Contemporary literature is rich in biographies and biographical sketches of Lord Beaconsfield. The man who after a long career of constantly gratified ambition still at the age of seventy-five occupies the foremost place among public men in England la a standing protest against " the Vanity of Human Wishes." The life of such a one is more than subject for biography; it cannot be adequately dealt with except asa psychological study. In the current number of the Revue des deux Mendes, M. Cucheval-Ciarigny undertakes to introduce the English premier to the French reading world as a phenomenon worthy of the most minute analysis, Beginning with his earliest days, he traces his gorgeous Oriental imagination to the race inheritance of which D'Israeli has always shown himself proud, his tendency to mysticism and love for abstract theories and wide goneralisations to his German training at a period of life when his intellect and emotions wera still plas", and his magnificent invective and sca '.ug irony to natural talent carefully cultivated and nourished by the jealousies which have always surrounded him. As a preliminary to any just appre-ion of D'Tsracli's achievements, the condition of English social and political life at the moment of his entry on the stago—that i immediately before, the Reform This condition the author succeeds in representing with passable fidelity, sufficient at all events to shew how: over-weighted was a candidate for parliamentary honours, who made open profession of Ben-mite opinions in regard to the duties imposed by the possession of wealth, and to the rights and dairiis of labour. From first to last, the labouring classes have had a warm advocate in the Earl of Beaconsfield, nor has he been ungratefully used by them. An incident, small in itself, and which we do not remember to have seen recorded at the time, is related by the writer as proving the premier's popularity. When his elevation to the peerage was made known, a deputation of working men waited on him and presented him with an Earl's coronet, purchased by a subscription collected from among their fellows all over England. The story is probably true, though we have a horrid suspicion that the Turnerelli wreath may be at the bottom of it. The author is not always scrupulously correct is his facts. Thus, according to him Sir Edward Lytton Bulwer, D'Israeli's friend of fifty years ago, is at present Viceroy of India, We should not like to be forced to say where "Sir Edward Lytton Bulwer" is, but he is certainly not at Simla. After four failures to obtain a seat, Mr. D'Israeli was at length, in 1837, elected for Maidstone, and at this point the writer of the article before us halts. The literary labours, as well as the political struggles which cil this first stage of the premier's 'y, are enumerated and intelligently ed, Indeed, we do not know where Jer can go with more ada but comprehensive view of Mr. D'Israeli's early history than to this article.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.