The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-12-24
The Great English Reviews.

The Edinburgh Review was commenced in
the year 1902. Its founders aud eirliess con-
tributors were Sydney Smith, Francis Jeffrey
and Brougham. the latter of whom is said to
have written six articles in the fl ist number.
In those days, however, some of the articles
were very short-not more than two or three
pages in length; sometimes a number con-
tanned nineteen articles, now there are rarely
more than ten. In the first tweLty 1mbers
Jeffrey wrote seventy-6ve artic,es, Sydney
Smith twenty-thrse, Francis Homer fourteen
and Brougham eighty Its poticsl principles
were 10 accordance with those of Wings, and
they were advocated with such ability that the
Tories felt the necessity of establishing rival
organ, and in 1909 the first number of the
Quarterly Review made its appearance. Its
success was immediate; the nircu alton is said
to have risen soon to 1900 COPIES William
Clifford was the editor; aud among its contrbu-
tors were Canning, Walter Scott, John Wilson
Croker, John Hookham Frere and Southey
Jeffrey of the Edinburgh and Clifford of the
Quarterly held absolute sway il the critical
world for many years. Clifford died in 1926;
jeffrey in 1850. Lockhart, tie soa .ir-law OF
Walter Scott, succeeding Glffoid as editor
The Westminster Review was started in 1923
by Jeremy Bentham, with Sir w an Moles-
worth, John Bowring, James NJ II and Roe
buck for principal contributors, tra organ of
nH.
Free Trade, Law Reform aud Clth1iic Eman-
cipation. Subsequently the London Review
came out in the same cause. The Foreign
Quarterly Review made its appearance in 1927
and occupied itself, as implied by its name.
with Continental Literature. In 1886 the Lon
don and the Westminster were combined and
published as the London and Westminster Re-
view. A change of proprietorsbip occurring 10
1910, the word London was dropped and the
original title Westminster Review restored;
md f1nol llu N tho aiov,
view was united with the Westminster, and at
the same time the section known as Contem.
porary Literature was commenced, giving short
notices of recent works, both foreign and do
mestic The British Quarterly Review was
commenced in 1916. 1t was founded by Rev
DR.. Vaughan, a distinguished Congrega.
tional minister, who considered that the
numerical strength and literary resources of
the Nonconformists justified the establish
ment OF a tirst-class quarterly review. Black
Blackwood, bookseller in Edinburgh, in the
year 1917, in the interests of Toryism. The
Edinburgh Review had proved so potent an
auxiliary of the Wings, that it was felt impor-
tant to establish some check to its influence in
Edinburgh. w. Laidlaw and Thomas Prnele.
with occasional material furnished by Walter
Scott, took charge of the early numbers but
the edltorship soon passed into the hands of
Professor Wilson, the far-famed Christopher
North, round whom rallied a band of young
mcu VI taicut, SCuoldISulp anu amDiClOn, VINO
soon gave the magazine an influence and repu-
tation which have attended it up to the present
time. Wilson died in 1854. Besides the seri-
Gus articles Blackwood is famous for lighter
essays and tales, and spirited pictures of life and
manners, reviews and biographical sketches.
Several of Bulwer's best novels first appeared
in its pages The effigy on the cover is like
ness of George Buchanan, the great Scotch
scholar, who lived in the sixteenth century
On political and social questions these periodi-
Gals may be considered semi-oflicial organs of
the parties which they support. But it would
be great mistake to suppose them to be main
ly political. Seldom more than one article in
number is devoted to partisan subjects. The
articles principally consist of contributions by
men eminent in various branches of knowledge
on subjects which for the time are attracting
the attention of cultivated minds The latest
advances and discoveries in the arts and sci
ences, the recent additions to knowledge in ev-
cry department of literature, aud all the new
publications as they issue from the press, are
fully reported and discussed in language al
once clear, f)rcible and comprehensive. The
British publishers invariably refuse to disclose
the names of the writers. The Reviews are re-
published in this country by the Leonard Scott
Publishing Company, New York.