27 MARCH 1886, Page 22

The Statesman's Year-Book (Macmillan), which has now reached its twenty-third

annual publication, has this year been issued some- what later than usual. This circumstance has so obviously been of advantage to its editor, Mr. Scott Keltie, enabling him to give fresh and valuable statistics, that we would suggest the propriety of this year-book being published regularly in the future on March let, about which time, under ordinary circumstances, members of Parliament and politicians generally settle down to the year's work. Mr. Keltie shows no symptoms of falling off in editorial enterprise or vigilance, but the reverse. He has introduced additional countries, such as Fiji, the Straits Settlements, and the Congo Free State (which figures in the table of contentsas the " Congon Free State "), into his volume, which now comes perilously near one thousand pages, beyond which limit it should not go. Ths references made to the new position of affairs in Burmah and to Australasian Federation show Mr. Keltie's desire to have his work thoroughly up to time, as also do the sections re- lating to the British Colonies and the navies of the world. The articles on France, Great Britain, Russia, Japan, Persia, Turkey, Mexico, and Brazil have either been rewritten, or so carefully revised as to be virtually new. In the article on the United King- dom, a very succinct statement is given of the leading provisions and results of the latest Franchise and. Redistribution Acts; but we think, as we have said in former years, that Mr. Keltie ought to economise space by reducing the politico-historical information he supplies, to the smallest possible bulk. By the way, why does he not include, under the general head of " Aeia," an article on Afghanistan, surely a most interesting subject at the present time ? We notice a confusing misprint in a table, which purports to show the densityof the population of the principal States of Europe. England—that is to say, England proper—is represented as having 172 persons to the square mile ; obviously the number ought to be 472.