New-York tribune., 1906-11-22

oF q
eeTtrGde selwyn Kinba Msn 'S4 Syo np iII 1,
80 Illustrations. TWO volumes @ ono' PIP iAA'
~. xiv 502 The Macmillan company
crescent vogue for source books OF history
.,5 scarcely ind a better justification than
= ,he notification Of the correspondence Of VIII
-, PIT IN relation TO administrative and mill
80 affairs IN the American colonies during MS
,ssay interrupted term OF office as Secretary
:, s.ste and Prime Minister of England. 1t
~-,,,s BE- difficult TO devise more Illuminating
o.hos ~ disclosing the relations between the
british government and the colonies and be-
..-asn n. colonies themselves, or Of laying bare
,hs ,nternal-affairs Of each separate dependency,
. following the operations of the troops during
she various campaigns. or OF understanding the
-.rsonalties of the leading figures Of the period,
p,+.,s administration was marked by the most
NEST and intelligent interest in American af-
..,-s that the mother country ever bestowed upon
-. .ransatIantic children. Il eliminated in the
.,,,,sition Of Canada and the control of the Mis-
..ss,7i valley by which the British settlers were
reed from the harassng investment and armed
,,,,rsions by the French into the territory
-bich rightly or wrongly, they laid claim to,
- IT all events, sought to occupy Pitts own
,.+tsrs reveal grasp Of the situation and a
.or,nrehension OF its necessities that did not
.on short Of the minutest details. His in
s+-,ctious for the constitution and disposition
=, the troops and fleets engaged exhibited
,o-1rnanE Of the principles of grand strategy
rsoessary for carrying the warfare to a success
.,i conclusion. and did not overlook such ap-
,sreutly trivial matters providing fishing
lines and sinkers by the aid OF which the sailors
and soldiers could vary the salt diet of their
-st,ons with fresh fish Of their own catching.
The incompetence Of Lord Loudoun seeking
f.,~- anrE rTT -orhn sir ha
scarcely less diIatory tactics of Abercromby. a
esneral seemingly devoid OF initiative. and with
a remarkable capacity for exhausting the de-
tsns OF a subject while emitting its essential
no,uts" show forth as clearly in their commu-
r,oations as does the admirable efficiency Of
Amherst n his concise military reports. The
different attitudes taken by the governors Of
the various colonies help 10 throw light on then
existing conditions both internal and external,
md on the temper Of the people. their i'm
pstence OF control and their preference for
aotng things their own way, even when II
resulted in their doing nothing at all: Natur-
ally. the record Of events. related in these
nearly FIVE hundred letters-rnost Of them until
now only available 70 searchers IN the Public
Record Office IN London-lacks something of
completeness and this the editor has supplied
In & well balanced introduction, surveying the
uncovered by the correspondence. This function
IS further discharged in a series Of excellent
explanatory notes, many of them biographical.
and IN frequent cross-r references where the let
tiers relate subjects already mentioned
Tie strictly chronological order Of arrange
usnt is. perhaps. the best that could be devised
n work q this character, although owing 70
the difficulties Of communication, which often
interposed many months between the writing
q letter and fits answer. and the variety OF
Subjects covered, the effect upon one who reads
cons.cutively Is necessarily that OF a disjointed
and Interrupted narrative. A complete table
ot contents however. briefly summarizing the
contents OF each document. enables the reader
70 pick out for himself the letters relating TO
any period ~ series Of events which he espe-
caly wishes - follow Not the least interesting
portion of tha correspondence IS that referring
70 the various West Indian campaigns Of the
years 1759-1761 Space is lacking TO go into
consideration of the larger features Of colonial
and International relations. OF which the two
volumes are SO fertile in suggestion: but it may
be Interesting to pick out here and there par
ricular references Of a significant nature.
The Indifference Of New Jersey to the general
welfare her sIowness 10 contribute her quota
ot troops and her preference for furnishing
Substitutes when forced TO action, are thus
alluded 10 in a letter of Loudouns to Pitt:
The real State or the refusal of the JERSEYS tho,
they avoided mentioning il to me, is: They have
EeIy little Trade. bur supplied with Goods from
pge6 in Culture where each Man lives in great
Annenee or bis own Lands, and saves considerably
ihst Reason. IS they are in General much on
ther Nrja ] W. ioc . gee 10 ia an Impress out OF
Bounty. So -@-
Louooun describes elsewhere an ingenious GUS
tom followed by the colonists for making a
pfoht a. the expense Of the government by
means Of Plugged Gold" He writes:
The case Of Plugging is when Gold does NOT IN
% carry ii to he sends to The fTsf G"l5r{t T. f
rT@@atils into i piece OF Metal 10 give IL the
,@eght desired; the fueness OF which depends on
~ honesty of the Goldsmith The pretense they
;E Use 10 Justify this, Is that there is no fraud
saw S ~, Ne y9l receive Gold by Weight; for they
msSss ~ ,.sHL they Clip as much of the Heavy as
n So, l.s 2 Asnt 70 the Standard. and add it TO
!, 9thls thls which ! had from Mr. Hunter one of the
Passes for FIVE Pounds twelve ShiIlinas IL +, tS
sxteea sars s ieSs' aSd m II PSsses s5 for I'VE Pounds
ss s-ee or one penny Sterling viii make this differ
mar receive. fo- n S {e ri; ;;aI5el & SO thai suppose
:. ,5est Weight by adding 10 them Gold 70 tba
9e OF t shgs nd fourpence u he receives 20 yae
-'-'eh sallings and Eightpence 49, "--'1
II speaks loudly for Pitts DISCRIMINATION o-,,5
administrative ability that he was eb1a - a.
ol''piish 81 much in face OF the countless md
speralng obstacles that confronted him
--1'A of money. lack Of men and lack ~ co1o,,,aI
sUpo' alike failed TO daunt him. and HIS later
o'ehai4's =. were animated by me ssn,s sr,-,.
-lls oi'ncuities that they encountered ana o-.a.
a.1e are vel illustrated by wolfe's cor,r,a,-.
s'Iore Quebec: 7 writ 10 General Ar,ba-st H4
80, 80 n't ne could send me none: this &c ~
taken without il" "' under
NAPOLEON