A FRENCH VIEW OF VILLAGE LIFE IN ENGLAND.* Tins is

a book which, as far as admiration for England goes, would delight the inmost hearts of Conservative squires, of clergymen generally, and even of farmers. It is something, how- ever, better than this ; it is a careful account of many of the best practical institutions of England, written in a candid, admiring spirit ; and it is plainly the fruit of a sincere desire to learn what there is in English country life that is better than country life in France.

The author describes himself as one exiled from France for the too free exercise of his political judgment ; he is wandering in Switzerland, uncertain where to direct his steps, when he falls in with an English clergyman, who is making a pedestrian tour with some young Oxonians, his pupils. Accident puts the exile in the way of doing a service to the Englishman. They fall into discourse about parties in the English Church, about education, and English social and charitable institutions. Plainly of the Broad Church himself, the clergyman, Mr. Norris, astounds the Frenchman by the liberality of his opinions, and heightens his wish to visit England by giving him a cordial in- vitation to his Kingsford Rectory.

Furnished with this and other facilities, the Frenchman complies—and in the March following this meeting finds him- self in London. We may pass over the town part of the book, for country life is that to which his attention is chiefly directed. On his way to Kingsford, he is smitten with a village Common, and with a neat quiet small lodging bordering upon it ; and, yielding to the impression of the moment, secures rooms for him- self, determining to make this his abode on his return from a week's visit to his friend. The picture of Mr. Norris's life, his school and village, is extremely well given ; above all, the pastor himself is admirably sketched ; but the traveller has, perhaps, judged well in resolving to view English village life -from a home of his own, and he returns to his lodging at Lynmore, and to his landlady, the widow Jones. This is somewhat of a downwall. Mrs. Jones is a fair type of an honest English loquacious landlady. Always arrayed in

a black silk bonnet, with a somewhat " gendarme" look, she communicates many interesting facts of the neighbourhood, but always knows where to stop.

"In France, says the traveller, the femme du people' has expansive and sympathetic manners ; and a farmer's wife, ignorant as she may be, will always find means of interesting you in her affairs and mixing her- self up with pairs. In England, on the contrary, while chattering on insig- nificant things, she will keep quite aloof from anything that might touch you nearly. She does what you want done better than a Frenchwoman, becaime she sees in you the master, the guest, whose rank and quality she prides herself upon, that rank and quality magnifying her in her own eyes ; but it is rare-y she will speak to you of what touches her person- ally, or that she will dare to avow that she is occupied with you, which would be a failure in respect for you."

As time passes, our Frenchman becomes acquainted with the magnates of Lynmore, and with their respective contributions to the social fabric. There is the Countess, a fine benevolent old lady, who iuvites him to the inevitable dinner, and introduces him to the gently round, and specially to her nephew Leslie, the young clergyman of the parish, whose sermon the Frenchman bad previously admired. This character, too, is well drawn. Leslie differs from Norris ; he is young, barely twenty-seven, nervous, irritable, and in love with one of the young ladies of the pariah.

We venture to translate part of a dialogue with the author, in which the Frenchman has the best of it. Leslie had been wishing for a smaller and more humble cure, where he might preach to the poor, and not be subjected to criticism :-

"' You complain,' said I, of your want of power—you, who have the friendship, the support of all the principal families in the village. What would you say if you were an unfortunate cure' in my country ? There the priest is too often the single combatant against the ignorance and indifference of his people. Poor himself, he cannot do anything which requires money ; and where are the good works which require none ? Deprived of marviage and of nearly all intellectual society, forced to look on himself as a being set apart, he must have a good deal of tact * La Vii de Vii'age en Andleterre ; ou, BouvenErs dun Snide. Par l'autear de l'Etude sur Changing." Paris : Didier. and virtue in order to be accepted as-a friend by some few of the higher people in his village. Add to this the indifference of our men towards public worship, and you can conceive how superior your position is to that of our cures.'"

A little while after this, Mr. Leslie expressed his disgust at an approaching vestry meeting, where he anticipated opposition from the residents about some expenditure for the village clock.

