The Press.
London, England, 1854-10-07 00:00:00

at its disposal. We see in the present war that the
army was mobilised, reserves called out, recruits
raised, and Cossacks brought up from distant pro-
vinces, till the effective force was swelled to nearly
600,000 men But, with all this immense force,
scarcely 100,000 men were brought into action, and
at length, when, beaten at all points, they were com-
pelled to evacuate the invaded provinces and retire
across their frontier, not a score thousand of the
half million reserves could be sent to the assistance
of the beaten army. Of the Russian recruiting sys-
tem we have some curious facts :
" If we could see a batch of Russian recruits starting
from their villages we should be surprised at the precau-
tions which it is necessAry to take to ensure their arrival
at head•quarters. They are usually guarded en route by
Cossacks, and sometimes marched off in chains; but, in
spite of precautions, desertions constantly occur. All who
a.•e acqua►nted with the character and habits of the various
races that make up the Russian nation agree in stating that
t) the bulk of them the military service is an object
of profonnd aversion. On this point there can be ne man-
ner of doubt, and the most superficial traveller who visits
the Czar's dominions is struck by the quiet and peaceable
turn of all around him." _ _

---
With regard to the troops in the Crimea, the writer
is of opinion that their number does not much ex-
ceed 40,000 men, and that fresh corps cannot arrive
from the interior. If Menschikoff's army has been
brought up to 60,000 men, it has been so only by drain-
ing the Crimes of troops, and leaving Odessa, Nicolaief,
Cherson, and the northern coasts of the Black Sea
unprotected. The article is full of valuable detail.
But we have already exceeded our space, and can
only recommend the present number as being one of
the best we have had for months.
The most striking paper in Tait is that on "Our
Social Morality." " The great sin of great cities"
seems generally to have been abandoned as a pro-
blem of hopeless solution. But so many unpleasant
revelations have been made of late, that humane
people ate beginning to stir themselves up once
more to try and check this evil, or, at least, to put
a stop to the gross traffic which appears to be daily
carried on between the Continent and this country,
and vice versa. Tlrrt, subject is energetically handled
by Tait, but the remedies proposed are wholly in-
adequate to the evil. The other articles do not call
for particular notice.

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.
IlooKs.

Scot's litpert on Cholera in Madras. Blackwood and Sons.
Zana. Mrs. Anne Stephens. Ward and Lock.
History of Ferdinand and Isabella. IV, H. Prescott
Rontledge.
Bentley.

Idaline. Mrs. J. B. Webb.

Captain Canal.
The Parish. P. Smith.

Ditto.
Sweet.

Egypt's Place in Universal History. C. C. J. Bunsen.
Vol. IL Longman and Co.
Turkey : its History and Progress. Sir George Larpent.
Hurst and Blackett.

tlt prams.

ST. JAMES'S.

THIS theatre opened on Monday evening, under the
management of Mrs. Seymour. The performances
commenced with a new and original five-act drama,
by Messrs. Tom Ta)lor and Charles Reade, called
The King's Rival. The period chosen is that of
King Charles 11., and the plot of the play hangs upon
the rivalry which exists between the King and the
Duke of Richmond for the love of Miss Stewart, who,
as described by De Grammont, "was possessed of a
"beauty hardly possible to be exceeded." The duke,
who, previous to the opening scene, is supposed to
have outgeneralled the king, and to have secured
Miss Stewart's affections, arrives at the court with
despatches from the fleet, and, as the principal
piece of court scandal, hears that Miss Stewart is
the king's new favourite, a rumour which Richmond's
jealous mind confirms when, in his interview with
Miss Stewart, he finds that she has appointed that
very hour for a private visit from the king. Dis•
traded with jealousy, he declares to her that he will
leave her for ever, return to his ship, and seek his
death in honourable strife. Miss Stewart, who is
faithful to her lover, and has always, without
being able to prevent, repelled the king's addresses,
determines to hinder this, and influences the king
to deprive Richmond of his command, thus blinding
the king, who begins to be suspicious of the duke,
as a rival, and at the same time retaining her
lover at court. A second interview occurs between
the duke and Miss Stewart, in which his violent re-
proach and bitter sarcasm part them in anger. This,
with a little episode in the abduction of Nell Gwynne
by Lot d Buckhurst, who is too poor to pay the men for
the business, and Nell has not only to suffer carry-
ing off but to pay for it too, concludes the second
act. The third is occupied with a masque at Spring-
gardens, to which the queen comes, attended by
Miss Stewart; the king of course is there, recognises
" la belle Stewart," who on her part recognises Rich-
mond, and the usual amount of espionage, mystifies-