91 RY HISTORY OF THE PEACE PICTORIAL HISTORY OF ENGLAND DURING THE THIRTY YEARS' PEACE 1816-1846 BY HARRIET MARTINEAU New and Revised Edition LONDON W. AND R. CHAMBERS 47 PATERNOSTER ROW AND HIGH STREET EDINBURGH MDCCCLVIII Feb. 5, 15 B. E. H NOTE PRELIMINARY TO THE HISTORY OF THE PEACE. HE HISTORY OF THE PEACE was one of the literary projects of MR CHARLES KNIGHT. It was based on the idea that, to many persons, particularly young persons entering upon the world, there was no period of English history at once so important, and about which it was so difficult to obtain information, as the immediately past age. The First Book, excepting the portion on the Spanish American Colonies, was MR KNIGHT'S composition. Being unable to complete the Work with his own pen, he transferred it to MISS HARRIET MARTINEAU, whom he justly conceived to be well fitted for the task by her knowledge of political and social science, and her extensive acquaintance amongst the public men of her era. The result, it is scarcely necessary to say, fully justified MR KNIGHT's expectations, for certainly no such luminous memoir of the Thirty Years' Peace is likely to be written by any contemporary. It is proper, on account of the many references to time in the book, to add that the Author's stand-point was in the years 1846, 1847, and 1848. The present Edition is a reprint of the first, with the exception of the Eighth Chapter of the First Book, which is substituted by MISS MARTINEAU for the portion on the South American Colonies above referred to. The Publishers have also to express their obligations to her for a number of corrections on the work generally. EDINBURGII, October 19, 1858. W. & R. C. |