" One can do nothing,' says the High Churchman, somewhat petu- lantly, without being at the mercy of half a dozen tailors and work- people.'

'" Ah ! I see,' said I, smiling, ' you want absolute power.' " No,' replied he, God forbid ! I only wish, when a thing is just and desirable, that they would let it be done without so many quarrels and discussions.'

" Yes' ' I answered, you would permit discussion, on condition that it should neither be serious nor animated, and that people do what you wish. That is the liberalism of those who don't love contradiction. I have often enough seen it put in practice in our unfortunate assem- blies. Never complain of those little vestry oppositions—you cannot have life and liberty unless you will bear with inconveniences. Bettor have an excess of independence and opposition, than apathy and plati- tudes.'

"He looked at me astonished. ' But what can our village disputes have in common with your great political bouleversements V said he. " Just this,' answered I, that one thing holds by another in the social organization ; and if liberty is firmly seated in yours, it is because it has its roots in the free discussions of your village orators.' ". Oh!' answered he, laughing, you mean to say that Say (one of the Opposition) is a patriot. Good ; in future I will look upon him as a Hampden ill understood.'

" And you will do right,' said I." (p. 105.)

Next to the pastor (perhaps we should have said, except for courtesy's sake, beforc him) comes the gentleman farmer and magis- trate and guardian of the place, Mr. Mason, a sensible kind-hearted man, with rigorous ideas of his duties, which forbid the indul- gence of strong sympathies, though he has a nicely adjusted standard of probity towards all parties. Under his auspices the Frenchman inspects the farm, the workhouse, the board-room, and (wondrous spectacle!) the room in the village inn where the func- tions of justice are performed, as well, or better, than in a French ntairie. Then there are Mrs. Mason and her two daughters, the younger being the beloved of Leslie, while our traveller gradually resigns himself to the like tender influence from the elder. All sorts of good things are attempted and achieved by this family ; coal clubs, clothing clubs, Sunday schools, libraries, &c., flourish, and we have details of all.

Then we have a Mr. and Mrs. Woodland—rich people—whose money entitles them to consideration, but who are somewhat difficult to manage. The lady calls the clergyman, condescend- ingly, "Our young friend," and hints that he has Puseyite tenden- cies, because Leslie wishes to alter the arrangement of the lofty aristocratic pews at church. There are also accounts of school feasts, harvest homes, dinners of clubs, &c.

In short, the book presents an epitome of model village life, and if, after commending its general accuracy of detail, we cannot compliment it as a very real picture, it is because we feel that the author has too hastily concluded that the effects he witnesses are producible simply by like means, without sufficiently considering how dependent they are in their working upon the human agents. Take, for instance, the very common case of a village clothing club. We know that it may be a useful and excellent institu- tion ; but we have seen it rendered an instrument of gross. oppression. A narrow-minded clergyman or squire will throw in a clause that all the subscribers ehall attend the Established Church, which is as much as to say that Dissenters shall pay the- penalty of Dias lot by buying their clothes dear. Again, a Tory or Liberal, as the case may be, will deal only with the trades- men who vote for his candidate. These are the modes in which country residents are specially liable to oppress and be oppressed- We have no doubt that, although at a slower rate, the work of improvement does go on in the country as well as in the town,;-. but it will be long, we fear, before the agricultural districts at- tain to the mark of mutual understanding between poor and rich which has been so signally made manifest in the Lancashire distress. There the sufferers interpose no sullenness, no jealousy— they understand and are understood. The most cheering part of

the matter is that such a fee!ing of confidence being once deeply planted in any part of our land, it will be likely to go on and per- vade the whole. It altogether rests with the village magnates,

who can make every institution a blessing or a curse, according as administered. It may be as well, also, to add that it

is not altogether an absence of favouritism that is re-

quired. Often in the less active life of tha country there is apt to be too much of supervision, amounting almost to espionage.

The poor are quick to perceive and resent this, even when kindly intended. We sincerely believe, however, that all these errors in practice are gradually getting corrected.