CURRENT LITERATURE.
English Poetesses : a Series of Critical Biographies and Illustrative Extracts. By Eric S. Robertson, M.A. (Cassell and Co.)—Mr. Reid has put together an interesting volume. He has refreshed memories which were growing faint—for who, with the flood of new books daily pouring forth, can remember all of the old that is worth remembering ?—and he has given us also some just and appreciative criticism of poetry that no one who has ever read it forgets. The Duchess of Newcastle was an interesting person for other things besides her verses, and we are glad to hear about her and the husband whom she so charmingly describes. In the next century come Lady Mary Wortley-Montagu and Mrs. Piozzi (who lived, however, some way into the nineteenth), and Mrs. Charlotte Smith, who died in 1806. Mrs. Barbauld also and Mrs. Opie belong, partly in point of time and wholly in style, to this epoch, and with them must be reckoned two or three North-British writers of charming songs. Miss Jane Elliott's " Flowers of the Forest" is delightful, when we have once mastered the somewhat difficult Doric. Joanna Baillie's success belongs to this cen- tury, which has added a wonderful number of names to the list of poetesses. Mr. Robertson treats at length of several writers who are now living, and gives a list of other less famous names. The two together make a surprising catalogue. There is not one of the first rank among them ; but of the second and third classes they number more, we think, than do the men. Bar Tennyson, Matthew Arnold, and Swinburne, and the poetesses outnumber and outweigh the poets. Augusta Webster, Jean Ingelow, Christina Rossetti, Harriet Hamilton King, are names which it would not be easy to match among the poetce minpres of the day. Mr. Robertson's volume would have been the better for a little more care in writing. On p. 132 we read of Charles and Mary Lamb :—" Charles was the first to die, although out of his slender gains he had put by as much as would have provided for Mary comfortably after his 'death," where "al- though " should manifestly have been " bat." Careful revision would not have passed the bad taste of "consumption carried her off, in the arms of that angel of whom she has written," &c.
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