no objection to English artists, who might be entrusted with the management of considerable works, employing Germans under them. To my agreeable surprise Prince Albert would not even admit that this was necessary, for he said he was convinced that in all that related to practical dexterity, which was the department in which it was assumed that some instruction (for fresco) would be necessary, the English were particularly skilful. He observed that in all mere mechanism the English generally surpassed all other nations. He gave several instances, and among others said, "Even to the varnish on coaches, it is surprising how much more perfect the English practice is than that one sees on the Continent."

On this Mr. Martin notes:

'The Prince, it is well known, was particularly observant of the materials used in manufacture, and of their special qualities, and often surprised people by his intimate knowledge of the technicalities of their own craft. We are able, on the authority of Lord Portman, to cite the following striking instance of the accuracy of his knowledge in a matter purely technical. When at Salisbury, in 1857, on the occasion of the Royal Agricultural Society's Show, the Prince visited the Cathedral Chapter House, the restoration of which was then nearly completed. The Prince admired the work, but observed to Lord Portman, who attended him, that the paint used was of the wrong kind, "and that in a short time it would fall off in flakes." A friend of Lord Portman's visiting the Chapter House in July, 1870, found the walls in great disorder, a part of the paint falling away precisely as the Prince had foretold.'

The Prince's attention was not merely directed to the encouragement of art, according to the common but restricted use of that word, which is mostly employed to signify works of sculpture, of painting, and of music. His attention was not the less directed, and was not the less usefully employed, in visiting and encouraging whatever of skill was to be seen at the great centres of commerce in this country. Mr. Martin gives a vivid account of the Prince's visit to Liverpool:

'Not a point was lost to his observation. "He had often heard,” was his remark to Mr. Bramley Moore, the Chairman of the Liverpool Dock Committee, who attended him, "of the greatness of Liverpool, but the reality far exceeded his expectations." After opening the dock with the usual ceremonies, the Prince brought the enthusiasm of his hosts to a climax by proposing at the déjeuner which followed, "Prosperity to British Commerce." The Prince's dock, the largest in the port, was then inspected; visits were paid to the South Corporation and Bluecoat Schools, and a careful survey was made of the St. George's Hall, with which considerable progress had been made. Mr. Elmes, the architect, found to his delight that every architectural, feature of novelty or importance, which he would have wished to be

noticed,

noticed, was appreciated and commented on by the Prince. At the docks and warehouses it had been the same. The Dock engineer, Mr. Jesse Hartley, a man of the first eminence in his profession, was at once surprised and gratified by the technical knowledge of hydraulic engineering shown by the Prince.'

So close and practical,' says Mr. Martin, 'was the Prince's interest in the details of the work, that he requested that a sample of the granite-rubble masonry used in the docks, by the excellence of which he had been struck, might be sent up to him at Windsor Castle. These details are given on the authority of Mr. Robert Rawlinson, C.B., an intimate of both Mr. Elmes and Mr. Hartley, from whom he received them at the time. "St. George's Hall," Mr. Rawlinson writes, "is a noble monument of the artistic skill of the young and gifted architect. The Liverpool Docks are among the finest specimens of hydraulic engineering in the world. The Prince was at home with such men amidst such works. To an architect he could talk as an architect; to an engineer, as an engineer; to a painter, as a painter; to a sculptor, as a sculptor; to a chemist, as a chemist; and so through all the branches of Engineering, Architecture, Art, and Science."

The further development of the Prince Consort's incessant labours to promote the best interests of art, science, and manufactures, will be seen in the remaining portion of his Life, which Mr. Martin has yet to publish. But enough has already been stated to prove that, from the Prince's first coming to England, up to the time at which the present narrative ends, he did not fail to be a most attentive observer of all that was going on in these great departments of labour, and to render his aid and sympathy to all good efforts made in that, or indeed in any worthy direction.

It is to be noticed of the Prince, as it is very characteristic of the man, that he did not care for those works only in which he himself took an active part. It is mentioned that—

'He loved to ride through all the districts of London where building and improvements were in progress, more especially when they were such as would conduce to the health or recreation of the working classes; and few, if any, knew so well, or took such interest as he did, in all that was being done, at any distance, east, west, north, or south of the great city-from Victoria Park to Battersea-from the Regent's Park to the Crystal Palace, and far beyond. "He would frequently return," the Queen says, "to luncheon at a great pace, and would always come through the Queen's dressing-room, where she generally was at that time, with that bright loving smile with which he ever greeted her; telling where he had been-what new buildings he had seen-what studios, &c., he had visited. Riding for mere riding's sake he disliked, and said: Es ennuyirt Mich so. (It bores me so.)"'

From

From a work so comprehensive and varied as this is, it is difficult to determine what passages to select, in order to give the best idea of what the reader will find in it most worthy of notice. But we cannot go wrong in calling attention to some of the Prince's remarkable expressions of opinion which are scattered through the book.

In a memorandum by the Prince, which he gave to Lord John Russell, on Italian affairs, there is the following pregnant and judicious passage: those of our readers who recollect the political events of the day (1847) will not fail to remember the occasion referred to by the Prince :

:

'What will be Lord Minto's position at Rome? Will he be a minister accredited to the Pope, or a member of the British Cabinet? He will be opposed by the Corps Diplomatique, at the head of which the Austrian ambassador is supreme, who will be supported (if only underhand) by his French colleague. These two great Catholic powers have means in their hands to influence the Vatican, which we cannot dream of competing with. The probability is that Lord Minto will have very little real influence, and will be made responsible for every act of a doubtful nature, and of which he may have been totally ignorant.'

