The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 51, July 1947 - April, 1948 Page: 189

Book Reviews

Most of his European travel was in France, but, here again, he
was concerned mainly with gathering information that might
benefit his own country. Jefferson won many friends among the
educated of France, and he admitted that if he had to make a
second choice for home he would choose France. Nevertheless,
he observed the wide disparity between the rich and favored
few and the exploited many. He was also inclined to contrast
the position of women and family life in America with that in
France. Not always consistent in the matter, Jefferson was in-
clined to discourage American youth from study or too long
sojourn in France; he was fearful of the moral consequences
and of the danger of acquiring tastes that might militate against
successful and happy life in the United States.
There are three interesting appendices; a choice and fairly
comprehensive bibliography, and a brief but workable index.
Footnote citations are largely from Jefferson's own writings. The
general format of the book meets the high standards of the Uni-
versity of Oklahoma Press.
J. L. WALLER
College of Mines
A Prince in Their Midst: The Adventurous Life of Achille
Murat on the American Frontier. By A. J. Hanna. Norman
(University of Oklahoma Press), 1946. Pp. xi+275. Illus-
trations. $3.00.
A. J. Hanna of Rollins College has written a delightful bio-
graphical tale of Achille Murat. This frail and outspoken nephew
of Napoleon was one of many of that family who found it con-
venient to seek a refuge in the United States. The story of the
Prince of Naples' becoming an American, in between trips to
Europe where he endeavored to find a throne, is never dull. The
reader may conclude, however, that he never became wholly
American. First generation immigrants often do not. Nor did
the fact that Murat married a relative of George Washington,
widowed Catherine Willis Gray, assure that he would be able
to complete the transformation. Achille's mother, Caroline Bona-
parte Murat, had saved her life and some of the Italian loot by
intrigue with Metternich. Since she managed to provide the

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