The Press. — London, England, 1854-04-22 00:00:00

378 self extolled in an equal degree with Lord Robertson. What added to the harshness of the treat ment bestowed on him was the circulation in a durable form of the bitter critique which had been written on the early edition of his poems. No notice was taken of the marked advance in his late productions, or of the new shape in which some of his first productions reap peared. Such conduct seems uncharitable and unjust, and scarcely in accordance with the bitter critic's conduct in the case of his own productions, as he avoided reprinting in his collected reviews certain essays that re dounded neither to his acumen nor his con troversial powers. The articles on the " Uti litarian Controversy," in which the reviewer's high-flown rhetoric appeared in unfavourable contrast with the muscular logic of the elder Mill, were carefully kept back, and even an apology was made for their flagrant dis courtesy. But the rule followed in the case of a philosophical Benthamite was not applied to the works of a pious bard, the extraordinary popularity of whose verse ought to have sug gested more kindly and considerate apprecia tion from a school that is only too much addicted to following the popular "cry." In the meanwhile Mr. Montgomery has sur vived in authorship, notwithstanding the critical malevolence that would gladly have strangled his poetical existence. The printing press has groaned under the numerous editions of his works ; multitudes of readers have been fascinated with his imagerial profuseness; and the sympathies of the devout have been ex cited by his meditative piety. Along with the popular suffrages, he can boast also that Wordsworth and Professor Wilson, Crabbe, Southey, and Lisle Bowles, were amongst those who commended his genius and sympa thised with his literary success. But in another and higher department of moral exertion Mr. Montgomery has achieved a success to which eulogy can scarcely add, and from which envy cannot detract. His earliest vocation was for the Church ; his literary labours were made subservient to a higher purpose than that of worldly fame. By the reception that was accorded to his poems he was enabled to complete his collegiate education, and devote himself to that sacred calling in which he has won popularity as a preacher, and exercised much beneficial influence. He is a remarkable instance of a preacher whose popularity has lasted for many years; and it is an interesting circumstance, that no other church in London is so thronged with young men as that in which Mr. Montgomery officiates. It can be said of him, with perfect truth, that few men have in this generation so successfully used both tongue and pen in the cause of Revelation. To numbers he has suggested thoughts that cheer the soul, while his daily example has animated flagging spirits not to faint in their earthly pil grimage. Neither the calumny of hostile party, nor the sneers of Voltairian sceptics, can dim the guerdon of such fair and truly ho nourable reputation as has been gained by this estimable person. Russia and the Russians. By J. W. Cole. London : Bentley. WE cannot compliment Mr. Cole on having written an original work. His volume is small, cheap, unpretending, and not uninstructive : so much we can say with a clear conscience, but it is a mere series of extracts or compila. tions from other writers, most of whose hooks are in everybody's hands. Now, compilation under some circumstances is a very useful task, but then it must be when the original authorities are out of date, or unreadably dull, or unnecessarily minute or so numerous as to find no place in ordinary libraries. This is not the case here, and Mr. Coles's stringing together of historical fragments resembles rather the commonplacing of an industrious student for his own use, than the more elabo rate exertion of one who prepares a work for the public. Yet the style being easy, and the facts not always familiar to readers of the pre sent day, we peruse him with pleasure, though the pleasure is not that which arises out of the perception of novelty. The Czar Peter, Cathe rine, Potemkin, the mad Paul, and his equally mad general Suvaroff, to say nothing of Alex- THE PRESS. ander and his living successor, are characters sufficiently interesting to enable us to bear with even mediocre criticism ou their acts. The best-drawn portrait is that of Suvaroff Suvaroff was nearly as mad as his imperial master ; but he possessed a military genius peculiar to himself alone, and quite beyond the reach of ordinary criticism. He soared above all known rules, and succeeded, while com mon capacities sinned against them, and failed. His pre dominant fault was his utter carelessness of human life. So that he carried his object he heeded not at what sacri fice; but he did carry it in the face of all opposition ; and, with intuitive