Lieutenant George Augustus Frederick Buxton. 203 



exhibited the most thorough ignorance of skilful tactics, and 

 the most perfect contempt of military manoeuvre ; and depend- 

 ing entirely upon the known bravery of the troops under their 

 command, all their successes have been gained at an immense 

 sacrifice of human life." In Frazer's Magazine for July 1848, 

 under the title of " Sketches of the Mexican War," will be 

 found Mr Ruxton's narrative of the recent struggle between 

 the Americans and the Mexicans. 



The social condition first of the Mexicans and the Mexi- 

 can Indians, and afterwards of the North American Indians, 

 now engrossed Mr Ruxton's whole attention; and it is merely 

 necessary to mention, that the title under which this accom- 

 plished traveller wrote is " Adventures in Mexico and the 

 Rocky Mountains," in order to call forth anew that admira- 

 tion for the author which has seldom been bestowed so uni- 

 versally upon one of the contributors to the series of the 

 Home and Colonial Library, of which these adventures form 

 a part. It divides, with Madame Calderon de la Barca's 

 well-known volumes, the merit of being the best narration 

 extant of travel and general observation in modern Mexi- 

 co. " No traveller," writes a talented reviewer, " has pre- 

 sented himself to the world, we dare avouch, with a tale 

 better worth hearing than this. We are struck by the an- 

 swer which such adventures as this give to those who are for 

 ever complaining of the enervating influences of civilisation ; 

 as if comfort, intelligence, and self-command, were to drive 

 manhood out of the world. What do they who believe that 

 no strength would be forthcoming in this silken age, were it 

 wanted, make of a Lady Sale \ What of a Rajah Brooke ? 

 What of such an autumn tourist as Mr Ruxton. The fine 

 old times of ' bow and spear,' the days when geographical 

 discovery took such strange forms and colours from super- 

 stition, did not yield a better heroine and better heroes than 

 these have proved themselves." 



To the Ethnological Society of London Mr Ruxton made a 

 contribution, as one of the results of his Mexican adventures, 

 in the form of a paper '* On the Migration of the Ancient 

 Mexicans, and their Analogy to the existing Indian Tribes 

 of Northern Mexico." The Ottomies, in Mr Ruxton's opinion. 



