A Man of Vision Joumuis AND Leites or Recnwaio Vise Cour Esam Vols. Il and IV. Edited by Oliver, Viscount Esher. Illustrated. Niehcison & Watson, London. 25/- each, The third and fourth volumes of the Journals and Letters of Reginald Viscount Esher, and, it is supposed, the last, have now come to hand, and interesting as were the first two volumes, these are even more engrossing. For not only do they give a vivid picture of a man at the height of his powers progressing quietly towards the inevitable end, but the notes he makes and the opinions he arrives at simultaneously with the various important political developments with which he'was intimately connected indicate that Viscount Esher was a man of very considerable foresight. It is not possible in the course of a comparatively short review to deal with all or even many of the important questions upon which the Viscount touches either in his journals or in his letters; but it seems fairly clear that this man, who at the end of his life speaks of his career as being "in the ordinary sense of language, personal and obscure," did an enormous amount of work for the good of his country and was at times an important influence in its politics. The last entry in the fourth volume, written at the age of 77, contains the following passage: descriptions of the various differences not only between the politicians, but also between the generals in the field. Thus, quite early in the second year of war there was a difference of view between Marshal Joffre and Field-Marshal French as to their respective positions. It was a most embarrassing and absurd situation, which arose from a want of frankness. Joffre contended that he was Generalissimo over both armies, while the Field-Marshal replied that the English army would never yield its best under such cir-
It was within a few days after this entry in the journals that Viscount Esher realized the necessity for a very big effort with regard to the supply of ammunition. No sooner is the quarrel between Joffre and Sir John French settled than one breaks Out between Lord Kitchener and the Field-Marshal. Lord Northcliffe has been to see Sir John at headquarters, succeeding in establishing a "Daily Mail" correspondent there, while Col. Repington, military correspondent of "The Times", has been allowed to despatch very injudicious telegrams to his paper, creating such a situation that Lord Kitchener eventually resolved not to remain in office unless proceedings to which he strongly objected were discountenanced.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.