"They were often employed in the preservation of order, in guarding criminals at the assizes, in assisting Custom-house officers, in the prevention of smuggling, in checking poaching in the royal preserves, specially in Enfield Chase, and in such like duties.... A guard of 100 men, with a captain and lieutenant-colonel, a lieutenant and an ensign, was always furnished to the King's theatre in

"The Duke of York; but the latter, nevertheless, set an extremely bad example in some respects. It was almost a matter of course that the Duke and

his principal officers should get drunk every night, and they were frequently reduced to such a state that their servants had to put them to bed."

In

matters were at one time even worse, and that it once came to the turn of a major to mount the subaltern's guard at the Tilt. Be that as it may, it was found intolerable that general officers, many of whom were employed on the staff, should hold regimental commissions in the Guards; and the practice was abolished as regards the latter in 1814, though it survived a short time longer in the line. It is, however, curious to note that as

late as 1855 one of the junior lieutenants and captains in the Guards was a full colonel and C.B. Another abuse still sur

to the undue favour shown to the Guards as

was one not to permit any persons whatever to

enter the said theatre in, habits worn by the clergy." For some years previously to 1759 the Guards

had been in the habit of hiring themselves out to unload the coal barges on the Thames. This practice was forbidden, not as interfering with discipline or efficiency, but because it contravened an act for regulating the coal-heaving trade. If, however, the men were prohibited from earning money as coal-heavers, they were, nevertheless, during a portion of the eighteenth century, permitted to engage in other trades. Indeed, some men never appeared on parade at all; others twice a year at muster. While a portion of the Guards were engaged in endeavouring to put down the American colonists, the rest had a still more disagreeable duty to perform. In 1780 the Gordon riots broke out, and the Guards were actively employed in suppressing them.—

"For several days their hands were tied by the imbecility of the King, who walked about among the soldiers giving strict orders not to fire. The consequence was, that much property was destroyed, the

mob was encouraged, and when at length more sensible counsels prevailed, and the Guards were allowed to fire, more vigorous measures were required than would have been necessary had firmness been displayed at first. It is estimated that some 300 persons lost their lives, whereas had it not been for the cruel humanity of the foolish King, probably no more than thirty would have been killed."

From 1783 till 1793 there had been no

commander-in-chief. In the latter year war having broken out between France and England, Lord Amherst was appointed general

on the staff,

"And the King directed that all military matters to be transacted at home, excepting those relating to the Foot Guards, should be referred to him. The King thus specially retained in his own person the command of his Foot Guards, the field-officer in brigade waiting receiving orders direct from His Majesty, or from his adjutantgeneral."

The condition of the British army, both as to numbers and efficiency, was simply miserable, "there being only 32,000 men in the United Kingdom"; and the unfortunate result of the American war had dimmed its reputation. Its state is thus described by a military writer:

"Our army was lax in its discipline, entirely without system; each colonel of a regiment managed it according to his own notions, or neglected it altogether; there was no uniformity in drill or movement; professional pride was rare, professional knowledge still more so-never was a kingdom less prepared for a stern and arduous

conflict."

It must be admitted that an improvement took place under

themselves at the battle of Lincelles, when they stormed some redoubts in the most intrepid

manner. With reference to this action the author observes :

"In physique there is no doubt that at this time the French troops were inferior, for the better part of the population had not yet been drawn into the ranks. The Guards, instead of killing them when they got into the redoubt, rather treated them as a mob in London, striking them with their fists, and frequently calling out, 'Let him alone, the little animal can't do much harm."

On the 15th of September, 1793, the British were ordered to retake the village of Boxtel; but the position was too strong, and our troops had to retire. This affair is remarkable as having afforded the future Duke of Wellington the first opportunity of being engaged with the French.

"The Guards were at one time of the day hard pressed, and a regiment of Irish light dragoons got mixed up with them in a narrow lane, causing some confusion. Col. Wellesley, then commanding the 33rd Regiment, observing this, formed up his men at the end of the lane, and the Guards having passed through his ranks, he wheeled up and threw in some cool and welldirected volleys, which checked the enemy, inflicting much loss upon them."

Reverting to the condition of the British army at the commencement of the revolutionary wars, the author says,—

"Recruits of an inferior description had been sent, imperfectly clad, insufficiently fed, and often without arms; the commanding officers of regiments were often mere boys, who had attained rank by interest, or by raising regiments by means of crimps; men and officers were all hard drinkers, discipline was loose, and some brigades were left without general officers. There was no uniform system either in interest, economy, or in drill, and the commissariat and medical branches of the service were absolutely inefficient."

In 1803 a great change took place in the system of the army. Hitherto the field officers had commanded companies, which were thus deprived each of one effective officer. The abolition of this system and the conversion of the captain-lieutenant into a captain were substantial improvements. Another abuse, however, lasted some years longer. We refer to the practice of allowing officers who were major-generals and lieutenantgenerals in the army to retain their regimental commissions. At the beginning of 1814, of the four field officers of the 1st Guards, two were lieutenant-generals and the other two major-generals; while as for the lieutenantcolonel and captains, seven were major-generals and one was a lieutenant-general. An old guardsman told the writer of this article that

regards staff appointments. On the eve of officers of the 1st Guards alone held staff sides those who were employed on the staff in England and elsewhere. Going back to the Corunna campaign, in which the discipline of the Guards was most conspicuous, we stop to note an historical incident which, though small, is not without interest. It is generally believed that Sir John Moore, after receiving his death wound, was carried off the field by men of the 42nd. It appears, however, that only two of the Black Watch performed that melancholy but honourable duty, and that they were aided by six men of the 1st Guards.

