HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY.*
WE have always felt very strongly that no branch of English education has been so neglected, so ill-treated, and so misunder- stood as that of the really kindred subjects of history and geo- graphy. History has no meaning without territory, and geography has no interest except as it describes the habitation of the human race. History without geography is an account of transactions without their key, and geography without history is a description of regions without life. Each loses its meaning alone. The one is, in fact, the soul without the body the other, the body without the soul. Geography explains and elucidates history ; history illustrates and enlivens geography. Neither could be learnt at all, if the study of each did not presuppose at least a partial know- ledge of the other. And yet in practice they are divorced, if they are acknowledged at all ; and it is far too much the fashion to neglect them altogether, after teaching the merest outlines, in a drily mechanical manner to the most unappreciative pupils, and to let the student, who proposes to carry his studies further, work up history by himself in the best way he can, geography being learnt only in the course of life, from travel, or casual read- ing, or the exigencies of business. Thus it is that the young, as a rule, hate both these really interesting branches of learning, and that otherwise learned men so universally acknowledge their in- ability to retain the merest outline of history in their memories. And it is more particularly in the interests of history that we urge this view ; first, because its importance for its own sake is so in- finitely beyond that of geography ; and secondly, because the study of the latter would be interesting—in a very inferior degree, certainly—from the point of view of physical science, and without the aid of human association. But in what department of history, save to some extent in that which relates solely to the domain of law, are we not assisted by clear geographical knowledge ? To say nothing of those large portions of history in which the enter- prise of the earlier ages of the world had geographical discovery— the discovery of new continents—for its sole object, or of those which treat in later years both of arctic and equatorial explorations, we find all history more or less inextricably bound up with geo- graphy. The greed of conquest, the necessity or plausibility of an- nexation, the motives for rebellion, for separation, for independ- ence, can only be followed and understood—and nothing that is not clearly understood is vividly remembered—by a thorough appreciation of relative position, of climate, and of products. 'The history of the settlement of boundaries, of border raids, of the jealousy of neighbouring powers, the cession and confiscation of territory, the terms of treaties, alike demand a similar intimacy. The division into kingdoms, dominions, presidencies, states, can only thus be understood. The importance of holding particular posts, in order to keep open the roads to separated portions of an empire, nothing but geographical knowledge can explain ; and the special points of weakness and danger, where the inroads of other powers are to be looked for and guarded against, nothing but geographical knowledge can teach. The relative advantages of settlements, the desirability of letting colonies take care of themselves, or of giving them powerful aid ; the importance of siding with one great power against another, and often —even for self-interest—of protecting a weak one from a strong one, history must learn from geography; and the instances are anything but rare in which an ignorance of the latter has obliged the former to record failure, disgrace, and loss. The success of our commercial relations with all parts of the world depends on our intimate knowledge of race and climate and pro- duce ; and engineering enterprise is altogether geographical in its character, though it leads to such vast political results.
To narrow our illustrations of the inseparable nature of the two subjects ;—is not the vagueness and weakness of our power to understand the fortune of battles—those vast and often important regions of history—and our want of interest in them, due entirely to our ignorance of the positions of the opposing armies ? Had we but a thorough knowledge of the locality, how vividly could we follow the various movements and manceuvres, and understand the results! We should see why it was imperative or wise to join issue at a particular spot, why the advantage of position lay with one; we could estimate the importance of keeping open communications in this or that direction, we should know the meaning of the various orders of the day and understand their results ; we could almost
• The Geography of British History. In 1 vol. By William Hughes. London: Longmans, Urren, and 0o.
see for ourselves where reserves should be posted, from what quarters aid might be expected, why the retreat was towards such a place, and how it came to be intercepted from such and such a direction. We could comprehend the why and wherefore of forced marches, of ambuscades, of the position of entrenchments, forts, and guns, and the difficulties and advantages of the natural features of the country. As it is—especially to the civilian—the narrative of a battle, without a knowledge of the geography of its field and a plan of the position of its armies, is simply unintelligible ; so that some of the greatest turning-points in the world's history have to be accepted on the showing of their historians, and their details for ever remain a mass of confused horror in the mind even of the conscientious student. One reason, we apprehend, why naval engagements read so vague and spectre-like, without form or tangibility, is that the mind cannot shape its own imaginary field of action on the blank and trackless surface of the sea.
And the bearing of physical geography on the history of the human race, though quite different, is equally marked. The posi- tion of the mountain-chains and of the water-sheds, the direction and size of rivers, the conformation of coasts, and still more the discovery, from time to time, of stores of mineral wealth, affect the tide of immigration and decide the choice of new settlements ; and thus are originated the countless fresh influences which result from constantly varying combinations of circumstances. And again, how suddenly is the history of peoples and nations established and destroyed, or if not destroyed, how widely modified by the more startling phenomena of which physical geography treats. Avalanches, the encroachments of glaciers, the liability to inundation, the inroads of the sea on some shores and its reces- sion from others, the devastation by earthquake, the creations and destructions caused by active volcanic action, the growth of coral islands, the effects of hurricanes, tornadoes, cyclones, &c., have been constantly moving the centres of human industry, modifying the relative power and altering the relations of the different peoples of the globe.
The volume before us is a praiseworthy attempt in the direction indicated by the preceding remarks. It describes the geography of its history as it proceeds, but not in the detailed way that we have been suggesting; it is too general, and in battles, for instance, is rather that of the locality than of the battle. It is, too, un- accompanied by maps or plans ; or rather, has only three mere outlines on a very small scale. Indeed, it is more easy to suggest the method in which geography should be taught with history, than to write any "Geography of History," of the kind we have spoken of, at all within the compass of a class-book, or suited to the purse of the average parent. But the principal defect of the book is, that it is not contemporaneous and successive, but breaks up British history as it were into cubes. We have Scotch, Irish, and Welsh blocks, a continental-possessions block, a colonial block, a battles block, &c. The early battle-fields are all lumped in one chapter, those of the civil war in another, &c., so that we do not proceed in a regular and orderly progress, nor keep well abreast of contemporaneous events. And the history confines itself too exclusively to Great Britain—our Indian possessions being despatched, for instance, in three pages. Nevertheless, the geography of each section is conscientiously given, and though the attractions of the subject are not enhanced by the style of this little book, yet some of the obscurity of history is removed. And while it is a valuable text- book both for master and student, its ample and complete index and list of historical sites at the end, make it a very useful little book of reference.
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