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    430 THE LEADER. Fffoy471, April2, 1S59.

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    none at all to write ; as Balzac said, w...

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    THE BERTRAMS. The Bertrams 3 vols. By An...

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    The New Quarterly. Bentfcy's Quarterly B...

    ever , what a Cabinet like the present were like ] y to do on such , a . question , is a very venial fault in any speculative writer . What is of greater , significance in the article before us is the ; historic retrospect of party combinations' during the last five-andtwenty years . According to the reviewer , Peelism was a blunder ab initio . It was nierelv an elaborate scheme of unprecedentedlyslow suicide . The instincts of self-rpreservation were benumbed by the substitution of Conservatism for wholesome and

    invigorating Toryism . The traditionary standards , "whereon had for generations been defiantly emblazoned the inherent right of the noble , the ¦ wealthy , the anointed , and the highly educated , to rule over the rest of the community , was lowered by Sir Robert Peel , and an ever-shifting and always indefinite banner ^ Of blended and chequered hues , set up in its stead . As a device for getting into office , the contrivance is admitted to have been admirable and complete ; but as a mode of permanently keeping together or guiding a Seat party in the state , it was fatuous and fatal , ow strangely has this train of thought been verified by -what we have seen passing before _ our eyes , during the last few weeks , by the final disintegration of the Conservative party under the leadership of Mr . Disraeli and Lord Derby !

    Another article , and one of still more marked ability , is that devoted to an analytical description of Northern Italy under the Austrians . It is , perhaps , as fail * and candid a statement of the case in mitigation of damages , where the cause of the defendant is admittedly hopeless , as could -well be . In a variety of important particulars the state of Iiombardy is shown to be far less unhappy than that of the other portions of the Peninsula , which are governed by native princes and ministers . Commercial and municipal privileges exist in a higher degree ; justice , if not always obtainable , is . at all events , not bought and sold ; education , isat all eventsnot bought and sold ; education ,

    , , bpth in the higher and lower branches , is wellprovided for ; the poor have medical care when they are sick , and abxmdant food and work when they are in health ; the highways are kept in good order , and high . way-m . en or brigands are comparatively unknown . All this confessedly is outwei ghed hi the estimation of the upper and middle classes , by the fact that they have no voice either in the legislative or administrative government of their country , and by the sight d aily of foreign garrisons in all their principal towns . Nothing which-the Germans could do would , it it frankly

    owned , appease the inveterate discontent their armed occupation of the country keeps alive , .-and fche best alleviation , we arc assured , would be the erection of the Milanese into a separate state , with an Austrian arch-duke for sovereign . The writer forgets his . own previous confession , that where the system of Imperial puppetism , has already been tried in Italy , it has signally failed . There is a pleasant and scholar-like critique on Mr . Gladstone ' s " Homer ; " and a very well written , but very depx * eciatpry essay on the novels of Sir Bulwer Lytton . Also a paper on the condition and prospects of art in England , containing nothing , original or striking , but , nevertheless , well deserving a perusal . In -fcl ^ is , as , indeed ,

    throughout the whole of the articles , the predominant tone is perceptible ; and questions of taste iri church architecture we treated in the same manner , and tinged with the same colouring as reform of pai'liaxnent or the politics of Italy . Let us , in our turn , be candid * and any , as w © can , with unqualified sincerity , that we hail with satisfaction the rinfurling of ah oriflammo of thorough-going Toryism in Church and State $ and bo long as it is borne in knightly hancls and sustained by honourably frank , oarnest , and accomplished defenders of the antique faith that is in them , wo shall always be proud to break a lance with them in the open field . It is quite refreshing to find learned and able men , who really have such opinions , and who willstand for thom , when challenged , like won .

