Page:American Historical Review, Volume 12.djvu/900

 890 Reviews of Books We close Mr. Petre's book with the feeling that he has done a good piece of work, filling a needed gap ; and we welcome his forth- coming volume on " 1806 ", in which, however, he will find more pre- decessors. In all European languages military history is prominent. Among us English-speaking peoples it is deficient, mainly because we have practised war only at intervals, and not constantly, as have the Continental nations. With our growing world-policy and the Monroe Doctrine we may in the not distant future need more military knowl- edge than we now possess ; to create a military cult is worth while ; and all good books on campaigns worth study should prove acceptable. We hope Mr. Petre has entered the arena in earnest. Theodore Ayr.ult Dodge. Gcschiedcnis van hct Ncdcrhmdsche ]'olk. Door P. J. Blok. Zevende Deel. (Leiden: A. W. Sijthofif. 1907. Pp. iii, 545.) Dr. p. J. Blok, the professor of Dutch history at the Leiden Uni- versity, is successor to Robert Fruin. He issued the first volume of his Geschiedenis in 1892, when at Groningen. Of his seven volumes, three have been put into English, bringing the story to the end of the Truce, 1621. Of this final volume, No. VII., Book xi. covers in six chapters the " French Period ", that is, from the organization of the Batavian Republic to Waterloo and the return of the Prince of Orange. Book XII. covers in four chapters the period of the Kingdom of the United Netherlands to the secession of Belgium in 1830, and the time to 1839. The author's original plan, outlined in his preface to volume I., is thus symmetrically carried out. No other work in the Dutch language oc- cupies a place equal to Blok's, in comprehensiveness united with fresh and scientific treatment of sources. Before becoming historian, he delved long and patiently in the archives of his own and of other countries. Dr. Blok begins volume VII. by picturing in sprightly vein the great convention at the Hague in 1796. when the Unitaries and the Federalists met for debate and organization of the Batavian Republic. This as- sembly was over-rich in dangerous radicals. Returning patriots wanted the model of a French Republic followed closely, but Schimmelpenninck happily presaged the desires of the best men of both parties. Friesland and Zeeland were at that time strongly provincial or federalist, while Holland, Utrecht, and Overijssel favored the Unitary idea of centralized power. Along with the undoubted evils of French rule, order and much uniformity were brought in. The immensely diverse and foolish cus- toms along with privileges were abolished, the archives centralized and put in order and the two feeble universities closed. Napoleon spent only three weeks in the kingdom over which he placed his brother, preparatory to incorporation with France. In addition to galling taxa- tion, the people sufl'ered from the decline of native manufactures and industries. Of forty thousand Dutch 'conscripts who marched to Mos-