The Press.
London, England, 1855-12-08 00:00:00

1174

rents and ravages of time—ever smiling with verdant
affection around the withering trunk, or the crumbling
stone; enduring all things for the sake of those it loves—
the storm, and the frost, and the lightning, and the thun-
derbolt—that it may cover them with its green drapery,
and stay them with its embracing fibres. By some such
old ruin do we love to sit and muse at eventide, and call up
in the dim light the olden memories of the place and
people—the hall, or the cloister, with the shadows of those
who lived and died within them, ere yet the green ivy
crept to lose, and comfort, and beautify them in their day
of desolation and sorrow.

"The Old House of Darkbrothers " is concluded
in an interesting chapter, and "The Fortunes of
Glencore " progresses favorably. The description
of the storm at sea is very fine. The concluding
article of the number entitled "A Sweep of the Poli-
tical Horizon " is just what it purports to be, a sweep
and nothing more. It is a careful survey of the
actual conditions of our present struggle, builscarcely
attempts to discuss the principles involved in it.
The New Monthly contains a more than usual
variety of articles. We cannot, however, notice them
all in detail. The " Memoirs of Sir William Moles-
worth," by Cyrus Redding, is agreeably written, and
gives us a very fair picture of the deceased states-
man, but contains some foolish remarks on the sub-
jects of "learning," "reason," "authority," and so
forth, on which questions all libe •al writers seem a
little insane. A saying of Sir William is quoted with
great pomp—" Whenever a body of men are found to
" be steadily and tenaciously against reason, we may
" safely conclude they have interests of their own, to
" the exercise of which reason would be fatal." Why,
does not every one see that Sir William is here con-
stituting himself the sole judge of what is "reason "?
Why should not "the body of men" be as much in
the right as he? Again, in his strictures upon
Bishop Copleston's remarks on Locke, quoted ad-
miringly in this article, Sir William entirely misses
the point of objection which the bishop sets up.
"Rupert's March " is a good sonorous ballad by Mr.
T horn bury :

Down on your knees, you villains in frieze,
A draught: to King Charles, or a awing from those trees.
"Punishment of Criminals in the Eighteenth Cen-
tury" is an interesting little article; and indeed the
series entitled "Illustrations of the Manners and
Customs of our Grandfathers" bids fair to become
a principal attraction of this magazine.
- -

. -
This is an unusually good number of Bentley.
The review of Dr. Strang's book on " Glasgow and
its Clubs " makes a most entertaining article, and
has the merit of keeping to the subject. " The
Crimean Hero," and " The Major's Hoax," are two
very lively magazine stories—while they are
judiciously ballasted by a couple of substantial
articles, one on " The Winter Quarters of the Allies,"
the other on "Russian Territories in America." In
" Marginal Readings " we have a good sketch of
Mirabeau. He was of the best blood in Europe,
and despised the canaille as only the " Hero Cox-
combs" could despise them. It is a great mistake
to suppose that revolutionary principles are news
warily antagonistic to the sentiments of ancient
birch. They are so by the force of custom—but by
no means essentially. " Monkshood," this month,
gives us a careful critique of Prescott's " Philip the
Second," and we suppose that the new title given to
his article, i.e., " New-Book Notes," indicates that
his contributions are henceforth to be more purely
critical.

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The Churchman's Magazine contains a variety of
useful articles. The opening one upon Coleridge is,
perhaps, the best. No. 11. of "Pariah Machinery "
is an instructive paper; and the entire number is
likely to prove interesting both to the general reader
and the clergyman.

No. IV. of the St. James's Medley promises well for
this youngest-horn of the Magazine family. "Wet
lington and His Times" is a very good idea for an
article; as also the "Jews in England," in which
certain vulgar prejudices on the subject are ably
combated. " Hanged or not Hanged" is the account
of his execution by a supposed felon who has been
resuscitated. It purports to be a translation from
the French, and is very vividly and forcibly done.
"The Unmixables" is an article on the late absurd
rumour of a coalition between Messrs. Bright and
Gladstone and Mr. Disraeli; we subjoin an extract:—
On other grounds than political consistency, " the com-
bination is impossible." Disraeli, far a great length of
time, has beets the champion of the country party, has en-
joyed the confidence of the Tory party in the House of
Commons, and has boldly denounced the idea of truckling
to Russia; he has ever been a willing advocate of the in-
crease of our army establishment, for the maintenance of
the war on the most vigorous and practicable principles ;
whilst he has spoken loudly against coalitions, and against
the usurpation of Russia: blaming alike the democratic
and peaceful tendencies of Mr. Bright, by ridiculing his
trip to Russia, his visionary schemes of peace, and his
spirit-moving propensities. He has uniformly supported
the Established Church, the Throne. and Constitution ;
and has not failed to raise his voice both loud and strong
against that stream of democracy which has el late too
often threatened our very hearths and homes, and made us
tremble, lest the seat of government should ere long be