HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. 3 MEMOIRS OF THE COURTS AND CABINETS OF GEORGE THE THIRD, FROM ORIGINAL FAMILY Documents. By the DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM AND CHANDOS, K.G., &c. Second Edition, Revised. 2 vols. 8vo., with Portraits. 30s. OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. "These volumes contain much valuable matter. The letters which George, first Marquis of Buckingham, laid by as worthy of preservation have some claim to see the light, for he held more than one office in the State, and consequently kept up a communication with a great number of historical personages. He himself was twice Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, first, under Lord Rockingham, and secondly, under Pitt; his most constant correspondents were his two brothers, William and Thomas Grenville, both of whom spent the chief part of their lives in official employments, and of whom the former is sufficiently known to fame as Lord Grenville. The staple of the book is made up of these family documents, but there are also to be found interspersed with the Grenville narrative, letters from every man of note, dating from the death of the elder Pitt to the end of the century. There are three periods upon which they shed a good deal of light. The formation of the Coalition Ministry in 1783 the illness of the King in 1788, and the first war with Republican France. Lord Grenville's letters to his brother afford a good deal of information on the machinations of the Prince's party, and the conduct of the Prince and the Duke of York during the King's illness."— The Times. "A very remarkable and valuable publication. The Duke of Buckingham has himself undertaken the task of forming a history from the papers of his grandfather and greatuncle, the Earl Temple (first Marquis of Buckingham), and Lord Grenville, of the days of the second Wm. Pitt. The letters which are given to the public in these volumes, extend over an interval commencing with 1782, and ending with 1800. In that interval, events occurred which can never lose their interest as incidents in the history of England. The Coalition Ministry and its dismissal by the King-the resistance of the Sovereign and Pitt to the efforts of the discarded ministers to force themselves again into office-the great constitutional question of the Regency which arose upon the King's disastrous malady-the contest upon that question between the heir apparent and the ministers of the Crown-the breaking out of the French Revolution, and the consequent entrance of England upon the great European war,-these, with the Union with Ireland, are political movements every detail of which possesses the deepest interest. In these volumes, details, then guarded with the most anxious care from all eyes but those of the privileged few, are now for the first time given to the public. The most secret history of many of the transactions is laid bare. It is not possible to conceive contemporary history more completely exemplified. From such materials it was not possible to form a work that would not possess the very highest interest. The Duke of Buckingham has, however, moulded his materials with no ordinary ability and skill. The connecting narrative is written both with judgment and vigour-not unfrequently in a style which comes up to the highest order of historical composition—especially in some of the sketches of personal character. There is scarcely a single individual of celebrity throughout the period from 1782 to 1800 who is not introduced into these pages; amongst others, besides the King and the various members of the royal family, are Rockingham, Shelburne, North, Thurlow, Loughborough, Fox, Pitt, Sheridan, Burke, Portland, Sydney, Fitzwilliam, Tierney, Buckingham, Grenville, Grey, Malmesbury, Wilberforce, Burdett, Fitzgibbon, Grattan, Flood, Cornwallis, the Beresfords, the Ponsonbys, the Wellesleys, &c." -Morning Herald. "These memoirs are among the most valuable materials for history that have recently been brought to light out of the archives of any of our great families.”—Examiner. "These volumes are a treasure for the politician, and a mine of wealth for the historiau." Britannia. 4 HURST AND BLACKETT'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. MEMOIRS AND CORRESPONDENCE OF MAJOR GENERAL SIR W, NOTT, G.C.B., COMMANDER OF THE ARMY OF CANDAHAR AND ENVOY AT THE COURT OF LUCKNOW. EDITED BY J. H. STOCQUELER, Esq., at the request of the Daughters of the late General, from Private Papers and Official Documents in their possession. 2 vols. 8vo., with Portrait. 28s. bound. "One of the most valuable and interesting books that can ever claim a permanent place in a British library.”—Standard. "These highly interesting volumes give a valuable contribution to the history of India and an admirable portrait of a most distinguished officer.”—John Bull. "These Memoirs with the Correspondence included in them will do that justice to the part played by Sir W. Nott in the Affghan war, which it is undeniable preceding works have failed to do."