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    espionage * But it , is also , & story of love and self-sacrifice , and so appeals to sympathieswhich are , not the exclusive property of any nation . Oulita , the henoine of tbe traged y ^ . ia > a serf belonging to , the Prince Lanskof , a Jioyaecbnoble . She attends : on the Prince ' s daughter ^ who is betrothed , to Count Edgar von Straubenheim . The Count , who has no strong affection for the Princess ( thought she lores him ) , seeks a union with her for reasons of state j but it is not long * before he finds himself deeply in love with Oulita , who is beautiful , afTectionaie , ' and graceful , an accomplished singer « nd a fascinating dancer . Thie . ^ i qcess , discovering thetruth , upbraids her ser £ y who answers sharply , and is condemned to the punishment of the lash . But the Count and his dependants set a part of the castle on fire , and bear off Oulita in the confusion that ensues . Then follows a complication of police espionage and of counter plotting on the part of Straubenheim and his secretary , Ermolai ; and at lengthgthe former is banished by the Czar to

    Siberia . To save him feom this misery , Oulita seeks out her passionate ^ nemy , the Princess , and renounces all hope of marrying the exile , whom she thus thinks to save ; the Princess * softened by her devotion , is reconciled to the serf ; and the Czar promises to forgive the Count if he consent to marry his betrothed . Oulita and the Princess follow him on the road to Siberia ; and the girl , to prevent his being distracted between love and a sense of duty , poisons herself in his presence , and joins his hand to that of the Princess . But the Count refuses the compact , and passes away , brokenhearted , into the land , of mist and snow—the prison of his life-long exile . Thus barely narrated ,, the story may seem almost repulsive ; but it is not so in the drama itsel £ The characters are so well elaborated— -the incidents

    are evolved so carefully and gradually—that the reader is not startled or shocked by the catastrophe , but is reconciled to it as the only natural path out of the fatal complication of events and passions . The cruel entanglements of state policy , of aristocratic caste , and of secret surveillance , hanging Kke an inexorable destiny over the lovers , can only be unravelled by some sublime act of devotion , stronger than all opposing combinations , because nature is stronger than art , and afiection mightier than selfishness . The love of a person luce Oulita will not be wholly cheated of its reward by any force of nobles , Czars * and spies . Baffled in attaining happiness , it finds its guerdon in the very sacrifice of self ; and , finding life an impracticable riddle , retires into the reconciling serenity of death .

    . It iftia the delineation of his characters that the author of Oulita chiefly -exhibits his faculty . In poetic feeling we conceive him to be defective * A few ^ lines , and one or two speeches , show that he has the power to write with a poet ' s ardour ; , but these are exceptional- The general tissue ¦ of the writing is prosaic . The blank verse is devoid of harmony , besides being deformed by the frequent use of double terminations ; and the portrayal of emotions and motives is rather by elaborate analysis than by imaginative insight . For the same reason , the play is not conspicuously dramatic , but seems like the work of an essayist and critic thoughtfully observant of human nature . Intellectual , rather than passionate—. sagacious , rather than beautiful—it exhibits , on the part of the writer , the traces of much study , and a familiarity with the complexities of the heart .

    The conception of the Count von Straubenheim is excellently developed . The mixture in his disposition of quick generosity and doubting scepticism the way in which , through the intensity of self-will , he mingles some -element of evil with his best actions—and the gradual elevation and purification of his character in the warmth and tenderness of Oulita ' s love—• cause him to stand out from the page with lively distinctness . Oulita herself too , is womanly and real ; and we must not forget to mention , as apiece of picturesque portraiture , ' the Small Wise Man , ' Nicholas Pougatchof . We have said that there are a few exceptional passages of poetry in the volume ; and , in order that the reader may have some taste of Oulita , we will quote two of them . In the first , the Count , after alluding to the manifold crimes and miseries of human nature , utters a very striking and original thought : —

