magnificent specimen OF
luxurious bookmaking. beautiful in typograph-
icsI execution and lavishly provided with IL
lustrations.
For rnany reasons there IS especial in
terest attaching 10 Hampshire, particularly In
fits natural history and in the remains or early
civilization found there; in the first regard be-
cause IL contains the New Forest. and In the
second because Of the traces Of Roman occu-
patton that abound there. The Selborne OF
Gilbert White is in Hampshire-a town whose
name as Mr. Trevor Battye says in his intro
duction, is better known to the English speak
Ing world through the labors of the scholarly
gentleman than that Of any village or town
which owes its fame a single reputation, ex-
cent Stratford-on-Avon. Special students will
find much to interest them in the monographs
on the geology. paleontolcgy, botany, marine
zoology. entomology and other divisions OF the
zoology of the county. A wider appeal VIII
perhaps be made by the chapter on birds The
woodlands of the northern part of the county.
the great chalk plain in the centre and the
ninety thousand acres of the New Forest pro-
vide suitable ground for almost every bird that
can be expected to be seen in any English
county. and some OF the rarer ones have made
their homes in the New Forest longer than
anywhere else in England
Prehistoric man well represented In
Haupshire There are the traces Of neolithic
honesteads in the circular hollows found abun-
dainty the chalk downs and gravelly heaths
The first aliens who came We're the Goidels, the
van Of the great Aryan migration, who crossed
the Channel armed with the implements of the
bronze civilization. Their descendants are the
Gaels Of Scotland and the tall fair Irish and
Manx Later in the Iron Age. came the Bryth-
With the Roman occupation in a. d. 43. We
enter upon the historic period. and have in
Hampshire remarkably fertile field for the
study Of the Roman remains. The essay on
this subject is one Of the most elaborate as II
IS one of the most interesting in the volume.
The Romanization Of Britain is well displayed
in Hampshire Says the writer. Mr.. Haverfeld;
Almost every feature in Romano-B British life
was Roman The commonest good pottery. the
so-called Sarnian Terra Sigillata, was copied
directly from an italian original, and shows no
trace Of Celtic Influences il was indeed, prlnci-
paly imported from Gaul. The mosaic pave
ments and painted stuccos which adorned the
houses the hvrocausts which warmed them and
the bathrooms which increased their luxury were
equally borrowed from Italy. Nor were these
features confined to the mansions of the wealthy
Samian bowls and coarsely colored plaster ana
makeshift hypocausts occur even in the cottages
of outlying hamets' Inc materlai elYd1aa.ton % o
Roman Britain comprised few elements OF
splendor or magnifcence. but it was definitely
and decisively Roman
The highest form Of town life rare. and
there were so far as is known, only five Of
the privileged municipalities There was some
degree Of municipal life in the smaller towns;
there were TWO such in Hampshire. the pres
ent sites Of Silchester and Winchester On the
former site-at present given TO the plant
ing of corn-so,ne Of the most extensive discov-
cries have been made. Round it. in circuit of q
mile and half are ruins OF the ancient city
wall: Of the town itself excavations reveal no
more than low foundations. hardly rising above
the level CT the streets and floors. But by them
the layout Of the streets has been determined,
and The forum, with its baslica and shops, has
been traced The houses attest comfort and
elegance but not wealth splendor. A num-
ber Of nosaics have been found and many
scattered objects, which. with the inscriptions
found upon them. are elahorately described and
&c O-aS to he
results OF the systematic excavations made
since 1890 The remains Of villas found scat
tered through Hampshire go to show that a
definite agricultural life OF the villa type ex-
listed outside the towns
OF Saxon remains there is much less TO tell
that relates 10 the earliest period. Not till the
introduction of Christianity. in the seventh
arv records, and other means Of determining
rhe character of the early Teutonfc settle
1nents in Hampshire meagre- On the other
hand and coming down to later times there Is
no other county in England SO closely connected
with .-Donesday Book" Hampshire; at Win
chester 1t was compiled and kept, and there the
last original returns were preserved Mr. Horace
Round gives a learned and minute discussion OF
the famous document and Of its implications
as 70 land tenure and to other historical and
economic questions and follows II with a trans
lation of the part relating to the lands in Hamp-
shire.
ARMY AND NAVY ORDERS.