-Athenæum. "These memoirs of General Nott, whom the editor very justly describes as a mode! officer,' have been given to the world at the instigation of the hero's surviving daughters. A more graceful tribute of dutiful affection to the memory of a departed parent it would be difficult to name. It is at once a graphic picture of the soldier's career, and a noble monu ment of his fame. The work issues from the press at a very fortunate moment. The life of an officer who followed in the footsteps of Wellington, making the Despatches of that illustrious warrior his continual study, will be welcomed by many an aspirant for military renown at this exciting crisis. The volumes form a valuable contribution to the biographical stores of the age. To the young soldier, in particular, they will form a most valuable guide, worthy to be placed by the side of the Despatches of the great Duke of Wellington."-Messenger. "When the late General Nott died, the Quarterly Review' expressed a hope that some means would be taken for giving publicity to his private letters and official correspondence, because they so completely illustrated his high and chivalrous character, while a memoir of his life would hold out so admirable a lesson to British statesmen, and so good an example to young officers. We are happy, therefore, to find that, under the able editorship of Mr. Stocqueler, the whole of the most valuable portion of the general's correspondence has just been published in two handsome volumes, which comprise also a most interesting memoir of the gallant hero of Candahar, giving a complete account of the stirring campaign in Affghanistan, and throwing much light upon many important points hitherto left in obscurity. The work will be eagerly welcomed by all-more particularly by military readers and those interested in our Indian dominions."-Globe. "A biography of a first-rate soldier, and a highly honourable man. The book will often be appealed to as a standard authority. A valuable and most authentic adition is here furnished to the true history of transactions which will ever hold a prominent place in the annals of our Indian rule."-Dublin University Mag. "We know not a book after the Wellington Despatches, more deserving of the study of a young officer. It might be made one of the standard manuals of military education."— Literary Gazette. "This book is one of the most interesting records of military life that we possess, and a genuine memorial of one who has achieved a right to be reckoned among England's greatest men."-Daily News. NARRATIVE OF A RESIDENCE AT NEPAUL. BY CAPTAIN THOMAS SMITH, late ASSISTANT POLitical-Resident at "No man could be better qualified to describe Nepaul than Captain Smith; and his concise, but clear and graphic account of its history, its natural productions, its laws and customs, and the character of its warlike inhabitants, is very agreeable and instructive reading. A separate chapter, not the least entertaining in the book, is devoted to anecdotes of the Nepaulese mission, of whom, and of their visit to Europe, many remarkable stories are told."-Post, HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. 5 TURKEY: ITS HISTORY AND PROGRESS; FROM THE JOURNALS AND CORRESPONDENCE OF SIR JAMES PORTER, Fifteen Years Ambassador at Constantinople, continued to the Present Time, with a Memoir of SIR JAMES PORTER, by his Grandson, SIR GEORGE LARPENT, BAart. 2 vols. 8vo., with Illustrations. 30s. bound. "These volumes are of an authentic character and enduring interest."—Athenæum. "This book forms a very valuable repertory of information in regard to the past and present state of Turkey. Altogether the information is completely given, and for all purposes of reference during the continuance of the struggle in the East, the book will be valuable."-Examiner. "To any of our readers desirous of forming an opinion for himself on the condition and prospects of Turkey, we would advise a careful perusal of this work. No work on the subject could have been better timed, while the information which it contains-unlike the great bulk of those hasty compilations which a sudden demand has called into existence-is not only accurate, but valuable."-Morning Chronicle. "A most interesting, instructive, and valuable work. In no other book that we are aware of, will the reader find the same amount of reliable information respecting the actual condition and resources of the Sultan's dominions."-Morning Post. "In these volumes we have the most complete and accurate description of the past and present position of the Turkish Empire to be found in our language."-Britannia. "These volumes constitute a work for the future as well as for the present, in other words, a valuable library book as well as a book of great contemporaneous interest. Their permanent value they derive chiefly from the deep research and extensive and minute investigation of their first author, Sir James Porter, their present interest from the acute and lively treatment of the events of the day by his grandson and continuator. In fact, we know not where to find so perfect an account of Turkey in all its relations with the rest of the world, military, political, and, above all, commercial.”