Savage and Civilised Rassia. By "W. R." (Longmans and Co.)—
This work is more particularly a history of Russian "policy," and although we have a sketch of leading events down to the reign of Peter the Great, the latter and Ivan the Terrible are ihe only Czars dwelt on at any length. The earlier part, that treats of theinroads of the Tartars, is very interesting. When we reflect what kind of a Sovereign the Czar is now, it almost passes belief that not much further back than the age of Queen Elizabeth a Tartar Khan should have compelled the Emperor of Russia to feed his (the Tartar's) horse with oats from the Emperor's own cap. Of course the loss of life from these successive forays must have been immense, but we would fain hope that the figures cannot strictly be depended on, when we hear of " Zenghis Khan and his followers having butchered 18,470,000 people in China and Tangut alone." Our attention is particularly drawn to Karamsin's "History of Russia," published in 1823, and from the extracts here given, and the magnitude of the subject, the work should be well worthy of an English translation. At the present time, those parts of the book before na which treat of Russia as an " annexing " Power will most interest, and although "W. R." does not at all take the part of the Turk, he is evidently a very good hater of the Russian. If what we are told here as to Russia, socially, is correct, we hardly think the Czar's children to be envied. Not only is the administration of justice corrupt, but it is asserted to be part of the duties of the police to compel the people by blows to drink brandy, in order that the excise duty may be kept up to a good figure. There is work here for Sir W. Lawson and Mr. Chamberlain.
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