New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-01

read tho dedications from the time %
Charles III. to that of the Georges without a
sense of disgust ut the thrifty hypoc-
risy of the writer's who debascd their genius
to the work of fattery, and the faulty OF inc
mobiles who exacted or encouraged 1t. we
have improved in many things since then, Dut
in nothing moro than in the independence OF
men of letters. Their calling has become so
honorable and lucrative that there ~ no longer
any necessity for their seeking the sanction
of names known in the peerage and IN the
government to protect their work. The
progress of o century or so in this respect
would be seen at q glance, if we should try
to imagine Dickens or Thackeray attempting
to float new novel by dcdicatine 1t to the
Prince of Wales or my Lord Tomnoddy, or
Mr.. Motley seeking to create favorable gale
for q new history by inscribing it to Mr.. Fred
erick Grant or Accomplishment Williams.
But in spite of the unqueStionable progress
thus made there is a good deal of social power
yet left to great names in England, and 1t can
sometimes be brought to bear rather heavily
upon men of letters. Just now it Is related
with something Of shuddcr in loyal circles
in England that the Queen is dspleased with
Mr.. Reeve for having undertaken the editing
of the Grevllle Memoirs, and that he is to DO
excluded hereafter from Her Majesty's draw
ing-roOms 1t is also said that il he had not
committed this gricvous indiscretion, he would
have been promoted from the post he now
holds as Registrar of the Privy Council to the
position of Clerk, lately vacated by the death
of Sir Arthur Helps. That is to say, if he had
been as discreet and quiet in his literary work
as Mr.. Grcvile was, he might have risen to
Mr.. Greville's place, and had an Oppor-
tunity Of keeping q diary no less
piqulnt and instructive than bis. 1t is
said, however, that the Queen Is as just as
she is implacable, and that, although she for
bids Mr.. Reeve to enter the sunshine of the
royal presence, she will not take from him the
Office which he holds. BIT it will not be sur
prisnR to hear that in losing favor he has
also lost his place, for he would be but
stricken deer in the Privy Council, after 1t is
ascertaincd that his sovereign looks unkmdy
upon him. Meanwhile the post he might have
had, it is thought will be filed by Mr.. Martin,
who has written life of the Prince-COnsort
in the only way royal biographies ought to be
written by authors who are sensible of their
own interests, painting portrait OF HIM IN
that eight winch beats upon the throne" TO
which Mr.. Tennyson refers, the light of I'M
questioning and sarvile adulaton.
Row. while this may appear a somewhat
severe and arbitrary proceeding towards Mr..
Reeve, there is Il good deal to be said on the
part Of the Queen. In this book, the begin
ming of which Mr. Reeve has placed before
the world, the Queens family is made ridicu-
Ions and worse. Her uncle and Immediate
predecessor is represented as good deal of
bulloon and something of n blackguard, and
her august kinsman, George the Fourth, Is
mcrcilcssy shown forth as the mean, false
and cowardiy sc0undrcl that he was. Among
those who are not in tho least interested III
the matter, there is some doubt whether
Grevillc'5 diary ought ever to have been pub
lished. Everybody enjoys it, except the chill
dren of the people who are roasted in it, and
there is not much doubt that it is substantially
truthful. But Mr.. Reeve ought certainly to
have known that he could not put his name
to such an iDccndiary volume without exciting
natural resentment OH the part OF those
whose susccptibiiities would be wounded by
it. Holding a position which brought him at
certain times into the presence of the Queen,
he ought TO have known that he would not be
favorably regarded, after showing that emf
Eently domestic lady the light in which good
many of her family would appear on tho day
of historic ju lgmcnt. There were men enough |
to do this work if it ought TO have been DONE
without calling upon an officer of the crown |
to do it, 1t is true that men of letters have |
outerown the necessity Of being courtiers. |
But courtiers cannot yet be men of Letters with |
impunily.