—Standard. "This highly interesting work consists of two parts. The first volume, after a memoir of Sir James Porter, proceeds to give a general description of the Turkish Empire, of its natural and industrial productions, and its commerce, a sketch of its history from the invasion of Europe to the reign of Sultan Mahmud II., and an account of the religion and the civil institutions of the Turks, and of their manners and customs, chiefly from the data supplied by the papers of Sir James Porter. In the second volume we are made acquainted with Turkey as it is; the religious and civil government of Turkey, its Legislature, the state of education in the Empire, its finances, its military and naval strength, and the social condition of the Turks, are all in succession brought under review. The work gives a fuller and more life-like picture of the present state of the Ottoman Empire, than any other work with which we are acquainted."-John Bull. "No publication upon the state and prospects of the Ottoman Empire, with which we are acquainted can compare with the work now under notice for general utility. In addition to investigations into the legislature of Turkey, its civil and religious government, its educational institutions, and the system of instruction, its finances, military and naval resources, and the social condition of the people, ample details are given of its history, and a short account of the progress of the actual struggle. These researches are interspersed with journals and letters, which impart a charming interest to the volumes. We hail the appearance of these volumes with satisfaction, as accurate information both on the history and the actual condition of Turkey is much needed. Good books are ever welcome, and this is a good book, coming into our possession at the critical moment when it is most required.”—Messenger. 6 HURST AND BLACKETT'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. THE LIFE OF MARIE DE MEDICIS, QUEEN OF FRANCE, CONSORT OF HENRY IV., And Regent UNDER LOUIS XIII. By MISS PARDOE, Author of "Louis XIV, and the Court of France, in the 17th Century," &c. Second Edition. 3 large vols. 8vo. with fine Portraits. "A fascinating book. The history of such a woman as the beautiful, impulsive, earnest, and affectionate Marie de Medicis could only be done justice to by a female pen, impelled by all the sympathies of womanhood, but strengthened by an erudition by which it is not in every case accompanied. In Miss Pardoe the unfortunate Queen has found both these requisites, and the result has been a biography combining the attractiveness of romance with the reliableness of history, and which, taking a place midway between the 'frescoed galleries' of Thierry, and the philosophic watch-tower of Guizot,' has all the pictorial brilliancy of the one, with much of the reflective speculation of the other."-Daily News. · "A work of high literary and historical merit. Rarely have the strange vicissitudes of romance been more intimately blended with the facts of real history than in the life of Marie de Medicis; nor has the difficult problem of combining with the fidelity of biography the graphic power of dramatic delineation been often more successfully solved than by the talented author of the volumes before us. As a personal narrative, Miss Pardoe's admirable biography possesses the most absorbing and constantly sustained interest; as a historical record of the events of which it treats, its merit is of no ordinary description."John Bull. MEMOIRS OF THE BARONESS D'OBERKIRCH, ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE COURTS OF FRANCE, RUSSIA, AND GERMANY. WRITTEN BY HERSELF, and Edited by Her Grandson, the COUNT DE MONTBRISON. 3 vols. post 8vo. 31s. 6d. The Baroness d'Oberkirch being the intimate friend of the Empress of Russia, wife of Paul I., and the confidential companion of the Duchess of Bourbon, her facilities for obtaining information respecting the most private affairs of the principal Courts of Europe, render her Memoirs unrivalled as a book of interesting anecdotes of the royal, noble and other celebrated individuals who flourished on the continent during the latter part of the last century. Among the royal personages introduced to the reader in this work, are Louis XVI., Marie Antoinette, Philip Egalité, and all the Princes of France then living-Peter the Great, the Empress Catherine, the Emperor Paul, and his sons Constantine aud Alexander, of Russia-Frederick the Great and Prince Henry of Prussia-the Emperor Joseph II. of Austria-Gustavus III, of Sweden-Princess Christina of Saxony -Sobieski, and Czartoriski of Poland-and the Princes of Brunswick and Wurtemburg. Among the most remarkable persons are the Princes and