Everybody knows the small but handsome and comfortable-looking club in which the officers of the Guards dine, lounge, and chat. Before 1810, however, in which year the Guards' Club was formed, the only place of meeting which the officers of the brigade had was "a small room in the St. James's coffee-house, at the bottom of St. James's Street, described as a miserable little den, the floor sanded over like a tap-room at the present time." We cannot write at length on the part which the 1st Guards, as well as the service battalions of the other two

regiments, played at Waterloo. There are, however, one or two points which deserve notice. It has been generally supposed that the garrison of Hougoumont occupied that château from the evening of the 17th of June till the close of the battle on the following day. The facts are as follows. About 6 P.M. on the 17th, Lord Saltoun was ordered to occupy Hougoumont with the four light companies of the Guards. The night was spent in fortifying the place. Just before dawn on the 18th, Lord Saltoun was ordered to deliver the orchard to some Hanoverians and Lünebergers, and to join his brigade with the two companies of the 1st Guards, which had hitherto occupied that portion of the post. He obeyed, and was on his way to the main position, when the Duke of Wellington met him, and called out, "Hallo, who are you? Where are you going?" Lord Saltoun mentioned the instructions which he had received. The Duke replied, "Well, I was not aware of such an order; but, however, don't join your brigade yet; remain quiet here, where you are, until further orders from me. "Several hours later, when the battle was just about to begin, an aide-de-camp rode up and told Lord Saltoun to join his brigade. Scarcely had he obeyed the order, when there was a shout of "Light infantry to the front," for the Germans had been driven out

of the orchard. Lord Saltoun was directed to take the two light companies of his brigade down the hill and re-capture the orchard, a feat which he accomplished, but when he reoccupied his former ground, he found that nearly all his preparations for defence had been destroyed. About 2 P.M., Lord Saltoun's men having been nearly all killed and wounded, two companies of the 3rd Guards were sent as a reinforcement; shortly after, the remainder of the battalion of that regiment relieved him, and subsequently all but two companies of the Coldstreams were added to the garrison of the post. Perhaps the most salient and sensational incident in the battle was the attack of the Imperial Guard. A Mr. Leake, who was, on the day of the battle, an ensign of a few weeks' standing, some years ago raised a controversy as to the share of the Guards in repulsing that attack. In our review of his work, we proved that he was quite in error on the subject, and that the Guards repulsed the first column of the Imperial Guard, and that the 52nd only aided in repulsing the second column. General Hamilton, who has founded his statements on the recollections of those more in a position to be well informed than a boy ensign, confirms the view we then took of the matter. He has also given General Maitland's sketch of the affair. We gather that the first column was repulsed by the two battalions of the Grenadier Guards, and that the second column owed its discomfiture chiefly to Adam's brigade,-in which was the 52nd,aided, however, by the Grenadiers. The memory of the heroic but

number of casualties was 1,648; of the officers 2, and of non-commissioned officers and officers 2, and of non-commissioned officers and men 650 died of disease.

We must now conclude our notice of this book. There is much good, but also a little bad to be said of it. It is bulky to excess. The history of the whole brigade might have been written in less space; but the work is crammed with details of a most trivial nature, likely to be interesting to none out of, and few in, the regiment. Who, for instance, cares to know where each company proceeded, to Chatham or Portsmouth, two centuries ago? Who will appreciate accounts of reviews? Who will be edified or amused by long prosy discussions about the colours and badges of each company? Again, the style is inelegant, and there is an amount of tautology scarcely creditable to an ex-VicePresident of the Council of Military Education. On the other hand, not only are the career, progress, and achievements of the regiment carefully traced, but most interesting information is given regarding the military system, mation is given regarding the military system, organization, habits, and abuses, not only of the Grenadier Guards, but of the whole British army. Indeed, reversing the saying of Marshal Bugeaud about the British Infantry, we may observe that General Hamilton's book is excellent, but it is a pity that there is so much of it.

NOVELS OF THE WEEK.

Young Brown; or, the Law of Inheritance. By the Author of The Member for Paris, &c. 3 vols. (Smith, Elder & Co.)

the Duke of Courthope," and, not being lawyers or money-lenders, may be thankful for such a mercy. How all this entanglement acts on the ostensible hero, Young Brown, himself, it would take a subtle herald, with the family tree spread out before him, at least half an hour to indicate. Indeed, some critics, not unnaturally misled by so much confusion, appear to have come to the conclusion that the birth of young Brown points not only to libertinism on the part of the great Duke, but to "something worse," or, at any rate, more unfortunate. This charge of "something worse" the author points out, arises "from a misunderstanding, Madge Giles not being, as was supposed, the sister of the Duke of Courthorpe. But the fact remains that the Duke deceived Madge, whose real name and claims to his own estate were unknown to him as they were to herself. The Duke had no right to the title he bore, for he was not the son of his supposed father: Madge, on the other hand, was that father's daughter, her mother having been privately married to the former Duke, and then abandoned by him." "All these things are," it seems, "duly explained," but we yet suspect that the ordinary reader will find the explanation somewhat tedious, and will, at the last, feel as much doubt as we do whether the Dukedoms of Courthope and Revel are really extinct or not, and—if not extinct-on what lines they would vest, (1) if all the family secrets were made public, and (2) if they were all kept. Indeed, should the book ever reach a second edition, the author will do well to accompany

