THE UNIONIST PARLIAMENT (1895-1900).
DiaT of the Unionist Parliament (1895-1900). By Henry W. Lucy. (7 W. Arse wsmith, Bristol. 6s.)—Doubtless all fairly careful and interested readers of newspapers read this sketchy history of the Unionist Parliament, which came to an end a year ago, as it was originally published. But Mr. Lucy has done wisely in issuing his sketches in volume form. Apart from his peculiar light, but never too slight or ill-natured, humour, his diary, especially as presented here with Mr. Reed's delightful illustrations and a very full index, is as good a history of the last Parliament of the century as could be desired. Occasionally Mr. Lucy seems too insistent in his hits ; thus he depicts Mr. Caldwell once too often as a bore. As a rule, however, he is so deft that he never wearies even when he instructs as well as observes. Thus there could not well be anything better than the picture of the "family group" that supported Me. Chamberlain in the last Libel al Parliament. " Sir Henry James, on his right, keeping up a pleasant cynical commentary on the proceedings of the evening ; Mr. Courtney, with buff waistcoat and magisterial air ; Sir John Lubbock, lending to the party the erudition of the British Museum; Lord Weimer, fighting cheerfully against the gloom of an approaching earldom; Mr. Powell Williams and Mr. Jesse Collings, in training for high Ministerial office ; Mr. Arnold- Forster, the Martha of the House, troubled with many things ; and Mr. Kenrick, lending to the gathering a certain indescrib- able beaming, fat-off, benignant, fatherly presence which, with young Austen Chamberlain sitting on the gangway step showing how an eye-glass may be worn without irritating the Irish Members, endowed the group with a pleasant family air." The centre of this greup dominates the book. It is indeed dedicated to Mr. Chamberlain. Yet Mr. Lucy does not forget to quote Mr. I3irrell's sly hit at the expense of the Colonial Secretary,— " politicians never do repent ; they only recant." The solid information which is supplied is not less valuable than the com- mentary ; it is admirably digested. The author occasionally makes a slip, as when he describes Sydney Smith as a Dean; the humourist never attained any higher dignity than that of Canon- residentiary. Ile also spoils Lord Roaebery's celebrated and alarmist speech—admirably illustrated by Mr. Reed's picture of "The Little Minister and the Elders "—by making him refer to the Colonies as "Those Britons outside our islands."
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