462 



LITERATURE AND LITERARY PROGRESS 



1864. 



ties of the Revolution, issued to gratify the 

 fashionable taste for large paper copies of 

 valuable or rare books. Among these may be 

 named : " Journal of the Expedition to Quebec 

 in 1775," by James Melvin; another volume of 

 Mr. H. B. Daw son's " Gleanings from the Bat- 

 tle-Fields of American History, containing a 

 Narrative of the Assault on Stony Point ; " 

 " Observations on Mr. Stedman's History of the 

 American War," by Lieut.-Gen. Sir Henry 

 Clinton, K.B. ; " Crumbs for Antiquarians," 

 and Major Return J. Meigs' "Journal of the 

 Expedition against Quebec under Benedict Ar- 

 nold, in 1775," both edited by Mr. Charles J. 

 Bushnell; and "The Operations of the French 

 Fleet under Count de Grasse, in 1781-'2." A 

 reprint has also been issued of Milet's "Rela- 

 tion de sa Captivite parmiles Onneionts, 1690- 

 1691 ; " and of Increase Mather's "Early His- 

 tory of New England," as edited by Mr. S. G. 

 Drake. A new " History of Ireland," by Martin 

 Haverty, is the only American history of a 

 foreign country published for the first time the 

 past year. 



The reprints of foreign historical works during 

 1864, though not numerous, were important. 

 There has seldom been occasion to chronicle the 

 simultaneous republication of so many works 

 of high character. The republication of Meri- 

 vale's " History of the Romans Under the Em- 

 pire," commenced the previous year, was com- 

 pleted during 1864, and the issue of Mr. Philip 

 Smith's " History of the "World," which, from 

 the volumes already issued, promises to be by 

 far the ablest universal history yet published, 

 was commenced. A fourth volume of Carlyle's 

 " History of Frederick the Second " was issued. 

 The first two volumes of Miss Martineau's " His- 

 tory of England from 1800 to 1854 were pub- 

 lished; but this can hardly be considered wholly 

 a reprint, as Miss Martineau writes a prelimi- 

 nary and a supplementary volume for the Amer- 

 ican publishers. The translation of Mr. Henri 

 Martin's great and admirable "History of 

 France " was undertaken, and two volumes 

 (Age of Louis XIV.) issued, enriched by the 

 annotations of American editors; Dean Mil- 

 man's " History of the Jews," revised and en- 

 larged by himself, was reprinted in a fine edi- 

 tion. Among other reprints were Curwen's 

 " Journal and Letters (an American in England), 

 1775 to 1783," edited by G. Atkinson Ward ; 

 the third volume of D'Aubigne's " Reformation 

 in Europe under Calvin, giving an account of 

 the Reformation in France and Switzerland ; " 

 George Trevor's " Ancient Egypt ; " and Cham- 

 bers' " Book of Days." 



Of Ecclesiastical histories, the most important 

 were Rev. E. H. Gillett's " History of the Pres- 

 byterian Church in the United States of Amer- 

 ica;" Rev. Abel Stevens's "History of the Meth- 

 odist Episcopal Church in America ; " Rt. Rev. 

 George Burgess's " Pages from the Ecclesiasti- 

 cal History of England from 1740 to 1840 ; " Dr. 

 8. P. Hildrcth's "History of the Northwest, in- 

 cluding an account of the Moravian Missions in 



Ohio," and a new edition of Rev. John Marsh's 

 "Epitome of General Ecclesiastical History." 

 There were also a considerable number of his- 

 torical discourses delivered, giving the history 

 of particular parishes or churches. 



In BIOGRAPHY, the year has been remarkably 

 prolific. Among individual biographies Lieut.- 

 Gen. Grant has been honored with five ; Pen- 

 niman's, Larke's, Headley's, Willett's, and an 

 anonymous writer in Philadelphia. Of these 

 the first three are works of considerable merit 

 and research. The Presidential candidates 

 were, of course, the subjects of numerous bio- 

 graphical works, some of them carefully writ- 

 ten, and intended for future as well as present 

 use, while others were mere campaign docu- 

 ments. The life of McClellan was written by 

 George S. Hillard, of Boston, W. H. Hurlbut, 

 Alexander Delmar, A. J. Victor, Markinfield 

 Addy, and by two anonymous writers ; and his 

 military career reviewed by William Swinton 

 and Gen. J. G. Barnard. Among the memoirs 

 of Mr. Lincoln was an elaborate one by Benja- 

 min F. Barrett, of Cincinnati ; a history of his 

 Administration, by Henry J. Raymond, and a 

 campaign life, from the same pen ; a boy's life, 

 by the Rev. Mr. Thayer, of Boston ; and cam- 

 paign lives by 0. J. Victor, Abott A. Abott, 

 and two anonymous writers. Archbishop 

 Hughes was the subject of three pamphlet bio- 

 graphies, by anonymous authors, and an elabo- 

 rate one by Mr. John R. G. Hassard was an- 

 nounced, but not published till 1865. Four 

 biographical sketches or volumes on Rev. 

 Thomas Starr King, also appeared, one a com 

 pilation from various authors, the others by 

 Rev. Mr. Bartpl, Rev. Dr. Bellows, and Hon. 

 Richard Frothingham. General Butler's career 

 was commemorated by Mr. Parton (a cheap 

 edition), and a German version of his memoir, 

 as well as by a biography by an anonymous 

 writer. Thackeray had two biographers (or 

 rather collectors of reminiscences, for no satis- 

 factory memoir has yet appeared), an English 

 writer, Mr. Theodore Taylor, and Hon. William 

 B. Reed, of Philadelphia. Of other single bio- 

 graphies the most noteworthy were Weiss' 

 "Life of Theodore Parker," a most admirable 

 biography, as presenting the subject in the light 

 of his own correspondence and writings ; " Me- 

 moirs of Edward Livingston," by Charles H. 

 Hunt, an interesting history of one of our ablest 

 jurists and statesmen; the "Autobiography, 

 Letters, &c., of Lyman Beecher, D. D.," compiled 

 and arranged by Charles Beecher, a Boswellian 

 book, but deeply interesting for the naivete of 

 its revelations of character; "The Life of Ben- 

 jamin Franklin," by James Parton, the only 

 satisfactory biography of the great printer, 

 philosopher, and statesman ; a revised and en- 

 larged " Memoir of Aaron Burr " from the same 

 able pen; "The Blennerhasset Papers" and 

 Memoir, by W. H. Safford ; "Forty Years of 

 Pioneer Life; Memoir of John Mason Peck, 

 D. D.," by Rufus Babcock, D. D., a memoir of 

 an earnest and useful Western pioneer preacher; 