army, as the writer of this review can testify, for he heard, when in the Crimea, the following story. The Imperial Guard for some time was not employed in the trenches at Sebastopol. This circumstance greatly irritated the line, who were extremely jealous of the Guard. One day a member of the latter wrote up on a wall, "La Garde meurt mais ne se rend pas," to which a sarcastic linesman subsequently made an addition, causing the phrase to run thus: "La Garde meurt ici mais ne se rend pas aux tranchées." From Waterloo till the Crimea the foreign service of the Guards was confined to expeditions to Portugal and Canada. When, however, the Russian war broke out, three battalions were ordered to the East, where they not only maintained, but added to, their former welldeserved high reputation. The part of General Hamilton's work, which relates to the achievements of the Guards in the Crimea, is not the least valuable portion of his book, for he was himself an actor in almost every scene which he describes, and when such was not the case, he received his information immediately after the event from those who were present. We cannot, however, spare space for any more extracts, but must refer the reader to the book itself, assuring him that he will find in it priceless materials for a history of our last European war. We may, however, give the following statistics, which show how heavy were the losses of the 3rd battalion of the Grenadier Guards. The total who went out at various times was 2,458 of all ranks. Of these, 20 officers were killed, wounded, or died of wounds or disease, besides those who were invalided; while of sergeants, drummers, and rank and file, the

Mark Brandon's Wife. By Elizabeth J. Lysaght. 3 vols. (Ward, Lock & Tyler.) So fearfully complicated is the story told by the author of 'Young Brown,' that the one and only way to follow it is to construct a genealogical tree of the Wyldwyls, filling it up as we go along, and to keep it constantly unrolled before us as we read. The true hero of the tale is not Young Brown himself,whose shining virtues make him little short of a prig, but a certain wicked Duke of Courthope and Revel, who, "bearing a title that is not his, knows that he is in two ways a usurper of all he sees around him. First, he was not the son of the late Duke and Duchess; and, secondly, the late Duchess was no Duchess at all, seeing that her husband had been clandestinely married to a woman whose child might at any moment arise and turn the present occupant with disgrace out of name and homestead. In addition to all this, his Grace had himself, in imitation of the paternal example, married privately, and begotten children, who, if not legitimate according to English law, might yet come forward, on the strength of their mother's Catholic marriage certificate, and make Lord Kinsgear's life a burden and a reproach to him." When we add that the difficulties thus indicated are but a tithe of those in which bigamies, clandestine marriages, adulteries, and the adoption of suppostitious children, have involved his Grace, we may well agree with the author that "there are few such gentlemen now left in England as

young

which it would be an injustice to him not to reproduce. "I have striven," he says, "to illustrate the eternal law which verily governs the world, smiting down the guilty and taking wonderful cognizance of crimes committed with the applause or tacit sanction of mankind -crimes which are often beyond the jurisdiction of any earthly tribunal. In so doing I have hoped, if not to frighten the wicked, at least to console the good, by the assurance that vice, though now and then outwardly triumphant, is never blessed, and that the practice of virtue is not so sterile as it seems. There is, of course, nothing to be said against so excellent a purpose. It could only be wished that the eternal law in question had been illustrated a little more simply. For the rest, there is another law of a less eternal character-the English Law of Inheritance— against which also Young Brown' is directed, and the evils of which it is intended to point out. We have no wish to defend either primogeniture or entail, but we should yet like to know what law of inheritance, short of the forfeiture of all estates of the deceased to the Crown, could possibly be devised that would do full justice to a family complication such as that in the mazes of which our author entangles us. If we are not mistaken, his own suggestion would be, that the law should make no distinction between Ishmael and Isaacsolution of the difficulty which would only multiply our troubles, and pile up ten administration suits for every one that lawyers now contrive to bring about. For the rest, 'Young Brown' is here and there cleverly written, although, as a whole, it is tedious. Scattered

a

over the canvas are clever little touches, that tell of a practised hand, with much of that knowledge of men and things that was so marked in 'Lothair.' There is, for instance, the old Duke of Courthope, who, when, in the latter days after the Reform Bill, a banker presumes to speak to him, looks at the rich man "with a surprise almost pathetic." And there is the younger Duke, whose relationship to the old Duke we will not attempt to define, and whose "discourse very much resembled extracts from an autobiography. He was not a bright or a witty man, and his idea of conversation was to record events that had happened to himself, with his reflections upon them. His ideas had little novelty. He was, indeed, a Conservative, and liked to think backwards; so that whenever a new thing was brought before him, his first impulse was to meet it by a negative." Then there is also Sharpe, the attorney and usurer, who (like many other characters in the book) is a palpable portrait, and who, although a usurer, is yet not at heart an unkind man. "He would have wrung an elephant's neck, of course for one of his tusks; but he would not willingly have harmed a fly, unless something was to be got by it, and all his instincts, like those of most men who deal in horses, were merciful"; and there is also Mr. Mowledy, the village curate, who is head-over-ears in love with pretty, ignorant Madge. "She called him 't' parson,' whereas he appeared in the Clergy List as the Reverend Marmaduke Mowledy. She was a lovely animal, a laughing, singing, cooking, sewing animal; and when Mr. Mowledy thought of her, as he very often did, he sometimes wondered whether we are all born with a soul, or whether we attain to a soul only through prayer and sorrow." Little touches such as these go a long way to relieve the tedium of the narrative. We should imagine, indeed, that our author can write, if he chose, brilliant and epigrammatic sketches of men and things, and would make an admirable newspaper correspondent in a large continental capital. But the sustained effort of a novel is evidently too much for him. He can sketch a duke to perfection. But he cannot construct an intelligible plot.

