VI.-1. The Sun: Ruler, Fire, Light, and Life of the Plane- tary System. By Richard A. Proctor, B.A., F.R.A.S. 2. A Rediscussion of the Observations of the Transit of Venus, 1869. By E. J. Stone, Esq. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,' Supplementary 3. The Transit of Venus in 1874. By R. A. Proctor, B.A. 'Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.' Vol. XXIX. No. VIII. June, 1869. 4. Address to the Mathematical and Physical Section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, delivered at the Section at the Brighton Meeting, August 14, 1872. By Warren de la Rue, 5. Lord Lindsay's Preparations for Observations of the Transit of Venus, 1874. By Lord Lindsay and Mr. David Gill. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astro- nomical Society.' Vol. XXXIII. No. I. November, 6. Letter from the Astronomer Royal to the Secretary of the Admiralty, expressing his Views on certain Articles which had appeared in the Public Newspapers in regard to the approaching Transit of Venus. VIII.-Rude Stone Monuments in all Countries: Their Ages and Uses. By James Fergusson, D.C.L., F.R.S., &c. IX.-Histoire de la Restauration du Protestantisme en France, au XVIIIe siècle, d'après documents inédits. Par Edmond Hugues. 2 Tomes. Paris: 1872, X.-The Personal Life of George Grote, compiled from family documents, private memoranda, and original letters to and from various friends. By Mrs. Grote. London: 2. Correspondence with Russia respecting Central Asia, presented to both Houses of Parliament by command III.-1. Ludwig van Beethoven's Leben. Von Alexander W. Thayer, nach dem Original-Manuscript deutsch bear- beitet. Vol. I. Berlin: 1866. Vol. II. Berlin: 1872.. 2. Chronologisches Verzeichniss der Werke Ludwig van Beethoven's. Von W. Thayer. Berlin: 1865. 3. Beethoven's Letters, &c. Translated by Lady Wallace. 4. Biographische Notizen über Ludwig van Beethoven. Von Ries und Wegeler. Coblenz: 1838. 2. Facts about Cuba. (Published under the authority of the New York Cuban Junta.) New York: 1870. 3. The Book of Blood: an authentic Record of the Policy adopted by Modern Spain to put an end to the War of Independence in Cuba. New York: 1871. 4. La Verdad Historica sobre Sucesos de Cuba. F. Xavier Cisneros. Nueva York: 1871. V.-1. Report of the Select Committee of the House of Lords 2. Papers on Indian Studs, laid before the House of 3. De l'Espèce chevaline en France. Par le Général de 4. Rapport par le Directeur-Général des Haras (Général 334 VI.-A History of the Three Cathedrals dedicated to St. Paul in London: with reference chiefly to their Structure and Architecture, and the sources whence the neces- VII.-1. A Handbook for Travellers on the Continent: being a Guide to Holland, Belgium, Prussia, Northern Germany, and the Rhine from Holland to Switzerland, 2. A Handbook for Travellers in Devon and Cornwall. London. First Edition, 1850. Eighth Edition, 1872, 483 VIII.-1. A Description of the Gardens and Buildings at Kew, in Surrey with an Engraving thereto in Perspective. 2. Official Guide to the Kew Museums: a Handbook to the Museums of Economic Botany of the Royal Gardens, Kew. By Daniel Oliver, F.R.S., F.L.S., &c. 3. Guide to the Royal Botanic Gardens and Pleasure Grounds, Kew. By Daniel Oliver, F.R.S., F.L.S., Keeper of the Herbarium of the Royal Gardens, and Professor of Botany in University College, London. Twenty-seventh Edition. London: 1872. 4. Reports on the Progress and Condition of the Royal IX.-1. Der alte und der neue Glaube; ein Bekenntniss. Von D. F. Strauss. Bonn: Vierte Auflage. 1873. 2. The Old Faith and the New; a Confession. By David Friederich Strauss. Authorised translation from the Sixth Edition, by Mathilde Blind. London: X.-1. Report from the Select Committee appointed to con- sider the State of the British Establishments on the 2. Correspondence relative to the Cession by the Ne- therlands Government to the British Government of the Dutch Settlements on the West Coast of Africa, and Convention for the Transfer. Presented to Par- 3. Papers relating to the Gold Coast and the Ashantee THE EDINBURGH REVIEW, JULY, 1873. No. CCLXXXI. ART. I.