Mathieson, William Law. Scotland and the union. *$3.25. Macmillan.
“Mr. Mathieson continues his book, ‘Politics and religion in Scotland,’ from 1695 to 1747. He ... works with his habitual steadiness through the commercial condition of Scotland up to the East India company, and the Darien disaster.... Darien proved that England and Scotland must be united or must fight, and beneath all the intrigues for and against the union law this idea lay, and potently acted for the acceptation of the treaty.... He traces the rise of heresies and parties within the Kirk clearly.”—Ath.
“Although there are many pages of vigorous and vivacious writing, much of the book is very hard reading. Many things are alluded to or taken for granted which call for fuller explanation. But after all has been said the book forms a welcome addition to a most important phase of British history.” Arthur Lyon Cross.
+ + – Am. Hist. R. 11: 892. Jl. ’06. 690w.
“The book is sensible and lucid, if it ‘does not over-stimulate.’”
+ – Ath. 1905, 2: 827. D. 16. 820w.
“Mr. Mathieson’s skill lies not so much in narrative as in commentary. He does not always tell his story quite clearly, and he prefers to depend as a rule, upon printed books and pamphlets rather than to undertake a perhaps fruitless search for manuscript sources. But his comments are wise and penetrating, and the flow of his argument is undisturbed by the necessity of vindicating the importance of some personal discovery. In the book before us these high qualifications for the historian’s task are frequently to be found; but they have not free play as in the two preceding volumes.” Robt. S. Rait.
+ + – Eng. Hist. R. 21: 806. O. ’06. 580w.
“His present work is well worth the attention of those to whom his earlier work appealed; if we have criticized it at all it is only that we feel that, good as it is, it would have been better had he remained faithful to his original plan.”