The India of the Queen, and other Essays. By the
late Sir W. W. Hunter. Edited by Lady Hunter. (Longman and Co. 9s. net.) —That Sir William Hunter knew as much of British India—we might say India generally—as any man ever did may be said without fear of contradiction. Possibly he was something of an optimist. In his essay entitled "Popular Movements in India" (published in the Contemporary Review in February, 1891) he goes so far as to say, by way of contrast to the hopelessness of Anglo-Indian statesmen in the early days of our rule, that, "as a matter of fact, the task of conciliation has been ac- complished." This is a large affirmation; one might doubt whether any one could ever know enough of India, where Eaitein inscrutability is at its height, to make it. Still, it is a great thing that so dear-headed and able a thinker as William Hunter should go so far. He must have had good reasons, if they were not wholly adequate reasons, for saying it. Sir W. Hunter did not shut his eyes to facts. He knew perfectly well that there were weak spots in our rule, but he was convinced that it worked for righteousness and the happiness of subject races, and on the whole worked well. This is the subject of the larger part of this volume, a subject too great to be more than mentioned in these columns. We can but commend to our readers the admirable treatment of it to bo found in the essays here collected. "Our Missionaries" is a profoundly interesting summary of facts. Sir W. Hunter held that missionary activity was a strengthening influence on the side of the Empire ; and he believed that it was far more successful than is commonly thought. "A Forgotten Oxford Movement" deals with the earliest missionary work ever done in India. It had its origin with Bishop Fell (of Oxford). Finally, in "A Pilgrim Scholar" we have an account of a most picturesque personage, Csoma de Kerbs, an Hungarian student, who reminds one in a way of Arminius Vambery, whom we mention, it need scarcely be said, honoris cause.
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