'Rolling in Riches' is a good title, but that is all we can say in favour of the book. The idea of the anonymous author seems to be the same which occurred to the writer of 'Ten Thousand a Year,' but the execution is widely different. In both cases the basis of the story is the career of a snob who suddenly becomes rich; but the author of the one book has some skill, the other is a bungling mechanic. Were not the title suggestive of good things, we should deem it unnecessary to say more; as it is, however, it becomes our duty to dissect the book, in order to justify our earnest recommendation that no one, however destitute of occupation, should read this worst of all novels. The plot, we must admit, possesses the merit of simplicity. Adolphus Badger, at twentyone, finds himself, on the death of his father, a railway contractor, positively rolling in riches. He at once, by the advice of his private tutor and mentor, buys a place called Compo Castle, and aspires to become a country gentleman. The neighbourhood in which his place is situated being full of vulgar men, who have made, or are making, their fortunes in trade, and Badger's wealth becoming known,

the latter soon accomplishes his object. In course of time he is entrapped into marrying a pretty, but poor and fast girl, who eventually runs away from him. Literally, this is the whole plot as regards the hero of the story; there are, however, certain little subsidiary plots which help to make up the framework of this spun-out novel. For instance, the mentor, or rather toady, Mr. Spongeman, seeks, by means of unblushing falsehood, to win the hand of a beautiful heiress, and nearly succeeds. Another of the minor characters, a well-born young barrister, is on the point of being separated for ever from his lady love, when the kindness of a rich and generous old lady enables him to marry. It was, perhaps, to be expected that Badger, or De Badger, as he calls himself, should be depicted as a snob; but why his snobbishness should be carried to such an outrageous extent, and why almost every other character in the book should be a snob also, we fail to see. The idea is inartistic as well as unpleasant, for the true artist would have brought out the snobbishness of his hero by contrasting it with the contrary in others. De Badger's youth had been neglected; still he had been educated by a private tutor, and his utter vulgarity, not merely of mind, but also of manners and language, is most unnatural. For instance, who can believe that a man of his fortune, however badly brought up, would reply in the following terms to a new club acquaintance, who promises to tell his friends to call at Compo Castle. "Thankee, sir; you're a gentleman, sir; reglar rich, ain't they." Again, De Badger, addressing a beautiful girl, with whom he is much in love, and who was riding to a meet, exclaims, Oh, miss, you ought not to ride such an animal, he is far too hot to be pleasant." To which the damsel, who is represented as very refined and intellectual, replies, snappishly, "Nothing of the kind, sir," &c. Oxonians fare no better in this book than millionaires and young ladies. The undergraduate of the story, son of a clergyman of old county family, is made to say, in speaking to a recent acquaintance of his father, "Rummy, I should think so. I should like to know what ain't rummy what that old rum'un does." Certainly, the said father is depicted as a most insolent, hypocritical, vulgar person. Two or three officers in the army are brought on the scene, and their conversation is simply imbecile, as may be judged from the following extract:"Well, don't you see, Mrs. Snobchester," exclaimed Lieut. Billes, "all the other fellows are on duty, don't you see; so they couldn't come at all, don't you see; and so we're come alone, don't you see." We have now, we think, shown good cause for pronouncing this book to be an utterly foolish and vulgar novel. It has not one redeeming feature. Scarcely one of the dramatis personæ is even tolerable. There is neither plot, humour, pathos, instruction, nor amusement to be found in it. If the author has delineated his characters as types, he has either been deluded by his imagination, or he must have been singularly unfortunate in his acquaintances, and have acted freely on the motto, "Ex uno disces omnes." Why he wrote such rubbish, and why any firm with a regard for its reputation consented to publish it, we cannot conceive.

In an ingenuous Preface, Archdeacon Weak

head apologizes for having written a book of nonsense. It would, therefore, be cruel to be severe on him. In itself there is really nothing objectionable in nonsense frankly admitted to be such, but for nonsense to be worth the paper on which it is printed, it is indispensable that it should be amusing. Unfortunately the little book before us is not at all amusing, and is scarcely likely to be attractive to even the silliest child. The author declares that "the only reason we don't hear animals talk is because we cannot move our ears to suit the sound," and on this theory, assumed for the nonce, he builds up a collection of what we may term animal's prattle. The idea of investing animals with the faculties of reason and speech is not a bad one, though, it must be admitted, scarcely original. Still had the notion been worked out consistently, and an attempt made by the author to view animals and men from an animal's point of view, the result might have been an amusing as well as instructive book. Mr. Weakhead is, however, both inconsistent and prosy, and violates probabilities too violently for even the most credulous child. What reader, however young, could realize the idea of a hen who offers a friend a glass of water, of a cat with a frock, or of a duck recommending a turkey to try a mustard poultice? Throughout the book are profusely scattered verses which are, for the most part, pure doggrel, without a particle of fun in them; e. g., a part of song sung by a cow when her field mate was led off by a butcher :

I answered her, I'm distracted with grief,
And it cannot give me any relief

To think of you in the shape of beef; But I hope you'll come back at some future time, At least in the shape of phosphate of lime. With one exception the rest of the songs are of equal merit. The exception is a song by a willow wren addressed to her young one on a cold November night. It is to be hoped that in future the author, who rejoices in the appropriate name of Weakhead, will devote himself entirely to the composition of canticles of small birds, for he is not likely to attain success in any other branch of literature.

