25 MARCH 1922, Page 25

City Characters under Several Reigns. By T. H. S. Escott.

(Effingham Wilson. lls. net.)—Mr. Escott gossips pleasantly and discursively about many of-the leading financiers, bankers and merchants of the City, especially in the Victorian era. His accuracy in details is by no means impeccable, but his anecdotes are interesting. One chapter deals with " King Hudson and his Court "—George Hudson, the railway company promoter, who in the 'forties built up a considerable fortune and lost it all.