Welsh Settlers in Oneida County." On motion of Rev. Dr. Isaac S. Hartley, a vote of thanks was tendered to Rev. Mr. Jones for his interesting paper. THE RHODE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCI ETY held its regular meeting on the evening of November 27. President Gammell in the chair. The paper of the evening was read by Professor J. Franklin Jameson, of the chair of history in Brown's University, the subject being "The Records of the Virginia Company." After touching at length upon the Virginia or London Company, and their affairs, Professor Jameson said: “Record books were taken to Virginia by the first William Byrd, and when he acquired Westover, they became a part of his extensive library. In 1744 Colonel Byrd died and was succeeded in his estate by Colonel William Byrd, who died in 1777. There is in existence a manuscript catalogue of the library at Westover, apparently belonging to the third William Byrd, from which it appears that the collection numbered 3,625 volumes. These two volumes of records are noted in that list. But when after Colonel Byrd's death, his widow sent the library, it is said, or at any rate the bulk of it, to Philadelphia to be sold, these two volumes were not a part of it. They had previously been borrowed by Col. Richard Bland, a famous Virginia antiquary, who died a year before Colonel Byrd, in 1776. This we learn from a letter written by Mr. Jefferson in his old age, October 4, 1822, to Mr. Hugh P. Taylor, who had made inquiries of the venerable ex-president concerning historical manuscripts still in the latter's possession. Mr. Jefferson, the mass of whose books had been disposed of to the library of Congress in 1815, enumerates among the few such materials remaining to him in 1823 the two volumes of the proceedings of the Virginia Company in England, which had belonged to the Byrd library at Westover. Between 1825 and 1830, probably after his death, they passed into the possession of the library of Congress, in the custody of whose accomplished librarian they remain, and will find, in the new National Library Building, a permanent abode after so varied and remarkable a history. THE ROCHESTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY, New York, held its regular monthly meeting Friday evening, November 30, at the house of Gilman H. Perkins. Hon. Henry E. Rochester, son of the founder of the city, spoke at length upon the early lawsuits of the city growing out of disputes concerning river boundaries. Incidently he alluded to the changes that had been made in the names of the streets-the dropping of historical names and the adopting of new ones at the caprice of the common council, showing the practical danger attending such innovations. A list of the old houses still remaining that belonged to the pioneer days was given, showing several that were nearly one hundred years old. “Mary Jemison, the first white woman in the Genesee Country," was the subject of a paper read by Jane Marsh Parker. The membership of the Rochester Society is rapidly increasing, and a variety of interesting papers may be expected during the winter. HISTORIC AND SOCIAL JOTTINGS The belief in witches, which existed in the olden time among the Iroquois Indians, has by no means disappeared, according to De Cost Smith in the last issue of the Fournal of Folk-Lore. The most extraordinary stories are told by the modern Indians. Witches are supposed to meet at night in the woods and bushes, taking temporarily the form of dogs, or other animals to better conceal themselves. For this reason the howling of dogs at night, and lights moving in the woods, are looked upon with suspicion and dread. Says the writer: "A young man, twenty-three years old, told me last year that he had seen witches in Canada;' that is, he had seen lights moving in the woods, and supposed them to be flames blown from the witches' mouths. They would shine for a few seconds in one spot, then disappear to be seen again after a short interval, farther on.' The author goes on to say "that not only is the existence of witches not doubted by most Iroquois, but individuals may still be found who consider, or pretend to consider, that they themselves are, or have been, guilty of witchcraft. In fact, during a general council of the Six Nations, held in August, 1888, of which the open confession of sins was one of the striking features, a chief of the Onondagas confessed that he had practiced witchcraft, but, becoming penitent, had reformed." It seems that on the Canadian reservations an old man was put to death for witchcraft but a few years since. The writer says: "I was told that he was killed by men who lay in wait for him and shot him from an ambush. 'What was done by the dead man's friends?' I asked. 'Nothing; they thought he had been at the business long enough.' And the white people?' 'They didn't know it.'" How far the early settlers of New England were influenced in their alarms about witchcraft, by the traditions and beliefs of the Indians is an interesting study. The old colonial laws were severe in innumerable respects. Witchcraft was a capital offense, the same as treason or murder. In Massachusetts they hung witches, whether they professed Christianity or not; but in New Hampshire they made a distinction, limiting the punishment to "any Christian, soe called," not wishing to put sinners and saints on the same basis. In the "History of French Painting," a recently issued work of surpassing interest, Mrs. Stranahan says: "Melancholy was a trait of Géricault's character, a supposed impression of the gloomy years following his birth, during which an historian has written, he did not remember having seen the sun shine.' He was, however, of great geniality of presence, of distinguished appearance, and a favorite, a light irradiating his brow, and 'the tone of his Ah! bonjour! when drawn from his habitual reverie by a greeting, was so cordial, that one retained in his heart a warm impression of it for the entire day.' Yet he never painted woman, child, or sunlight. If I begin a woman,' he once said, ‘she becomes a lion under my pencil.' No one dared to buy the Medusa.” Delacroix was an interesting personage from many points of view. "He was the representative of an age replete with ideas, but for its burning enthusiasms and activities he found other expression than the only previous one, the painting of