The English Government and Constitution. By John, Earl Russell. New
edition. (Longman.)—Most people will be looking just now with Increased interest into the concluding chapter of this volume, which contains Lord Russell's latest ideas. In reviewing the legislation of the Reformed Parliament'he sees reason for nothing bat congratulation, and it evidently will not be his Lordship's fault if further progress is not made in the same direction. The tendency of his mind is to have nothing to do with novel schemes, to simply lower the franchise in the old-fashioned way, and to trust to the counties and the small boroughs for keeping up the boleti:it, between property and numbers. No one can read the chapter attentively without coming to the conclusion that with Lord Russell as Prime Minister there will be a Reform Bill, and that it will be of the simplest kind. There is also another conclusion to be arrived at, which it is really necessary to state emphatically, and that is, that the generation of statesmen who have guided the nation since the great war have not deserved ill of their country, and that amongst them all there is not one who has been more consistent, per- severing, and successful than Lord Russell.
Previous page