quickness, he seized opportunities as they arose in the heat of battle, and turned them to account with the rapidity of lightning. If he was not a great master in the science of war, he was a terrible instrument in practice, and struck with appalling energy. Parma, Trebbia, and Novi taught the French that they had no longer to deal with the heavy tactics of Austria, or with a general who regulated his movements by the measured scale of an Aulic Council. Moreau taunted Napoleon with being a conqueror at the rate of ten thousand men a day : he might have applied the sarcasm to Suvaroff with su perior justice. The Russian chief affected inspiration to inflame the fanaticism of his soldiers, and thus bound them to him by the double tie of personal regard and religious devotion. When forced to fall back by the disaster of Korsakoff, who had been signally defeated by Massena at Zurich, Suvaroff flung himself in frantic passion on the ground, and im plored his men to trample him to pieces rather than give way before the enemy ; but they took him up in their arms and continued the retreat. The veterans who served under Suvaroff used afterwards to boast that their favourite leader was never cold, afraid, or defeated. For his victories in the marvellous campaign of 1799 he was created a prince, with the honorary cognomen of Italisky, meaning the " overrunner of Italy; " as Diebitsch was afterwards denominated Zabalkanaky, or " the Balkan passer ; " and Paskievitch Erivansky, or " the taker of Erivan." The Russians appear to have adopted this mode of rewarding services in imitation of the ancient Romans, who gave surnames to their victorious generals from the countries they subdued. This is followed by a page or two of extracts from a most eccentric military manual, the work of the conqueror himself, in which there appears to us more of insanity than of genius. But Captain Cole ought to know how soldiers like to be addressed, and he vouches for its being " admirably adapted to the comprehension of " the catechumens for whom it was drawn up." Here is a sample or two :--- Die for the honour of the Virgin Mary, for your mother (the Empress Catherine—your father, if an Emperor), for all the royal family. The Church prays for those that die ; and those who survive have honour and reward. Offend not the peaceable inhabitant, he gives us meat and drink—the soldier is not a robber. Booty is a holy thing! If you take a camp, it is all yours. If you take a fortress, it is all yours. At Ismail, besides other things, the soldiers shared gold and silver by handfuls, and so in other places; but wait for orders before you fall to booty ! His instructions with regard to diet are delicious. " Have a dread of the hospital. German physic stinks from afar, and is good for nothing. For the health, drink, air, and food; for the sick, food, air, and drink. For him who neglects his men, if an officer, arrest ; if a sub•ofcer, lashes ; and for the private who neglects himself, more lashes. Brothers, the enemy trembles at you 1 But there is another enemy greater than the hospital—the d— n'd I don't know. From the half•confessing, the guessing, lying, deceitful, the palavering equivocation, squeamishness, and nonsense of 'don't know,' many disasters originate." Suvaroff had such an intense aversion to any person's Raying " I don't know" in answer to his questions that he became almost frantic with passion. His officers and soldiers were so well aware of this singularity that they would hazard any reply instantly, accurate or not, rather than venture to incur his displeasure by professing igno ranee. ----- Captain Cole has a decided opinion as to the danger and chance of failure in attacking strong fortresses by sea. He sets off against Copenhagen, Algiers, and Acre, the disasters of Santa Cruz, of Carthagena, of Sir S. Smith when attacking a small fort with a ship-of the-line, and of the allies before Gibraltar. 1. Observations on the Abuse and Reform of the Monitorial System of Harrow School, with Letters and Remarks. By the Earl of Galloway. London : Hatchard. 2. A Few Words on the Monitorial System at Harrow. By One who was Once a Monitor. London : Bosworth. 