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596 TIE IiEABER, |> T o. 430, June 19,18...
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ALEXANDER THE FIRST. Hittory of Alexande...
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WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. William the Conqu...
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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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.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Mr. Wieoef And Lord Falmerstolf. A Nkvj ...
chatterings . Mr . Wikoff proceeds to describe Broadlands—the park and gardens , the drawing-rooms ,, library , and billiard-rooms , the pictures and farms , and a walk he enjoyed with his host . Wikoff preferred this to a ride , hoping it would lead to a quiet and confidential conversation : — ¦ ' .. "•' Off we started at a rattling pace , which soon made me suspect I had gained little by the exchange . I was really astonished at the extraordinary bodily vigour of my notile host , which far exceeded mine , though some thirty years his junior , and in sound health . At last comes the confidential moment : — By this time we had reached a kind of Observatory on the grounds , which , on asr cending , afforded a commanding view of the lovely landscape around . On returning to terrajtitna , we found a large congregation of peasants , of both sexes , just in from the harvest , and who had spied the Lord of the Manor across the field . " Long live your Lordship , " cried the boldest of the throng , and uproarious cheers followed this mannerly exclamation .
" Well , who ' s the treasurer amongst you , " inquired his Lordship . A hat was instantly held up , when their generous landlord , throwing in a handsome douceur , passed rapidly on his way , leaving a roaring sea of enthusiasm behind . The next morning at breakfast I announced my intention of leaving that afternoon for town , when her Ladyship was kind enough to express regret at my early departure . His Lordship walked with me from the breakfast-room into the library , when he remarked , " In our conversation yesterday your -views seemed to coincide singularly -with mine , more especially as regards France and the United States ; and if you . have nothing better to . do , what do you say to abiding me to keep the peace , for I hear that you are a good deal connected with the Press in both countries . " I was as much surprised as flattered at this frank and sudden proposition , which , however , embarrassed me not a little . "If I thought 1 could , in my bumble way , be of any use to your Lordship , " I replied , " and especially to the great cause in question , I certainly should ¦ " I stopped to reflect a moment .
" Well , think it over , " said his Lordship , remarking my hesitation , " and let me know . As to compensation , I'll make that easy . " With that the noble Secretary of State retired to his cabinet . I -was struck with the business-like way-he did things , and that he wanted no work he-was not willing to pay for . The result was , that Mr . Wikoff received 5001 . a year , for helping " to keep the peace , " and had a final interview at Broadlands : — I waited upon his Lordship before dinner , whom . I found hard at work at a high desk , in a spacious room , surrounded by book-cases . He bid me be seated , and , saying that he had not had a moment during the day to glance at my lucubrations , begged me to give him a brief analysis « f what I had written . I did so , when he simply remarked that I had gone over a -wide ground , and that he was sure I had done justice to it . Though pleasant in his manner , his Lordship seemed indisposed to talk politics I touched delicately on French affairs , to which he responded briefly . Without premeditation , I asked him what he thought of Louis Napoleon ' s chances . This was co >* mng too close , I could see , for the noble Secretary turned abruptly round on his chair , got up , put his back to the fire , and then said , with great caution , il Well , he has made no mistake yet . "
Mr . Addingtqn froze Mr . Wikoff "— understood him better , perhaps , than Lord Palmerston , or was pained by the necessity of coming in contact with an individual of that sort . Ultimately , the connexion came to an end , and Mr . Wikoff publishes this book in hopes that it may illustrate him as a martyr . It does nothing of the kind . It illustrates him as something else , and the worst it reveals of Lord Palmerston is , that he made the mistake not only of employing Mr . Wikoff , but of asking him to dinner .
596 Tie Iieaber, |> T O. 430, June 19,18...
596 TIE IiEABER , |> o . 430 , June 19 , 1858
Alexander The First. Hittory Of Alexande...