Mrs. Eiloart has written a novel about Suffolk. She has a knowledge of the vocabulary of the district, though apparently none of its idioms, without which verbal accuracy fails to be effective. A more serious error, because it implies so much, is her notion that in Suffolk hares are to be dug out of the earth like rabbits. Compared with this Egyptian darkness it is a small matter that she lends herself to sundry ignorant phrases which are made use of to exasperate the unhappy divisions between class and class. For the rest, her story is not otherwise than clever; and the characters, though far from pleasing, are unpleasantly life-like. "Caste" in the vulgar sense, purse-proud insolence, and capital with a large C, are represented by the dandy son of a self-made" banker; the correlative vices of envy, malice, and uncharitableness in the ranks of labour, are very sufficiently exemplified in a village politician, and his pupil, a half-educated clerk. Mrs. Eiloart has given us the worst types of both orders, but may be justified on the ground that it is well one should see in their full deformity the passions which underlie our boasted civilization. Our author is happier in her heroine than in the male characters about her. The hero, Robert

66

Reed, is ineffably mean. When he becomes acquainted with the fact that the fine property which he grudges to his rival may be his own at the sacrifice of his duty to his unhappy father, and the innocent offspring of that father's unintentional bigamy, he is at first strongly minded to sell his conscience; but, when Sybil stands firm and shields him from the temptation, he makes a virtue of necessity, and poses himself magnificently as a model of disinterested self-sacrifice. Reed's mother, on the other hand, whose love to her unhappy husband gives the title to the tale, is really what Robert pretends to be; and, with the exception of the trifling felony at the outset of her career, comes nearer to being an estimable character than any of the personages concerned.

sent.

which have been found necessary to give it the air of a modern work." This refers to the alterations, transpositions, abridgments, enlargements, interpolations, and refinements which marked or disfigured Croker's first edition of the work (1831), and of which he appears to have repented, if we may judge from his Preface to the edition published in 1847, a Preface repeated in the latest issue of 1866.

Macaulay, with malicious alacrity, did his utmost to "smash up" Mr. Croker and his edition of Boswell's 'Life.' Croker's reply to this smashing up reminds one of the Newgate hangman, who, after "finishing" scores of offenders at Tyburn, had the greatest repugnance to being hanged himself. Mr. Fitzgerald brings forward a long additional inMark Brandon, an elderly barrister, suc- dictment against Croker, as a justification of ceeds to a large estate, and marries an unso- making away with him for ever; and the new phisticated maiden, who has previously lost editor may fairly assert that Boswell's "work her heart to a theatrical scamp whom she texts, notes, and alterations-will now, for supposes to be dead. After the marriage this the first time, be given complete, distinct, and Romeo turns up unexpectedly under a different fenced off, as it were, from all notes and name as Mark's cousin, and by his mani- illustrations supplied from other sources." fest endeavours to revive their old relations The Life,' therefore, is not encumbered by opens her eyes to his real character, in which the homage of friends, who have been comselfishness and vulgarity are about equally prepared to those devotees who stick up lighted The most remarkable feature in the tale, which is not badly told, though certainly not worth telling, is the final scene between Ruth and her former lover. He detains her upon some rocks on the sea coast till she is surrounded by the tide, and endeavours to make a disgraceful bargain for her rescue. His proposals being rejected, he makes his own way to land, and on his return, with the purpose of saving her life, finds the spot on which she had been standing submerged by the tide. He leaves the country in a panic, and Ruth's husband is reduced to the verge of despair, when it is opportunely discovered that she has been rescued by a fishing-boat, and the cheerful result of the incident is the establishment of a thorough understanding between husband and wife. In real life a few words between them would have answered the same purpose with much less inconvenience, but Ruth's perverse silence on the subject of Capt. Paget's old relations to her is not unduly punished by a cold sea-bath. There is little force about the characters. Jack Paget, as we have seen, is a blackguard, Mark inordinately weak, Ruth rather silly, and her father, a converted smuggler, a considerable bore, though not unpicturesque.

candles before the pictures of favourite saints, and who, while intending to honour the saint only, smoke out the picture.

BOSWELL.

The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.; together with a Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides. By James Boswell. A Reprint of the First Edition. To which are added, Mr. Boswell's Corrections and Additions, issued in 1792; the Variations of the Second Edition, with some of the Author's Notes prepared for the Third; the whole Edited, with new Notes, by Percy Fitzgerald, M.A. 3 vols. (Bickers & Son.)

THE above title-page explains with correctness, if not with completeness, the nature and method of this new edition of Boswell's 'Life of Johnson.' It is, in fact, an exact reprint, in every respect, of the first edition, "with the old spelling, punctuation, and paragraphs, and without any of the shapings and polishings

Whether Mr. Fitzgerald has in every case improved upon Croker, is more than doubt ful. For example. In the second paragraph of the biography, Boswell says, "Had Dr. Johnson written his own life in conformity with the opinion which he has given that every man's life may be best written by himself ... the world would probably have had the most perfect example of biography that ever was exhibited." To "the opinion" to which reference is made in the above portion of a sentence, Mr. Fitzgerald gives the original note, "* Idler, No. 84"; but Mr. Croker gives it in this better form, and quotes it as original, thus :-"* Idler, :—“* No. 84. Those relations are commonly of most value in which the writer tells his own story. BOSWELL."

