The Press. — London, England, 1857-06-13 00:00:00

586 coarse in which the translator closely follows the original. In a critical point of view abridgments are not to our taste ; but a voluminous author like St. Simon is an exceptional case, and these volumes are suited for English currency. The selected matter is, on the whole, well chosen, and gives a faithful idea of St. Simon's works. For historical purposes, of course, the original memoirs must be consulted. The present pub lication is likely to meet with much favour among book-clubs, being as various and enter taining as a novel by Le Sage. But English readers must recollect that these light volumes bear about the same proportion to the original St. Simon, as Walpole's Gothic toy at Strawberry-hill to the Duke of Northumber land's feudal castle at Alnwick. NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. WE have no other resource at this season of the year, when the number of popular works upon popular sub jects, of reprints, poems, and second editions of stan dard works is so great, than to give to each a short notice, in many cases too brief for their merits, but on the other hand sufficienily full to call the atten tion of our readers to such as may suit their wants or excite their sympathies. To begin, then, with Finlay's " Greece under the Romans" (I). We have upon more than one occasion borne testimony to the valuable historical works of Mr. Finlay. His His tories of Greece under the Romans, and under the Ottoman and Venetian Domination, have established for him a reputation for careful research, accuracy in fact, refined scholarship, and solid literary talents. We are glad to see a new edition of a work so de servedly popular. Unquestionably it is one of the s'andard works of the day, and it should be in every library. After Mr. Grote's unjust depreciation of Alexander the Great, it is gratifying to find so accurate and unprejudiced an historian as Mr. Finlay adopting a more just view of the policy and administration of that great hero. We extract the passages:— Alexander was the noblest model ails conqueror; his ambition aspired at eclipsing the glory of his unparalleled victories by the universal prosperity which was to flow from his civil government. New cities and extended commerce were to found an era in the world's history. Even the strength of his empire was to be based on a political principle which he has the merit of discovering, and of which he proved the efficacy; this principle was the amalgamation of his subjects into one peot•le by permanent institutions. All other conquerors have endeavoured to augment their power by the subjec- tion of one race to another. The merit of Alexander is very much increased by the nature of his position with regard to the Greek nation. The Greeks were not favour ably disposed either towards his empire or his person ; they would willingly have destroyed both as the surest way of securing their own liberty. But the moral energy of the Greek national characterdid not escape the observation of Alexander, and he resolved to render this quality avail. able for the preservation of his empire; by introducing into the East those municipal institutions which gave it vigour, and thus facilitate the infusion of some portion of the Hellenic character into the hearts of his conquered sub jects. The moderation of Alexander in the execution of his plans of reform and change is as remarkable as the wisdom of his extensive projects. In order to mould the Asiatics to his wishes, he did not attempt to enforce laws and constitutions similar to those of Greece. He had profited too well by the lessons of Aristotle to think of treating man as a machine. But he introduced Greek civilisation as an important element in his civil govern ment, and established Greek colonies with political rights throughout his conquests. It is true that he seized all the unlimited power of the Persian monarchs, but, at the same time, he strove to secure administrative responsi bility, and to establish free institutions in municipal go 'eminent. Any laws or constitution which Alexander could have promulgated to enforce his system of consoli- dating the population of his empire into one body, would most probably have been immediately repealed by his successors, in consequence of the hostile feelings of the Macedonian army. But it was more difficult to escape from the tendency imprinted on the administration by the systematic arrangements which Alexander had introduced. He seems to have been fully aware of this fact, though it is impossible to trace the whole series of measures he adopted to accelerate the completion of his great project of creating a new state of society, and a new notion, as well as a new empire, in the imperfect records of his civil administration which have survived. His death left his own scheme incomplete, yet his succes s was won d er f u l ; for though his empire was immediately dismembered, its numerous portions long retained a deep imprint of that Greek civilisation which lie had introduced. The in• fillet:me of his philanthropic policy survived the kingdoms which his arms had founded, and tempered the despotic away of the Itomans by its superior power over soc i ety; nor was the' influence of Alexander's government utterly effaced in Asia until Mehemet changed the Government, the religion, and the frame of society in the East, 1 ( 1) Greece wukr the &mans. 13y George ilulay, LL.D. London: Blackwood.. A~ -.