LITERATURE, ENGLISH. 



477 



;1 ill". -runt style, is an advance in respect to ar- 

 ti-tit- power ii|)Dii liis previous productions. 

 !;.>-.. Turi|ii:md," by Ellice Hopkins, and " The 

 Master of Kiverswood," by Mrs. Arthur Lewis, 

 uru productions of much promise, assuming 

 them to bo by new writers. A considerable 

 list might be mude out of fictions that attain 

 to a respectable mediocrity of merit, and to 

 something more than that in single features, 

 but to what end? 



HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. The completion 

 of Mr. E. A. Freeman's u History of the Nor- 

 man Conquest of England " is a matter of con- 

 gratulation. Mr. Freeman is not a master of 

 narration or of description. He is not what 

 is termed an eloquent historian. But for clear 

 exposition, placing the reader in the points of 

 view from which he can best see the subject 

 in all its parts, he stands in the first rank, and 

 his work, we believe, is a permanent addition 

 to the masterpieces of English literature. 

 Prof. George Rawlinson has published his 

 " Seventh Great Oriental Monarchy : History 

 of the Sassanians," continuing, with undimin- 

 ished grasp of learning and critical sagacity, 

 to embody the results of recent Oriental inves- 

 tigations. The series is completed, bringing 

 Oriental history down to the era from which 

 modern history dates. Dean Stanley's third 

 series of " Lectures on the History of the Jew- 

 ish Church " expounds a portion of the Jewish 

 annals, the dryness of which, as commonly 

 treated, makes it by no means attractive to any 

 but very inquisitive investigators. But noth- 

 ing can resist the magic of Dean Stanley's en- 

 thusiasm. Whatever he touches turns up an 

 interesting side, or is made to appear interest- 

 ing by virtue of some association or sugges- 

 tion caught by his fertile mind and brought 

 into relation with it. His mild and concilia- 

 tory attitude of mind toward all forms of doc- 

 trine, and hospitality to new ideas, are also ex- 

 hibited, if possible, more than in his previous 

 productions. Part I. of a " History of the 

 Moslems, from the Ninth to the Nineteenth 

 Century," by Henry H. Howorth, is the be- 

 ginning of an important work. " Islam under 

 the Arabs," by Major R. D. Osborn, deals 

 with an interesting topic that needed elucida- 

 tion. " The Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," 

 by W. D. Killen, D. D., treats the subject 

 from a Presbyterian point of view. Mr. Leslie 

 Stephen's " History of English Thought in the 

 Eighteenth Century " is a philosophical review 

 rather than a history of events. It is the fruit 

 of earnest study by one who is himself an ad- 

 vanced thinker. " The English Bible ; an Ex- 

 ternal and Critical History of the Various Eng- 

 lish Translations of the Scriptures," etc., by 

 the late Dr. John Eadie, can hardly be said to 

 add to what has been before published on the 

 subject. It is a convenient compilation of the 

 known facts, with some considerations in favor 

 of the revision of the authorized version. 



Several biographical works of historical value 

 have appeared. The " Life of William Earl of 



Sholburne," in three volumes, has been com- 

 pleted. u Political and Military Episodes from 

 the Life and Correspondence of the Rt. Hon. 

 Juliii Burgoyne," by E. B. Fonblanque, will 

 enlarge the ideas of those whose only knowl- 

 edge of the subject is, that he surrendered ut 

 Saratoga. The u Memoir of Earl Spencer," bet- 

 ter known as Lord Althorp, the leader of the 

 House of Commons by which the Reform Bill 

 of 1832 was passed, is interesting aa a biogra- 

 phy, and valuable as a memorial of an impor- 

 tant political epoch. The " Life of Lord Pal- 

 merston," by the Hon. Evelyn Ashley, throws 

 light on a more recent period of political his- 

 tory. " Syria and Egypt under the Last Five 

 Sultans of Turkey " are exhibited in a striking 

 light in the " Experiences during Fifty Years 

 of Mr. Consul-General Barker," by his son. 



Of works in Literary and General Biogruphy 

 the most important during the year was the 

 " Life and Letters of Lord Macaulay," by G. 

 0. Trevelyan, which, if a cordial reception 

 by the public can guarantee fame, promises to 

 be a permanent addition to English literature. 

 Of great and varied but painful interest is the 

 " Memoirs of Robert William Haydon." Mr. 

 John Forster's " Life of Swift," of which great 

 expectations were authorized by the first vol- 

 ume, is left a fragment by the lamented death 

 of the author. " William Whewell : an Ac- 

 count of his Writings, with Selections from 

 his Scientific and Literary Correspondence," 

 by I. Todhunter, commemorates a man who 

 held a great place in the public view, and who 

 in point of ability and acquirements was worthy 

 of his position. Other works in this depart- 

 ment of writing are : " Life and Opinions of 

 Heinrich Heine," by William Stigand ; " Life 

 of Michelangelo," by Charles Heath Wilson; 

 and " Forty Years' Recollections of Life, Liter- 

 ature, and Public Affairs," by Charles Mackey. 



TRAVEL AND EXPLORATION. The number of 

 valuable and entertaining books of travel, ex- 

 ploration, and description, issued during the 

 year, was unusually large. Of Oriental travel, 

 we have " Notes of an Indian Journev," by M. 

 E. Grant Duff, M. P.; "The Indian Alps, and 

 how we crossed them," by " A Lady Pio- 

 neer ; " " The Karens of the Golden Cherson- 

 ese," by Lieutenant-Colonel A.R. McMahon; 

 " Our Trip to Burmah, with Notes on that 

 Country," by Surgeon-General Charles Alexan- 

 der Gordon ; " From the Hebrides to the Hima- 

 layas," by Miss Constance F. Gordon Cumming; 

 "Mandelay to Momien: a Narrative of the 

 two Expeditions to Western China in 1868 and 

 1875," by John Anderson, M. D. ; " The Jour- 

 ney of Augustus Raymond Margary, from 

 Shanghai to Bhamo and back to Mayre," with a 

 biographical preface and concluding chapter by 

 Sir Rutherford Alcock ; ' The Roof of the 

 World : a Journey over the High Plateau of 

 Tibet to the Russian Frontier, and the Oxus 

 Sources on Panmir," by Lieutenant-Colonel T. 

 E. Gordon ; " A Ride to Khiva : Travels and 

 Adventures in Central Asia," by Frederick 