Again, Mr. Croker and Mr. Fitzgerald give the original title-page of Boswell's work, the first edition. They differ very materially. They are not "set up" in the same form; they do not correspond line for line. In Mr. Fitzgerald's copy of the original there is a line which is not in Mr. Croker's, namely, "With the Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides." There is another which differs from Mr. Croker's. Mr. Fitzgerald's copy says "In three volumes," Mr. Croker's copy says "In two volumes (quarto)." In Mr. Croker's the epigraph from Horace is before the biographer's name; in Mr. Fitzgerald's the name precedes the epigraph; and there are other but minor differences. With regard to the form in which the original edition was published in 1791, it was advertised "In two volumes, quarto. Price two guineas, in boards." Mr. Fitzgerald quotes this announcement, to which is added the advertising of "The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson, LL.D. The second edition, corrected." Further, Mr. Fitzgerald states, in a note, "In 1792, an edition, in three handsome octavos, was published at Dublin, which seems to have suggested to Boswell the model for his second edition, issued in 1793." If the English three

a

volume edition (the Dublin edition was pirated one) first appeared in 1793, how have the words "In three volumes" found admittance into Mr. Fitzgerald's copy of the original title-page to the edition of 1791, which edition was, according to Croker's copy of the same title-page, "In two volumes (quarto)"? This may not be a matter of much importance, but it suggests that there may be matters of greater moment which are not to be accepted without due examination as to the value of the evidence and the qualifications of the witness.

Whatever drawbacks there may be in Mr. Fitzgerald's edition, it is an edition which is likely to be permanent and deserves to be successful. If he censures Mr. Croker, he also acknowledges the merits of that gentleman, who never cared to acknowledge merit in others. Mr. Fitzgerald's own labours must have been been of the heaviest; but he has accomplished them honestly, and he may be fairly congratulated on the result. As for Boswell himself, the more closely he is contemplated the more attractive he looks. He was a gentleman and a scholar, and by no means the frivolous personage which some people have taken him for. In his way, Boswell served literature to as good purpose as his idol, Johnson, did in his. Boswell's "Life" alone is sufficient to prove that he acquired, what it has often been denied that he ever possessed or could possess, the power of persistent application to the successful completion of any pursuit. He has been called vain, but he modestly said of himself,

My brain is like a tavern, in which a club of low punch-drinkers have taken up the room that might have been filled with lords who drink Burgundy, but it is not in the landlord's power to dispossess them." But this was not true as applied to himself, Boswell could build the grandest castles in the air, and even try, as he truly said, to live in them. We may all be thankful to the Duke of Argyle, who said to Boswell's father (the judge, Lord Auchinleck), when the son was desirous of a commission in the army, "I like your son. That boy must not be shot at for three and sixpence a day." He went into the law, to please his father. "I am pressed into the service," he remarked to his brother advocates, "but a pressed man, by sea or land, after a little time, does just as well as a volunteer." Even more truly, Boswell said of himself, that once yoked, he was capable of any labour. "I never go into the water of my own accord," he remarked, "but, throw me in, and you'll find I can swim excellently." In fact, he knew himself better than many who have pretended to know him. It is much to his credit that, if he was in debt, he was honestly uneasy under the burthen, and he did not keep up appearances by periodically compounding with his creditors. He gave up drinking wine, as he said to Spottiswood, because he could never drink it but to excess-which Spottiswood called

66

an excessive good reason." Pity it is that his son, Sir Alexander Boswell, did not remember his father's horror of "the irrational laws of honour sanctioned by the world!" For a satirical song against a Mr. Stuart, in the Glasgow Sentinel, in which cowardice was laid to the charge of that gentleman, Stuart called him out. Sir Alexander told his seconds he should fire in the air. Stuart told his that all

he wanted was a withdrawal of the disgraceful implication. They were made, however, to fight, and Stuart killed his antagonist. This was in 1822. In 1857, Sir Alexander's son, Sir James, last of the male Boswells of Auchinleck, died. Six years before, he had succeeded in breaking the entail which his father and grandfather had manifested the utmost anxiety to secure. The entail was set aside on the ground that in the word "irredeemably," the first two syllables had been written in the deed over an erasure. There is not a lineal male heir of Johnson's Boswell now alive, but the world has no indifferent inheritance in the one now before us— -Boswell's Johnson.

OUR LIBRARY TABLE. HEYWOOD'S Collection of proverbs is interesting as the earliest of its class in the language. It formed the first issue of the Spenser Society, a Society from which a complete edition of Heywood's works is to be expected. The manner of introducing the proverb is curious. A conversation of a sufficiently prosaic character is held between Heywood and a certaine yong man," in which each introduces as many proverbs as he can conveniently cram into his conversation. Many of the colloquial sayings thus employed are still in familiar use. Such are, for instance, "Looke ere ye leape," "The more haste the less speede," "Mery as a criket," and the like. It is surprising, indeed, how small is the proportion that may not still be found in local use. As the limited issue of the Spenser Society is not likely to be generally available, Mr. Sharman's reprint, which is now before us, promises to be of use to students of language and customs. Mr. Sharman, the editor, has followed the late edition of 1598, which in the orthography differs considerably from the earlier editions adopted by the Society. His publishers are Messrs. Bell & Sons.

