The Press. — London, England, 1856-02-16 00:00:00

IG2 We are disposed to think that this view is really correct. We thought at the time, and we think still, that the assault should have been made with the freshest, the hcttest troops which our general had at his disposal. It was not a battle which had to be fought, but a charge which had to be made, and the French showed us the way in which such a charge was to succeed. Regrets are fruitless, but we are not quite of opinion that " things without "remedy should be without regard." Had the Redan been fairly won, how much higher our position would have been now, and how much more easy would have been the accomplishment of peace ! On the whole these books usefully counteract the foolish notion that the attack on the Redan should be considered a mere feint, and that Simpson had made up his mind to the sacrifice of a few of his poorest troops, to cover the retention of the Malakoff: The book of the Brothers is pleasingly written, and we particularly commend it for the generous and humane tone which pervades its pages. Russia : its Rise and Revolutions. By the Rev Thomas Milner, M.A. London : Longmans. Ma. MILNER, favourably known by his previous pub lications on Russia, has comprised in one volume a serviceable compendium of Russian history,—from the rise of the Russian monarchy in the ninth cen tury to the accession of the late Emperor Nicholas. In another volume the author purposes to relate the reign of the late Czar. Mr. Milner's narrative is almost exclusively confined to the history of the reigning sovereigns and their fortunes; it scarcely touches on the social state of Russia, or on its indus trial progress ; and, in treating of the atrocities of certain monarchs, he does not always bear in mind the ferocious spirit of the time,—as evidenced not in Russia only, but in other countries of Europe. What is said here of Ivan IV., on occasion of his having the Scriptures translated and printed in his dominions, would apply to his contemporary sovereign, Henry VIII.: The incongruity is not a little striking, that the same man who placed in the hands of his subjects a printed portion of the Scriptures in the mother tongue, rioted in their blood, and Fverned them by means of the rack, the stake, the ale, and the hangman. Russia was fortunate in some of her early rulers. Vladimir Monomachus, who wedded Gyda, daughter of Harold, the last of our Saxon kings, lett a death- bed exhortation to his children, remarkable, says the author, "for the enlightened spirit of its maxims." Among them we find : My dear children, praise God, love men ; for it is neither fasting, nor solitude, nor monastic vows, that can give you eternal life ; it is beneficence alone. _ Be fathers to the orphan; be yourselves judges for the widow. Put to death neither the innocent nor the guilty, for nothing is more sacred than the life and soul of a Christian. Violate not the oath which you have sworn on the cross My brothers said to me, " Assist us to expel the sous of Rotislaf, and seize upun their provinces, or renounce our alliance." But I answered, " I cannot forget that I have kissed the cross." Endeavour constantly to obtain knowledge. Without having quitted his palace my father spoke five languages —a thing which captivates for us the admiration of foreigners. The aptitude of the Russians for languages sub sists in full force at this day; and is sufficient of it self to show the intellectual inunuity of the people. The revolutions in the reigning dynasty do not seem to have gone far down among the people. Russia itself has never yet passed through a revolution of principles, as England did at the time o ' l, wars, and as France did more recent'y. The gre .t body of the people have been alma t uniform) , obedient., and have participated neither crimes nor the mutations of the governing powers. A" History of the Sovereigns of Russia" would have been a more appropriate title for Mr. Milner's book, than a history of Russia itself. It is significant of progress in the right direction that, while the Rus• sian Purple, previous to the commencement of the present century, has been stained by the greatest crimes, it has for the last fift3 years been conspicu ous for at least as much domestic virtue and felicity as have distinguished any Court of Europe. The present Emperor is himself the fond father of a happy family, and report speaks highly of the sumabilit, of the Imperial circle. The growth of such pure domestic influences is a good omen for the future pacific sentiments of the Russian Govern ment. We recommend Mr. Milner to adopt a higher tone in the continuation of this history which he contemplates; let him resolve t o r