verfe and the great God himself. But there is nothing in this lower world that can fatisfy the immenfity of man's defires, or fill up the void in his breaft. When he arrives at the fummit of his wishes, he is no more fatisfied than at the first fetting forward. Riches and wealth cannot fatiate the meanest mind; and in the nobler fort, any point of knowledge, when once attained, foon lofes all its relifh and all its charms: we are compelled by the restleffness of our nature to be conftantly looking abroad for new enjoyments and new pleafures. Does not this then say, that there is nothing here below, fufficient to gratify the im menfity of his defires; that there is no object in this world correfponding to his enlarged faculties; that this earth is not his home; that there must be another state, when all these noble powers fhall arrive to full perfection, where his moft boundless virtuous wishes fhall be fully gratified."

We could easily make many more extracts, ftill more creditable to the taste and judgment of the learned author, but our object is to recommend the whole to the perufal of every reader, to whom Mr. Watfon's writings are yet unknown.

ART. XI. The Formations and Manoeuvres of Infantry, calculated for the effectual Refiftance of Cavalry, and for attacking them fuccefsfully. On new Principles of Tactics. By the Chevalier Duteil, Major of the Regiment of Toul; of the Royal Corps of Artillery; and Member of various Scientific Academies. Tranflated from the French. With a Preface, by the Tranflator; containing fome Account of the Rife and Progress of modern Tactics; Animadverfions on Defects= Political Obfervations, and Hints leading to Improvements; and alfo the Caufes of Errors in Projectiles, as far as they arife from Inaccuracy in the Cafting of Mortars; in the ConAruction of Inftruments; in their Application: in the Driving of Fuzes; and propofed Remedies fully exemplified, and illuftrated in a Preface Plate. By John Macdonald, Efq. F.R.S. F.A.S. Late Lieutenant Colonel and Engineer; Tranflator of the French Tactics, &c. &c. and Author of a Treatife on Telegraphic Communication. 12mo. 135 pp. Egerton. 1810.

WE E have not many military publications, and of those which have appeared, we have not always been able to muster coadjutors capable of formingan accurate judgment. We found reason, however, to praise the translation of the

French

French Tactics, formerly published by this author *, as well as his work on telegraphs +; and the prefent appears to be well worthy of proceeding from the fame pen 1.

The original part of this publication, contained chiefly in the preface of the Tranflator, and his notes, appears to be of great importance. The hiftory of the rife and progress of moderntactics is particularly interefting, and we are convinced that our readers in general will be glad to perufe the following comparative account, of the tactics of the great Frederick of Pruffia, and of the prefent French.

"It was referved for the luminous mind of the king of Pruffia, to eftablish a new fyftem of tactics; to divide an army into component and co-operating parts; to fimplify its movements and marches; to de, loy columns with accurate regularity; to invent echellon and oblique orders of battle; to refufe one wing, in order to deceive, and act more forcibly with the other; to move with a rapidity impracticable with the former heavy maffes; to attack in columns; to act by momentum in preference to refiftance in mafs; and, in fhort, to manage and work one hundred thousand men with as much facility as the tenth part of that, or of any other number.

"To the mighty genius of the great Frederic, as well as to the invention of gunpowder, we muft afcribe the formation of a new fyftem of tactics, acted on, with but few variations or additions, up to the times we live in. The invention of powder has, on the whole, been unquestionably ferviceable to the cause of humanity. This is rendered quite evident, by a comparison of the numbers killed and wounded in modern and in ancient battles. The comparative destruction is lefs in the former, in the proportion of more than two to one. The discovery of powder divided the opinions of military men, relative to the changes that ought to take place in the depth of formation, and arms ufed at that period. Much, to little purpose, was written on both fides. The heavy and unwieldy columns of Folard, found advocates in their favour, from a total ignorance of the application of linear mathematics to tactics. It was not till the war of the fucceffion, in 1733, that depth of formation that conftituted almoft the ancient phalanx, gave way, generally, to fometimes four, and fometimes fix men in file. The cavalry acted in unmanagable maffes, or in ftraggling and detached loofe order. The age did not supply science sufficient to ascertain whether their utility confifted in celerity, or in the effect of their fhock. The modern tacticians have very juftly reduced this effect

* Brit. Crit. Vol. xxiii. p. 14. + Vol. xxxiii. p. 314. One work of Colonel Macdonald's it feems we have overlooked; which was a kind of continuation of the French Tactics, published by Egerton, in 1807. It was in 2 vols. 12mo.

to

to momentum multiplied into the mafs or body of cavalry. The North feems always defined to produce the most enlightened tacticians. Charles XII. following up the ideas of his grandfather, might, had he lived, been the founder of modern tactics. He gave the first rudiments of deployments, brought to their prefent fate of perfection by Frederic, the ableft military monarch that hiftory will, probably, ever have to put on its records. He combated, fuccefsfully, against almoft all the powers of Europe. With ftinted revenues, a fmall population, and amidst innumerable difficulties, he created a military monarchy that excited the fur prife and admiration of the world. His reign was in war, what that of Auguftus was in claffical literature. The monarchy he established was artificial, and demanded a genius like its own to fupport it. His feeble fucceffors allowed its timbers to rot, and the natural confequence was, the eafy downfal of a kingdom where mere parade fhew was fubftituted for the military fpirit, which was effential for its continuance. Not to French tactics, but to treachery and imbecility, is Pruffia to trace the lofs of her greatnefs and political existence.

