The Press. — 1854-12-09 (London, England)

1169  positive merits. This romance is marked by great originality, strong descriptive power, considerable eloquence, particularly in the portrayal of character and feeling, and by acute observation of nature. But it is in many parts wildly extravagant and very unartistieally put together. We conceive the narrative would have been improved had the part of the fortunate young gentleman—susceptible_ as he is represented to be, who succeeds to 40,000/. a year, and whose exceedingly comfortable condition does not well accord with the romance of the story—been altogether omitted. Though not a pleasing story, it sustains attention, and for this merit alone will no doubt be widely circulated.  The opening paper of Blackwood, " Story of the Campaign," from the pen of an officer, is neither 80 well written nor so amusingly told as we expected. We have had so many clever and characteristic sketches from able pens, so full in detail and so accurate in description, that one tires over a simple personal narrative which is necessarily meagre in account, and, from the harrassing duties of the writer, perhaps rather hastily composed; but, nevertheless, some of the remarks are worthy of notice, as expressive in a degree of the feelings of the army. Speaking of the failure of the Russians to capture Silistria, and their retreat across the Danube, the gallant officer remarks that:— It was now expected that the allies would push on ; but for this they were not prepared. Overrating the resources of the enemy from the beginning, an advance into the principalities does not seem to have entered into their calculations. Various reasons for our inactivity were circulated ; the commissariat could not supply us on the march ; there was no transport for the reserve ammunition; we were waiting to see what Austria would do. Leaving diplomatists to attach a value to the last reason, I may say, that the commissariat would probably, if they had been called on, have found means to supply the army, but that the want of animals to carry the ammunition formed a more serious obstacle. When the cholera broke out so fiercely, and even followed the army after they bad embarked, we read a horrible anecdote of the dead bodies fleeting up in the Bay of Balchick : Thither the cholera still pursued us, and every day boats might be seen leaving ships, towing a boat astern, whet ein was a long motionless object covered by a flag. After a time the corpses, sewed in blankets or hammocks, and swollen to giant sire, rose to the surface and floated upright among the ships, their feet being kept down by the shot used to sink them. One of these hideous visitants lingered about the foot of the accommodation ladder of one of the transports, till men going down the side passed cords with weights attached over its neck, when it slowly sank. The battle of Alma and the flank march are fairly described. Our position in the wood on the march appears to have been very critical. The " story " is only continued down to the arrival of the army at Balaklava, The first part of a new romance, " Zaidee," the scenery old English and Cheshire, the family modern and rustic, reads well. A paper upon the " Education of the Royal Artillery " reviews the system of education pursued in the Government institutions at Carshalton and Woolwich for cadets, and in the regimental schools for the children of non-commissioned officers and privates. " The Influence of Gold upon the Social and Commercial Condition of the World " is an able review of the increase of the precious metals subsequent to the first discovery of Mexico and Peru, and the effect produced upon the growth of Russia and the general commerce of the world by the discovery and increased yield of the mines of Siberia and the Ural mountains. Of the Government policy with regard to neutral trading, the writer considers that We have committed a suicidal mistake in permitting Russia to enjoy the indirect facilities, afforded by Prussia and other States, of carrying on an export trade, little diminished from its former amount; and, as the result of our weakness and folly, it is well nigh certain that she will be enabled, after all the reverses she has sustained, to enter upon a new campaign in the ensuing spring with resources but little impaired. "'The Prospects of the Modern Drama" is an amusing review of the current plays and players upon the stage. Passing " Peace and War," as inferior to its first part last month, we come to some "Reminiscences of Christopher North," which are certainly a mistake on Mr. Warren's part, and as much below his reputation as they are unworthy Professor Wilson's genius. The present is a lively number of Bentley's Miscellany, as far as variety of subject is concerned. We have first "The Events of the Year" noticed; then a review of Austrian policy in "The Attitude of Austria in the East; " a very good chapter of " Aspen Court," in which a street row and a description of a fighting-man are cleverly drawn, and a Welsh 'village sketched in all its bleak barrenness. 

Article type: NotIncident