text:  Nothing in a word has been omitted by the accomplished editor which could illustrate or render intelligible the valuable collection of materials placed at his disposal; and yet with all his pains and ability it is often very difficult to follow the detail of events or understand the matter alluded to in the despatches:--so great is the lack of information on the eventful War of the Succession which prevails from the want of a popular historian to record it even among well-informed persons in this country; and so true was the observation of Alexander the Great that but for the genius of Homer the exploits of Achilles would have been buried under the tumulus which covered his remains! And what should we have known of Alexander himself more than of Attila or Genghis Khan but for the fascinating pages of Quintus Curtius and Arrian? To the historian who is to go minutely into the details of Marlborough's campaigns and negotiations and to whom accurate and authentic information is of inestimable importance it need hardly be said that these papers are of the utmost value