4 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 'The credit of knowing what he is writing about belongs to the "Foreign Resident," who, in "Society in London," has not only cut most completely the ground from beneath the feet of Count Paul Vasili, or of any other Count who may meditate writing upon the polite life of the English capital, but has produced a volume of unique interest, of nearly uniform accuracy, and of permanent value. Nothing is overdrawn or underdrawn. The well-known men and women introduced into its pages are sketched to the life as they are-not, indeed, from the point of view of the moral philosopher or statesman, but of the social observer. "Society in London," having, as the advertisements announce, in the course of a week from its publication passed into a third edition, is evidently a success. It will be more than a merely ephemeral success. It will be read-and its readers will continue to increase and multiply-so long as society in London wears the same appearance, and rejoices in the same ornaments, as the stranger within our gates has illustrated. The value and the interest of the volume lie not only in its knowledge and clearness, but in its reserve.'-WORLD. Messrs. Chatto & Windus have published a very clever volume on "Society in London," as seen through eyes which profess to be placed in the head of a "Foreign Resident." Whatever the origin of the book, it is an interesting contribution to our social self-knowledge....There was once an author who thought he knew his world, and most earnestly begged a friendly reviewer to call his book blasphemous and indecent. We cannot bestow any epithet of reproach, commercially valuable, on the clever volume before us.'-DAILY NEWS. Its information, though never startling, is fairly accurate. It may furnish the historian of manners hereafter with a useful panorama of the time; it will be sure to possess interest in the present for that large circle who, not being themselves inhabitants of Vanity Fair, are the more eager to be taken round its booths by a well-informed and communicative showman.'-ATHENAEUM. If the book be written by a foreign resident, it presents no sign whatever of foreign idiom. It is the kind of book we should expect from one of the cleverest contributors to The World or Truthflippant and skilful in hitting off the outside manner of persons well known in society.'-SPECTATOR. The author of this entertaining little book tells us that he is a foreigner. Most books of this kind are scandalous, and some are spiteful. There are-it is possible even to name-who may think that there is a considerable spice of scandal in the pages of the "Foreign Resident;" but what scandal there may be is not of a very offensive kind, and of spite we find none. It is evident that the writer has a real and familiar society knowledge of nearly all men and women who figure in his scrap-book. Again and again we recognise his portraitures as the work of a keen eye and a firm hand-not always flattering, but true and just. Sometimes we suspect that more than one hand has been employed in bringing together the material for these chapters. However that may be, they make a pleasant book of gossip of the sort that most people enjoy. "Society" itself will certainly take no harm from reading it, but may rather profit by so doing. For there is a deal of what society must recognise as truth in the "Foreign Resident's" general reflections.'-ST. JAMES'S GAZETTE. The entertaining volume which has recently been published, with the attractive title "Society in London," suggests many reflections which may not have been intended by the author. It is certain that the personal portions of the book will be the most widely appreciated. The most important part of the book consists of generalisations, which are invariably bright, and, in some cases, merit serious attentionthough they may not have been seriously meant.'-FIGARO. "Society in London" will, I should say, cause some stir in metropolitan circles. It passes in review nearly all the most prominent people in London society, and touches them off with a graphic and sometimes a sarcastic pen.'-DERBYSHIRE ADVERTISER. The book cannot fail to be eagerly read and discussed. The "Foreign Resident" describes what he has seen with intelligence and a kindly spirit.'-GALIGNANI'S MESSENGER. If the author is a foreigner, or, indeed, if he is any one individual and not a group that has contributed various stocks of personal gossip to a common fund, it must be owned that he has acquired a large amount of knowledge, and that fairly accurate, of English society. It is in the main a book of gossip, neither more nor less; rather clever, indulgent to people's weaknesses, and full of superficial likenesses; royalty, dukes and duchesses, diplomatists, la haute finance, the Jockey Club, lawyers, judges, soldiers, politicians, actors, authors-the" Foreign Resident" seems to be familiar with them all.'-TIMES. The book is written from first to last in a lively and pleasing style. The author knows what he is talking about. He chats on briskly enough about a large number of interesting and familiar figures in our modern Babylon, and his general reflections on the character of its social life are not without point and cleverness. Indeed, we are not a little surprised that a "foreigner" should be able to form so thoroughly English an estimate of its characteristics, should show none of that brilliant ignorance, and make none of those amusing slips to which we are accustomed even in the best-Anglicised continental. He shows quite a surprising intimacy with some forms of metropolitan tittle-tattle which lie quite out of the beaten track of the class of Count Smorltorks to which he professes to belong. No less remark. able is his acquaintance with the refinements (and even the vulgarities) of English ideas. The book will have a large sale, we fancy.'-PALL MALL GAZETTE. "Society in London" has greatly fluttered society. I do not think the anticipation of interest is overstrained. The book deals with all kinds of people in society, beginning with the Court and Royal Family, passing through princes and royal dukes to diplomatists, lawyers, divines, soldiers, doctor statesmen, politicians, littérateurs, actors and actresses, and artists. The writer, whoever he may be, undoubtedly has opportunities of closely studying the personages of whom he writes.' LIVERPOOL DAILY POST. "Society in London" is filled with nice yet sometimes saucy gossip about London celebrities, royalties, diplomats, turfmen, professionals, statesmen, political pretenders, beauties, journalists, stage or art folk. Sixty years ago more duels than there are pages in the volume would have followed the publication, unless the author became outlawed. The chapter on Americans in English society is very Bret Hartish.'-AMERICAN BOOKSELLER. London: CHATTO & WINDUS, Piccadilly, W. [Spottiswoode & Co. Printers, New-street Square, E.C. THAN THOSE OFFERED BY ANY OTHER OFFICE.- (See OR the few in which the I the very bus mankind a Not alone FOR posals for Assurances may be addressed to the Secretary, or to the Chairman, 25, |