The Century Magazine. November, 1899—April, 1900. (Mac- millan and Co.
10s. 6d.)—The feature of this volume (fifty- ninth in the series) is the instalment of Mr. John Morley's "Oliver Cromwell." Of course we await the completion of this before entering upon anything like criticism. It must suffice to say that these six sections (which are divided into twenty chapters) include the first forty-seven years of Cromwell's life. Practically Cromwell's Life begins with chap. 6, which tells of Cromwell's return for Cambridge, and of the brief existence (April 13th—May 6th) of the Short Parliament. The illustrations are numerous and highly interesting. Among the other contents of the volume we see "Talks with Napoleon," from the diary of Dr. O'Meara. The editor, if he is the writer of the " Editorial Introduction," takes, we may remark, a much more favourable view of the veracity of O'Meara than is generally entertained. it is not inappropriate to quote what Mr. Fitchett says in his last volume of " How England! Saved Europe ":—" The deliberate policy of 'Napoleon was to make his imprisonment impossible, said to turn his guards into objects of detestation to the whole world-by the invention of ever fresh' wrongs. " O'Meara was one of the prime agents of " la politique de Longwood," as it was called, and it is as impossible. to trust him as it is to trust Napoleon himself. "The details of St. Helena," wrote Las Cases, another Longwood " politician," " are unimportant ; to be there at all is. the great grievance." As for the climate of the island, to which O'Meara attributed Napoleon's disease—really an old-standing cancer—it is interesting to read the description published by Napoleon's orders in 1804,—" pure air, soft skies, and every condition of health." But he was not thinking of it as a prison. There is but little about the Spanish War, and the Transvaal, as far as we have observed, does not appear. An article on the success of the English telegraph system is noteworthy. Over here we are not quite so much in love with it. A very ridiculous pedantry in the matter of double words makes them count for much more than they are worth. The general result is, without question, a great public convenience at a very small cost.—We may mention at the same time the half-yearly volume of the companion magazine, St. Nicholas (same publishers, 8s. Gd.), which it is needless to do more than mention, so well established is it in public favour.
Previous page
