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

APRIL 15, 1854. yittraturt. HUNGARIAN HISTORY. History of the Protestant Church in Hunyary. Translated by the Rev. J. Craig, D.D., of Hamburg. With an Introduction by J. H. Merle D'Aubigne, D.D. London: Nisbet and Co. HUNGARIAN literature, for more reasons than we have here space to indicate, is peculiarly unsatisfactory. The variety of races and languages, and the difficulty of finding trust worthy expositors of its social condition amongst a discordant community, involve in much confusion the annals of that highly interesting portion of Europe. Between the histories of Hungary to our own time and of Ireland from the Reformation to the "Union" in 1801 there is considerable analogy. Each country was annexed to a superior monarchy, preserving an existence, free in its nominal pretensions, but subordinate practically to its more powerful neighbour. In both could be traced an "ascendancy," while the aboriginal populations, discontented and disunited, ex pended in vain uprisings the gallantry that, under better political circumstances, should have founded a state. In both countries, also, the rebels affected the language of loyalty, and, partly from their geographical positions, influ enced by the very peculiar aspects which civili sation took in each, they both remained for cen turies always struggling and always subaltern —chafing against authority, and contentious within —leaving behind desultory efforts, fruit less conspiracies, and national failures. The " patriots" of both countries, also, present a stronger genuine resemblance than we are called on to specify. The feat which an un known personage performed of " selling the pass" at the siege of Limerick has been per formed, more than once, with far greater effect in Hungary. Suffering alike from civil and religious discord, both countries have also grievously smarted under self-elected leaders — vaporous and vaunting, traders on their coun try's wrongs, embarking for gain or vanity on the passions of the people, whom they ruled to their ruin. An Irish poet of the last cen tury (Drennan), from whom Sir Robert Peel once quoted (with praise) in the House of Commons, and from whom Moore more than once borrowed (without acknowledgment),* addressed the country, which he first called " The Emerald Isle," in a couplet which gives a key to Hungarian and Irish history Hapless nation ! hapless land! Heap of uneetitenting saad! And when the reader looks at the table which we extract from the appendix to the singularly dull volume before us, he will at once see what " a heap of uncementing " elements are in Hungarian society, and how difficult it would be to indicate a motive force which could as similate into genial incorporation such repug nant materials. In religion Hungary is thus divided : POPrLATION or HUNGARY. According to Religion. Roman Catholics .. United Greek Church 1,322,344 Lutherans Reformed Church Unitarians Greek Church (not united) Jews 244,035 ----- Total 12,t480,408 But it is in its languages that the discor dant points of the constitution are far more plainly seen : According to Languages. Hungarian Slavonian German Wallachians Croatians Raitzians Shohatzians W en ds Bussniaks Bulgarians French .......................... G ree k 5.......................... Armenian 5..................... M0ntenegrian5.................. Clementines .................... Jew 5............................ 4,812,759 1,987,256 1,278,677 2,202,542 888.079 828,305 429,808 40,864 442,903 12,000 6,150 5,680 3,798 2,M° 1,600 244,035 Total ......12,880,406 't* Vide Drennan s slough.' THE PRESS. Then, taking into account the indefinite nature of the authority of the State, wo can see how shallow must be the dupe, and how presump tuous must be the charlatans, who would cry " nationality " as the one thing needed for the happiness of Hungary. The history of Protestantism in such a country ought to be interesting, but the com pilers of this work have served up the dullest mass of reading which we ever asked the pub lic to pass by. It is a case of " all ruffles and no shirt "—Dr. D'Aubigne supplying the former, and the compilers exhibiting great capacity in not producing the latter. There is a most appetitising table of contents, and an appendix not unpalatable, but all between is as mouldy as the remainder biscuit from " our last yacht voyage," or the proof sheets to the article of " Chemistry" in the first edition of " Rees's Encyclopdia." It cannot be called a history, for it has not the sequentiated arrangement or fulness of matter required in narrative, and it reads like an exaggeration of the dry-as-dust style, without that arclueo logical minuteness which imparts antiquarian value to that form of composition. Those familiar with Macaulay, Alison,Napier, Guizot, Lamartine, Mignet, Bancroft, and others, would no more read three chapters of such a volume than our readers' fair country cousins would be caught poring over " Oldfield's Parliamentary History." Even the great features of Hungarian " Protestantism' (so called) are not distinctly marked or plainly set forth. We have always thought that the Hungarian Protestantism was deficient in vital force on account of its frigid nationalism and its hereditary Arianism. It presents no moral or spiritual barrier against the fertile arts and fervid superstition of the Italian creed of Rome. We admit that it is so diffi cult to arrive at certain conclusions about any thing Hungarian, that we would hesitate to assign its "Unitarianism" as being an efficient cause of its unprogressive character. But Dr. D'Aubigne appears to concur in our opinion. He says in his introduction : Nevertheless, control and freedom are not alone sufficient for the Church : she must also possess faith and life. The dominion of the Church among the Romanists is an en tirely outward system of rule, which is in a greater or less decree mechanically submitted to. The authority of the word of God, as acknowledged by the Protestants, is, on the contrary, an inward power acting upon the affections, the will, and the intellect, renewing them by the Holy Ghost, and leading the converted man to obey with joy and not with grief—with love and not with fear—from a strong internal conviction of duty, instead of a stupid and unreflecting servility. To enable the Church of Hungary to take the position that belongs to her among the other reformed Churches, the pure faith held by the children of