Rusden's History of Australia

Feilding Star, Volume V, Issue 53, 6 May 1884, Page 3

Rusden's History of Australia

The firs' crenuine review which the London dailies hove vouchsafed to Kusden's " History of Australia" appeared in last Saturday's " Pal Mall Gazette." It can scarcely be called flattering. The writer saws Xusden has "every qualification that a historian of Australia could possibly need, save impartiality. He is qualiJ fied by long- residence and intiwat* acquaintance wilh tha southern continent to take a wide view of the entire field ; his dilig-euce in the collection of facts and wft.ing- authorities is most exemplary; his general knowledge of politics, economics, natural science, aud anthropology is lull} up to the It-vel of the times ; and the completeness of his treatment in every department leaves nothing to desire. At the same time it should be distinctly understood th;it Mr Ku.sden's three bulky volumes have but little literary merit of style <>r composition ; they belong rather to the class ol \'memoires pour servir than of histories properly so-called. 'he book is positively gigai.tic in proportion to importance of its subject, and humnn lite is surely too short for anybody outside Australia itse'f to devo:e the necessary time for theperusa o' some two thousand pages to the local annuls of a single group of young colonies.