London Review

        Review of Volumes 1-v of Merivale’s history, admiring the ambition of the work. Publisher is Longman.

        Review of several works, beginning with that of Rev. James Hough. The reviewer states that the earliest origins of Christianity in India cannot be known, but provides a history since Alfred the Great’s mission in the 9th century. The reviewer also explains that the attempts of the Portuguese to disseminate Christianity in India led to conflict. The middle part of this article is dedicated to missionary attempts to Christianize India in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The end is devoted to the current status of Christian beliefs and education and some predictions for its course in the future.

        Review of Volume 6 of Charles Merivale’s history, including the reigns of Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian to the destruction of Jerusalem. The reviewer appreciates his attention to Roman Britain, though they say it is still impossible to really understand the history since the only sources are the Romans. The reviewer believes Merivale has adequately responded to the question of why the empire did not break apart during Nero’s reign and accepts his warning not to confuse ancient and modern despotism.

        This 54-page review begins by praising the first volume of Henry Thomas Buckle’s history for ‘faithfully describing the conditions under which English society was formed’. The reviewers claim that although many facts were already known, the ‘whole connections have never been brought out so ably.’ Buckle’s decision to write a history of England rather than the world is viewed as a success by the reviewers, although both seem arbitrary in their dismissal of America, Germany, and France as possible subjects. The length of the review considers the many weaknesses the reviewers found in his chapters due to his ‘intellectualism, fatalism, and presentism.’ Publisher is J. W. Parker. (Attribution: Wellesley Index).

        Brief review of a book by William Townend (published Longman), which celebrates the Jacobite succession.

        The reviewer expresses joy that William Massey has paid attention to a period that is ‘by no means wanting in interest,’ and explains that the first twenty years of George III’s reign are dealt with in two volumes. A short background is provided on the period and the reviewer states that Massey treats matters generally and with an impartial spirit, but for the most part they refrain from discussing his content until the continuation (see Vol 15, no 9 in 1860). Publisher is J. W. Parker.

        Very brief notice judges the volume of pleasant and easy verse to be well suited for children. Publisher is Wertheim & Co.

        The majority of this review centres around the mid-nineteenth century, however, the first eight pages discuss the development of newspapers in the seventeenth century. Using Alexander Andrews’s book as a reference (rather than reviewing it) the authors describe the status of journalism during the reigns of Charles II and William and Mary and suggest reasons for the medium’s increasing popularity.

        Very brief review praises Kurtz’s book highly, calling it a ‘map of Church history ... careful in detail’, as well as interesting to read. Translator is not named; publisher is T. & T. Clark.

        The reviewer claims that the author, W. Carew Hazlitt, gives a consecutive history of the political advancement and territorial gains of Venice during nine hundred years, from its relationship with the Byzantine empire to the Reformation. The reviewer complains that Hazlitt lacks in style and that the book is far from eloquent.

        Reviews vols 1-4 of J. A. Froude’s book, beginning with a discussion of contemporary historical writing. Discusses a passage that appeared in Oxford Essays for 1855 which the reviewer believes provides insight into J. A. Froude’s opinions and reasoning. Froude’s investigation of the origins of the Reformation in England is discussed at length, with long blocks of text quoted and dissected. The review is mixed, with positive comments interspersed with criticism of Froude’s characterization of Henry VIII.. Publisher is J. W. Parker.

        In this review of Hepworth Dixon’s book, the reviewer provides a biography of Lord Bacon as well as political and economical information about England in the sixteenth century. The reviewer explains that Bacon has a bad reputation due to various biographers and historians, particularly Macaulay. Although they applauded Dixon’s attempt to vindicate Bacon, they do not agree with all of his arguments. Publisher is John Murray.

        The reviewers are very satisfied with Robert Vaughn’s work, of which this is Vol. II, Revolutions in Religion. They commend the originality of the work and agree with his breakdown of Revolutions into race, religion, government, and social power and explain that they look forward to the coming volumes.

        This is a review of Buckle’s History of Civilization in England, noting that this second volume focuses on Spain and Scotland. The reviewers explain that Buckle uses Spain as a test case to promote his argument that ‘all communities of men are also under the influences of general causes which force them to advance or decline’ and while they conditionally accept his theories on Spain, they disagree with his treatment of Scotland, claiming that he has misunderstood the superstition of the Scotch people.

        The review is attributed by Wellesley Index to Rigg, who praise the editor, William Cureton, for his accurate, precise and complete translation of Eusebius’s ‘memorial of the piety, patience, and faith of the days of old.’

        Monsell states that A. P. Stanley’s ‘Eastern Churches’ lectures allow Nikon to be placed in his ‘rightful place between Vladimir and Peter the Great as the center of a trio around whose names the history and fates of the Russian Church might be made to revolve.’ A short biography of Nikon prefaces comparisons with Charles I, Strafford and Laud in England. The reviewer uses passages from Stanley and A. N. Mouravieff (whose history of the church in Russia is also reviewed) to chronicle Nikon’s career: he allowed the ‘ignorance of the heads of the Russian Church to [to cease] and their ferocity was by him softened into an almost Christian type of character.’ (Attribution: Wellesley Index).

        The reviewer begins by reflecting on the contemporary status of religion versus the status two hundred years prior. The majority of the review uses excerpts from John Stoughton’s book to examine religion in the seventeenth century. Key issues included are nonconformity, the taking of the Covenant, and the Book of Common Prayer. However, the reviewer complains that the range of material is small and that the subject requires another volume.

        Review of volumes 5 and 6 of Froude’s book, a fraught discussion of the reigns of Edward VI and Mary I.

        Review of Froude’s two volumes on the reign of Elizabeth; begins with discussion of women in general and queens in particular. Observes that this is primarily a history of the state, with little attention to matters of culture.

        Brief notice of Volume III of Robert Vaughn’s work, of which the subject is ‘Revolutions in Government’, i.e. the events of the 17th-century struggle between crown and Parliament and the events of 1688.

        These two volumes are the end of J. A. Froude’s monumental Tudor history -- volumes 11 and 12 of the larger work, and volumes 5 and 6 of the section on Elizabeth. The praise is lavish. Publisher is now Longman.