The Press. — London, England, 1854-04-15 00:00:00

APRIL 14, 1854. him, and, seizing his arm, held him with an air of bitter indignation and disgust. The wilful D'Aigrignv struggled to release himself. The effort was his last. the purple stream gushed from his lips, and he was a corpse. gapier took the Count Mole's hand; bnt the latter seemed not to notice the act : he was contemplating the features of the dead in stern sorrow. We can recommend our readers to place " The Heir of Vallis" on their lists for the cir culating library. The Practicability of Improving the Darellings of the Labouring Classes. By Cheyne Brady. London: Stanford. Ix this pamphlet Mr. Brady gives a useful and con cise abstract of the many attempts made, with varied success, to erect model lodging-houses for labourers. He traces the movement to its origin in 1844 with much clearness and no exaggeration. As yet, per haps, there is not much to look back upon with satis faction, but the details contained iu this pamphlet prove that in almost every great town of the United Kingdom something has been or is being done, and that, wherever a moderate degree of judgment and caution has been shown, the results, pecuniary as well as moral, are satisfactory. Mr. Brady subsequently proceeds to discuss set tlement and removal laws, which he does with zeal and humanity, but apparently in happy ignorance of the many complexities of the subject. lie points out the difficulty which most embarrasses domestic reformers,—that which is placed in their way by the law of unlimited responsibility. Individuals can seldom do much in providing dwellings for the la bouring class. To be done at all the thing must be done on a large scale; and, even among philanthro pists, prudence recoils from the idea of embarking an entire private fortune in schemes not exclusively under one's own control. A royal charter of incor poration, though an efficient, is an expensive remedy. History of the Dominion of the Arabs in Spain. Translated from the Spanish of Dr. J. A. Conde by Mrs. Jonathan Foster. Three Volumes—Vol. I. " Bohn's Standard Library." Tux work of Dr. Conde is peculiar. It is less a history—in our acceptation of the word—than a compilation of Arabic chronicles. Ha has broken new ground and been indefatigable in collecting Arabic annals and writings of every kind descriptive of the dominion of the Arabs in Spain from its rise to its fall, and these materials he has arranged in order and woven into connected narrative with con siderable skill and even discrimination, so as to give an Arabic character and antique style to the whole work. But it is no part of his plan to embody infor mation collected from every available souroe, and to write as a historian of the nineteenth century, sifting out the truth as he best can from opposed authorities, and exercising an independent judgment on dis cordant statements. Hence the errors of Arabic writers are set forth in the text and contradicted in footnotes, and the whole narrative proceeds on the dogma of Islamism, that there is but one God and that Mahomet is his prophet. Often the exact words of the Arabic writers are employed. In the account of a battle we read that "the burnished lances, thirst " ing for blood, intoxicated themselves in deep lakes " thereof." It is, perhaps, owing to the peculiar nature of the work that, notwithstanding its great learning and the intrinsic value of its materials, it has not previously been rendered into English. The first volume of the original was published at Madrid in 1820, but the author died before the remaining ones were issued in the following year. The transla tion by Mrs. Foster appears to be scrupulously faith ful : if she errs it is on the side of literalness, as phrases like " sufficiently inexact," though they may convey the sense of the author, are not good English. In her task she evinces great industry and very commendable original knowledge. British Ferns. London: Hardwicke. Ax account of that graceful, indigenous plant the fern, which, it appears, numbers about forty-five va rieties in the British islands, " the genera being put at sixteen." PERIODIC AL LITERATURE. The Quarterly Review. No. CLXXXVIII. March, 1854. London: Murray. THE new number of the Quarterly can scarcely be said to contain more than seven articles, as the one on " Criminal Law Digest" occupies but half a dozen pages. Of the seven, two are plainly from the hands of a veteran contributor, whose mental acti vity, now confined to this review, seems to increase with declining years and physical infirmity. In the paper on the " New Reform Bill" there are many palpable hits ,but the dismal vaticinations of the writer, reminding one of the evils continually en- THE PRESS. nounced by Honeywood's friend in The Goodnatured Man, are anything but cheering to the spirits. "In "short," says the reviewer, alluding to the old Re form Bill, "we have taken a slow poison ; and, " though in the interval we may seem to talk es " wisely and as calmly as Plato tells us that Socrates " did on the mortuary couch, the event is equally " certain, and the awful power stands at