REVIEW.

Evening Star, Issue 3183, 3 May 1873, Page 3

REVIEW.

British Battles on Land and Mea, by James Grant, author of ‘ ’ The Romance of War,” Sic. Cassell, Fetter, and Gal pin, London, Paris, and New York, J. Braithwaite, Dunedin. We have received the jirst number of a work imder the above title; which is published at a very reasonable price, and is got •up in a very superior style both in tj rpography and illustrations. We do/not know of anyone .better able to do justice to subjects of so exciting a character as British battles, than.Mr Grant. Nurtured and educated in the camp, he is quite at home in all military matters ; and although many of the events he describes are of the remote past, his antiquarian' researches. have fitted him for understanding all the mysteries of ancient tactics. Mr Grant's style of treating his narratives is free, pleasing, and eo clear, that they do not tire, but have the vividness and freshness of a novel. The illustrations are of mors than ordinary merit, ami are valuable as affording the means of drawing a historic comparison between weapons of war of the presmt age and uiue hundred or a thousand years ago. Those ancestors of ours must have been daring fellows ? not only to brave the ocean in their frail vessels, but to add to its dangers that of war. An excellent engraving of large size, of West’s celebrated picture of the death of Nelson, accompanies the nqmber. ft is as cut ions, tn Compare if vpth the engraving of the Battle of Doon cm page 19, as it will be to place West’s picture side by side with the engraving of some battle in the future. We question much if present appliances have not advanced since 1807, even more than can be seen between the galleys that look'so romantic, and the line-of-battle ships that won Trafalgar. The first number begins with the Battle of Hastings, and describes the chief events up to the Battle of Oressy in 1346.