--1. The Paston Letters. A New Edition. Edited by JAMES GAIRDNER, of the Public Record Office. Vol. I. 1872. 2. Trevelyan Papers. Part I. II. Edited by J. PAYNE COLLIER, Esq. Part III. (with introduction). Edited by Sir WALTER CALVERLEY TREVELYAN, Bart., and Sir CHARLES EDWARD TREVELYAN, K.C.B. Printed for the Camden Society. 1857-1872. It 'SOME,' says Boswell, in that sententious style which it was usually his pleasure to assume after having had the benefit of the great Doctor's conversation for some weeks, 'some have affected to laugh at the "History of the House of "Yvery (a production which seems never to have got beyond the stage of private printing and distribution). 'would be well if many others would transmit their pedigrees to posterity, with the same accuracy and generous zeal with ' which the noble lord who compiled that work has honoured ' and perpetuated his ancestry. Family histories, like the 'imagines majorum of the ancients, excite to virtue.' We entirely agree with our favourite biographer, though not adopting the magniloquence with which he announces his opinion. As the life of an individual furnishes upon the whole the most agreeable of all literary subjects, other than the merely romantic, to the majority of readers; so the life of a family, duly traced and authenticated, ought to supply matter not indeed of the same class of interest, but still of no common utility both for amusement and instruction. For the individual lives on in his family. It has often been remarked how the great Gentes of Roman history-the Valerii, the Claudii, the VOL. CXXXVIII. NO. CCLXXXI. B Scipios, and so forth-seemed to prolong, generation after generation, particular types, not only of political sentiment and conduct, but of personal character. And the same specialty has been observed in respect of our noble English races, which have taken from father to son so large a share in our political and social life. Percys, and Mortimers, and Cliffords in old days; Howards, Russells, Grenvilles, and many more in later times, have constituted not merely households, but as it were castes lines of men in whom a certain identity of thought and similarity of will is testified no less by the records of their actions than by their features in the family portraits. It is therefore with some little regret that we discover, as yet, such slight probability of accession to our existing materials in this department from the labours of the Commission on Historical Manuscripts, of which the third Report is now before us. It is needless to say that the Appendix to this Report embodies a considerable variety of matter of importance to the antiquarian, the historian, and the genealogist; and the Report itself promises much more. But of that particular kind of memorial of the past of which we are now in search-the domestic correspondence and diaries of private families, continued from one generation to another-we find but slender trace. Such treasures are no doubt scarce, and perhaps they are somewhat charily communicated. Possibly the explorations of the Commission may yet serve to disinter a few more of them. In the meantime we have abundant reason to be thankful to those few who have opened for us the inmost recesses of their family archives, and enabled us, here and there, to trace to our satisfaction the history of a knightly or gentle name through some comprehensive period of time, and the position which it held towards the changing world around it. At the head of all English records of this description stands the collection commonly known as the Paston Letters.' We have before us the first volume of it, in a handsome reprint,* edited by the thoroughly competent hand of Mr. James Gairdner of the Record Office, who has supplied it with a voluminous introduction, to which we can only take one objection-that he has had it printed in so exceedingly minute a character, that an antiquary duly solicitous about his eyesight would almost *This reprint forms part of a series of the English Classics of the sixteenth century, which are republished in excellent taste, and at a very low price, by Mr. Arber, of Queen's Square. They ought to be household books wherever the English tongue is spoken. |