i se a b ove preju dices of all kind, and to speak only the truth, and he may rely upon it that, in the end, he will find his account in thorough historic honesty. But for such an aim some elevation of mind is required, and Mr. Milner does not give us the impr ess i on o f b e i ng more than a diligent compiler, adapting his wares to the present state of the literary market. THE PRESS. A Manual of the Domestic Science of Medicine. By W. B. Kesteven, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. London. Longmans. THIS " Manual " pretends to no more than to give simple, plain, and judicious directions for the treat ment of disease under circumstances precluding the possibility of regular medical attendance. The plan is, first to describe the symptoms of each disorder, so that its true character may be recognised; then to notice its causes ; and lastly to prescribe its treatment as regards medicine, regimen, and discipline. In this latter division more minute particularity (though much must of course depend on the intensity of the disease and condition of the patient) might have been introduced with advantage ; for, as the book is addressed to persons supposed to be ignorant of the science of medicine, and therefore incapable of exer cising that independent judgment which results from knowledge and experience, it is evident that the treatment laid down should be in all respects as pre cise as possible. The volume is divided into six sections,—the first being on ordinary diseases; the second on midwifery; the third on accidents; the fourth on poisoning; the fifth on medicines, with a copious table of prescriptions ; and the sixth on hygiene, or rules for the general preservation of health. The author can claim for himself conside rable experience, and has compared it in the compi lation of this work with the labours of the most eminent medical men of the day. His manual is modest, complete, perfectly free from every kind of quackery, and, within the limits assigned to it, may be eminently useful. PUBLICATIONS RECEITED.-FER. 7. BOOKS. Statesmen if the Time of George M. Lord Brougham. Griffin and Co. The Dramatic Works of William Shakspeare. S. W. Singer, F.S.A. Bell and Daldy. Pinocchi. J. W. Parker and Sou. _ Lessons in General Knowledge. Robert J. Maun, M.D. Longmans. History of Europe. Sir Archibald Alison, Bart., D.C.L. Vol. V. Blackwood. William Penn. An Historical Biography. Hepworth Dixon. Chapman and Hall. Sermons in Stones; or, Scripture confirmed by Geology. Dominick M'Causland. Bentley. The Danes and the Swedes. Charles H. Scott. Longmans. The Food of London. George Dodd. Ditto. Our Own Story. Selina Bunbury. Hurst and Blackett. PAMPHLETS. An Essay on Parliamenlary Reform. More Bishops--Why We Want Thfmt. Hope and Co. Ditto. Sketches fruns Life—Leaves from a Surgeon's Note Case. Riddle. Strike, but Bear. A New View of the Eastern Question. Stanford. Mr. Murray's Illustrated List al Works. Bradbury and Evans. A Letter to Sir G. Grey on Legislation for the Church of England. Vacher and Sons. Sunday Trading in London. By a London Employer. Rivingtons. Government of India. Speech of Malcolm Lewin, Esq. . .. _ - Stanford. Life Peerages. Substance of the Speech of Lord St. Leonards in the House of Lords. 3lurray. Recruiting in the United St ales. J. Wilson. Speech of the Earl of Gornarcon to the Reading Literary and Scientific Institution. Reading: Cowslade. The Eumenides of ,Eschylus. Blackwood. Sugar Cultivation—Malacca. Hardicicke'r City Guide. Hardwicke. ~ Electoral itepresentation. Ditto. The Farmers' Club. G. T. Thomason. The United Church Journal. Seeley. The West of Scotland Magazine. Hall and Virtue. The Amateur. Hope and Co. _ __ . Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine. Boy's Own Magazine. Beeton. Ditto. ate Nrama. HAY MARKET THEATRE.—Kotzebue's Stranger, pro duced at the Haymarket on Tuesday for the purpose of introducirg a Mr. Simpson to tl e London public, is a trying play for the debutant. The audience, im patient of action, wish to see what the new man can do, yet for the first half of the piece he has little more than to sit with book in hand, or to utter a few unimportant phrases : which make no Impression. In the earlier scenes the interest is solely sustained by the character of Mrs. Haller : a mother separated from her children has touches of nature to portray. Miss Reynolds for the first time played Mrs. Halter. It was a well-studied performance; her affliction on leaving the Count's child, "I have a William too, if yet alive," was true and affecting; her acting throughout was replete with grace and touching sim plicity. Mr. Simpson, notwithstanding the disad vantages incidental to the piece, and a physique not very favourable to the character, sustained the 'earlier scenes with ease) and as the stirring of the play advanced, displ His SATURDAY, action of the play advanced, displayed some power and feeling His reading throughout was good. The piece was well put on the stage, though the drawing-room scene was not sufficiently brilliant. Mr. Braid gave unusual prominence to the character of the Baron, by hts judicious and effective acting. Mr. E. Villiers, as the Count, was tame and unsatisfactory ; and Miss Swanborough, as the Countess, looked well, but nothing more. The applause was great at the fall of the curtain. ADELPHI.