MR. JENKINSON, whose Guide to the English Lakes is well known, has brought out what appears to be a complete and well-arranged Guide to the Isle of Man. It is better written than such books usually are, and we have no doubt it will be much used. Mr. Stanford is the publisher, and we need, therefore, hardly say that a good map is attached to the volume.

M. PERRIN, of Lyons, sends us an edition of the Contes et Nouvelles of Lafontaine. The most elegant and classical outcome of what Frenchmen like to call l'esprit Gaulois, these tales have been a constant attraction to French designers, and not a few of the illustrated editions are among the books dearest to connoisseurs. The edition 'Des FermiersGénéraux,' Paris, 1762, with the plates of Eisen, and that of Didot, which, owing to the failure of plates by Moreau, was never completed, are eagerly sought after, and the first collected edition even, with the designs of Romeyn de Hooge has still its admirers. Immediately after them will come the new edition which is now issued at Lyons. It forms one of a series of reprints of works chiefly illustrative of seventeenth-century literature. There is considerable delicacy with firmness of outline about the head and tail pieces. The larger designs are inferior in execution and coarser in taste. Jules Janin supplies a short introduction, chiefly bibliographical. M. Scheuring's editorial duties do not appear to have weighed heavily upon him.

The

ingtons),-Sketches of the Lives and Times of Eminent Irish Churchmen, by J. W. Murray, LL.D. (Simpkin),-Christian Toleration, by the Hon. A. S. G. Canning (Kerby & Endean),—A Story of Ecclesiastical Intolerance, by F. W. Moody (Curtice),-Sketches of Illustrious Soldiers, by J. G. Wilson (New York, Putnam),-Speech in Season, by the Rev. H. R. Haweis, M.A. (King), -On the Present Attitude of Political Parties, by E. Akroyd (Longmans),—Protestantism, by R. W. Dale, M.A. (Hodder & Stoughton), When You See Me, You Know Me, by S. Rowley, edited by K. Elze (Williams & Norgate), The House of Raby, by Mrs. G. Hooper (King), Eldergowan; or, Twelve Months of My Life, by R. Mulholland (Ward), - Cassy, by H. Stretton (King),-The Poetry of the Orient, by W. R. Alger (Boston, Roberts),-Songs of Consolation, by J. C. Knox (Macmillan),-Among the Gods; and other Poems, by J. Barnard (Bemrose),—and Portraits Historiques et Littéraires, by P. Mérimée (Dulau). Among New Editions we have Jewish History and Politics, by Sir Edward Strachey, Bart. (Isbister),The Pedigree of the English People, by T. Nicholas, M.A. (Longmans), The Boy's Own Book of Boats, by W. H. G. Kingston (Gall & Inglis),—Tyer's Patent Train Signalling Telegraphs (Tyer),— Remarks on the Influence of Mental Cultivation and Mental Excitement upon Health, by A. Brigham, M.D. (Hatchards), The Young Mother's Guide on the Care and Education of the Infant, by Dr. Brochard (Baillière),- Work: a Story of Experience, by L. M. Alcott (Low), Philology of the French Language, by A. L. Meissner (Hachette), and Hymns and other Verses, by W. Bright, D.D. (Rivingtons). Also the following Pamphlets: The History of The History of France, by M. Guizot, translated by R. Black, M.A., Vol. III., Part IX. (Low),-Haydn's Dictionary of Dates, Part VII. (Moxon), The Polysphenic Ship; or, the Possibility of a Greatly Increased Speed at Sea, by C. M. Ramus, M.A. (Stanford), How to Man the War Fleets of England, by G. H. Forster (Wilson),-Remarks on T. W. Grimshaw, A.M., M.D. (Dublin, Browne & Impending Sanitary Legislation for Ireland, by tion, by Lieut.-Col. G. Chesney (Blackwood),-The Nolan), The English Genius and Army OrganizaQuestion of the Day; or, Facts and Figures for Electors and Politicians, by W. Hoyle (Simpkin), -Observations on a Public Health Bill for Ireland, by D. T. T. Maunsell, M.B. (Dublin, Atkinson),— ture, by W. C. Taylor, The Finances of Egypt The Employment of Married Women in Manufac(Ridgway), - The Railways Amalgamated and Grouped in Competing Systems, by B. Haughton (King),-Report as to the Distribution of Flowers amongst the Sick and Infirm Poor of Hull, 1873 (Hull, Plaxton),-Sobriety by Act of Parliament (Manchester, United Kingdom Alliance),-Elective Charities and their Opponents, by a Governor of the Royal Hospital for Incurables (Unwin Brothers), -The Position and Duty of Non-Abstainers with Reference to the Temperance Cause, by W. B. Hopkins, B.D. (Gardner), The Royal Viceroy, by Lieut. Col. Tyrrell (Stanford), The Answer of Prayer, by the late Rev. W. Anderson, LL.D. (Glasgow, Menzies),-The_Lord's Supper, by the Rev. M. Margoliouth, LL.D. (Bagster),-Assumption of Priesthood, Ancient and Modern (Kisber), -Observationes Aliquot in C. Julii Cæsaris Utriusque Belli Commentarios, by H. Alanus (Williams & Norgate),-and Emendationes Livianæ Quarta, by H. Alanus (Williams & Norgate).

LIST OF NEW BOOKS. Theology.

Civilized Christianity, not by Author of 'Dame Europa's School,' cr. 8vo. 2/cl.

Clarke's (T. J.) Thoughts for Sunday Afternoon, 12mo. 2/6 cl.

