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Article REVIEW OF LITERATURE, &c. ← Page 5 of 8 →
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Review Of Literature, &C.
of subscribers is an honorable testimony to the private , as well as professional reputation of the author . A Popular History of British India , Commercial Intercourse with China and the Insular Possessions of England in the Eastern Seas . By AV . Cooke Taylor , LL . D ., & c . Madden and Co . . This work is heralded as the avowed ancestor of a numerous posterity ; rather bold declarationbut which
— a , one , on perusal , will appear not ill-founded . The advances in Oriental literature , aided by science , and supported by commercial enterprise , render frequent editions necessary to meet the wants of the vast community whose feelings and interests are engaged in the consideration of the eastern hemisphere . The earlier history of Hindostan is condensed from various sources that have preceded our author ; and the explorations of Marco Polo , Vasco de Gama , and others , are given at sufficient length .
1 he rise , progress , and fall of the empire of the Portuguese—the possessions of the Dutch and French—are marked with the caution of the historian ; and the circumstances of the early English mercantile settlement in 1600 , are traced from its small beginning to itspresent vast extent , during which , the brilliant achievements of the soldier , and the enlarged views of the statesman , are all honestly contrasted with occasional deviations from honorable principle which characterized the several periods
. This history does not assume to give an elaborate detail of all the interesting and important events that have occurred , but such an epitome of them as may lead the reader to consult other authors , when absolutely necessary ; we allude especially to the several epochs which marked the career of Lords Clive , Lake , Harris , and Wellington . AVe could have
wished that the author had gone more into the details of the maritime service of the Hon . Company , as that branch was unique in its character , had rendered most efficient service to India , and even maintained the high reputation of England itself . It is true that no author has preceded Dr . Cooke Taylor on this subject ; but we wonder he has not supplied a deficiency , -without which a history of India is incomplete . The author assumes that the thrones of Hindostan were ied b
occup y princes of degenerate minds—that their subjects partook of the vices that prevailed—and that the conquest ofthe eastern kingdoms by the English , and their consolidation under the government of the Honorable Company , have been beneficial to the nations themselves . An examination into these matters , ( while concealment of many acts of rapacity and bad faith is impossible ) , ivill probably incline the reader to the same opinion .
The character and policy of the several governors-general of India , in particular those of Warren Hastings and the Marquess AVellesley , are examined and treated of with much fidelity . The Aff ghan war is detailed to the conclusion of 1841 . The history of British intercourse with China—the recent military operations , which the author justifiestheir probable effect on the policy and commerce of this countryare of course not the least interesting . Had the work been but delayed till the t moment
presen , how triumphantly it would haye concluded ivith the termination of hostilities in Affghanistan and China . The account of the English dependencies in the Indian seas , as Ceylon , Pulo Penang , Malacca , Singapore , ancl the Mauritius , conclude one of the most interesting general works we have perused on the most important appendage to the diadem of England —its Eastern hemisphere .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Review Of Literature, &C.
of subscribers is an honorable testimony to the private , as well as professional reputation of the author . A Popular History of British India , Commercial Intercourse with China and the Insular Possessions of England in the Eastern Seas . By AV . Cooke Taylor , LL . D ., & c . Madden and Co . . This work is heralded as the avowed ancestor of a numerous posterity ; rather bold declarationbut which
— a , one , on perusal , will appear not ill-founded . The advances in Oriental literature , aided by science , and supported by commercial enterprise , render frequent editions necessary to meet the wants of the vast community whose feelings and interests are engaged in the consideration of the eastern hemisphere . The earlier history of Hindostan is condensed from various sources that have preceded our author ; and the explorations of Marco Polo , Vasco de Gama , and others , are given at sufficient length .
1 he rise , progress , and fall of the empire of the Portuguese—the possessions of the Dutch and French—are marked with the caution of the historian ; and the circumstances of the early English mercantile settlement in 1600 , are traced from its small beginning to itspresent vast extent , during which , the brilliant achievements of the soldier , and the enlarged views of the statesman , are all honestly contrasted with occasional deviations from honorable principle which characterized the several periods
. This history does not assume to give an elaborate detail of all the interesting and important events that have occurred , but such an epitome of them as may lead the reader to consult other authors , when absolutely necessary ; we allude especially to the several epochs which marked the career of Lords Clive , Lake , Harris , and Wellington . AVe could have
wished that the author had gone more into the details of the maritime service of the Hon . Company , as that branch was unique in its character , had rendered most efficient service to India , and even maintained the high reputation of England itself . It is true that no author has preceded Dr . Cooke Taylor on this subject ; but we wonder he has not supplied a deficiency , -without which a history of India is incomplete . The author assumes that the thrones of Hindostan were ied b
occup y princes of degenerate minds—that their subjects partook of the vices that prevailed—and that the conquest ofthe eastern kingdoms by the English , and their consolidation under the government of the Honorable Company , have been beneficial to the nations themselves . An examination into these matters , ( while concealment of many acts of rapacity and bad faith is impossible ) , ivill probably incline the reader to the same opinion .
The character and policy of the several governors-general of India , in particular those of Warren Hastings and the Marquess AVellesley , are examined and treated of with much fidelity . The Aff ghan war is detailed to the conclusion of 1841 . The history of British intercourse with China—the recent military operations , which the author justifiestheir probable effect on the policy and commerce of this countryare of course not the least interesting . Had the work been but delayed till the t moment
presen , how triumphantly it would haye concluded ivith the termination of hostilities in Affghanistan and China . The account of the English dependencies in the Indian seas , as Ceylon , Pulo Penang , Malacca , Singapore , ancl the Mauritius , conclude one of the most interesting general works we have perused on the most important appendage to the diadem of England —its Eastern hemisphere .