ALEXANDER THE FIRST . Hittory of Alexander the First , Emperor of Russia . By Ivan Golovin . Newby . Generali / it interesting as a narrative , this volume possesses less value as a criticism upon history than the writer appears to claim for it . Mr . Golovin asserts himself with too much pretence , and parades researches which if extensive— : is in a comparative sense they have probably been—have hardly been turned to the best account . When describing events he is crude and sketchy , and when wei g hing them flippant almost to pertness . The book , however , having been largely compiled from foreign sources , is sprinkled with a pleasant variety of anecdote , and is welcome as a contribution to Kussian imperial biography-. Perhaps the most entertaining ehnntor in if .
is that on the madness of Paul , which , according to one form of casuistry , almost justified his murder , it being argued that , as a dangerous lunatic with enormous powers , he might be humanely , and could certainly be wisely , put out of the way . The Imperial Gazette presents , at all events , ample evMlence of his total imbecility . It contained , for instance , such notifications as the following : — " The Emperor has remarked that Prince Galitzin is afraid of ram . His Imperial Majesty would observe that it is unworthy of Lli V * f i i - T * *»»• " One numb « r degraded SouvarofT ; the next created him a held-marahal . Men were compelled to get out of their wJrTg : ™ tUe , Pub }!? 8 ( luaves and S ^ e place to their servants . Ladies Paul Z * £ ri Tl ° r ^ ~ , P ™ 9 truting themselves . From irthiaSn ^ %£ !! X T Ie - ' n - G ? - Ovin Permits himBelf to indulge filf « i « ^ 'TTli i Ol , ° ^ CaU y B P « king » « perfect head would be only fit for a man at the head of a state—for an timperor . " Then , after accounting phrenologically for the numerous blunders of Napoleon he
pro-There was a good deal of the philosopher about the head of Alexander I « m » at wonder and great aecretivenesa , which , however , cannot bo called d Sulation * Hfa projecting eyes . ndicated hypochondriacism . The cerebellum w « Jlarge , and he b " came equally luxurious with his grandmother . ¦""*> « » » nu . ne
oe-The following anecdote refers to an early period in Alexander ' s re . Vn Alexander now became an admirer of Napoleon . One day the Grand-Dako " Nita &* mere ^ " * l ° ' S hlB gUn > aCtftd th ° 8 en * ind »'«> " Ooor of h ! a " What are you doing there , my dear boy ? " said the Czar . 41 1 am guarding ; the greatest roui of our age . " 41 But the greatest man is mot in Russia . " 44 Where then ?" " In France . "
" What is his name ?" " Napoleon . " Mr . Golovin goes out of his way to remark upon the small stature of Lord John Russell , Thiers , and Raumer , adding sundry wea k im perti nences concerning the Whig . historian and Lord Brougham . The Grand-Duke Gonstantine of that age was , according to Mr . Golovin , a second Paul He used to say to his officers when angry -with them : > I shall send you to where Macaire does not drive his calves ; " , "I will bury you in mud up to your ears " He was only to be spoken to when his fury-was exhausted . His dissoluteness knew no bounds . He was sent away from Berlin for having-used a court carriage in iroine to a house of bad fame , and for having killed a shoemaker whose wife he had seduced The character drawn of Alexander i 3 far from admirable ; but we are " not justified in accepting all the anecdotes in this volume as authentic . For example , whence did Mi \ Golovin derive this
?—Qace , when the Czar was about to visit Orenburg , the military chief having made choice of an ordinance , took great care to teach the brute the answers he would have to make , in case the Emperor should ask him certain questions . He supposed those questions would be : " How old are you ? " "Twenty-three years . " "How long have you been in the ranks ? " " Five years . " " Are you satisfied with the servirp ?" " Either , " £ e . " Yes and not . " It so happened that the first question the Czar asked , was : " How long is it since you . entered the service ? " " Twenty-threeyears , " waa the answer . "How old are you now ? " " Five years . " " Are you stupid or am I deaf ? " " Either , your Imperial Majesty . " The Czar said to one of his suite : " This is the first man that has told me truth . " ( He was really a little deaf . )
What is an . . ordinance , " and who was " the brute . " The story does not belong to Russia . It was originally told—at least before Alexander reigned—of Frederick WilUanvI . of Prussia and a foreigner admitted into the ranks of bis " big guard , " contrary to regulations .
