The Late Prince Consort.

most startling information , or of that able editorship which characterised alike Vol . L , by General Grey , and Vol . II ., by Mr . Martin . Indeed , we are inclined to think that the third volume rivals , if it does not excel the two jireceding ones , in its remarkable details aud its masterly use of materials . We are struck , as all must he , with many memorable proofs—if jiroofs were needed—of the intense ability and clear-sightedness of her Majesty the Queen , which are vividly consjneuous in many of the pages of this fascinating work . The character of the lamented Prince Consort seems to stand out clearer than ever ,

thanks to Mr . Martin ' s manly independence of thought and touch , to the admiring gaze and juster judgment of us all alike . And now that calumny is silenced , and obloquy is forgotten in the regretful apjn-oval and grateful love of every loyal and cultivated Englishman , we can all see , ( though perhaps too late ) , how that Prince Albert was indeed , in the good Providence of God , a wondrous gift to our own country , and a Statesman , a Eider , a Man for " all time . " As years roll by , and difficulties increase , we note exultingly how clear was his vision , how " richtig " his estimate of things , and how that he

was equal to every emergency , forearmed for every duty . The nobility of his views , the greatness of his aims , are wonderfully apparent to us now , amid much of the " petitesse " and "bassesse" of our own little way of the world ; and we learn to-day , with fond regret , not only how he laboriously strove ever for what was the To ayadov , the To i < a \ ov , but how patriotically and self-sacrificingly he gave up the vigour of his manhood and the power of his " Geist" to her service whom he loved so trul y , and to that country of which he

had become the most devoted of her adopted chiefs and citizens . It seems all but impossible to believe that popular prejudice or the virulence of an ignorant Press could ever have distorted or defamed that pure fair character , goo'dl y and gracious hi all its lineaments and " outcome . " It must strike us all with almost mute astonishment , if not humiliation , to realize that all that unwearied devotion , all that ceaseless toil for the honour and prestige of Englandcoidd ever have been the

, subject of childish doubt or scandalous misrejiresentation . Yet so it was , and we can only mourn to-day , as our admiration of the late Prince Consort is increased with each volume of his " Life Story , " at such lamentable proofs—though , alas , we need none—of the blindness of party prejudice and of the fanaticism of intolerant ignorance .

Curiousl y enough , at the very time that France is deluged with attacks on rfapoleon III , we are recalled , happily hi this third volume of the "Life of the Late Prince Consort" to dwell upon the truer portraiture of that remarkable man drawn by the skilful and effective pencil of the Queen herself . The incidents , no doubt , narrated in her affectionate and enthralling narrative , will bring mingled joy and sadness to the mind of the widowed Empress , but in no work that we have seen do we find so masterl y

a representation , and marked by such lifelike touches , of the great qualities of Napoleon III . France has yet to learn what she owes to his wise rule . 'When we lay down the book , and try to sum up what we are told so graphically of the Emperor , and so gracefully of the Empress , not only do we feel at once that no worthier tribute to their real merit has ever been offered ; but so pleasant is the word-painting , so minute the drawing , and yet so carefully coloured , that we almost fancy we stand before one of those masterpieces of Meissonnier on which we have often looked spell-bound with wonder and delight .

It is jileasant to note how clear and careful are the Queen ' s words to Lord Eaglan at a time of great trial and hardship in tho Crimea : — " The sad jirivations of the Army , the bad weather , and the constant sickness , arc sources of the deepest anxiety and concern to the Queen and Prince . The braver her noble troops are , the more patiently and heroically they bear all their trials and sufferings , the more miserable we feel at their long continuance . The Queen trusts that Lord

haglan will be very strict in seeing that no unnecessary privations are incurred by any negli gence of those whose duty it is to watch over their wants . " The Queen heard that their coffee was given them green instead of roasted , and some ether things of this kind -which have distressed her , as she feels so anxious that Jkey should be made as comfortable as circumstances can admit of . The Queen earnestl y tr usts that the large amount of warm clothing sent out has not only reached Balaclava