New-York tribune., 1884-03-08
THE FOREIGN MAIL.
HHAT M QrEENs BOOK ISNOr
Eaom me psU Hau Gazs,,.


As the Queens literary appreciation is 50 Keen
that she felt il presumptuOu- 10 sign her name n
the journal Of Sir Walter scott It ~ doubtless IN
her power to attain something higher than the very
commonplace level of the Journal IN the high
lands" Almost all these better passages, however
apear To have been suppressed In the same Waythe
journal suggests an entirely mistaken impression
by the prominence that ~ gwen 10 John Brown.
II is no DOUBT natural enough that az fuuce Al
bert the hero Ot the hrs series of leaves rom
the Royal journal. John Brown shonld be tho
zero of the second for both series relate sOley 10
the days sDeIt by the Queen in her highland r.,
treat. But Judging only rom thls b0oA lhf cdsudt
reader would imagine thar OF all her SUBJECTS no
statesman scholar. poet, divine or man OF letters
held such high place N the Queen estimation az
this Highland gilhe. There is Of conrse k9yaI
journal m which John Brown l- not the central hg-
ure but that. lor reasons If State cannot see the
light. which IS somewhat unfortunate o..
There J. another great omission from the Queu
new book. Everyone knows how keenly hcr MAJ
esty sympathlzes with all the sOrrOws OF her sub
lects. There Is no railway collision. no INNING
accident that does not call forth ready expressions
VI wOmanly sympathy. Her public spirited patri-
Otism IS no less notorious. Yet II were u Judge
from this journal alone we might almost imagine
that the slaughter of whole regiments OF her own
subjects IN the Zulu campaign moved her less
deeply than the Fate Of the young French adycntuT
or who was spe0red m quarrel in which he had
no concern. In like manner the Royal interest IN
me success of the campaign ia Egypt seems 10
be oyershadowed by the inother's concern in the
safety of the Duke Of COnnaught. All this Is
natural enough. and when n Is remembered that
these entries bur fragments representing the
do no harm. But everyone viii not make that al
lOwance and the impression made by these entries
will not be good Most unfortunate of all the oinis-
siOns. however the almost entire absence or any
reference 20 the interest which her Majesty ~
known by all to take in the ameliOratIOn Of the con-
dtiOn of the poor. In her drives about country
where thousands of the poorest CrOiters 1--we ia
wretohed kennels hardly it for cattle. her Majesty
carefully refrains from allowing a single outburst
of shame and indignation az the misery and degTa-
GatiOn which such lodging involves 10 appear in
her published diary This might not have attracted
much attention II it had not been that her Maj
esty has printed two passages IN which she does
make some reference To the very Wretcbed Little
huts in which she found her subjects living. But
these instances. although declaring that she can
hardly believe that the cottages We're mEant for
human habtatlOn, she seeIns t. treat them rather
from the artistic point of view, as blOts on tho
landscape. than as plaguc-SpOts calling aloud for
the attention of the social refOTmer. OF course ths
Queen must have feft strong desire TO see the con-
ditlou Of these people improved Unfortunately
the entries expressing that anxiety are Omitted
from the published diary although to have mado
room for theu we could well nave spared sons
pages of the Royal itinerary, OF even the descrlp-
tiOn of the upholstery of the bedrooms Ia DunrObn
Castle. On the whole therefore although II shows
q gracious disposition on the part Of her Majesty 70
take her people into her confidence 80 far. we ara
inclined to believe that unless size could have f3ken
them 81 i'll further. IL wOuld have been more Judi
cious not to have published n diary from which all
the most important entries had TO be left Out.