New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-10-29

Volumes London: Longmans. Green & Co.; New
York: WorthingtOD Co.
The editor Of the second part of the Greville
Memoirs states in his preface that although II may
be thought that sufficient period has elapsed from
the conclusion of these journals to afford security
agans any wrong or offence to living persons nen-
toned therein. yet he has omitted certain passages
which might have produced ill-feeling leaving 1T
to some future editor 10 restore them when they
can no longer harm any one. The present volumes
are in two particulars calculated to attract less in
terest than the first part of the Greville Memoirs.
The latter. dealing with the early years of the GEN.
fury, was concerned with society which was full
OF scandals a period when conversation too was
much more cultivated; an era of social celebrities
about whom all the world had heard something
and longed to hear more. IT was also possible to
put on record nearly all that the journalist had
written of that period. because of its compare
tive remOteness, for though some people might
resent uncomplimentary reflections upon their
fathers or grandfathers. such criticism Is by no
means the same as if passed upon contemporaries
The Victorian Age, moreover, was, especially IN
It's earlier years. time of great social proprlety'
The example set by the Queen was everywhere fol-
lowed in the circles in which Greville moved and
one OF the results of this higher moral tone was
dimlnuton of the kind of malicious GOSSIP termed
"racy" Greville was led TO concentrate his atten-
ton upon politics in consequence of this change OF
taste and practice, and a result his victorian
journals form a running commentary on current
history from the point of view of an observer VINO
was behind the scenes, and whose political bias
was not strong enough to disturb his judgment
seriously. 1t cannot indeed be maintained that he
was unprecedented. In several instances, and III
particular with reference to Palnerston personal
feeling evidently affects his conclusions. In the
majority of cases however ne is, relatively speak
ing impartial, though it must always be under
stood that his views are those OF an essentially
arstocratic Engllshman.
The view from behind the scenes which the jour
nails present tends largely TO disillusion, as such
close views always do. We see men whose
names we have been accustomed TO as
sociate with high principles, craftsmanship
and strict integrity playing as many and as I'M
scrupuous tricks as the familiar ward politician.
We see Cabinets which appeared to the public per-
fectly harmonious torn and paralyzed with in
ternal dissensOns All through the volume the
conflict goes on, the arena being the House of Com
mons. Parties are constantly shifting and ex-
changing principles and policies 1t cannot be
said that Grevllle throws any new light upon his
tory All that he records has long been common
propertv. But he contrives to introduce confirm
atlon and elaboration here and there, and lie GER
tainly makes it plain that he was consulted very
often by the leaders in politics and affairs gene
rally. That he had no claims to prcscience is
shown by his many bunders of prediction and his
frequent misstatements of fact subsequently cor
rected upon more authentic information. His
picture of the position of the Duke of Wellington
in regard TO the Government and the Court is lnte
resting If not novel. So, too, is his account of
Lord Melbourne's attitude toward the young
Oueen whose confidence in her Prime Minister
was unbounded, and who willingly took all
her first lessons in statecratt from him.
Melbourne is admitted to have acquitted himself
admirably in very difficult and even uneOngenlal
position though IN the Bedchamber question. as 1t
was called. when Victoria fatty refused to submit
TO changes among her personal attendants conse-
queut upon a change of Government, there can BE-
no doubt that the gallantry of the gentleman
caused the statesman TO condOne an uncon-
stitutional position. Such mistake under
the circumstances, however, was easily
committed, the more since the Queen
even at that early period of her reign had
begun to manifest that insistance upon her own
will which subsequently caused scrious embarrass-
ments on moro than occasion. The marriage
of the Queen naturally terminated Melbourne's in
tinacy at the Court though he was always treated
with peculiar consideration by bis sovereign after
ward.
There is a good deal about Brougham in the
journals, ana IL Is not complimentary. WINE
his great powers were everywhere acknowledged
no confidence could be placed in Brougham, whose
utter want of principle. uncertain temper enor-
mons self-cOnceit and eccentricItes made it quite
impossible fo- him to unite himself seriously with
ang party and rendered his political allies as fear
full of him as were his adversarics. His character is
well exhibited in his dissemination of a report of
his own death, to what the press and his friends
would say. The experiment was hardly satisfac-
tory for The Times gave him rasping obituary
article and his friends were disguised at the tIck,
and still more at the useless mendacity with which
he denied it. But he was, after ALL only fresh
illustration of the old observation that great wits
TO madness nearly are allied "a conception which
Pope certainly did not originate.
The description given by Greville of Court life
only emphasizes the conclusion that 1t must even
under the most favorable conditions be insuicTably
dull and tedious to all who not thoroughly
habtuated to the depressing etiquette of the palace
Even in her youth the Queen must have found il
anything but exh,larating, though it is related
that between lunch and dinner she used to romr
with whatever children might be in the castle this
of course being before she had any of her own
The anecdotes in the second part of the memoirs
are not many or particularly amusing. The jour
nalist, whose real affections set on the turf
though he never expatiates upon his favorte sub
ject, and though he often laments his cducationa
defects and indolent intellectual habits wa'
brought by his official position into close contact
with all the political leaders of his time
and they all seem to have consulted hin
at one time or another. He followed tn
course of politics closely. and in hi
descriptions of events it is often curious TO not
how closely he agrees with Mccarthy, though tn
two writers had few svmpathies In common. Per
haps the most interesting feature IN the later vol
umes is the insight given into Palmerston's For
egn Office regime. OF course the principal cir
cumstances have long been familiar TO all tn
world. but the calm and unrufiied audaclty wit
winch the popular Minister defed and ignored no
o,I HE own cbiaf I ord Iohn RusselI hut n so TN