3 NOVEMBER 1906, Page 32

MACAULAY'S ORATORY.

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] Sin,—There seems to be much difference of opinion as to the merits of Macaulay's oratorical style. Mr. Whitty, whose book you reviewed last week, speaks of his "perfect art and consummate management," and of his "just raising his voice enough to be hearl through the room." But Jennings's "Anecdotal History of the British Parliament" says : "By all accounts (writes Dean Millman) Macaulay's delivery was far too rapid to be impressive ; it wanted also variety and flexibility of intonation." And Francis's "Orators of the Abe" describes his voice as "pitched iii alto, monotonous, and rather shrill, pouring forth words with inconceivable

velocity that extremely voluble and not very enticing voice," &c. One thing, at any rate, is certain,—that tfacaulay's style was distinguished, like that of Mr. Lecky, by rapidity of utterance, and, what is much rarer, by faultless