These are surely very wise suggestions, and very remarkable as coming from a young man only twenty-eight years of age. Lord John Russell assured Her Majesty, that the views expressed in the memorandum entirely coincided with the course of conduct which Lord Palmerston and himself had agreed to recommend to the Queen.

In a subsequent letter to Lord John upon the same subject the Prince observes :

́England has, by her own energies and the fortunate circumstances in which she has been placed, acquired a start in civilisation, liberty, and prosperity over all other countries. Her popular institutions are most developed and perfected, and she has run through a development which the other countries will yet in succession have to pass through. England's mission, duty, and interest is, to put herself at the head of the diffusion of civilisation and the attainment of liberty. Let her mode of acting, however, be that of fostering and protecting every effort made by a State to advance in that direction, but not of pressing upon any State an advance which is not the result of its own impulse. Civilisation and liberal institutions must be of organic growth and of national development, if they are to prosper and lead to the happiness of a people. Any stage in that development missed, any jump made in it, is sure to lead to confusion, and to retard that very development which we desire. Institutions not answering the state of society for which they are intended must work ill, even if these institutions should be better than the state that society is in. Let

England,

England, therefore, be careful (in her zeal for progress) not to push any nation beyond its own march, and not to impose upon any nation what that nation does not itself produce; but let her declare herself the protector and friend of all States engaged in progress, and let them acquire that confidence in England that she will, if necessary, defend them at her own risk and expense. This will give her the most powerful moral position that any country ever maintained.'

To the same effect the Prince wrote on another occasion:

:

'We are frequently inclined to plunge States into constitutional reforms towards which they have no inclination. This I hold to be quite wrong (vide Spain, Portugal, Greece), although it is Lord Palmerston's hobby; but, on the other hand, Í maintain that England's true position is to be the defence and support (die Schutz-Macht) of States, whose independent development is sought to be impeded from without.'

Again, with what sagacity and boldness the Prince comments, in a letter to Baron Stockmar, upon the King of Prussia's speech.

666

"I have to-day read with alarm the King of Prussia's Speech, which in my vile word-for-word translation into English produces a truly strange impression. Those who know and love the King recognise him and his views and feelings in every word, and will be grateful to him for the frankness with which he expresses them; but if we put ourselves into the position of a cold critical public, our heart sinks. What confusion of ideas! And what boldness in a King to speak extempore; and at such a moment, and at such length, not only to touch all the most terrible and difficult topics, but to plunge into them slap-dash, to call God to witness, to promise, threaten, protest, &c."

In writing to Baron Stockmar a few days later the Prince remarks on two qualities in the character of King Frederick William, which were soon found to interfere fatally with his powers to deal with the problems of practical politics.

and

"The King lets himself be misled by similes which captivate his fancy, which he carries out only so far as they suit his purpose, which frequently by no means reflect the true state of things, but satisfy because they are clever and suggestive (geistreich). This makes close discussion with him impossible."

This last remark of the Prince Consort will be allowed by observant men to be singularly shrewd. Most of the greatest errors in the world find a large support in similes which captivate the fancy, but do not serve to enlighten the understanding. His character of Pope Pius IX. is equally striking:

The Pope is the counterpart of the King of Prussia: great impulsiveness, half-digested political ideas, little acuteness of intellect,

with a great deal of cultivated intelligence (Geist), and accessibility to outward influences. The rock on which both split is the belief that they can set their subjects in motion, and keep the direction and spread of the movement entirely in their own hands; nay, that they alone possess the right to control the movement, because it emanates from them?"

In conclusion, we would cite a remark that was made by the Prince Consort, which we think, though it is not of a political or diplomatic nature, deserves much consideration in the present

time.

""I don't understand," he would often say, "people making a business of shooting, and going out for the whole day. I like it as an amusement for a few hours. Die Leute hier (in England) wollen ein Geschäft daraus machen."

We said at the commencement of this article, that Mr. Theodore Martin had been very fortunate in having to portray the life of one who was so deeply interested in, and so thoroughly conversant with, most of the principal events of his time. There is, however, one drawback against which the author has had to contend. The Prince Consort's character was of that tempered, proportionate, and thoroughly well-conditioned nature, which does not admit of any of those violent contrasts which are wont, especially at first sight, to make a character interesting. The world in general is much fascinated by what is picturesque in character. A hero such as Cortes, pious and unscrupulous, polite and cruel, amiable and fierce, inevitably amuses, astonishes, and attracts us. The reader likes to read about these strange contrasts, and perhaps, plumes himself upon the fact that if he has not the greatness, at least he has not the inconsistency, of the hero of the story.

In reality there was something in the Prince Consort's character which entirely relieved its noble gravity and consistency. As we have intimated before, he was one of the most humorous of men-humorous in contra-distinction to witty; and the kind of humour was peculiarly British. It pervaded all descriptions he gave of anything that he had seen; it was lambent and not forked; and in short was of the kind that does not admit of repetition.

Moreover, as the Prince had a great dislike to giving pain, and to saying anything that was ill-natured, his humour never expressed itself in those short, sharp, sayings, which are easily recollected and readily repeated. Still, this humorous nature of the Prince formed a great and ever present relief to the somewhat stern quality of virtue which was always to be perceived in him as the ground-work of his character.

As