Buckle
HENRY THOMAS, an English historian, born in Kent, Nov. 24, 1822. At an early age he entered his father's counting house, but at 18, on inheriting his father's fortune, he devoted himself entirely to study. The only thing he allowed to distract him from his more serious pursuits was chess, in which he held a foremost place among contemporary players. His chief work, a philosophic "History of Civilization," of which only two volumes (1858 and 1861) were completed, was characterized by much novel and suggestive thought, and by the bold coordination of a vast store of materials drawn from the most varied sources. He died, while traveling, at Damascus, March 29, 1862.