the bedside "to administer fresh doses," &c. As the whole paper is in this lugubrious style, desponding patients may ask of what avail will be any exertion on their part against the "awful power" which has already dosed them so effectually? Some revelations on the trickery of the bill of 1830 and on "fortunate Maldon " (not, however, made public now for the first time) are ingeniously interwoven with explanations of Mr. Croker's prin ciples and political sagacity. The review of " Lord Holland's Memoirs " is an exeellent example of microscopic criticism. Whoever would wish for a perfect specimen of the style should turn to pp. 4034, and observe how satisfactorily it is demon strated, by italics and dates, that a certain anecdote recorded of young 'William Pitt could not, chrono logically or indeed possibly, have occurred in the latter half of Pitt's seventh year. The reviewer, it is no secret, preserved notes of conversations which he had the honour to hold with the Duke of Welling ton, and these notes are inserted in his contributions as opportunity serves. The following is interesting, though one would judge from the italics that the passage is coloured by the reporter's own peculiar manner : "Weimer, October 1, 1834. "We were talking of Lord Nelson, and some ue,tanoes were mentioued of the egotism and vanity that derogated from his character. Why,' said the Duke, lam not surprised at such instances—for Lord Nelson was in different circumstances two quite diftVreut men, us I myself can vouch, though I only saw him owe its my life, and for, perhaps. au hour. It was soon after I returned from India ,in 1t405). I went to the Colonial - office , in Downing-street, and there I was shown into the waiting• room on the right hand, where I found, also waiting to see the Secretary of State, a gentleman whom, from his like. ness to his pictures and the want of an arm, I immediately recognised as Lord Nelson. He could not know who I was, but he entered at once into conversation with me — if I can call it conversation—for it was almost all on his side, and all about himself, and in really a style so vain and so silly as to surprise me. I suppose something that I happened to say may have made him guess that I was somelsody, and he went out of the room fors moment, I have no doubt to ask the office-keeper who I was, for when he came hack he wus altogether a different man both in manner and matter. All that I had thought a charlatan style had disappeared, and he talked of the state of this country, and of the aspect and probabilities of affairs on the Continent, with a good sense and a knowledge of sub jects, both at home and abroad, that surprised me equally and more agreeably than the first part of our interview had done ; in fact, he talked like an officer and a statesman. The Secretary of State kept us long waiting, and certainly, for the last half or three•quarters of an hour, I don't know that I ever had a conversation that interested me more. Now, if the Secretary of State had been punctual and admitted Lord Nelson in the first quarter of an hour, I should have had the same impression of a light and trivial character that other people have had; but luckily I saw enough to be satisfied that he was really a very superior man. But certaiuly a more sudden and comple meta morphosis I never saw.' "—(MS. Note.) The article on Sterne is one of those elegantly written papers, partly biographical and partly critical, which, with something of dramatic effect, exhibit past reputations from a modern point of view. Sterne, however, is not a favourable subject for such kind of revival, nor does it strike us that long extracts from " Tristram Shandy," with elaborate criticism on Uncle Toby and Corporal Trim, are quite in their place here. In the paper on the " Russian Empire " a creditable attempt is made to fairly estimate the resources of the Czar for maintaining a war with the Western powers, but the article of most value is decidedly that headed "The Turks and the Greeks." In the compass of fifty pages a well-defined and accurate sketch is drawn of the social state of Turkey, the writer employing the original information he evi dently possesses, not only to correct the mistate ments of hasty or prejudiced observers, but to supply vivid pictures of the life, manners, and character of Turk and Greek as they appeared to his shrewd eye. The article probably proceeds from a political oppo nent, yet we are willing to accept his account of the commencement of the dispute with Russia:— " On the last days of 1t1.52 a new Ministry came into power in England. At its head was Lord Aberdeen The news of this event could scarcely have reached St. rut, ra. burg before the 11th of January. On that day a festival was held in the palace of a member of the Imperial Family—the Grand Duchess Helena. Sir Hamilton Seymour was invited to meet the Emperor. In the midst of that brilliant company the Czar eagerly sought the British Ambassador. He graciously and warmly expressed his pleasure at the intelligence of the formation of a new Government in England under the guidance of a nobleman whom he had known for forty years, and fur whom he enter. joined equal regard and esteem. He lost no time in proving the genuineness of these sentiments and showing the extent of his confidence in his friend, for in the next breath he recurred once more, after the long silence of nearly len years, to his favourite scheme for the partition of Turkey. 