Gladstone and his Contemporaries. By Thomas Archer. Vol. I. (Blackie
and Son.)—In these volumes, of which we have now the first of four before us, Mr. Archer " proposes to recount the wonder- ful story of the half-century." An introductory chapter gives a sketch of the reign of George IV., and the book itself may be said to begin with the accession of King William in 1830, the public life of Mr. Gladstone having commenced with his return for Newark, then under the influence of a strong Tory, the Duke of Newcastle, in the following year. The period of time included in this first volume is the fifteen years 1830-1845. Mr. Gladstone himself is not, of course, a prominent figure, though we hear all that has to be told of this period of his career. On the other hand, we have sketches of a great nnmber of personages, more or less distinguished, sketches which Mr. Archer draws with vigour, and always contrives to make entertaining, though sometimes, we may venture to suggest, be raises a laugh against himself, as, for instance, when we read of Bentham that " he played the violin when young, but despised poetry." The great difficulty of fairness in poli- tical matters has been well surmounted. Mr. Archer is obviously a Liberal, but he deals an even-handed justice. In his views of social matters and his congratulations on the progress of mankind, he is, we
venture to say, a little optimistic :—" A newspaper like the John Bull of these times would not be possible." We take it, there are very fashionable and successful papers which are worse. And is there any change for the better in the taste which prefers La Fille de Madame An got to Black-eyed Susan ? However, optimism is a fault on the right side. A pessimistic view of the half-century would be quite unbearable reading. By the way, has Mr. Archer any authority for " egoistic " as a substantive ? We look forward with interest to the volume in which Mr. Gladstone will figure as the greatest of "contemporaries." Meanwhile, each volume, as it appears, should have an index.
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