“Sir Algernon West ... is a good, genial gossip, whose recollections cover the whole period of English history that began with the {{W|Reform Act 1832|Reform Act}}. He was private secretary to Mr. Gladstone during his first Prime Ministership. ... He is a fervent Gladstonian, whose idolatry of his chief is quite refreshing in these days, in which the memory of this great man is the mark for so many cynical sneers.”