CURRENT LITERATURE.
The Tale of Danish Heroism. By J. E. H. Skinner, special corres- pondent of the Daily News during the late war. (Bickers and Son.)— If the interest of Mr. Skinner's narrative has been to some extent fore- stalled by other writers, it has at least this compensating characteristic, that it is complete. He is able to give us not only the history of the rob- bery, but the particulars of the sacrifice by which the victim bought off his spoliators. No doubt we have yet to learn whether they can divide their booty without quarrelling, but so far as Denmark is concerned the war is over. And that which is most puzzling in the treaty—that it is founded neither on the principle of nationalities, nor of natural boundaries, nor of respect for treaties, the three principles on which the existing settle- ment of Europe rests,—we think Mr. Skinner rightly explains. Austria and Prussia cannot adopt either of the two first principles, for both empires are constituted so as absolutely to defy them, and they could only invade Denmark by renouncing the treaty of 1852 to which they were both parties. They therefore absolutely preferred an arbitrary line of demarcation drawn across North Schleswig which should have no flavour of principle about it. Of Mr. Skinner's narrative we are able to speak in high praise. It is very light and readable without the least straining after jocularity, and very vivid in its descriptions without any fine writing. Four excellent plans make the military operations intelli- gible, when viewed as the author views them, on their picturesque, not their strategical side. And the Danish people by the testimony of all travellers present so agreeable a picture both socially and morally that an account of them could hardly have been unpleasant, even if composed by a less finished and graceful writer.
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