battles." Mrs. Stranahan says, very truly, that among the romanticists Delacroix stands easily first. He had the sensibilities of the true poet, and an extremely emotional temperament, and, becoming learned in the literature of many times and lands, he interpreted its fullest meanings, not simply illustrated. He was a lover of music to such a degree that he derived some of his finest conceptions from its inspiration. His first great work, whose conception and execution had been much discussed with Géricault-“ The Barque of Dante”—appeared in the salon of 1822, when he was only twenty-three years old. In 1824 Delacroix was awarded a second-class medal upon exhibiting "Tasso in a MadHouse," and also produced "The Massacre of Scio" (Louvre), both pictures intensely strong in expression and dramatic action, which was the aim in all Delacroix's art." Mrs. Stranahan gives some delightful glimpses of the early life of Rosa Bonheur, the greatest woman-painter of animals of France and of all lands. “Her father, Raymond Bonheur, lived at Bordeaux, where he painted portraits, landscapes, furnished illustrations to publishers, and gave lessons. In 1829 he removed to Paris and confided his children to the care of a worthy woman living near the Champs Elysées, whom they fondly called "Mother Catharine." Rosa, who was the eldest, passed whole days of absorbed life in the Bois de Boulogne, playing truant from the school of the sisters of Chaillot. It is said she spent hours on the grass studying the clouds. Then she would form a background by smoothing the dust, and, regardless of the wondering spectators, draw on it, with a stick what was before her, the silhouettes of the horizon, the passing people, but, above all, the animals. Before leaving Bordeaux her parents would often miss her, and had come to know that they would find her under the spell of the coarsely carved and rudely painted wild boar's head which served as a sign at the neighboring pork butcher's." Gustave Doré's childhood was even more remarkable than that of Rosa Bonheur. Our historian of French art says: "The traits of the man can be traced in the child from his earliest years, and are so integral and of such spontaneity that it seems difficult to see that Gustave Doré could be other than he was, or do other than he did. On one occasion, being only eight years of age, he planned a procession of four chariots drawn by some of the school-boys, while others filled them representing the trade guilds. He dressed himself in a Rubens hat and characteristic costume, and stood as the chief of the glass stainers' guild, in miniature, as it were, tossing off among the spectators drawings on the spot. These, they were astonished to find, were likenesses of themselves in groups or singly. This, in mature life, he playfully claimed was his introduction in his profession to the world. Indeed it was then first conjectured that he might become an artist." BOOK NOTICES GIBRALTAR. By the Rev. HENRY M. Illustrated. FIELD, D.D. Small 4to, pp. 138. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1888. This is one of the most readable books that has reached our table this season. Gibraltar is as well known by name to the world as Rome or San Francisco; "it is one of the pillars of Hercules, that once marked the very end of the world, and around its base ancient and modern history flow together as the waters of the Atlantic mingle with those of the Mediterranean. Like Constantinople, it is throned on two seas and two continents." It But travelers have been content in obtaining glimpses of this wonderful rock "standing out of the water and in the water," without stopping to see its curious formation, its unique settlements, and its extraordinary features. is not touched by any railroad, and by steamers only at intervals of days, so that it is regarded as difficult to reach, and still more difficult to depart from. Dr. Field says: "There is not a more picturesque spot in Europe. The Rock is fourteen hundred feet high-more than three times as high as Edinburgh Castle, and not, like that, firm set upon the solid ground, but rising out of the seas-and girded with the strongest fortifications in the world. Such greatness has nature thrust upon Gibraltar. And few places have seen more history, as few have been fought over more times than this in the long wars of the Spaniard and the Moor; for here the Moor first set foot in Europe, and gave name to the place, and here departed from it after a conflict of nearly eight hundred years." There is novelty and freshness in all Dr. Field's graphic descriptions. He takes the reader literally about with him. He says: "The best thing that I find in any place is the men that are in it. Strong walls and high towers are grand, but after a while they oppress me by their very massiveness unless animated by a living presence. Even the great guns, those huge monsters that frown over the ramparts, would lose their majesty and terror if there were not brave men behind them." In a similar spirit we can say that books may be very fine, and periods well rounded by the genius of an author, but the presence of a strong and agreeable personality is necessary to their effectiveness and perfect success. In this delightful work on Gibraltar one is impressed with the idea of being led by a writer of wide and sound learning, of a buoyant, hopeful temperament, and of a keen sense for what is salient, picturesque and oddly humorous. The book gives, in a lively, entertaining narrative, just what should be known about the mighty fortress of Gibral tar. Its appearance, history, construction, military and social life, etc. The reader climbs the rock with the author as a guide and commentator, goes through the fortifications, strolls around the town, is present at a parade, gets a glimpse of the society of the place, reviews the great siege more than a hundred years ago, with all of its details of heroism on the part of the besieged English and their French and Spanish assailants, and finally sails away to Africa. The illustrations aid the reader materially in getting a correct notion of the famous fortress and town, and their surroundings. We can think of no more acceptable holiday present than "Gibraltar." THE ADVANCE GUARD OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION. BY JAMES R. GILMORE (Edmund Kirke). 