Stafford House Letters. Edited by Lord Ronald Gower. (Kegan Paul,
Trench, and Co.)—These letters were written for the most part by the editor's father, afterwards second Duke of Sutherland, to his (the Duke's) mother, a well-known lady, commonly known by the name of the " Duchess-Countess." They cover a space of more than thirty years, the earliest being dated " October 24th, 1806," just a week after. the defeat of the Prussians at Jena. (" Served them right !" seems to have been the common feeling at the time, though the patriotic Queen excited great sympathy.) The last bears date " February 15th, 1839." Before it reached England, the writer's mother had died in a good old age. Few people have had better reason to be contented with life. We cannot say that the letters are always interesting. Gaps occur, and at times when a gap is inconvenient. We hear nothing of 1815 or 1830. Lord Ronald Gower would have done well to furnish the book with an index. _A. reader gets a little tired of wandering about in company of which he often knows nothing. An index would help him to find acquaintances. Good stories are rare. Here is one of Talleyrand. He was saying that parrots lived to a great age, and added : "J'en ai vus meme qui radotent."
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