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[We have endeavoured to ascertain the au...
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HISTORY OF THE BYZANTINE AND GREEK EMPIR...
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ROBERT OWEN'S ADDRESS TO THE HUMAN RACE,...
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BOOKS ON OUR TABLE. Tha Full qf the Crim...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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A Russian Pamphilet:* Iv. (Conclusion.) ...
of late by outrageous ' allusions , her governments treated £ s cowards and mercenaries ? We have demonstrated that the source of all the evil lies in the obstinate determination of England to suffer no rival influence in Europe . It is , therefore , under the auspices of Germany , the heart of Europe , whose palpitixtifois are the intellectual and moral life of the whole system , that the alliance 6 f Prance and Hints-id should be ratified : as the only guarantee of the peace of the world and of real progress ; against conquest and revolution ; against the influence of the selfish and aggressive policy abroad of a State beset by dangers at home ; against the invasions ^ of a policy which strives to enslave the world to the law of its own personal interests .
[We Have Endeavoured To Ascertain The Au...
[ We have endeavoured to ascertain the authorship of this Russian pamphlet , and , -we believe , not without success . If our information be correct , the " Inhabitant of Continental Europe" is a gentleman who has inhabited' Brussels- ^ -since the declaration of war . He had resided in Paris for some time previously , upon a salary of 25 , 000 francs ( 1000 / . ) per anmim . For this ' consideration' he was engaged to ' refute anti-Russian articles *_ Recently there appeared in the Russian journals an . edifying paragraph : " M . J . T——r employe in the third section of the Imperial Chancery , in consideratipn . of his extremely zealous services , baa received the Order of St . ^ adimir of the Third Class , ' It may be proper to state that the " tfnrd section of tfee Imperial Chancery'' is the Secret Police . iVT . T——wa £ ^ ontr /^ o ^^ eiJorate / ViM-v- ' visitiixg' cards withi an agteeable pleasantry ;
" Correspondent of ih ^ M and ^ Secret Police" are , it would seem , synoriynipus in the Russian official vocabitfaryv A ^ few notes will suffice to illttstrat ^ the career of this typical personage . In J Q 2 . 5 . he was an oificer in Simonovsky ' s guards : comprOthised in the insurrection of that year , but liappehing to be abroad , he Wisely abstained ftonl retutning home ! , and simply migrated from Italy into France , where le came put as a publicist bitterly hostile to Czaristn .: l & ¦ wrote for some time , in the Gowrier Fraiicais , published occasional hrbcMres : among others a painphlet against the Imperial ordinance limiting the sojourn of Jiussian subjects abroad to five years for nobles , arid to three years for untitled persons . Bu % as M . J . T——— very sagaciously remarked , it was impossible to live on such slender profits , even eked out by friendly assistance . What wasi to be done ? Reconciliation with Russia . He wrote a
brochure on Marshal Paskieyitch , in which the Marshal was extolled to the skies by the honest enthusiasm 6 f the writer . The Marshal * aided by the pamphleteer ' sister , who was in the good graces of Prince Vorqnsof , procured binVth ^ ^ ^ refuter of anti-Russian articles , & post formerly oceupiedbyPiince Mesczerski . M . T——was said to have obtained the s pecial privilege of reporting nothing about persons , but we have reason to believe he waived this privilege in more than one instance . In Louis Philippe ' s reign we find him writing articles in the Quotidiemie . In a notic e of M . Ivan Golovin ' s La Russie sons Nicholas / ., he acused that work of containing nothing but anecdotes . To this the Cofsaire-Saian replied that
at least one anecd ote had been omitted , the anecdote of M . T—— - s life , and proceeded to give it . No wonder the Quotidienne dispensed with the services of M . J . T- —4 After the insurrection of Juno 1848 ,. M . T *' s apartments were searched by order of General Lamoricierc . In 1849 M . J . T— , wrote in the Union in favour of Russia . Denounced by the journal La RJpubliqne , he was again dismissed by his legitimist employers . Among his works we may mention a * refutation' of the Marquis de Custine , a . brochure on the campaign in Hungary , and , lastly , the trea tise by " Inhabitant of Continental Europe , " which we have laid before our readers ad a pungent exposition of Russian policy , and , we may add , a characteristic specimen of Russian veracity . —Ed . Leader . ]
History Of The Byzantine And Greek Empir...
HISTORY OF THE BYZANTINE AND GREEK EMPIRES . History of the Byzantine and Greek Empire ? . From 1057 to 1458 . By George Finluy , . Black wood . A ^ ong the earliest schemes suggested by the Eastern Question was the resuscitation of a Byzantine Empire . The notion was scarcely started when it was received with favour in the most opposite quarters . The writings oj the ^ Hebrew prophets were ransacked , and in the obscure language of these ancient records religious zealots found arguments for a , crjusado against the children of Mahomet . Political enthusiasts and reckless adventurers alike discovered that the Turks were foreigners in Europe , that the sword was their only title to possession , and that they must forthwith bo banished to
tlieir legitimate dominions in Asia . No eiForts were spared to convince us that the Modern Greeks were rapidly advancing in the direction of good government and civilisation . Nothing could bo more untrue than to imagine that the Court was the scene of intrigue and faction ; the Ministry cormptod , the Government hopolosaly disorganised , and the people—as in days gone by—a nation of pirates and robbors . It is needless to write that those dreams have been dissipated . Later events have proved , beyond a doubt that the King was a secret partisan of the Czar , and that every member of the administration was prepared to break the faith of treaties for the sake of Russian gold . We Imwo alluded to these circumstances because it is to thorn that we owe
the series of histories of the Byzantine and Greek Empires , from the pen of Mr . Finlay . Except for the newly-awakened interest in the affairs of Greece , some apology would have been needed for forcing the subject on the attention of the public . The world has so accustomed itself to "be " content with the brilliant essays of Gibbon , who despatches a batch of empwors in a sentence , that it was scarcely likely that a demand would arise for a more elaborate history . Such , however , is the work now supplied by Mr . Finlay , who makes up for some deficiencies in style and composition by painstaking diligence and accurate research . We doubt whether his book will find acceptance with the general reader ; but we can strongly recommend i t to all who wish to become acquainted with the minute details of Byzantine History .