1. A FULL statement of, and argument upon, the recent case of excessive punishment at Harrow. It appears that a boy named Stewart, son of the writer, had in a dispute at football resisted the authority of a monitor, by whom he was in consequence caned next day, with the concurrence and assent of the other monitors. The caning was unreasonably severe, and for three days confined the sufferer to bis room. On inquiry, Dr. Vaughan thought it not justified by the offence, and accordingly deposed the monitor (a son of Baron Platt). This does not satisfy Stewart's friends, who complain not of the SATURDAY, abuse only, but of the exercise, of monitorial power. There is no question but that it has been in this instance exceeded ; but the offending monitor is punished, his act is disavowed, and what more can a head master do 2. All questions have two sides, and some have many more. The writer of this pamphlet defends a monitorial system, but not that carried out by Dr. Vaughan. He affirms that under the old Harrovian rule a monitor was invested with authority, but that authority exercised on his own account, and not as a deputy, or delegate, of the master. Thus the matter rested rather with the boys themselves, punishment, when inflicted, assumed a less formal shape, and the monitors, thinking more lightly of their personal dignity, associated freely, and to the advantage of both parties, with those placed under them. Dr. Arnold found something of this state of things exist ing at Rugby, and reduced it to a more defined and systematic form ; thereby, says the writer, making the monitors ushers or under-masters. This was not, so far as our memory serves us, the feeling among Rugbfeans, whatever it may be at Harrow. The pamphleteer shows a little jealousy of Dr. Vaughan as not himself a Harrovian—which in an old scholar is very natural. But neither was Arnold educated at Rugby—yet he made Rugby what it was and is. Schools, like corporations, often want an infusion of new blood. We think a great deal too much has been made of this schoolboy dispute. 1. Philip Rollo ; or, the Scottish Musketeers. By James Grant. London: Routledge and Co. 2. Westminster Abbey ; or, the Days of the Reforma tion. By the Author of " Whitefriars." Lon don: Mortimer. 3. The Boatman of the Bosphorus. By the Osmanli Abderhahman Effendi. London : Newby. 4. Flora Lyndsay ; or, Passages in an Eventful Life. By Mrs Moodie. London: Bentley. 5. The Heiress of Somerton. London : Bentley. OF the novels before us the historical ones are the best, though they are not of a character requiring de tailed notice, as they are by writers whose position must by this time be well defined among the patrons of circulating libraries. 1. Mr. Grant's book, however, we regard as an advance upon his previous efforts. There is plenty of the adventure in it which usually gives animation to his narrative, and a creditable attempt is besides made in it to maintain the character of an historical period. The story is supposed to take place during the great thirty years' war in Germany, and the hero is a young Scottish gentleman, who, with some thousands of his countrymen, joins the forces of the Protestant champions. This cavalier tells his own tale, and though it may be objected that he is too minute in his descriptions, and that he would hardly have taken so much pains to note costume, manners, arms, 6:c., which to him must have been familiar, yet the illusion is sufficiently well maintained to satisfy and even delight the uncritical reader. As the period was memorable for strongly marked cha racters and great events, Philip Rollo, in his loves and wars, meets with a full share of romantic incidents. Some of the skirmishes or battles are described with a power which, at this time of warlike ardour, will render the book a great favourite with youthful readers. In the spirit of its narrative it belongs to the historical school of Scott, and it strikingly illustrates the part borne by Scottish bands iu that terrible struggle for religious freedom in Germany which immortalised the name of the great Gustavus. 2. The author of " Whitefriars " has in these well-filled volumes endeavoured to display the main features of the religious life of England when the Reformation under Henry VIII. first seriously shook society. To his task he has brought much industry and considerable knowledge. The theme is not pleasing, as " a Tale of the Reformation " supposes horrors which our own inclination would lead us to gladly dispense with ; but persons fond of excite ment will find their taste skilfully catered for here. As may be imagined, the book has a strong Protestant bias, and for artistic purposes gives too much promi nence to those repulsive incidents of the time which it is no part of legitimate fiction to reproduce. 3. " The Boatman of the Bosphorus" opens well, and at first we anticipated the pleasure of reading a genuine fiction by a competent hand descriptive of the social state of Turkey. The characters of the bi goted Osmanli, old Mustafa, with all the prejudices of his class, hating innovation, wretchedly poor, yet con • tent to sink lower, and ascnbing his poverty to his doom—of the more enlightened Hamet—of the rest less, talkative Greek—and of the rapacious Jew, acting the part of a Russian spy—are so evidently portraits from life, that we were di'appointed when, like a dis • solving view, they fist became indistinct, and then merged into commonplace scenes of conventional ro mance. Perhaps the work has been composed by distinct hands, or it may be that the author found , haft