God must become mighty within her. She must, in obedience to the word of God, believe with the heart and confess with the mouth, the fall of man through Adam's transgressios cot , raption through sin—his utter inability to raise himself from the miserable condition into which he has fallen — the eternal Godhead of the Son of God, who became man, and was offered up for us on the altar of the cross—justifi cation by faith, which, resting upon that sacrifice, rescues the sinner from the death which he has deserved, and gives him eternal life —finally, the Holy Ghost ( God as well as the Father and the Son) ruling in the heart by the word, and liberating it from the law of sin. It is neces sary, then, that the Church of God in Hungary should con fess in heartfelt sincerity, with Luther, as have also con fessed Calvin and all the other reformers : " The first and principal article of our faith is. that Jesus Christ our God and Lord died for our sins, and rose again for our justifi cation. All have sinned and are justi fi e d freely by his grace without works or merit of their own, by the redemp tion that is in Christ Jesus through his blood. No pious man can give up any portion of this belief, even if heaven, and earth, and all things, should be involved in ruin. In this belief is contained all that we teach, bear witness to in our lives, and act upon, in spite of the Pope, the devil, and the whole world." If faith in these articles be a living principle in the Church of Hungary, that Church is secure. We demand then of that Church to hold this belief, to proclaim it (rein the pulpit, to keep it alive in the heart. We make this de mand for the sake of its forefathers, for the sakethe of its martyrs, for the sake of its own life and prosperity, in name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, which is pro nounced over the heads of all its children. This Church has been illustrious in ancient times, and ought at the pus. re sent period to rise up and again take her place among Perhaps she may only be able to raise herself amidst pri vation and tears, bound like Lazarus " with grave-clothes, and swathed in a shroud ;" but if she lives by faith, that is sufficient : her reward will not fail her. It is because the present work fails in pre senting the materials for that introduction that we are so much disappointed with it. We shall have occasion, on works of more import ance, to dwell upon the religious state of 351 South-eastern Europe, a subject of the strong est religious and philosophical interest at the present time. Life linft Correspondence if Henry St. George Tucker, late Ackmuntant-General of India, and Chairman of the East India Company. By John William Kaye, Author of " History of the Witt. in Afghanistan." London : Bentley. Ma. KAYE is not entirely free from the prevail ing fault of biographers. He makes too much of his subject. Any one who should read this book, having no other knowledge of Indian history than that which it afforded, would imagine that " Henry St. George Tucker" had tilled a larger space in Asiatic annals than Cornwallis, Malcolm, Muuro, or Elphiustone. Such, certainly, is not the fact. The hero of Mr. Kaye's unbounded eulogy was a laborious, prudent, and clearsighted individual, who, thrown ou his own resources in early years, got on in the world solely by personal merit, and retained a sound body and mind up to the age of fourscore. It is well that the biography of such a character should be written, since it may operate as uu encouragement to others similarly endowed and circumstanced, and be all the more useful as proving that eminent success can be obtained by industry and perseverance, without extraordinary genius. But we protest against six hundred octavo pages being devoted to the history of a single life, where the subject of that history has nut filled a very large space in the eyes of his contemporaries. All the real contents of this work might have been compressed into the limits of an article in the Calcutta Review ; and, to say truth, some such condensation is wanted. Let it not be thought that in these remarks we disparage the well-earned credit of the late " Chairman of the East India Com pany." He was, doubtless, an able official—a self-made man—a good financier and adminis trator—one who left undischarged no duty that fell to his share—and who in the midst of public turmoil and overwhelming business cherished the relations of domestic life. England, we trust, has many such. They are of a class which belongs peculiarly to this country and age. Still, all honour to them where they appear. We pay a willing tribute of praise, where we protest against exaggerated panegyric. Mr. Tucker's father held high office in Bermuda ; and in that remote island the tion ' s early years were passed. The youth was destined for law ; a profession which the vigorous animal spirits of his boyhood made peculiarly distasteful. Sent to England for education, he readily grasped at the offer of a female relative to ship him as a midshipman for India. The resolution was taken without his family's consent or knowledge, and was by them naturally resented. But their regrets came too late ; the sailor was already on his way. The voyage was rough, tedious, and disagreeable ; a useful though unwelcome seasoning for one who had to make his way in the world. Arrived at Calcutta, and lodged in the house of an uncle there resident, he aban doned with little regret the profession on which he had entered inconsiderately. But his novitiate of hardship proved useful. He found himself, in 1756, at the age of fifteen, without money, almost without friends, a simple adventurer holding no recognised posi tion, and separated from his family by a distance of half the globe. During fifteen years he remained comparatively poor, and, except at rare intervals, in debt. His income did not exceed 00 rupees monthly (721. per annum), a sum on which few Europeans could maintain existence in such a climate and society as that of Calcutta. His lodging, a miserable hovel, was infested with rats, which disturbed his sleep at nights, and left him neither peace nor comfort. On the other annoyances of his position ill-health super vened. A fever laid his strength prostrate, and compelled him to remove to a more healthy station inland. Six years after his landing in India, at the age of twenty-two, be was already grey-haired, and his sight seemed in danger of failing. Nothing in him promised 'I