-~~~, s ~ -_.._ .. _... THE PRESS. A new edition of Mr. Kaye's popular work, " rho War in Afghanistan " (2), requires only to be mentioned. It is an excellent and ac • curate history of one of the most momentous periods of our Indian empire. It is curious at this moment, when we have just concluded a war with Persia, and commenced intrigues with Post Moham med—the very cause of the catastrophe Mr. Kaye is relating in these volumes—to read Sir Alexander Burnes's opinions upon the proper policy to be pur sued towards Afghanistan I am necessarily ignorant of the Governor• General's views on what his lordship considers the best mode of hereafter managing Afghanistan. It has been notified to me in various despatches, that this end may best be gained by using one small State to balance another, to keep all at peace, and thus prevent any great Mahomedan power growing up beyond the Indus, which might cause future inconvenience. It is with every respect that I differ ; but these are not my sentiments, and though in theory nothing may appear more just and beueticial, I doubt the possibility of putting the theory into practice, and more than doubt the practice producing the benefit expected from it; for while you were trying to bring it about, another power steps in, paves the way for destroying the chiefahips in detail, and the policy along with it. Our fears of a powerful Mahomedan neighbour are quickened by what we read of Ahmed Shah's wars in India, and the alarms spread even by Shah Zemaun, so late as the days of Lord Wellesley ; but our knowledge of these countries has wonderously improved since that time; and though the noble marquis, in his splendid administration, made the Afghans feel our weight through Persia, and arrested the evil, we should have had none of these present vexations if we had dealt with the Afghans themselves. We then counteracted them through Persia. We now wish to do it through the Sikhs. But as things stand, I maintain it is the hest of all policy to snake Cabul in itself as strong as we can make it, and not weaken it by divided power ; it has already been too long divided. Cabul owned its strength in bygone days to the tribute of Cashmere and Sindh. Both are irrevocably gone ; and while we do all we can to keep up the Sikhs as a power east of the Indus during the Maha• rajah's life, or afterwards, we should consolidate Afghan power west of the Indus. and have a king and not a collection of chiefs. Divide et impera is a temporising creed at any time; and if the Afghans are united, we and, they bid defiance to Persia, and instead of distant relations we have everything under our eye, and a steadily progress ing influence all along the Indus. These are words of wisdom, and, though no man is a prophet in his own country, yet each event in the history of our frontier policy in India testifies to the soundness of I3nrnes's views. In the two H indbooks to the Aquarium and to Greenhouse Botany (3, 4), we recognise an addition to those excellent elementary works suitable to the popular tastes and studies of the day. In both the arrangement of detail is simple, lucid, and easily comprehensible, while both works are handsomely illustrated by numerous exquisitely-coloured engra vings. We can recommend each volume as a plea sant and popular guide to the care and comprehension of the aquarium or the greenhouse. Mr. Martin Doyle's " Common Things of Every day Life" (5) is a practical little book, the intention of which is fully explained by its title. It remains only for us to add that it contains much useful infor mation within a small compass. "The Engli3h Bread-book " (6) is written by Miss Acton, the well-known authoress of "Modern Cookery," with a view of showing how simple is the art of breadmaking, by way of inducing most people to make their own bread, and to make it well, whole some, and without waste. Hood, in one of his poems, asks— Who has not eaten home-made bread— That heavy compound of putty and lead ? Miss Acton's instructions, it need not be said, if fol lowed, will vindicate the character of the compound. She quotas Dr. Ure for chemical analysis and Dr. Challis for the evils of adulteration, while Cosmos is brought in to prove that, though the progress of civilisation has been undeniably rapid, the art of breadmaking remains barbarous ; and then, in the plain and ample terms compilers of cookery books have always at hand, delivers a series of most useful instructions upon the art of making every sort of bread, from the "Turkish roll" to the "frugal " housekeeper's brown loaf." The book is eminently practical, and to be read by and recommended to nousekeepers. An excellent handbook for the trout•Bsher is Mr. Stewart's " Practical Angler" t 7). Every detail upon angling with fly, worm, or minnow, appears to be given here, and upon good authority, too, for the book is the result of fifteen years' accumulated information upon, and practical experience of, the (2) History of the War in Afghanistan. By John William Kaye. London: Bentley. (3) Popular History of the Aquarium of Marine and Freshwater Animals and Plants. By Lk. B. Soworby, F.L.S. London: Reeve. (4) Popular Greenhouse Botany. By Agnes Catlow. London Reeve. (5) Martin Dowles Common Things of Everyday Life. Loudon: Routleilge. (6) The English Breadbook for Domestic Use. By Eliza Acton. London : Longtnana. (7) The Praetiral Angler; or, the Art of Trout-fishing. By W. C. Stewart. Edinburgh: A. and C. Black. (1) Poetic Hours and Musing Momenta. By Henry Aveling. London : Hatchard. (Z ) Poems. By Alastor. London : Saunders and 01.ley. (3) The Poetic Legend,* of the Channel Islands. By the Rev. W. Langley Pope, M.A. London : Saunders and Colley. (4) tiweadoliae and Winfred. London: Mozon. (5). The Pleasures of Home. By the Rev. J. T. Campbell. London: Saunders and 01.1ey. SATURDAY, gentle art. "We have fished with, and watched while fishing," says Mr. Stewart, in his preface-- almost all the best professional anglers of the day, in. eluding the celebrated James l3aillie, considered by all who know him the ablest flyfisher in Scotland, and from whom we have received some valuable information upon that branch of the art ; and it must be admitted that there are few anglers like those whose ingenuity and peree• verance are stimulathl by necessity. The information received from these we have thoroughly tested before admitting it into the following pages ; and we may safely say that we have gained more from half an hour's con• versation with such, than from all the books we ever read upon the subject, and their number is not small ; most works upon angling being rather amusing than inatrtic tire. The angler will not find this the case in the follow ing volume; if he finds nothing instructive, he will certainly find nothing amusing; and we found our claims to the attention of the angling community solely upon the ground of the information we have to convey, which we have endeavoured to make as distinct as possible ; and as this treatise is only intended for anglers, we expect that the style and composition will not be very severely criticised. Mr. Stewart, like all professional men, is subject to professional jealousies. He cannot conclude his preface without pooh pooping the poor Cockney who bobs for gudgeon in the Regent's Canal or tries for sticklebat with a crooked pin ; but he forgets that the Cockney, if he does not catch, cooks the Scotch trout— about the best part of the gentle art—and enjoys the dish with as much gusto as if he had spent four hours in waterproof stockings, up to his knees in cold water. Mr. Stewart's book is, however, full of practical information for beginners : for in,tance, he recommends them always to fish up instead of down stream, and maintains that angling with the worm is much misunderstood and unfairly estimated : Fly-fishers are apt to sneer at worm-fishing, as a thing so simple that any one may succeed in it; their notions of it being, that it is practised either when the waters are swollen after rain, or with a float and sinkers in some deep pool; and it is not surprising that with such ideas of it, they should hold it in contempt. Wortn•tishing is only worthy of the name of sport when practised in streams inhabited by wary trout when they are low and clear. Under such circumstances it becomes a branch of the art, which, to be pursued with success, requires the most intimate acquaintance with the habi'it of the trout, and the nicest powers of casting; and which, in point of difficulty, is only inferior to fly-fishing. Those anglers who despise worm-fishing as a thing so simple as to be quite unworthy of their attention, would quickly discover their mistake if brought to a small clear water on a warm sunny day in June or July. These are new theories, but they are sound, and we commend the " Practical Angler " as well worthy of its name. NEW POEMS. "Poetic Hours and Musing Moments" (1) is a volume of that sort of poetry which we read without any emotion whatever. Like water to the palate, though tasteless, it is not unagreeable, and the apho risms at the end show that the author has laid to heart the wise maxim of antiquity, which states that it is the second best thing a man can do to listen to other people's wisdom. " Poems by Alastor " (2) have more pretence than the above, but we doubt if they contain more real power. They are dedicated to the author of " Childe Harold," and cont•iin a good deal of the spurious sentiment which the imitators of that poet do him the honour to consider peculiarly Byronic. The versification is at times flowing, but the sound no where rises above mediocrity, and the sense is usually below it. "Legends of the Channel [lslands" (3) is a col lection of pieces, which, if they have reason—an assertion not to be made rashly—certainly betray the very strangest notions of rhyme. As "an "elegant amusement for a leisure hour" such trifles may be well enough, but we think the author had better learn crochet. " Gwendoline and Winfred " (4) is a poem of which we do not clearly see the purpose. Tne versi fication, however, is correct, and the sentiments unimpeachable. The author in the last few lines deprecates the critic's sneer, and we are really very su►ry we cannot say more in his favour, but it' he is a man of sense he will not be offended becaase we do not rank him with Milton and Dryden. "The Pleasures of Home" (5). We admire this writer for his enthusiastic patriotism, more, perhaps, than for his poetic genius. His view of the ills of the State is strong, and far be it from us to say mis taken ; but idle regrets fur the days of Gorge will not help us to mend matters in the days of Queen Victoria. If Mr. Campbell really believes we are a God-forsaken people, and deserve to be