A FEW OF HAMILTON'S LETTERS.
A Few of Hamilton's Letters. Edited by Gertrude Atherton. With Portraits. (Macmillan and Co. 6s. net.)—The fact that Mrs. Atherton's interesting biographical novel, " The Conqueror," was a revelation to English readers of the personality of Alexander Hamilton, in the opinion of many the greatest of American states- men, and certainly one of the greatest of the modern world, more than justifies the publication of any additional informa- tion respecting him. This selection from the three octavo volumes of his published letters has been made with a view to throw as much light as possible on the man; and many of them show not only his invariable and precocious political capacity, but high literary power. It is an interesting fact that in spite of Hamilton's well-known weakness as regards women, no single letter to any woman but his wife has ever come to light. Mrs. Atherton's devoted search has been rewarded by the discovery of the letter describing the hurricane of August, 1'772, at St. Croix which convinced Hamilton's relations and friends that the boy of sixteen deserved the education he craved. It is a singular and rather a pretentious production, describing not the hurricane so much as the writer's feelings at the time. The portraits alone make this little volume worth possessing, for they are seldom to be met with in England.
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