The Press.
London, England, 1854-07-29 00:00:00

IMPIPOPIRMIP

THE PRESS.

question. Referring to our Prime Minister, the
reviewer notices his tardinvs, and writes of " the
" series of errors by which either he or Lord
" Clarendon has mischievously atilicted the Turks"
(p. 124) ; and it further alludes to " the blindness "
of the Coalition, and it states in a note :

" It has long been known in certain circles that the
English Government extorted a secret promise from the
Sultan to imprison Kossuth in case of his coming to
Turkey. This promise has been more recently published
in Viennese newspapers."
•

- -
With the views of the Westminster on the Hungarian
question we cannot altogether accord, but we
observe that the eventuality is contemplated by the
writer of the Czar giving Hungary a Russian prince
as an independent sovereign, and playing the
nationalities of both Poland and Hungary against
Aur,tria, if the latter should actually be hostile.
Recollecting the political interest with which the
Westminster Review is identified, it is important to
observe how decidedly it is opposed to the views of
Mr. Cobden and Mr. Bright :
" How far the war is ultimately to go, the events them-
selves must decide ; hut it is not premature to discuss,
what will be to Europe the lowest infliction on Russia which
can suffice to guarantee us against similar evils iu future.
Of course, none of the Russo-Turkish treaties must be
restored. The Sultan not only must not he forbidden, but
must be aided, to build fortresses on his frontier. The
Dardanelles must be as open as the Sound to the Western
ships of-war. Navigation of the Black Sea and of the
Danube must be free to all nations, in fact, not in name.
Commerce with the Caucasians must be established No
protect irate of Turkish Christians must be allowed
to Russia. But all are aware that none of these things
can be secured by parchment treaties, and that Russia will
feel herself victorious, and be incited to new war, if, having
fought her battles on Turkish ground, and in great mea-
sure at the expense of Turkey, she sutlers no other loss
than that of men, which a year or two will repair. To exact
money of her is not easy, and, if the exaction be large,
will simply be a cruelty on her people ; while it can never
give any permanent guarantee. So long as she possesses
a single port on the Black Sea, with her territories unim-
paired. her vast resources will enable her to build larger
fleets than the Sultan, at least until Turkey is better culti-
vated and better ordered."
And there is more writing in the same tone. In
" Wycliffe and his Times " the reviewer contends
that the history of the English Reformation stands
in need of a Niebuhr. " Comte's Philosophy " is
discussed in a very ambiguous manner in the con-
cluding article, which is not written with sufficient
care. The literary notices at the end of the review
are valuable, and merit the attention of all students
of current literature.

THE first and the last articles in the present number
of the London quarterly Review are the best. It
opens with a luminous review of Russian his-
tory, written with great care, and displaying fulness
of matter, stated in a temperate tone. Its title is
" Russia's Place in Christian Civilisation," and, much
as we have read about Russia, we found this essay
extremely interesting. The article would deserve a
reprint. We cannot say the same of the second
paper, treating of " The Modern British Pulpit."
We are told of Dr. Bunting, " Without flattery it
" may be said of him, taking him all in all, that be
"is the facile printer of preachers " (p. 363). Of
Dr. Cumming it is observed with more critical pre-
cision
" His style is loose, careless, and repeatedly spoiled by
incorrect figures and similes. Perhaps one cause of his
failure is the rapidity with which he publishes. It would
be of immense advantage—if not to his exchequer, cer-
tainly to his literary reputation—if he wrote less and
thought more ; if he took the same time to write one tho-
roughly good book which he has hitherto deemed suffi-
cient for the writing half-a-dozen inferior ones."
Further on (pp. 570.580) we are surprised to find
Dr. Cumming's powers as a preacher panegyrised in
a special article on his works. " The Dukes of
Orleans " forms the subject of a historical essay,
deficient in novelty of interest. Quarterly organs
should take more pains to choose fresh subjects and
introduce new writers to the public. The last article
in the number, " New Granada," enters into an
examination of that overlooked State, and the writer
is evidently very familiar with its history and pre-
sent condition. Its capacities for commercial invest-
ment are thus enlarged upon
" The intense heat of the tropics is mitigated by the
vicinity of two great oceans, by the multitude of streams
and rivers, by the vast height of the mountains, and the
snow on their summits continually pouring iced waters
over the plains, and cooling the atmosphere. The timber
—in vale, ur hill, or mountain—comprises dyewouds .
equal to any in the world; mahogany unsurpassed in
richness of grain; cedars like those of Lebanon; ebony
unrivalled iu hardness; the niuro unequalled in varied
shades ; the chicaranda possessing a capacity for the
highest polish; the ohs e and the palm, producing the oils
of commerce which our manufacturers have never ob-
tained in adequate quantities ; and thus the clearance of
land. where so many waters are navigable, is a source of
profit instead of outlay. New Granada is destined to give
In
aid in the struggle between free and slve grown
productions ; fur the soil is no longer cursed by slavery.