We shall not attempt to follow Mr . Pinlay through the four centuries embraced by the last volume . It will be enough if , more for the sake of making our readers acquainted with the author than with any critical or historical intentions , we briefly glance at one of the most attractive portions . While other writers on the Crusades have pointed out the causes from "which they sprang , and the changes which they produced on the government and civilisation of the West , Mr . Unlay regards mainly their effect on the goyerrirnent of Constantinople and the condition of the Greek Christians . Never was monarch in a more perilous predicament than Alexius I ., when the sbldiers of the West were gathered in his capital . Oui- readers may recollect Gibbon ' s quaint but forcible remark . " In some oriental tale I have
read the fable of a shepherd who was ruined bytheaccomplishment of his own wishes : he Had prayed for water : the Ganges was turned into his grounds , arid his flocks and , cottage were swept away lay the inundation . Such was the fortune , or at least the apprehension of Alexius Cotrinenus . " In his zeal for tie Sepulchre , rather , perhaps , in fear for his own position , he had solicited assistance from Western Christendojh . He had asked for teii thousand soldiers . The fervent pietypf those days , the love of arms , and the spirit of enterprise sent forth myriads . The Eniperor " was astonished by the approach of so many potent chiefs and fanatic notions . " His object was to persuade his allies first to pay him homage ^ and then to pass from Constantinople . It required all his skill and prudence to prevent hostilities !; Thisi is Mr . Finlay ' s account of his position
:--" The conduct of Alexius towards the Crusaders Was certainly deficient both in eandou * and prudence , but he had a yety difficult part to act and it must be admitted that all . his fears and distrust were fully justified by , the rapinei of the private soldiersj who- plundered his subjects , and tile insolence cf his chiefs * who insulted his .-authorityw The mernorable anecdote of the insolence of a petty French chieftain , wh > has been supposed by Ducange to have been a count pi Paris , and who rudely seated himself on the imperial throne at a solemn , audience , is familiar both to the readers of history and romance . His conduct must have appeared to the Byzantine courtiers an act of high treason deserving death , and it was regarded bythe princes of the crusade as an intolerable piece of rudeness and brutality The iFranki and Greeks were at this time in social conditions which rendered it impossible for them to associate together without feelings of mutual contempt . The narration of Anna Cbmnena enables us to contrast in a curious manner the experienced anility of the Byzantine court with the idleness and mental inanity of the Western aristocracy * : ¦ She complains , with great reason , of the presumption , vanity , and loquacity of the chiefs , who , considering themselves entitled- by tlieir rank to converse with the emperor , compelledhirn to : sacrifice hour After hour of his valuable time listening to their pretensions and solicitations . Alexius knew that
these men wore independent chiefs , and he was anxious to avoid giving them offence , for their power so often exceeded their judgment that the neglect of a childish demand or the irritation of an unintentional slight might plunge his empire in a dangerous and bloody war The personal behaviour of Alexius was more judicious than his political system . He did everything to conciliate the nobles , and his jatience , good humour , and liberality , overcame many difficulties , but'his health suffered from the fatigue of the interminable audiences he gave the leaders amidst the toils of his other occupations , The silly- loquacity of men who wasted their days in idle talk and vain boasting mudo a very unfavourable impression on the Byzantine nobles , whoso social intercourse retained rnuch of Roman gravity , formalised by Oriental ceremony . The chiefs of the crusade also displayed an unseemly eagerness to obtain money and presents from the emperor . Tancred , the flower of Norman chivalry , openly expressed his disgust at the rapacity of his companions . When solicited to do homage to Alexius , which ho would fain have avoided , he could not repress his sneers at thoir venality . Looking one day at tho magnificent tent of tho emperor , which all were admiring , Tancred exclaimed , ' If Alexius would give mo that tent full , of money , and aa much more as ho has given to our princes , X might think of doing him homage . '
We regret that we have not time nor space to devote to a more lengthened account of Mr . Finlay ' s book . We can sum up our criticism in a few words . It is the most complete and elaborate history of the Byzantine and Greek Empires that has Appeared in an English form .
Robert Owen's Address To The Human Race,...
ROBERT OWEN'S ADDRESS TO THE HUMAN RACE , New Existence of Man upon Earth . Parts i ,, ii ., iii . Holyoako and Co . Mr , Owen ' s address on his 84 th birthday is rcmarkablo for its vigour , being equal to his speeches which agitated tho London Tavern audiences of 1817 . "Wo need not say it reiterates with tho utmost geniality Ms favourite dogmas . 2 'he New Existence of Man upon Earth is , as fur as it has proceeded , a very interesting autobiographical work . These Parts contain the earlier documents issued by Mr . Owen to tho statesmen of a former generation . N " o result has come- out in tho precise way tho author intended , but great indirect reforms have been stimulated by these publications , which may yet bo consulted as Text Books of associative improvements .
Books On Our Table. Tha Full Qf The Crim...
BOOKS ON OUR TABLE . Tha Full qf the Crimea . By Captnin Spencer . Rontlodgo Tho Convent und ( ho Maneo . Nelson Ida May . By Mary Lnngdon Sampson , Lowe , Son , and Co Church Furniture and Decoration . By Kcv . E . 1 . Cutts , B . A . Crookforil
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 9, 1854, page 20, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_09091854/page/20/
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