William The Conqueror. William The Conqu...
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR . William the Conqueror . An Historical Borriance . By General Sir Charles Napier G . C . B . Posthumous Work . Edited by Lieut .-General Sir William Napier , K . C . B . Routledge and Co , Sib CHABtEsNAPiEB wrote this book in retirement and disgust . He \ ms apparently , in Normandy , inspired by Bayeux traditions , and wincing under the behaviour of Sir Frederick Adam . In this state of mind he composed a story which , the editor believes to be rich in Solit ical satire , but the general tone is far more tragic than ironical . To doubt , if we had been admitted into the author ' s confidence , it might be possible to recognize , under the mail and drapery of his personages , men and institutions of the present day . There is probably a bitter
Personality an the delineation of Pecquigny , and some little self-gloriiication , perhaps , in the autobiography of Sir William Mallet , while the paragraphs intended to crush " bugs" and the denunciations of treason are sufficiently characteristic to show that Sir Charles Napier , twenty years ago , thought himself encircled by a conspiracy of ruffians , liars , and scoundrels . The Vala , upon the " creation" of which so much elaboration is bestowed , may have been designed as a typification of the Horse Guards —an unapproachable stronghold , inhabited by a malignant spirit , guarded by dwarfs and dog-headed beings , and bung with the skeletons of those who have failed to penetrate its mysteries or share its treasures . All this may at least be imagined as of a political pui'port ; but the satire is not very obvious , and if the work recommends itself at all it must be as a story . As
a story , then , it is not likely to be popular . It will be read with curiosity rather than with interest . Written in 1837 , it is very unlike the fashions of 1858 , and we must say the change has been for the better . Romances of Norman and Saxon chivalry , with huge knights thundering challenges , castellans shouting welcome from their ramparts , fair damsels rescued by gaun tie ted bands from foul ravishers , magical hags tenanting lightningblsisted towers , mystical dreams of prophecy , and all ending with the battle of Hastings , belong altogether to another day . Besides , the story of Harold and William has already been converted to the uses of the novelist by Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton , and , though Sir "William Napier claims pr iority of design and execution for his kinsman , and even hints a charge of plagiarism in a case in which plagiarism would be robbery' —from a manuscript—we think the public has made its choice , and will scarcely be attracted by this new version . There is ability in the book ; Sir Charles
had a powerful invective faculty , nnd always wrote with a swift vigour , hurling solid and heavy masses of language whenever an object of vituperation fell in his way . He has , moreover , painted broadly and with eflect the times and institutions of the Conquest , exalting in a soldierly spirit the manners of chivalry , and describing battles with epigrammatic brilliance and animation . Nevertheless , a perusal of William the Co ? iqueror would be a burden upon the patience of most readers . The story opens at a period in Norman history some years prior to the conquest of England , and the illustrations of the earlier chapters appear to have been closely studied from the ainnala of the times . Gradually , as Harold and his future queen air © developed in contrast with Duke William , it becomes evident that the writer's purpose is to surround these personages with such romantic circumstances as tradition nnd invention will supply ,
and to follow their fortunes until the blood streams from the forehead of the Saxon king at Hastings . This last scene is described with wonderful effect , the originality of the rapid nairntivc making up for its exaggeration . It is one of the few exciting episodes in the tale , but the General , as a novelist , knew not when to hold his hsmd , nnd waxed so fierce at Hastings tlmt , what with the Norman charges and the Saxon volleys , the Homeric stumblings of knights—who , falling , closed their eyes in black death—the suicide of the martini sorceress , and the search of Editha for the body of Harold—that subject of « , thousand pictures—oven the battle verges upon the Bublimo us hypothoticnted at the East End . Still , bad as a story , and wild in conception , William the Conqueror bears truces of the hand that wrote it , and burns at timea with the genius of the pen that wrote the despatch from the field of Monnneo .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), June 19, 1858, page 20, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_19061858/page/20/
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