The Press.
London, England, 1857-01-03 00:00:00

PERIODICAL LITERATURE.

THE New Year's number of the New Quarterly
Review is a very admirable one, and the directors
evince perfect comprehension of the real uses and
objects of a work of this kind, secrets apparently
bidden by Cimmerian darkness from the majority of
editors, or we should have more introductory and
critical notices and fewer essays got up in the head-
achy rooms of the Museum, and destined to impart
to the reader the headache of their birthplace. In
this New Quarterly the general reader will find
exactly what he wants to enable him to keep pace
with the literary topics of the day. He is informed
of the names and characters of the books, whether
remarkably good or the reverse, which appear within
a certain period. To most of them he receives just
the kind of introduction that is necessary either to
remind him never to think of the book again, or to
order it at once, and the brief, neat criticism of the
" retrospect " is all that he requires. But to certain
works—namely, such as achieve a place before the
world—articles are devoted of greater or less length,
in which what used to be called reviewing, before
essayism came into fashion, is done, and in most
cases done exceedingly well. In the present num-
ber, for instance, the book in which Mr. Jelinger
Symons (the Moon-Joshua) demolishes the character
of Sir Robert Peel, the addresses in which the much-
abused Airey defends himself against the Crimean
reporters, the gallant Kmety's vindication of his
Kars services, Mrs. Browning's new novel in blank
verse, Robinson's Oriental researches, and a dozen
of novels, are all dealt with, and, in most cases,
fairly and judiciously. Besides these there are some
still more important articles. One, on " Life in
Ancient India," is full of the results of research,
upon which no ordinary powers of mind have been
brought to bear in order to fuse the whole into
logical coherence. The author writes with a fulness
of information and a maturity of judgment that
makes it evident that he is no new recruit or common
soldier in the literary ranks. A political article, in
which the conduct of Lord Palmerston towards Lord
Derby the last time the latter was intrusted with the
formation of a Government receives lively but severe
castigation, is exceedingly readable (the reference,
though complimentary, to Lady Palmerston had
better have been omitted), and the Dictator is
sketched with much skill. An article on the affairs
of America contains much information, and is written
in a temperate yet vigorous tone. Mr. Buchanan's
character is treated with more than kindliness, and
we only hope that the writer's anticipations of his
policy may be verified. At the present date there is
reason for satisfaction with the cautious conduct of
the future President, who refuses to hang out new
political lights, or to engage a staff of subordinates
until he has had time to study his men from "the
" mote removed ground " to which he has been
raised. The articles we have indicated are encugh
to give character and tone to the periodical ; but we
repeat that we consider its great and distinctive
merit to be that it really fulfils the functions of a
review, and in the compass of a hundred and fifty
handsomely-printed pages makes the reader ac-
quainted with all that is 'lone in English and—a
valuable feature—French literature. We heartily
recommend the New Quarterly to those who, at the
beginning of the year, are looking over booksellers'
counters for a handbook to their contents.

We have a very good issue of magazines this month.
Blackwood opens with the first part of "Scenes of
Clerical Life. " The Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos
Burton" is a very clever sketch. The review of
" Aurora Leigh " comes next. The critic considers
the story to be "fantastic, unnatural, and exagge-
" rated ;" the scene in the church to be " abso-
lutely Rabelaisian." In the conduct of Aurora
Leigh towards Romney there is " nothing heroic ;
" there is nothing reconcileable with duty. The part
" which Aurora takes in the transaction degrades
6, rather than raises her in our eyes." He also,