Paris in '48. Letters by Baroness Bonde (nee Robinson). Edited
by C. E. Warr. (John Murray. 88. 6d. net.)—The Baroness Bonde had a considerable experience of fair weather and stormy in Paris. Born in 1817, she saw the Three Days of July, and actually" assisted" at the storming of a barricade, to the dismay of a worthy porter, who dragged her into his lodge with the remark. "11-n'y a pas-de bon sena de hisser un enfant dans la rue sous un fen croise." Her father and mother continued to live in Paris, and their daughter saw many famous personages, gentle- men of the old regime who had danced with Marie Antoinette, " rallied" magnates of the Empire, and not a few well-known visitors from England. When the '48 came, she was, as she tells us, no longer disposed to visit barricades, for she had a husband and children ; but she contrived to hear all that was going on, and, of course, some things that were not. On the whole, she seems to have gauged the situation very accurately. For the weakness of Louis Philippe she had a fine contempt ; but she did not think much of the men, whether enthusiasts or adventurers, who- succeeded him. Her letters are full of incisive comments on the management of affairs by Lamartine and Company. Then came the days of June, which, compared to the entente which upset Louis Philippe, were as wine to water. The real Revolutionary Paris showed itself, as it did afterwards in the time of the Com- mune. The letters are full of interest, and contain no little historical material.
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