The Press.
London, England, 1857-12-12 00:00:00

Yiteraturt.

A Year of Revolution. From a Journal kept
in Paris in 18-IS. By the Marquis of
Normanby, K.G. London : Lougmans.
CONSIDERABLE expectation was caused by the
long announcement of this work. It was
advertised extensively ; its publication was
then postponed, and there were rumours that
it would not be allowed to see the light for
many years. Its title was stimulating, and
the circumstance of an English Ambassador at
Paris publishing the contents of his journal
so recently after his tenure of office was out
of the diplomatic routine. That the Mar-
quis of Normanby had literary talents of a
light, pleasant kind was also remembered ;
and his personal accomplishments, his social
qualities, his highly agreeable manners, and
his wide experience of life, all combined to
raise expectation to the highest pitch.
On the first appearance of the work there
was a decided feeling of disappointment both
in the clubs of London and in the salons at
Paris. It was utterly unlike what everyone
expected. It revealed no secrets ; it gave no in-
sight into the sentiments of the English Cabinet
of 1848 ; it abounded in slipshod composition,
anti an entire disregard of style was visible
throughout. It was neither eloquent nor
sparkling, and had scarcely any interesting
anecdotes. It was branded as " blue-book,"
and the Marquis was informed on high lite-
rary authority that his sentences " sprawled "
along the pages. There was much truth in
the literary censure, and there was abundant
cause for the disappointment; and yet, as we
shall soon show our readers, the " Year of
Revolution" is a book of considerable impor-
tance, and we confess to feeling pleasure in
its perusal. If read with a literary eye, it is
inelegant, inartistic, and unphilosophical but
if examined from a political point of view, it is
entitled to much weight, its statements are
often remarkable, its evidence on some dis-
puted passages of the events of that (mints
mirabilis cannot be hastily passed over, and it
contains many things which deserve the
earnest attention of those who take a deep
interest in French politics.
How the literary style of the work is below
what was expected can easily be explained.
It is not a narrative of " The Year of Revolu-
tion," and the title is not supported by the
contents. The volumes contain only portions
of a journal kept in Paris, and literally scrib-
bled off as fast as the Marquis's rapid pen
would allow. The work, therefore, has all the
appearance of the hurry incidental to fast
writing ; and the Marquis has preferred to
leave his notes exactly as they were jotted
down at the time. Hence, as our readers will
see at once, a great cause of disappointment
was given to readers who expected a detailed
history of "the year of revolution ;" but hence,
also, in a political point of view, arises the
increased value of the testimony given by the
Marquis of Normanby on the momentous
transactions of that extraordinary year. We
must add. that if the literary merits of the
work are few, it possesses many good moral
features. It is written with good temper; it
is not malignant nor spiteful ; nor can it be
said to be onesided in political views. It has
none of the cant of Whiggism, and is not an
echo of Palmerstonian dictation. Its great
value is the frank testimony borne by the
Marquis to the situations of the leading indi-
viduals at Paris, and also to the state of
political feeling throughout France
The best feature of the work, still consider-
ing it politically, is that the author does not
make out a ease for any one side whatever,
unless it be to show the utter delusion of sup-
posing that a " moderate Republic " could
last in France. We think that his views of
the political characters of Louis Philippe and
M. Lamartine, Guizot and Cavaignac, are fair,
and are extremely like the truth. But in no
part of the work is the noble author's fairness
of tone more remarkable than in his views
upon no less illustrious a personage than his
Imperial Majesty Napoleon 111. Let us
place the Marquis of Normanby in the chair,
and see wbnt toßtimony we can extract from
him as tt il!c pursued by the Emperor

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