365 The astonished diplomatist naturally shrank, with feelings somewhat akin to horror and dread, from such dangerous advances. • • Lord John IZusiiell, and afirivartis Lord Clarendon, rejected these overtures, but nut with the spirit which might have beea expected from British statesmen upon such au occasion. We detect in their somewhat vague and indecisive replies Ike inthrence t f the head of the (kat-eminent. Here was the first great error, one of the principal causes of sU our subsequent difficulties and our present embarrassments. It is of the conduct of the British Government in this stage of the proceedings that the Emperor of Russia has, we must admit, to a certain extent, good cause to complain. Wo should then have declared explicitly that England would not tolerate any interferenoe in the atiaim of Turkey. • • Had such language been held in a firm though friendly tone, who will now question whether the Emperor would not have avoided engaging in a contest which, if properly eon ducted, can only end in his own overthrow or humilia tion? We therefore repeat that the Emperor of Russia Ana some grounds of complaint against. the British Goveru• mint. " How, we next ask, in the face of the indisputable proofs of double dealing on the part of Russia which both the secret and piddle despatches of Sir Hamilton Seymour afford, anti with a full knowledge of the reliant) which had been for years uppermost in the Emperor's mind, could Ministers accept the assurances given last spring, so far relying upon them as to neglect such ordinary precautions as would have saved us at least from eotnmeneing a war at a subsequent period under the most 1111111 i lest (haul vouttagee ? And how, moreover, can Lord Clarendon juat,ifv his con duct iu declaring to the people of England thaehe had the fullest confidence in the Emperor of Russia, and that there was no cause whatever for alarm, when he was acquainted with all these despatches, quoting in some instances, in support of the opinion thus unhesitatingly delivered to the British Parliament, documents which contained statements directly opposed to his assertions? This is indeed a serious charge against a British statesman — nothing less than that of wilfully misleading the country." The paper is one of the very ablest yet produced on the great question of. our day, and we do not doubt that it will be universally read and admired. The writer is in every respect master of his subject, and brings to its discussion clear and intimate knowledge of the actual condition of Turkey, with penetrating views and impartial judgment. The Freemason? Quarterly 3fagasine. London Routledge and Co. A Goon number. The snide on St. Saviour's, South wark, is especially interesting. This church is cele brated for its architecture, the poetical dust it holds, and its epitaphs—beautiful and ludicrous. Amongst the latter is one on a famous quack who died in Charles the Second's reign:— His virtues and We pills so well are known, That • • • • • • • We pilla embalm him safe To fhtnre times without au epitaph. Another is on one Garrett or Garrard, a member of the Grocers' Company: — Garrett some called him, but that was too hye, Ills rune is Garrard who 11UW here dutli • • • • Weepe not fur hint since he is gene before To Heaven, where gnreera there are many more. Amongst the beautiful is one on a tomb which bears no name, and the sex of the deal is unknown ; but death occurred before the age of twenty, and the lines are so sweet that wa think they can only mark • woman's grave Not twice ten yeeree of age, A weary breath lime I exchanged For a happy death; lily cou rse s 4. short, - The lower I. longer is my resat God,tAkes them sooovst . Whom he lorelli hest ; ',arias that's home+ to-day, , And died to-morrow, Loseth some days of rest, But more of sorrow. PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. Boma. The Last Days of Potepsii. Routlatlge. Liffrt4 dusti•al.o. Pueme by Caroline W. Leaky. Bicker.' and Bush. Sweet South, and other Pow, Eleanor Darby. Hope and On History of Kaplan(' in Rhyme. lo edit of Naval Daring. E. Clifford. urray. Alunette and Her Lorers. T. Uaytine. Smith and F.lder. The Lori we Lire in. Part 1. Orr and Co. The Titans of Today. Hope and Co. The Press: Its History and A,'euutagrs. 11. Morris. Xing. A DErRP.F. has been signed, conceding, for thirty years, to M. Loubat, an omnibus railway similar to that from the Place de la Concorde to the Barriere de Fumy, and which is to run from Vincennes to Sevres, with branch lines on St. Cloud and Berry, and passing along all the quays of Paris. The rails of M. Loubat have been fcr the last eighteen months in use in the principal streets in New York, and have not been found in any way to impede the circulation of other carriages. 1 !I J '