104 



Moitthly Review of Liter cdure, 



[JvhY, 



the quality of truth — if they did not s^iit 

 the character they would not be told. In 

 the same way Curtius is entitled so some 

 regard. In describing him, as Mr. ^I'il- 

 liams does, as a clever writer, but a very 

 ignorant man — there is as much severity 

 at least as truth. 



IMr. ^Villiams's book, however, is strictly 

 what it professes to be — a Life of Alexan- 

 der. He indulges in no speculation — he 

 has a most meritorious respect for testi- 

 mony, and when nothing is known, has 

 nothing to tell. The effect of this credit- 

 able delicacy is a want of ease and flow in 

 the language. He has nothing to round 

 his periods with. He sticks close to the 

 chronological story, and keeps a steady eye 

 upon the map — tracing his hero's marvel- 

 lous career step and step, and, as far as 

 modern geograpliy will enable him, com- 

 paring actual localities with most edifying 

 particularity. In many points he differs 

 from his predecessors in this walk — learned 

 and unlearned ; Ispahan he sets down as 

 the ancient Ecbatana, without giving the 

 grounds of his decision ; " but these," he 

 teUs us, " are to be detailed at full length 

 in a work now in the press — a work which 

 cannot fail of arresting the attention of 

 such as are interested in questions of this 

 kind." The writer's learning qualifies him 

 for competing with Vincent, and his in- 

 dustry with Rennel; and the volume before 

 us furnishes evidence in abundance of sound 

 and independent judgment. 



We have said IMr. 'SV. indulges in no 

 speculation — that is true generally ; but 

 there is one little excursion of his in this 

 way, which is worth directing the reader's 

 attention to, as containing sentiments which 

 are not in every body's mouth, and at 

 which some will be shocked, or be willing 

 to be thought so. After lamenting the 

 stop which the exhaustion of the troops 

 put to Alexander's progress (he had con- 

 templated reaching the Eastern Ocean, and 

 returning by the PiUars of Hercules), on 

 the ground that such progress woiild pro- 

 bably have tlirown open the mysteries of the 

 Eastern ^^'orld, which now lies wrapt in 

 clouds of mythology and allegory — he ob- 

 serves — 



Peiiiaps these opinions are liable to be con- 

 demned ; but. according to my views, much false 

 logic and fictitious humanity have been expend*?d 

 upon the conquests of jMoxander : for I sec not 

 how the progress of a civilized and enlightened 

 conqueror among barbarous nations can be re- 

 garded otherwise than boneficirl. An Alexander 

 in Africa would be the greaiest blessing that 

 could visit that great continent. Since history 

 lias recorded the annals of nations, colonization 

 and conquests have been the two main instru- 

 ments of civilization. Noi- do I see why Ashan- 

 tees, Caffrees, or any other dominant tribes, 

 should be supposed to have a prescriptive right to 

 murder and enslave their fellow Africans, and to 

 rcew their atrocities three or four times in a cen- 

 tury — much less why a Christian sovereign should 

 be blamed, were he effectually to subjugate the 



barbarians, and put an end to all Euch enormitiet 

 in future. 



The Royal Bengal Tiger, as the show- 

 men have it, is very destructive in our days 

 between Guzerat and the Lower Indus. 

 " It is singidar," says J\Ir. A'V^, " that the 

 Macedonians did not see one. They saw 

 his skin, and heard exaggerated tales re- 

 specting his size, strength, and ferocity. 

 Is it a fair inference," Mr. W. asks, " from 

 his non-appearance in the vales of the In- 

 dus and its tributaries, that the natives of 

 those regions were, at the period of the 

 IMacedonian invasion, more powerful, po- 

 pulous, and warlike than in our days ?" To 

 be sure it is — the country was more peopled 

 and better cultivated. 



WaverJey Novels ; 1829. — Standards as 

 these novels have justly become, the beauti- 

 fid edition, of which this is the first portion, 

 is a welcome acquisition. It has the ad- 

 vantage of the author's own careful revision 

 — it is uniform, ornamented, compressed, 

 not in matter but in bulk, and illustrated 

 with occasional notes, historical and local. 

 But though thus revised and corrected, it 

 is not, it appears, to be inferred, that any 

 attempt has been made to alter the tenor of 

 the stories, the character of the actors, or 

 the spirit of the dialogue. The author has 

 only seized the opportunity of correcting the 

 errors of the press and slips of the pen. The 

 corrections consist, in fact, in occasionally 

 pruning where the language is redundant — 

 compressing where the style is loose — in- 

 fusing vigour where it is Innguid — exchang- 

 ing less forcible for more appropriate epi- 

 thets — slight alterations, in short, he adds, 

 " like the last touches of an artist, which 

 contribute to heighten and finish the pic- 

 ture, though an unexperienced eye can 

 hardly detect in what they consist." 



The general preface contains a sketch 

 of his early career in the region of 

 fiction, with a statement of the causes of 

 his long concealment, and those of his final 

 disclosure — all communicated in his own 

 inimitable ease of manner, with all possible 

 naivete and confiding simplicity. To this 

 general preface, which will be read by every 

 body with interest, though no longer new, 

 is added a particiUar one for ^raverley, 

 comprising some accoimt of the incidents 

 on which the story is founded, and which 

 originally appeared in the preface to The 

 Chronicles of the Canongate. The same 

 thing will be done for the succeeding stories. 

 Some account, moreover, is promised of the 

 places where the scenes are laid, that is, 

 where they are in whole or in part real, 

 with notes explanatory of ancient customs 

 and popular superstitions referred to in each 

 romance — which will add to the value of 

 an edition destined to live for ages. 



Geraldine of Desmond. 3 vols. l2mo. 



1829 This is all far, far too elaborate in 



matter and manner for one half of it to be 

 read by any soul breathing. It is toil and 



