Mr. Abbot's History of Mary Queen of Scots calls mechanical
art to its aid, in a way which might be advantageously adopted in histories designed for old as well as for young readers. A map of the central parts of Scotland, where the principal events took place, is prefixed to the volume, done upon the principle of a birds-eye view, so that moun- tains, forests, cities, castles, &c., are presented to the eye, and a notion of the features of the country, as well as of distances and positions, im- pressed on the mind. Plans illustrate an event occurring in buildings,— as the murders of Rizzio and Darnley; and views of cities or localities are not mere "pictures," but are made to exhibit the principal feature of the scene. The literary execution also deserves praise. It is a plain, clear narrative of facts, interspersed with reflections, in the main impartial, and moderate in tone. Though the author leans to the view of Mary's guilt throughout, he does not assail her, or leave any harsh feeling in the read- er's mind. Believing, as he seems to do, her general complicity in Darn- ley's murder and her guilty connexion with Bothwell, be is scarcely stern enough.
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