16mo, pp. 343. New York. D. Appleton & Co., 1888. Mr. Gilmore's discovery and exploration of practically new fields in historic research has produced a third volume. Its two predecessors, "The Rear Guard of the Revolution," and "John Sevier as a Commonwealth Builder," covered in general terms the early history of eastern Tennessee; the present volume shifts the scene to the middle and western portions of the state, the period being that troubled decade that succeeded the declaration of independence and saw the first pioneers of civilization begin to hew their way westward through the dense forests that then covered the continent. It is well within the bounds of probability that not one college graduate out of ten ever heard of James Robertson, the central figure of the present narrative. Under his leadership, a company of nearly four hundred souls, including many families with their impedimentà—if we may use the word in its original meaning-of women and children, made their way from the frontier part of Watauga into the heart of the Cumberland region. The men for the most part marched through the forest by a shorter but more difficult route, while the women and children, under suitable escort, were sent by water down the Tennessee and by the tortuous Cumberland River, "nearly two thousand miles" according to Mr. Gilmore's estimate, to the present site of Nashville. Both routes lay through an almost unknown and unexplored wilderness, and the voyagers by land and water were exposed to perils from stress of weather and from the powerful and warlike tribes that were then at peace among themselves and in alliance with Great Britain, while they were hostile to the young republic. James Robertson was one of those rare characters who combine sterling moral worth with the executive power and personal daring of a great leader. The men whom he led were the ancestors of those who made such a noble stand for the Union during the civil war. France contributed her Huguenots; Scotland, Ireland and England sent of their boldest and bravest to the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee in the early days, and their descendants have always ranged themselves on the side of personal freedom for all men of whatever color. Travelers unite in their testimony to the fine native qualities of these mountaineers, and recent fiction has lent its aid to surround them and their mountain ranges with an air of romance. Probably opinions would differ as to what ought to be done for them, or whether anything ought to be done, but it would seem that when so many millions are bequeathed to educate the southern negro, some portion of the surplus might well go to the benefit of a race that more than once beat back the British during the war for independence, and served as a continual check to the combination of savage tribes against the scattered settlements. Mr. Gilmore's literary style is too well known to call for comment at this date. Suffice it that his narrative is always instinct with vivacity, and his power of keeping his characters and events moving with a certain picturesque effect is unquestionable. He has made a long study of the localities described with all available records, and has become fully imbued with the spirit of his subject. A portrait of James Robertson accompanies the volume, which in typography and general appearance is creditable alike to author and publisher. LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS (Series), ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND ANDREW JOHNSON. By WILLIAM O. STODDARD. 16mo, pp. 357. 1888. New York: Frederick A. Stokes. For many reasons it is fitting that Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson should be included in the same volume. The life of the former affords such almost unlimited field to the biographer that it calls for a high degree of editorial ability to treat it successfully in a single volume, while the latter though inseparably connected with his great predecessor, can be comprehensively and adequately dealt with in far narrower limits. Mr. Stoddard has apparently aimed to do impartial justice to both his subjects, but he unavoidably verges upon ground that is bitterly disputed even to this day, and there may be found those who think that he has left unsaid things that he ought to have said, and said things that he ought not to have said. G. MAGUIRE. 8vo, pp. 113. San Francisco, 1888 James H. Barry. This distinctly controversy-provoking volume is destined to be as acceptable to Protestants, and to the more liberal-minded of the IrishAmerican faction, as it is obnoxious to the straightest Roman-Catholic sect. In the light of the authorities cited, it is difficult to see how an answer can be found to many of the author's conclusions. Yet we doubt not that many devout Catholics will denounce as worthless many of the authorities quoted. The whole book bears the stamp of intelligent intolerance of Papal interference in Irish affairs, and it undoubtedly assembles in a compact form many facts not previously associated in a volume of this size. The exact truth is hard to come at where religious bitterness and fanaticism exist on both sides, but every attempt to shed light on controverted points is to be welcomed when the effort is made in a truth seeker's spirit, as we believe is the case in the present instance. FIGHTING PHIL. The Life and Military Career of Philip Henry Sheridan, General of the Army of the United States. By the Rev. P. C. HEADLEY. 16m0, pp. 380. 1889. Boston: Lee & Shepard. This volume of the series entitled "Young Folk Heroes of the Rebellion," appears almost simultaneously with "General Sheridan's Personal Memoirs of the War," and supplies a fitting conclusion to the series, in view of the recent death of the brilliant soldier whose fame it perpetuates. Sheridan is, at the North, one of the most popular of the leaders of the Union Army for the same reason that at the South his name is regarded with aversion. It is hardly to be expected that the most dashing cavalryman in the service of the United States should be regarded with favor by those whom he did so much to defeat. Some account of the Military Academy at West Point is embodied in the book, with a history of the cavalry arm of the service. Perhaps in view of the fact that the question has been in dispute, Mr. Headley may be excused for having been misled in regard to his hero's birthplace, but the publishers would |