    The earth may smile , I say , But like a new-made -widow ' s mirth , it shocks one . And she , the earth , should never quit her weeds ; And should , there come a happier race upon her , Ever there'll be a sighing of the wind , A moaning of the sea , to hint to that More favoured race what wo poor men have suffered . There roost have been a history , they'll say , To be interpreted by aU , these sighs And moans . In the second passage , the Count ( Othello-like to Desderaona ) is relating tie travels to Oulita : — X told you of the stillness in the North Bewitched in ice ; and then we wandered towards The joyous , noisy South , wheie the perfume Of orange-groves pervades the charmed air , And overcomes the incense in the temples ; And -where the yellow rooks uprise from out A tidolesa sea that purples as you . gaze , And seems like the unreal waters of enchantment You read of in a magio tale—that might , Some potent word pronounced , vanish away . And then I JoJd you of a bay of sand , Quite black—tike crumbled memories of * life All spent in sorrow—so it seemed , to mo As X dismountod , and the hours went by , Leaving me gazing at thia ebon shore , * "" '' " "'' On wHic ^ tli *^ lm ~ blue-rtpple ,- "lika-a ^ llawrd-- ^ - ~ ' ^—~~ . — " ——^—Up a dark wall , stole softly : then , to Africa We Bailed , and in the desert drew that breath So full , bo deep , that over afterwards There is a sonae of stifling in ground palaces , When we recftl oar sojourn midst tho sandy And nee again' brown conrota mooted about Out tent , and watch the all-pervading ¦ unsetr—Om , ftery dome—the north , ti \ f > enat ,, the south , Saddening alike , nor leaving tor the weat

    Alone the duty-task of shining out In regal pomp—where the fierce king of day Takes leave of all the courtly hemisphere At once—a sunset wholly inconceivable To those who dwell in pallid Russia . The drama , however , must be judged in its totality , and not by isolated passages ..

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    THE DEFENCE OF LUCKNOW . A Personal Narrative of the Siege of Lncknow , from its Commencement to its Belief by Sir Colin Campbell . By L . E . Kuutz Rees . ( Longman and Co . ) —Of the three volumes containing narratives of the siege of Lucknow , that by Mr . Rees is the most ample and the most interesting . Its author , one of the survivors , was a merchant of Calcutta , who was accidentally at the capital of Ou . de when the insurrection broke out , and who fought through the entire struggle . His volume , embellished with a characteristic portrait of Sir Henry Lawrence , and a plan of Lucknow , bears a few slight traces of bookmaking ; but it is generally a gi-aphic and ^ simple record of events ; his account of the first great assault is quite dramatic , and attains a climax which must stir the emotions of the least excitable reader . Altogether , the story , as here related , is thrilling , not as three-volume novels always are , but literally and naturally . Mr . Rees was unlucky in a journey which he undertook to the Up ^ er Provinces on the 1 Oth of May , last year , for he was just in time to be isolated by the rebellious inundation . Even then the country of Oude had been thrown into confusion by the outbreak of a prowling population , made up of disbanded soldiers and the retinues of

    disreputable petty chieftains ; but no positive danger was apprehended , and Sir Henry Lawrence , haranguing the native troops in Hindostanee , stimulated their loyalty until the end of June . Then the inferior towns and villages , Fyzabad , Sultanpore , Duriabad , Salore , Purseedapore , and other places , having fallen away from their British allegiance , gave forth swarras to swell the besieging army ; military executions broke in upon the route of military management ; the enemy appeared in force , and an individual , fair , well-built , with light moustaches and a European uniform , was seen in command of their cavalry . From a di ^ ry kept by Lady Inglis , Mr . Rees quotes some very interesting passages referring to this period of the siege . Upon comparing the succession of incidents as here recorded with that of ' The Stafi" Officer / we find them so exactly parallel that not the shadow of a doubt can rest upon the simple authenticity of either narrative . As we have indicated , however , that by Mr . Rees , besides covering a larger space of time—reaching to the relief of Lucknow by Sir Colin Campbell—is more complete and anecdotical . With small space for extracts , we select two or three as illustrations of that tremendous conflict and the spirit it engendered . This is suggestive : — Jvly 15 t / t . —The enemy plays the same game as yesterday . Unfortunately the allots tell ; but they have of late been less numerous : still our European deaths now average about ten a day . The natives we of course don ' t count . We feel their loss is nothing very great ; but it pains us all to hear of a poor European being knocked over . We not only deplore hia loss as a man , but we are selfish enough to regret that we have one less in our garrison , and anticipate the future with uo enviable feelings . When the enemy made their great assault in July , the sick inmates of the hospital turned out to resist them : — seized musket

