The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-09-11
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In four volumes. each Of which comprises
some three hundred pages. Mr.. John Murray
has published Notes from a DtsrU. by the Right
Hon. Sir MouNrsTUART e. GRANT DUFF The
author is, OF course. the well-known English
Liberal who has been In public life for nearly
forty years as a member OF the House OF Conn
mons, or as the occupant OF Ministerial posts.
or ns an Indian administrator He has long
had, also. n special claim to distinction. due to
the fact that, almost from the time whom he
graduated at Oxford. he has devoted himself to
Tho acquisition OF modern European languages
and OF n thorough knowledge OF the politics
and public men Of the countries In which they
are spoken. In the pursuit OF his purpose he
has been q great traveller. and he probably has
q wider circle OF interesting acquaintance
than any other contemporary Englishman. A
mar Of so extensive an experience could not
help seeing and hearing many things the rec
ord OF which ought not TO perish. Fortunately
for his readers, he determined In the year 1S47
20 keep n diary. and began TO do so on his
eighteenth birthday, making an entry In 1t.
longer or shorter. for every day that passed over
him. Il was not, however. Till he had con-
tinued this practice for something over q
quarter Of a century that IL occurred to him to
read through what he had written. Having
done so. he came to the conclusion that the
record he possessed would not be Ineligible
to others. and. accordingly, no extracted from
Il all that he thought would be likely to please
persons whose tastes are similar to his own.
and threw 1t into a readable shape. 1t 10 this
digested diary. covering the years from lSol
TO 1872, both inclusive. which fills the first two
OF the four volumes now published. and 1t Is
these TO which we shall at present direct atten-
ton. They begin with tho first day OF the half
century, when the writer had just left Balliol.
after taking his b. A. degree. and was APP
preaching twenty-five. This diary Is. In no
sense, an autobiography, which accounts for the
fact that very little Is said in It about the
House OF Commons. although fifteen ofthe years
included in these two volumes were passed in
that assembly. The author has, for the most
mart, omitted references to his public life for
several reasons: first, because he has had fire.
duent opportunities of stating his views upon
public matters, in Parliament and out OF II. and
has printed a number OF books: secondly, be-
cause he has wished to make these pages as
light as possible: and. lastly. because he was
anxious to leave behind him one of the most
good-natured books of its kind ever printed.
and was naturally apprehensive that for a poll
tician to write truthfully OF the political strug-
giles In which he has been engaged without
paying to some OF the combatants the tribute
OF undissembled horror" would be a hopeless
undertaking. To relegate to the background
nearlv all the more serious part OF life and to
Ignore every disagreeable person and thing
encountered would be. no doubt. an indefensi-
BILE proceeding il the author were writing his
memoirs. But this. as we have said. is not the
Else. It is not a memoir. but q diary OF a unique
kind. which we have before us.