The War of 1812. By John Richardson. With Notes and
Memoir by Alexander Clark Casselman. (Gay and Bird. 15s. net.)—John Richardson, born in Canada, was attached to the 41st Regiment as a Volunteer in 1812, being then in his sixteenth year. He served with the regiment till the conflict at Moravian- town in October, 1813, where he was taken prisoner. Released in the following year, he had a commission given him in the 8th, and in June, 1815, embarked with that regiment to join the Duke of Wellington in Flanders. Waterloo had been fought before the regiment reached Europe. Subsequently he went to Barbados, and retired on half-pay in 1819. The rest of his life was spent in literary work, not very successful or well paid. Canada did not buy books in those days, and is not a great customer of the publishers nowadays. In England he was not fortunate. A vel entitled "Ecarte" was abused by a leading critic of the day, not because he thought ill of it, but because he had quarrelled with the publisher and was bent on revenging him- self. That is a very disagreeable form of logrolling. Probably this history of the unlucky war of 1812 was his most valuable contribution to literature, and even this is about as distasteful a subject as could be found. However, the story had to be told, and it was well told by a man who had served in it and knew how to use his pen. Richardson died in neglect and poverty In 1855.
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