Anon.
LEADING ARTICLES OF FOREIGN NEWSPAPERS.
The foreign correspondence of the English press is an invaluable feature of that mighty engine of civilisation and progress, for which the world cannot be too thankful; but as the agents in it at Paris, Berlin, Vienna, &c., are more or less imbued with the insular views and prejudices which they carry with them from England, Scotland, or Ireland, it were well if the daily journals devoted more attention than they do to the leading articles of the Continental press, which is frequently distinguished by great ability and interest, and would
enable Englishmen, not versed in foreign languages, to judge, from another point of view, of Continental affairs—now becoming of surpassing interest and importance. Translations or abstracts of the leading articles of The Times, Morning Chronicle, Morning Post, &c., are constantly to be met with in the best foreign papers. Why should not our great London papers more frequently gratify their readers with articles from the pens of their Continental brotherhood? This would afford an opportunity also of correcting the false statements, or replying to the erroneous judgments put forth and circulated abroad by writers whose distinguished position enables them, unintentionally no doubt, to do the more mischief. A surprising change for the better, however, as respects Great Britain, is manifest in the tone and information of the foreign press of late years. Let us cherish this good feeling by a corresponding demeanour on our part.
Alpha.
Minor Notes.
Materials for a History of Druidism.—
"It would be a commendable, useful, and easy task to collect what the ancients have left us on the subject of Druidism. Such a collection would form a very small but interesting volume. It would supersede, in every library, the idle and tedious dreams and conjectures of the Stukeleys, the Borlases, the Rowlands, the Vallanceys, the Davies's, the Jones's, and the Whitakers. Toland's work on the Druids, though far from unexceptionable, has more solid intelligence than any other modern composition of its kind. It is a pity that he or some other person has not given as faithful translations of the Irish Christian MSS. which he mentions, as these have, no doubt, preserved much respecting Druidical manners and superstitions, of which many vestiges are still existing, though not of the kind usually referred to."
"The Roman history of Britain can only be collected from the Roman writers; and what they have left is very short indeed. It might be disposed of in the way recommended for the History of the Druids."—Douce's notes on Whitaker's History of Manchester, vol. i. p. 136. of Corrections in Book i., ibid. p. 148.