Poetry.
Allan's (W.) Home-Spun Lilts, or Poems and Songs, chiefly
Scottish, cr. 8vo. 7/6 cl.

Milton's Poetical Works, edit. by C. C. Clarke, Vol. 1, 21/ cl.
History.
Arnold's (J. M.) Islam, its History, Character, &c., 3rd. ed. 14/

Chappell's (W.) History of Music, Vol. 1, 8vo. 16/

Edwards's (H. S.) The Germans in France, cr. 8vo. 10/6 cl.
Little Arthur's England, new edit. 12mo. 1/6 cl.
M'Laughlin's (Rev. H.) Biographical Sketches of Ancient

Irish Saints, cr. 8vo. 5/ cl.

Mendelssohn, Letters and Recollections, by Dr. F. Hiller, 7/6

Geography.

Appleton's Handbooks of American Travel, Western, cr. 8vo.
8/; Northern and Eastern, cr. 8vo. 8/; Southern, cr. 8vo. 8/
Douglas's (C. H.) Searches for Summer, cr. 8vo. 5/ cl.
English Circumnavigation, edit. by D. L. Purves, cr. 8vo. 5/ cl.
Jenkinson's Practical Guide to English Lakes, Keswick
Section, new edit. 12mo. 1/6 swd.
King's (C) Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, new ed. 6/ cl.
Pritchard's (H. B.) Tramps in the Tyrol, cr. 8vo. 7,6 cl.
Shaw's Tourists' Guides, 1874, 24 in the Series, 12mo. 1/ea. swd.
Philology.

Hexaglot Bible, Holy Scriptures in Six Languages, 6 vols.
royal 4to. 8/ half morocco.
Science.

Braithwaite's Commentary on Midwifery, Jan. to June, 1874, 2/ Hulme's (F. E.) Plants, their Natural Growth, &c., fol. 21/ cl. Science Primers, Physiology, by M. Foster, 18mo. 1/ cl. Twining's (T.) Technical Training, 8vo. 12/ cl.

General Literature.

Barker's (E. B. B.) The Mendal, a Mode of Oriental Divination, 8vo. 7/6 cl.

Belcher's (H.) Cramleigh College, 3 vols. cr. 8vo. 31/6 cl
Book of Military Anecdotes, 12mo. 1/ bds.
Brice's (S.) Treatise on the Doctrine of Ultra Vires, 8vo. 21/ cl.
Chadwick's American Base Ball Manual, 12mo. 1/ bds.

Cunningham's (A.) Traditional Tales of the English and ScotDickens's (C.) Barnaby Rudge, Household Edition, 4to. 3/ swd Donaldson's (J.) Lectures on the History of Education in Prussia and England, cr. 8vo. 3/6 cl.

tish Peasantry, new edit. cr. 8vo. 6/ bds.

English Girl in a Convent School, 12mo. 1/ swd.
Freeman's (E. A.) Disestablishment and Disendowment, 2/6 cl.
Jefferies's (R) Scarlet Shawl, cr. 8vo. 10/6 cl.
King's (A.) Spell-Bound, 3 vols. cr. 8vo. 31/6 cl.
Leicester Square, a Series of 5 Photos, with Descriptive
Account of the Fountains, &c., in packet, 5/
Merchant's Ready Reckoner, 3rd edit. folio, 4/ hf. bd.
Post-Office Building Trades Directory, 2nd edit. roy. 8vo. 25/ cl.
Punch, Vol. 66, 4to. 8/6 cl.

Racing and Chasing, the Road, the River, the Hunt, folio, 76

Savile's (Rev. B. W.) Apparitions, a Narrative of Facts, 4/6 cl.
Scott's (M.) Occasional Papers, 2 vols. 8vo. 42/ cl.
Simms's (J.) Nature's Revelations of Character, 8vo. 21/cl.
Temple Bar, Vol. 1, 8vo. 5/6 cl.
Wood's (Mrs. H.) Lady Adelaide, a Novel, new ed. cr. 8vo. 6/cl.

INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT.

Crown Buildings, 188, Fleet Street, July 11, 1874. Ir is probably true that if an English author publishes first in America he loses his copyright at home; if it were equally true that thereby he gained a copyright in the United States, Mr. little further, he will find that in order to secure Mahony's suggestion would be valuable. I think, however, if Mr. Mahony pursues the question a for himself an American copyright, he must not only abandon his English rights, but he must cross the Atlantic, and take up his residence, at least, if not citizenship, in the United States.

I imagine few English authors would consider the game worth the candle, and therefore Mr. Mahony's proposed Act of Parliament would be practically a dead letter. EDWARD MARSTON.

29, Paternoster Row, July 13, 1874.

number is based, I think, upon a misapprehension. Mr. Mahony's suggestion in your last week's In the present state of matters, i. e., in the absence English author could secure a copyright in America of international copyright, I am not aware that an by first publishing there. On the contrary, I think such a proceeding would destroy copyright in both countries. First publication in America would make the work non-copyright here, while it would gain no protection for it there.

While the first publication of a work in England secures copyright for it there, the same principle does not hold good in America, where citizenship or residence is necessary to secure a copyright.

JOHN HOGG.

Greenhithe, July 12, 1874. Mr. Mahony's letter on this subject in your last number is utterly unintelligible to me; I hope there are other readers of the Athenæum in the like predicament.

Mr. Mahony writes thus: "An English author sacrifices his native copyright if he publishes in