    430 The Leader. Fffoy471, April2, 1s59.

    430 THE LEADER . Fffoy 471 , April 2 , 1 S 59 .

    None At All To Write ; As Balzac Said, W...

    none at all to write ; as Balzac said , we are like the boa-constrictors ; who gorge one day and vomit the next . Style , we fancy ; like everything else , is regulated by the universal laws of demand and supply ; andif the supply of good -writing has fallen offj we suppose the demand has decreased equally . Still , without engaging in useless lamentations about the degeneracy of the fige , we are at liberty to regret this decay in the power of composition . There is a . poetry about prose , as well as about rhyme . There is a beauty about the mere , order and composition of : a simple sentence , which to trained ears has the melody of music . To us , therefore , as to all others who remain faithful to that sweet rythni worship , each new offering at the shrine of our falling faith is doubly welcome , by

    reason of its very scarceness . On this account , if on no other , we always look forward" with pleasure to any work that comes from , the author of "Mary Barton , " Here , at least , we are certain of good English . We have no fear of slip-slop sentences— of fantastic torturings of speech , of turbid and confused imagery . The language is always clear , and pure , and sparkling , like the water of a mountain rill . It is the work , not of a bad journeyman , but of an artist in

    story of " Lady , " which , if we are not mistaken , has been expanded and improved since its original appearance . Qf the others , the " Poor Clare , " a weird north-country story , and the " Half Brothers " seein to be new to us . Even if we wished it , it would be scarcely possible to tell in a few words the thread of any of these stories . You mi ^ ht as well try to give a . pencil sketch to a few strokes of a Dutch painting . To all our readers we can most sincerely recommend these volumes as worth reading for the stories' alone , and almost , if not better , worth reading for the sake of the writin g itself . . ' ¦ : °

    Ludlow Throughout these volumes , as indeed , throuo-honfc every work of the writer , there breathes a spirit of friendly feeling , of simple good-will , and tolerant faith , which works its own way silently . " Round the Sofa" is not one of . those works which , in the technical piu-aseology of the reli gious world , are termed '' good books , " but it is one of those books which it is good to read . " Round the Sofa" is a collection of stories familial * ere now , we doubt not , to many of our readers in the columns of " Household Words . " The whole of the first volume is occupied bvth ' p

    wi-itiiig ; and the love , of the true artist for his work can be traced in the composition . Every word has its own place , and knows and keeps it . There is no fine writing in il Round the Sofa . " The very excellence of the style is proved by the fact that we are at a loss to pick out pieces for quotation : y where all is so good it is difficult to make a choice .. We cannot , however , refrain froin Quoting a passage from the charming tale of " Lady , udlow , " in which that most delightful of grand old ladies is speaking about flowers : —

    " Attar of roses , . again , shei disliked . She said it reminded her of the city and of merchants' wives , over rich , over heavy , in its perfume ; and Lilies of the "Valley somehow fell under the same condemnation . They were most graceful anji elegant to look at ( my lady was quite candid about this ); flower ^ leaf , colour — everything was refined about them but the smell ; that was too strong . But the great hereditary faculty on which my lady piqued herself , and with reason— , for I never met . -with any other person who possessed it—was the power she had of perceiving the delicious odour arising from a . bed of strawberries in the late

    autumn , when the leaves were all fading and dying . ' Bacon ' s Essays' was one of the few books that' lay about jnmy lady ' s rooms ; andif you took it up and opened it carelessly , it was sure to fall apart at his * Essay on Gardens . ' 'Listen , ' her ladyship , would say , 'to what that great philosopher and statesman says ; ' Next to that ( he is speaking of violets , my dear ) is the musk rose , ' of which you remember the great bush at the corner of the south wall , just by the blue drawing-room windows . That is the old

    musk rose—Shakespeare ' s musk rose—which is dying out through the kingdom now . But , to return to ray Lord Bacon : ' Then the strawberry cleaves dying , with a . most excellent cordial smell . ' Now , the Hanbury ' s can always smell this excellent cordial odour , and very delicious and refreshing it is . ... . My dear , remember that you try if you can smell the scent of dying strawberryleaves in this next autumn , You have some of Ursula Hanbury ' s Wood in you , and that gives you a chance . '"

    The very delicacy of tins description ( wluch of itself is evidence enough that these stories are written . by a , woman ' s han dj ) stands out in brighter contrast when compared with tho works of other modern authoresses . It is a positive relief to come upon writing like this , after wading through volumes of such works as " Quecohy " and " Amy Herbert , " and the whole of that race of which tho •? Heir of Radclvfle " is tho crown and glory . It is like a draught of good clear ale to a stomach surfeited with ginger-beor and lemonade . There is one other speciality of all tho writings

