The Press. — London, England, 1857-03-21 00:00:00

280 Nittratart. History of Europe fro►n the Fall of Napoleon to the Accession of Louis Napoleon. By Sir Archibald Alison. Vol. VI. London: Black- wood. THE. annalist of contemporary events has to undergo the severe ordeal of exposure to the criticism of readers who are familiar with the facts he narrates, and can judge of his accu racy. But, on the other hand, he has the great advantage of writing from sources of in formation readily accessible, and of having direct communication with the personages whose actions he describes. If he is often compelled to trust to those superficial accounts which are open to all the world, and is shut out from the authorities not published till a later date, he has in these days the broad facts of all important matters before him, and has the inestimable advantage of being able to faithfully reflect the sentiments of his own time. We think that Mr. Alison has achieved great success in this department of history. We are not blind to his defects, but on a com prehensive survey of his work we must ex press our opinion that it is a most valuable as well as a very agreeable production. Sir A. Alison has an assimilative mind, and, with remarkable skill, educes a clear anti connected narrative from his mass of materials. If his volumes are not much more than the co►npila tions of the "Annual Register" on an extended scale, they richly deserve, even so regarded, a place in every gentleman's library. When the author deals with facts he is almost always completely successful. It is only when he falls into the style of the poli tical essayist that he fails. His speculations on the currency are intolerably heavy, and his moral reflections are felt to interfere dis agreeably with the progress of his narrative. The present volume commences with a chapter on the history of France from the cap ture of Constantine in October, 1837, to the Eastern Treaty in July, 1841. This period embraces the conspiracy of Hubert and Barbes, the Boulogne expedition of Louis Napoleon, the grand funeral of Napoleon, and the fall of the Ministry of M. 'Tiers ou the Eastern question. The recognition by Lard Palmerston of the Treaty of 'Jokier Skelessi is viewed by the historian as tending to place Turkey at the mercy of her great ad versary Russia : The Treaty of the 13th July, IS4I, which first recognised as part of the public law of Europe the vast cmcession relative to the passage of Vie Dardanelles and the Bos phorus, extorted from the weakness of Turkey by the Treaty of Unkiar Skelessi, is one of the most curious instances on record of the insensibility of even the ablest statesmen to the consequences of their own actions, and the danger of being directed in public measures by the memory of the past rather than the anticipation of the future bringing all Europe into his measures, thought he had secured the independence of the Ottoman Empire by adopting the Russian Treaty of Nukiar Skelessi, closing he Bosphorus and Dardanelles against foreign vessels of twar, forgetting that Russia, with eighteen sail of the line was already there; and that the only result of his diplo., matic triumph wu to leave Constantinople , with its fleet destroyed at Navarino, unsupported, ris•a•ris of Sebastopol, with its impregnable bastions and four thousand pieces of cannon. In this chapter is an elegant notice of the death of Talleyrand. The claim to originality of some of his best sayings is disputed : Some of M. de Talleyrand's sayings which have become most celebrated are not his own, or, at least, they had been said by others before him. That in particular which has made the round of the world—" The principal object of language is to conceal the thoughts," was probably original in him, for it exactly painted his mind ; but it is to be found long before in several English authors. Thus in " Young's Night's Thoughts" Where nature's aid of language is declined, And men talk only to conceal their mind. " The principil end of language," says Gold smith, " according to grammarians, is to ex press our wants so as to receive a speedy re dress. But men who know the world main tain very contrary maxims. They hold, and I think with same show of reason, that he who knows best how to conceal his necessities and desires, is the most likely person to find re dress ; and that the true art of speech is not so much to express our thoughts as to conceal them."—Oolitueith's Bee, Coot. 20, 170. THE PRESS. From the affairs of France the historian passes to those of England. He narrates the short Ministry of Sir R. Peel, in 1835 ; the re turn of the Whigs co power ; the death of King William, and accession of Queen Victoria ; and what he terms the final fall of the Whigs in 1841. In his opinion the IVhigs then lost the principles which had heretofore charac• tensed them, and became merged in the new Liberal party. In these chapters are many striking passages, and among them must be particularly noted Lord Durham's mission to Canala. Sir A. Alison considers that his heart was broken by the unworthy usage he received from his party : lt is painful to be obliged to add that the statesman to whose wisdom and firmness, more than that of any other single iudivi.lual in existence, this marvellous pro gress is to be ascribed. and whose suggestions were all em bodied in the constitution ' and union of the provinces which have finally given peace to Canada, fell a victim to the efforts he had made on behalf of his country. To re markable talents, which his report on Canada unequivo cally demonstrates, Lord Durham united the magnanimity and io'ty spirit which form an essential part in the heroic character. Unfortunately he possessed also the love of approbation and sensitiveness to blame which are the predominant features in the female disposition. He was impatient of contrailictjon, and irritable when thwarted ; and those failings, which in ordinary life would scarcely have been observed, proved fatal to him on the stormy eminence on which he was ultimately placed. His morti fication at the disallowance of his ordinances was extreme, and it preyed upon a constitution naturally weak, to such a degree as to bring him to an untimely grave. He was busily engaged with his official duties to the very last, and the night before his departure he drew up an impor tant proclamation relative to squatters on the crown-lands. Thousands accompanied him to the quay when he em barked, and every eye strained after the vessel—the Incon stant—as it made its way down the river in the gloom of a Canadian snow-storm. He landed at Plymouth, on December Ist, without any honours, by the special orders of Government, who sent down a special messenger to prohibit them; bat he was amply indemnified by the respect paid to him by the people, and the tokens of respect and confi.leuce given him during his journey to London. Lady Durham, Earl Grey's daughter, immedi ately resigned her situation in the Queen's household; but the ingratitude of his party made no difference in the political sentiments and conduct of her husband, who was consistent to the last. But his race was run—his heart was broken ; and he died on 28th July, 1840, the victim of ingratitude from a party on whim he had conferred the most essential serviees.