Princesses de Lamballe, de Ligne and Galitzin-the Dukes and Duchesses de Choiseul, de Mazarin, de Boufflers, de la Vallière, de Guiche, de Penthièvre, and de Polignac-Cardinal de Rohan, Marshals Biron and d'Harcourt, Count de Staremberg, Baroness de Krudener, Madame Geoffrin, Talleyrand, Mirabeau, and Necker-with Count Cagliostro, Mesmer, Vestris, and Madame Mara; and the work also includes such literary celebrities as Voltaire, Condorcet, de la Harpe, de Beaumarchais, Rousseau, Lavater, Bernouilli, Raynal, de l'Epée, Huber, Göthe, Wieland, Malesherbes, Marmontel, de Stael and de Genlis; with some singular disclosures respecting those celebrated Englishwomen, Elizabeth Chudleith, Duchess of Kingston, and Lady Craven, Margravine of Anspach. "A keen observer, and by position thrown in the high places of the world, the Baroness d'Oberkirch was the very woman to write Memoirs that would interest future generations. We commend these volumes most heartily to every reader. They are a perfect magazine of pleasant anecdotes and interesting characteristic things. We lay down these charming volumes with regret. They will entertain the most fastidious readers, and instruct the most informed."-Examiner. HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. 7 THE LIFE OF MARGUERITE D'ANGOULEME QUEEN OF NAVARRE, SISTER OF FRANCIS I., from numerous Original Sources, including MS. Documents in the Bibliothèque Impériale, and the Archives du Royaume de France, and the Private Correspondence of Queen Marguerite with Francis I. By MISS FREER. 2 vols., with fine Portraits, engraved by Heath, 21s. bound. OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. "This is a very complete and cleverly-written life of the illustrious sister of Francis I., and it may be said of her that the varied and interesting stores of French history offer no theme more worthy of research and study than the career of this great princess, who exercised so potent an influence over the politics and manners of the age of which she was herself the brightest ornament. The published and manuscript documents and letters relating to the life of Marguerite of Navarre, and which are indispensable to a correct biography of this queen, are widely dispersed. The author has spared no cost or trouble in endeavouring to obtain all that were likely to elucidate her character and conduct. She has furnished us with a very interesting and graphic sketch of the singular events and the important personages who took part in them during this stormy and remarkable period of French and English history."-Observer. "This is a very useful and amusing book. It is a good work, very well done. The authoress is quite equal in power and grace to Miss Strickland. She must have spent a great time and labour in collecting the information, which she imparts in an easy and agreeable manner. It is difficult to lay down her book after having once begun it. This is owing partly to the interesting nature of the subject, partly to the skilful manner in which it has been treated. No other life of Marguerite has yet been published, even in France. Indeed, till Louis Philippe ordered the collection and publication of manuscripts relating to the History of France, no such work could be published. It is difficult to conceive how, under any circumstances, it could have been done better."-Standard. "There are few names more distinguished that that of Marguerite d'Angoulême in the range of female biography, and the writer of this work has done well in taking up a subject so copious and attractive. It is altogether an interesting and well-written. biography."-Literary Gazette. "A work of high literary and historic merit. It is full of absorbing and constantly sustained interest. In these volumes will be found not alone an incalculable amount of historical information, but a store of reading of a charming and entrancing character, and we heartily commend them as deserving general popularity.”—Sunday Times. "A work which is most acceptable as an addition to our historical stores, and which will place the author in a foremost rank among our female writers of the royal biography of their own sex."-John Bull. "A candidly, carefully, and spiritedly written production, and no one who peruses it with the attention it merits can fail to acquire a complete and accurate knowledge of the interesting life of the best and most graceful woman who ever filled a conspicuous place in the history of mankind.”—Morning Herald. "This life of Marguerite d'Angoulême is entitled to high rank amongst the many excellent memoirs of illustrious women for which we have been largely indebted to female authorship. The subject is eminently attractive."-Morning Post. "Throughout these volumes the most intense interest is maintained. Like Carlyle, Miss Freer has written as one whose thoughts and sympathies became assimilated to the age. The biography of Marguerite of Navarre is a work upon which the author has lavished all the resources of her genius."-Britannia. |