    Even of the wounded and the sick many had left their couches , any they could lay hold of , and fired as often as their strength enabled them to do so . It was indeed heartrending to see these poor fellows staggering along to the scenes of action , pale , trembling with weakness , and several of them bleeding from their wounds , which reopened by the exertions they made . One unfortunate wretch , -with only one arm , was seen hanging to the parapet of the hospital entrenchments with Iris musket , but the momentary strength which the fear of being butchered in his bed and the desire of revenge had given him , was too much for him . He died in the course of the day . This was * war upon a scale to which not even the oldest soldier had been accustomed . Another incident of the same day is worth commemoration : — Meanwhile another part of the outpost T ? as stoutly held by a little fellow of tho name of Bailey , a volunteer , the son of a native Christian captain formerly of the king ' s service , and a couple of Sepoys . The young man spoke Hindostanee so well , that the mutineers , whom he , native like , abused from behind the palisade that sheltered him , fancied him a Mohammedan or Hindoo Sepoy , and offered to spare his life if he would throw down his arms and assist them . A very interesting and animated conversation took place . " Come , " cried one of the rebels , who had found shelter in one of a large number of huts , not five yards away f rom the palisade which Bailoy defended , " come over to us , and leave thoso cursed Feringheos , whoso mothers and sisters we have defiled , and whom wo auall kill this day . Come over to us ; what have you to do with them ? Will you bo made a Christian too ? ( pop , pop ) orlmvo you already lost your caste ? " " Take that , " firing his piece , cried Bailoy ; " do you think that I have oaten pig ' s flesh like yourselves ? Do you think that I too shall diBgrace myself , by proving unfaithful to my salt ? Take that , thou son of a dog ! ( pop ) . Thou whose grandfather ' s grave I have dishonoured J" ( pop ) " Wait you offspring of a dishonoured mother , " cried another , " wo are coining . 1 ahull just bo ¦ wit h you , and jump over your wall . My sword is sharp . " " Is it , " cried Bailoy , "but thy heart is craven . Come along then , boaster . My bayonet ia ready , awilo the wall . We arc oil prepared , and as for you , 1 shall catch you on tho point of my bayonet . But first , hero's for you . " Were it not that this narration will speedily bo in the hands of every subscriber to the circulating library wo would gladly increase the number of our extracts j for tho book is one of strong and universal fascination . The Defence ojLuoknoto : a Diary . By a Staff Officer . ( Smith , Elder , ana Cp . )—The Stall' Officer's narrative records the daily incidents during the ¦ -aiegeof-the-EuKopean-JitoBideneyjfr ^ 2 Jth ot September , from the tirst moment of alarm to the arrival ofITttvelocirRntl'Outrnm ^ at Lncknow , Unadorned and simple , the story is , nevertheless , an eloquent one , vividly suggesting the long and close series of battles , tho uiiintormitting slaughter , the coming and going o < ' hope , all that was trngic , all that ¦ was heroic during that unparalleled conflict , > Vo have been presented witij other versions , one of which , at least—that by Mr . Loos—is more historical in its pioturesque amplitude and circumstantial detail ; but thia volume wui i > G eagerly read * and will in aU likelihood enhance the popular zest for » Jcs 3

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    3 ^ . THE LEA T > E B . [ No » 415 , Marph 6 , lgga .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), March 6, 1858, page 234, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2233/page/18/