    BOUND THE SOFA . Mound the Sqfa . By tho author of ' Mary Barton , " "Xife of Charlotte Brontfi , " & c . London : Sampson , Low , Son , and Co . Qoo » writing is n , rare gift now-a- » days . There is » o lack of smart' writers , of brilliant essayists , of spasmodic romanoiats—but good writers are few 3 ii number and far between . In these days of ** WKj > reBs trains , and shilling novels , and penny jroperfy it cannot well Ibe otherwise , Wo have little time to -think , less etill to road , and almost

    of tho popular author , to which we cannot Jielp alluding . We leave to them none of that mixture of religion and romance , which is tho bano of our modern literature , There is no attempt to enforce the doctrine of justification by faith , through a dialogue between the angelic heroine and hor carrtost loVer . Wo ore ashamed to own , that about those stories there is no high moral purpose , no endeavour to solve problems , yhioh all the wisdom of mankind has hitherto failed in solving ; no startling hullaballoo , as if tho existence of evil was a recent and novel discovery , There is , however , something different , and , to our minds , bettor than aU this ,

    The Bertrams. The Bertrams 3 Vols. By An...

    THE BERTRAMS . The Bertrams 3 vols . By Anthony Trollope . Chapman and Hal ] , Mr . Thoixope has not diminished his reputation by "The Bertrams ; * ' neither ' will he have increased it . There is the same amount of acute and sarcastic perception of life and character as distinguishes his former productions , but " The Bertrams " wants something ; of the originality , the freshness , the probability , which are to be found , forMnstance , in his " Barchester Towers . " The two \ characters which stand out in the strongest relief are Georsje Bertram and . Caroline Wadding ?

    ton , his cousin . ' The first is a young man of plain exterior , but of cultivated and fastidious mind , of high and ultra-romantic principles of honour and disinterestedness , and passionately attached to Caroline Waddington . The lady is beautiful , accomplished , hig hr-spirited , and wayward , but-with a touch , and but a touch , of worldliness . She , too , is secretly attached to George Bertram . The uncle , a money-getting millionaire , on whom liis nepnevi and his grand-daughter are , to a certain extent dependent , is desirous of seeing them married , in ¦ order-that he may leave them ' . heirs to his vast

    wealth . A series of misunderstandings arise between the young people , and an estrangement ensues , which results in Caroline Waddington giving her hand , but not her heart , to Sir Henry Harcourt , an ambitious but rising barrister , who has been tempted to marry by the hope of corning in for the reversion of the wealthy uncle ' s moneybags . The ill-starred union soon proves a source ot bitter discomfort . to husband and wife . Ine mutual love between Caroline and George becomes known to each other when too late . 1 his , vrftea

    known , arouses the jealousy of Su- Henry ; recrimination ensues , the wife is insulted beyoncl female endurances , and she quits her husband s root never to return . The uncle , when on his deatU bed , sends for hia nephew ; but although gb wealth might become hip nepheVs Puerto * ox one word £ f spoken nflbction ,-Ms nep hew , althougU nearly pennilosB . . stubbornly refuses to weak ¦ that word , awd the old man dies leaving the hulk or w riches to endow a hospital . Sir Henry , hopeless y embarrassed in his cireumrtnneoH , , <|» ding { JJ ~^ :+: ~ .. :, , «™; nt-. r i . ; nrnsnoftts . his wife , ana wi »

    , chance of inheriting the uncle ' s weplth , utt eig lost , commits suicide by shooting l «» wv" - ^ f four years of decent sorrow the cousins cwae together in tho bonds of matrimony . 1 hoee may be regarded as the main ' character * and the roora incidents . There arc several episode * ol no usj inferior interest ; one in particuha—tlic' ^ os oi « young clergyman , Arthur Wilkinson , antI Auow tlauntlet—which contrasts agreeably av . h ho Ioje passages in thb life of the hero nnd hero ™ . kr . Trollopo . has in this wk alhmlo noh oi ¦

    spec men of his keen perception «»»• • " ¦ " •'" the ltnowledgo of 1 Mb , and o £ his nuwtoiy . om «» rtrongoe ? pnaaion that t hub place in tb < j Wg breast But his pen is dipped slightly in . gall ij £ views of lUb are prone to the satiric , onU boom times , whoi > ho draws the character oft <« uy tho portrait can only bo regarded . as that . o < £ individual . We will givo an cxtrac ¦ to m ^ trate our position . Tho young olorgyn n , Ajinw Wilkinson , has been presented to a living , vocn wu

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), April 2, 1859, page 14, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_02041859/page/14/