Page:Englishhistorica36londuoft.djvu/316

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308 SHORT NOTICES April in the first half of the seventeenth century. His work would, however, have been more valuable if he had made a still greater use of English books such as those of Professor W. R. Scott, whom he does not mention, and Professor Unwin, whom he seems to know only from a brief contribution to this Review. Some slips in English names could hardly have been avoided, as ' Grasham ' (i. 109), but the explanation of the word ' purchase ' as synonymous with ' obtain ' (ii. 96) and the reference to Alberico Gentili as a ' Spaansche jurist ', with one or two other mistakes, seem to imply hasty work. A fuller table of contents would have been useful. G. N. C. The Bronnen tot de Geschiedenis van de Leidsche Textielnijverheid, three volumes of which have been noticed in this Review, 1 have recently been supplemented by a volume, also edited by Mr. N. W. Posthumus, but issued by the Historisch Genootschap of Utrecht, of the Bescheiden betreffende de Provinciate Organisatie der Hollandsche Lakeriber eiders (Amsterdam : Mttller, 1917). These are the records of conferences meeting every two years from 1645 to 1737, and every four years thereafter till 1795, of representatives of the laken-makers from ten principal towns of Holland. In seven of these towns, gilds of laken-makers already existed in 1645 ; in two others — Enkhuizen and Hoorn — they were shortly afterwards set up ; only at Alkmaar did the industry remain unorganized. At Leyden, which was by far the greatest centre, the laken industry, which had been famous in the fifteenth century, suffered almost total eclipse during the troubles of the sixteenth century, and had its place taken by the migrating new draperies, but after 1610 it began to revive, on the basis of improved technique, and by the middle of the century was once more the most highly valued branch of Leyden textiles. As the last to be developed, it was the most capitalistic in its organization, and the federation of masters established in 1645 probably arose out of a strike of journeymen at Leyden in 1637. Its records present two divergent aspects — on the one hand the attempt of a group of mediaeval gilds, armed with the powers of search and seal, to restrict the competition of village industry, and, on the other, the repudiationJpv the larger employers of gild restrictions on the supply and mobility of labour. There is clear evidence of the transition from gild to trade union between 1650 and 1700, and the frequent references to ' foul ' shops and workmen, to ' agitators ' and ' turnouts ' need elucidat- ing by some account of the ' box-clubs ' which undoubtedly existed at this period amongst the skilled journeymen of Holland and Belgium. G. U. In Tourny (1695-1760) (Paris: Alcan, 1920, 2 vols.) M. Michel Lheritier has given a very complete and detailed life of Louis Urbain Aubert, marquis de Tourny, intendant of Limoges from 1730 to 1743 and of Bordeaux from 1743 to 1757. Tourny can certainly be ranked among the great intendants. In his capacity of servant of the king, he worked for the public good, even to the detriment of his own advancement. He was a man of amazing industry, with considerable ingenuity, if not 1 Ante, xxix. 156.