—Ann. Beg. 1840; Chron. 173. MiarriNEAu, ii. 390, 391. The last chapter of the volume contains the history of British India, from 1826 to 1842, and includes the terrible episode of the Atl'ghan war. The historian believes that our advance in the East is inevitable, but he ad mits that the extension of our empire is pur chased at a hazardous cost. Twenty years ago our revenue was 20,800,0001., and our ex penditure 18,750,000/., leaving a surplus o f 2,000,0001. Now our revenue is 26,000,0001., and our expenditure 28.000,0001., showing a deficiency of 2,000,0001. While with the great increase of our territory our revenue has ad vanced but 6,000.0001, our expenditure has been augmented by 10,000,0001 This portion of the volume tills upwards of 200 pages, and for narrative power and clear picturesque de• tail must take rank with the finest composi tion that has proceeded from Sir Archibald Alison's pen. Friends of Bohemia; or, Phases of London Life. By E. M. Whitty. London : Smith and Elder. Ix these days, when few novels are either written or read for mere amusement, but are made vehicles for propounding the last new theory on social, political, or religious sub jects, it is clear that excellence of plot and the subtle portraiture of character subside into second-rate importance. Thus, although novels abound which contain striking scenes and strange sentiments, it is rare to find one to which the familiar term " interesting" is truly applicable. We have readable disserta tions and entertaining dialogues, but rarely a well constructed tale. Mr. Whitty's novel is no exception to this general practice. " Story ! God bless you, I " have none to tell, sir," ought to have been his motto, not forgetting to add, however, " only last night a-drinking at the Dragon," which would have formed a very appropriate key to the whole production. If, however, Mr. Whitty fails to interest us in the fate of any one of his characters, it is not for want of startling events and richly-decorated SATURDAY, scenery. The book opens with bigamy and ends with murder; and between the two v.e have a racy succession of incidents flavoured with forgery, seduction, intoxication, and irre ligion—such being the pursuits to which, in the eye of the Bohemian, the whole world is more or less devoted. The lady rolling by in her carriage is going to an assignation ; that portly and respectable gentleman descending the steps of his club has got bills out in the City which may any day bring him to the dock ; the bishop who makes that touching appeal to the charity of a polite audience is suffering from the effects of yesterday's reple tion ; the decorous looking youths who escort their sisters to the chapel were drunk till five this morning, and one of the young ladies vas seduced by a jeweller who detected her in stealing a bracelet. So wags the world, says Mr. Whitty ; and none but Bohemians can reform it. Morality is a bond of straw— religion is an imposture—politics are rotten. Let us then admit as much, and all will be well. Sin would be less hurtful if the sinner gloried in it, and virtue more powerful if released from the homage of vice. That this view of mankind has its solitary element of truth we do not deny. It is true that respectability is a cloak for much illicit indulgence, and that the kind of compromise effected between purity and wickedness, by which, if the one is not obtrusive, the other will not be exacting, is injurious to real nobility of character. But in the state of civilisation which we have now reached the compromise is inevitable, and it is dangerous to interfere with it, for we should thereby drive men to despair. It is well that the world should occasionally be reminded of the truth—that it should not be allowed to stag nate in self-complacency. But such satire as Mr. Whitty's, like all exaggeration, defeats its own end. The world feels that it can justly repudiate such a picture as is here drawn. We do not wound a man's vanity by calling him a Centaur ; and we do not stir his con science by likening him to Heliogobalus. We have felt bound to say thus much in condemnation of Mr Whitty's philosophy ; but we readily acknowledge the force of his intellect, and the strange charm of his rum bling, careless style. There is also, we should think, great honesty in his delineation of life : he draws it as it really appears to him. But no Bohemian can see it fairly, and cannot be accepted as an authority. Perhaps all this time some of our readers may le asking, and what is a Bohemian? Bohemians, then, are that numerous class who find it pleasanter to do without what is called society than with it ; and their occupa tion fur the most part enables them to dispense with that regularity and formal mode of life which constitutes the respectable. Artists, authors, and journalists—gentlemen or not, as the case may be—edacated or not, as the case may be, compose the rank and file of this ragged regiment,—men who hate domes ticity, hate all restraints, and as they stand aside from our social system, of course are not subject to its conventions. In " Friends of Bohemia," then, we should naturally have , expected some minute description of this race. This, however, we do not get. We get their talk and their views, but the men themselves are not produced on the stage. Perhaps Mr. Whitty thinks they are not presentable ; but then they must be very had indeed. To make up for their absence we are introduced to a class of quasi Bohemians—lords and ladies masquerading in gipsy costume—and their conversation runs in this wise. Roper, a marquis, loquitur But what T want is truth—for fellows to stand on their chiracters, whatever they are. When men had real down right natures (which was before my time) they stood upon them, and didn't keep them out of sight; good or bad, out the real man and the real woman came. Do you think the hypocrisy isn't seen in the long run? Of course it is. And the world is getting a taste for reality again ; and, by .Tove. I'd like to set the fashion of confessing yourself a seamp! We are facing facts; and I say if we are to go, we nobles, don't let ns go out as humdrum', but defying middle class moraFties and democratic whines, brilliantly and bravely —as a superior class, beyond the ken and above the laws of the her.l—resolved to keep the mass slaves, for the slaves' good, as long as we can. Lecturing at mechanics' institutes be hanged!—it's not done well enough—we haven't got the talent for that—its not in dia nature of the class to have that talent : and we do ourselvei