—A new farce was brought out at this theatre on Monday night, with complete success. That Blessed Baby (such is the title of the new piece) was carried through all the usual difficulties which attend all new corners into this "tough world" by the excellent " fooling " of Mr. and Mrs. Keeley, and the curtain fell during unanimous calls for the author, whom we understand to be Mr. Moore. OLYMPIC.—A two-act comedietta was brought out this week at this theatre. It is a new version of an old favorite, Un Mari qui sc dhrange. The ex- cellent acting of Mr. G. Vining, Miss Fanny Ternan, Mr. Emery, and Mrs. Stirling, secured the complete success of the piece. Corttspanbentt. MR. LOWE'S " REFORMS." TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir,—Being a regular subscriber to your highly talented paper, I was very much entertained by reading, in your last number, the complete exposure of the flagrant plagiarism of which Mr. Lowe, the Vice-President of the Board of Trade, had been guilty, in introducing into his Limited Liability Bill, in almost the exact words of Mr. Cairns, the proposi- tions which that gentleman brought under the notice of the house last session, and which were then opposed by Government. My object in now addressing you is to point out some of the absurd mistakes committed by Mr. Lowe when, relying upon his own resources, he introduced to the house his bill for doing away with all passing tolls, town dues, A.:c. The comments I have to make bear special reference to the latter. A large portion of Mr. Lowe's speech was devoted to showing the great hardships and injustice caused to ship_viny by the heavy town dues levied by the corporation of Liverpool on vessels entering that port. To go into the subject fully, and expose all the fallacies of which Mr. Lowe was guilty, would require more of your valuable space than I have any right to expect you would accord to me, so I shall briefly confine myself to pointing out one or two of the most glaring blunders contained in the speech. In speaking of the Liverpool town dues, Mr. Lowe fell into the extraordinary mistake of supposing that this tax was one imposed solely on shipping, whereas there is not a single penny-piece of it raised in this manner, the dues being wholly derived from a tax imposed on the goods which are exported and im- ported, so that his laboured argument to show that this measure oas intended for the relief of the shipping interest, which since the passing of the Navigation Laws was entitled to such great consideration, falls entirely to the ground. Again, Mr. l.owe is altoge- ther mistaken in stating the amount derived from tlis source, which has been expended for the benefit of the shipping interest. In a great port like Liver- pool, where the commercial interest predominates ro largely, immense sums of money must necessarily be spent in an indirect manner, which nevertheless tend solely to benefit the shipping interest; and the corpo- ration of Liverpool are prepared to show that instead a the paltry 3,0001. odd named by Mr. Lowe as being annually devoted to the improvement of the docks, a sum of something like thirty times that amount would he nearer the figure when the whole truth is known; and Mr. Lowe does not propose wholly to abolish the town dues, but to hand over the collection and expenditure of the amount required for the expenses of the port to some Government Board or " Circumlocution Office," which will no doubt be better able than the Liverpool corporation to know " how not to do it." In regard to the legality of depriving the town of Liverpool of those dues which have been purchased and paid for like any otber property (not to speak of the special act of Parliament obtained by the corporation after their purchase from the Earl of Sefton, who held them by a grant from the Crown), Mr. Lowe makes the ex- traordinary statement, and lays it down as the law of England, that in the case of individuals possessing such vested rights, Government possesses no power to take them away ; but Where they are held by a cor- -1