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Reviews Of New Books
REVIEWSJKE HEW BOOKS /
Memoirs of General Jose Hilario ' Lopez , Ex-President of the Republic of New Granada . ( Memorias del General Jose Hilario Lopez , Presidente , Sec . ^ c . )—This very remarkable aut ob iography has been before us for many months , and our not having previously noticed it , must be attributed to the demands upon our limited space having prevented our doing so . Whatever may be the merits or the faults of the author as a ruler , he cannot be denied the palm of success as having produced a most interesting volume . Ours are not the proper pages in which to enter upon any
discussion as to the political conduct of General Lopez ; but we may say that as a private individual he is to be considered an honour to his species and to the Craft of Freemasonry . We may , however , remind our readers , that he may be counted among that very small number of Illustrious individuals who , being called to the government- of their country , have exercised the functions of power with zeal and devotedness to the trust conferred upon them by their fellow-citizens , and who have been able in the sequel to resign
that authority without regret , without hesitation , and without desire to resume it ; far different from those usurpers whom in all ages , ancient and modern , the vulgar mind has been but too prone to admire . These memoirs of a man , who in place of emulating the false glory of a Caesar or of a Napoleon , endeavoured to follow in the footsteps of Washington , and so to merit the title of the friend of his country , —are written in terse and elegant Spanish ; at present , only the first volume has appeared . When the work shall be entirely completed , it will , without doubt , find a translator ,
for it offers to the general public the most attractive kind of reading—a crowd of curious anecdotes , related with that sincerity which bears the impress of reality and which is characteristic of the writing of soldiers and statesmen who have achieved great things . These anecdotes have the further merit of being related with that desirable conciseness which disposes of all unnecessary details . Conscientious readers—or as they are sometimes styled— readers with a purpose , " who seek not amusement , but
always instruction—will discover in these pages an extensive knowledge of men and affairs , an acquaintance , however , which is surmised rather than actually obtruded on our notice ; for our author is extremely reserved in his reflections and deductions—he goes always to the facts ofthe case , and herein is a decided superiority which this book presents over so many others , the compositions of men who have occupied high posts . Dissertations on strategy , politics , finance , ancl political economy , greatly detract from the interest of such works , however remarkable they may otherwise be : the most valuable observations rim the risk of becoming a bore , when they are
too prolonged—above all , when they are out of their proper place . We have spoken of the tone of sincerity which pervades the volume and the brevity with which circumstances are related ; these constitute a small part of the merits which recommend the autobiography of General Lopez . Nowhere do we find a tone of chagrin or discontent ; not the least trace of envy or jealousy against those who have run the same career , against rivals , or against enemies ; no rancour displays itself against political adversaries , or ill-wishers ; above all , there are none of those bitter and sardonic diatribes against humanity in general , which are so frequently found among politicians retired from the turmoil of public affairs .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Reviews Of New Books
REVIEWSJKE HEW BOOKS /
Memoirs of General Jose Hilario ' Lopez , Ex-President of the Republic of New Granada . ( Memorias del General Jose Hilario Lopez , Presidente , Sec . ^ c . )—This very remarkable aut ob iography has been before us for many months , and our not having previously noticed it , must be attributed to the demands upon our limited space having prevented our doing so . Whatever may be the merits or the faults of the author as a ruler , he cannot be denied the palm of success as having produced a most interesting volume . Ours are not the proper pages in which to enter upon any
discussion as to the political conduct of General Lopez ; but we may say that as a private individual he is to be considered an honour to his species and to the Craft of Freemasonry . We may , however , remind our readers , that he may be counted among that very small number of Illustrious individuals who , being called to the government- of their country , have exercised the functions of power with zeal and devotedness to the trust conferred upon them by their fellow-citizens , and who have been able in the sequel to resign
that authority without regret , without hesitation , and without desire to resume it ; far different from those usurpers whom in all ages , ancient and modern , the vulgar mind has been but too prone to admire . These memoirs of a man , who in place of emulating the false glory of a Caesar or of a Napoleon , endeavoured to follow in the footsteps of Washington , and so to merit the title of the friend of his country , —are written in terse and elegant Spanish ; at present , only the first volume has appeared . When the work shall be entirely completed , it will , without doubt , find a translator ,
for it offers to the general public the most attractive kind of reading—a crowd of curious anecdotes , related with that sincerity which bears the impress of reality and which is characteristic of the writing of soldiers and statesmen who have achieved great things . These anecdotes have the further merit of being related with that desirable conciseness which disposes of all unnecessary details . Conscientious readers—or as they are sometimes styled— readers with a purpose , " who seek not amusement , but
always instruction—will discover in these pages an extensive knowledge of men and affairs , an acquaintance , however , which is surmised rather than actually obtruded on our notice ; for our author is extremely reserved in his reflections and deductions—he goes always to the facts ofthe case , and herein is a decided superiority which this book presents over so many others , the compositions of men who have occupied high posts . Dissertations on strategy , politics , finance , ancl political economy , greatly detract from the interest of such works , however remarkable they may otherwise be : the most valuable observations rim the risk of becoming a bore , when they are
too prolonged—above all , when they are out of their proper place . We have spoken of the tone of sincerity which pervades the volume and the brevity with which circumstances are related ; these constitute a small part of the merits which recommend the autobiography of General Lopez . Nowhere do we find a tone of chagrin or discontent ; not the least trace of envy or jealousy against those who have run the same career , against rivals , or against enemies ; no rancour displays itself against political adversaries , or ill-wishers ; above all , there are none of those bitter and sardonic diatribes against humanity in general , which are so frequently found among politicians retired from the turmoil of public affairs .