THE

Saturday Review

OF

Politics, Literature, Science, and Art.

THE prospectus of a new Periodical is usually, for most practical purposes, superfluous; for although it may appear less than respectful to the public, in those who ask its confidence, to make no professions at all, it is certain that a literary experiment can better describe itself by its performances than by its promises. The character of a Review or of a Newspaper is developed rather by its working than by any formal announcement of the anticipations or even the plans of its projectors. All, therefore, that the conductors of the SATURDAY REVIEW can at present do is to state certain principles of journalism which they desire to realize and embody in their new publication.

Their immediate motive in coming before the public is furnished by the impetus given to periodical literature by the repeal of the Newspaper Stamp Act. The object of that measure is to enable those who assume the responsibility of providing the public with accessible information, or instruction, to do so without the cumbrous and expensive machinery hitherto inseparable from a newspaper. What the recent Act has done is, however, not so much to make news and intelligence-commercially speaking-cheaper, as to remove the restrictions and difficulties heretofore incidental to the publication of matter in a newspaper form. The Press has, by the late change in law, acquired freedom rather than cheapness, and of the benefits of this change the writers and proprietors of the SATURDAY REVIEW desire to avail themselves. They do not come before the public as

purveyors of news. The newsmarket is more than sufficiently supplied. The Daily Journals, whether well or ill-whether or not, in some quarters, with enough of moral principle, or in others with adequate intellectual power-do undoubtedly give all readers enough of facts, and even more than enough of crude and ill-considered comments. With the Daily Newspaper Press the SATURDAY REVIEW therefore proposes to enter into no competition or rivalry.

And as regards the Weekly Newspaper Press, the SATURDAY REVIEW has marked out for itself a field of action very different from that covered by any existing publication. The Weekly Newspaper, whether sectional or general, aims at giving a digest of all the news of the week, together with comments in the shape of leading articles, which, from the nature of the case, must be few in number, and either partial or perfunctory in scope. What the SATurday Review proposes is, to make its specialty consist in leading articles and other original matter. It will give no news whatever, except in the way of illustrative documents, and such facts as may be required to make its comments and criticism intelligible. It will assume in all its readers a sufficient acquaintance with the current history of the week, gathered from the daily journals. The SATURDAY REVIEW will therefore consist entirely of leading articles, reviews, comments, and criticisms on the various Parliamentary, Social, and Literary events and topics of the day. With such aims, the SATURDAY REVIEW will, it is hoped, as distinguished from a daily newspaper, possess opportunities for more measured statement and more deliberate thought, while its comparative frequency of publication will enable it to occupy a position, in the way of direct and immediate usefulness, which periodicals published at the rare intervals of one month or three months, necessarily fail to maintain. And, as compared with the ordinary weekly newspaper, the SATURDAY REVIEW will be distinguished, as we have said, by consisting altogether of original matter.

In a word, the SATURDAY REVIEW desires to establish an independent position, neither rivalling its weekly, nor copying from its daily contemporaries. The Revue des Deux Mondes, published fortnightly, and with so much success, in Paris, may give some notion of our general purpose; though neither in the length of its papers nor in the scantiness of its politics is that able publication to be taken for our model.

The professions of public writers seldom receive much attention

THE SATURDAY REVIEW.

3

and this, as we have intimated, is on many accounts reasonable. It were easy for the projectors of the SATURDAY REVIEW to profess, in the usual vague and conventional terms, impartiality and independence; but to say this, though true enough in their case, would be to say nothing, because in the existing state of politics and literature a hired writer is impossible, and the mere organ of party or class interests is never listened to except by his own party or class. Neither does the SATURDAY REVIEW affect that impartiality which consists in an indifference to all principles,-on the contrary, its writers, most of whom are known to each other, and none of whom are unpractised in periodical literature, have been thrown together by affinities naturally arising from common habits of thought, education, reflection, and social views. Yet they all claim independence of judgment, and in the SATURDAY REVIEW they hope to find an opportunity, within certain limits, for its exercise and expression. They will consequently address themselves to the educated mind of the country, and to serious, thoughtful men of all schools, classes, and principles, not so much in the spirit of party as in the more philosophic attitude of mutual counsel and friendly conflict of opinions. In politics, the SATURDAY REVIEW is independent both of individual statesmen and of worn-out political sections; in literature, science, and art, its conductors are entirely free from the influence or dictation of pecuniary or any other connexions with trade, party, clique, or section. On subjects of political science, they desire, while respecting public opinion, at the same time to accompany and guide it by an independent and vigilant criticism in every department of current history and events, foreign and domestic, social and economical. Speaking generally, though quite aware that no single phrase can define what, after all, is best left undefined, the writers of the SATURDAY REVIEW claim to be regarded as advocates of liberal and independent opinions. In material and physical science, they hope to connect their Journal, as an organ of current information and discussion, with the chief scientific Societies, while in general literature and art they have no private interests to serve, nor any objects to further, save such as are indicated by a desire to maintain learning, refinement, and scholarship in letters, and reality and purity in the fine arts. To the progress of foreign literature and art they hope to devote more space than English journalism has hitherto given to these important subjects.

The Editor and writers of the SATURDAY REVIEW are aware