The Nineteenth Century.—May. (C. Kegan Paul and Co.)—Mr. Montague Cookson
repeats, rather feebly, his argument for a junction of the moderate men of both parties to take power out of the hands both of Lord Beaconsfield and the Radicals ; and Mr. F. Myers com- mences a sound and careful, though rather depreciatory, criticism on Victor Hugo, which, however, will be more intelligible and perhaps more satisfactory when it is concluded. At present, Mr. Myers has not treated the real "quality" of his subject, the flash of genius which illumines all Hugo writes, and gives interest to his most bizarre or most absurd conceptions. The best paper in the number is, perhaps, Mr. Payn's "The Midway Inn," noticed in the Spectator last week, but with that exception, none of them are very readable. Mr. Fawcett's paper on "The Proposed Loans to India," though full of instruction, lacks interest, from a de- ficiency of suggestion. "Rocks Ahead and Harbours of Refuge," by Mr. Greg, is mainly a plea for household economy, very just and sensi- ble, but not new ; and Lady Strangford's account of" East Roumelia" is penetrated by a hatred of the Russian people which is more like the hatred of a Southern woman for a Yankee than anything else,—and renders it impossible to trust in her accuracy of observation. She admits, however, that a Bulgarian, though now little better than a Russian, can be educated into a civilised and amiable being. Mr. Brassey, on "The Depression of Trade," is very scrappy ; his sug- gestion of a Council for the Secretary for Foreign Affairs is to the last degree unpractical—unless, indeed, he intended to write Secre- tary for the Colonies—and his advice comes to little more than that capitalists should invest their money in the Colonies. If that invest- ment pays, the advice will be taken, and if not, not ; and in either case the cultivation of the Colonies is a slow method of relieving the English distress, which those Colonies, by their Protectionist legislation, have helped to produce.
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