"By facility of manoeuvring, and quick deployments on direct or oblique lines, the King of Pruffia confounded the heavy tactics of his opponents. Daun, unable to counteract this, like another. Fabius, avoided the plains, conducted the war by actions of posts and furprifes, and thus faved Auftria. Artillery and light troops were multiplied to an inconvenient extreme, till Frederic perceived that they clogged and embarraffed the movements of an army. The French, fenfible of this, have prodigiously increafed their field artillery and light troops, but with the advantage of obviating thefe defects; for their artillery is all horfe, or flying artillery, and their light troops, and, indeed, their infantry in general, are carried to their points of action. This is readily effected, by an arbitrary use of the means of execution. It is a known fact, that fince the period of the Revolution, not a fingle work, of any eminence, has been produced in France, on the fubject of tactics. The compiler of thefe thoughts, lately took fome pains to procure a work, pompously announced, Les Campagnes de la Grande Armée, et de l'Armée d'Italie, expecting it to contain a luminous account of tactical improvements. It confifted, in not less than two con fiderable volumes, of the unintelligible Bulletins of the French army, of diplomatic details relative to the war, and of all the wild adulatory addreffes which will long remain the opprobrium and difgrace of modern Europe. Future history will find it no difficult task to trace French fucceffes to their genuine fources. viz. treachery in the cabinet and field; the power of corruption; a methodized fyftem of terror; countless numbers; the folly and weakness of the Continental ftates; and the total want of public fpirit in their rulers, in reftraining the ardent fpirit of the people they prefided over. They committed the fatal mistake of com bating the energies of a revolutionary and unprincipled fpirit, by antiquated tactics, and ufages of war no longer applicable. Un

fortunately

fortunately for Europe, thefe are all points that admit of no farther doubt." P. iv.

A long note upon this preface, on the fubject of Fuzes, is full of scientific and practical information, which will be rea 'ily comprehended by any artillery officer, who will compare the plates, with the defcriptions. The improvement in driving Fuzes, has, we understand, been made the subject of repeated experiment, and has been proved to answer. The -mode of causing a fhell to explode, on coming in contact with the ground, has not, we believe, been yet tried, but feems to promise a very fuccefsful refult. It is of fo much confequence to afcertain the caufes of error, in the paths of projectiles, that Colonel Macdonald has certainly rendered an effential fervice, by pointing out how they may be made the fubject of experiment; and the fubject is is here fo copioufly illuftrated by figures and descriptions, that no competent perfon, can have a difficulty in comprehending the principles, and intention, of the author. All this is alfo detailed in another long note on the Tranflator's Preface. The following is an important propofal, intended by the author, to meet the military exigencies of the prefent times, in a manner perfectly conftitutional, becaufe voluntary. It appears well to deferve confideration. ·

"We would propofe that, at the public expenfe, a house of general afylum fhould be founded;--that all male and female infants, not exceeding one year of age, fhould be received there, without any question or examination;-that the children fhould be taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, on the new accelerated plan that on leaving the infant at the afylum (by fome means exclufive of intercourfe, as the turning of a basket and the fimultaneous ringing of a bell), a certain number fhould be attached to the child, with a view to tracing it at a future period, if neceffary; that the number fo to be attached fhould be the one following that of the laft received child;-that fuch fucceeding number fhould be difplayed at the wicket in lieu of the last number already affixed to the previously received infant;—that the name to be given to the child be attached to it on delivery ;-that the child be taught its proper number, and have in due time, a certificate of the fame, and of its name and age, if specified when delivered in ;-that each child fhould, at vifiting periods, have its number attached to it, in order that the parent or relations may always experience the fecret gratification of diftinguishing it; that vifitors be admitted into the afylum at certain marked periods only, and that by a card of admiffion;—that the male chil. dren be taught, fyftematically, military exercifes and duty, and be gradually accuftomed to bear fatigue and privations ;—that at the proper period they fhould be attefted, and entered into the boy-regiments, to serve for a term of eleven or fifteen years, at

the,

the expiration of which it should be quite optional with them to re-enlift or not;-that fuch boys as indicated a peculiar difpofition for the navy, should, after learning to read, write and cypher, be removed to be inftructed under the Marine Inftitution, with a fund allowed for the purpose ;-that tradefmen and mechanics having occafion for male or female apprentices, fhould be furnished with fuch from the afylum; that these apprentices fhould be fuch whofe conftitutions may not be fufficiently hardy for military and naval purposes ;-that the female children be inftructed in carrying on manufactures of a dry defcription, eftablished within the precincts of the afylum; that the profits of these manufactures be partly affigned for the benefit of the females, and partly for the fupport of the afylum;-that fuch of the girls as indicate a dif pofition for it, be inftructed in the domeftic duties of houfe-maids, ordinary cooks, and nursery-maids ;-that families taking them in any of thefe capacities fhall agree to keep them for a certain marked period; that a girl marrying with the fanction of a committee of governors, should have a certain moderate portion af figned to her ;-that all boys not exceeding twelve years of age, be received into the afylum, without any fcrutiny or examination of the motives for placing them there, provided fuch boy declares that he enters the afylum with his own free will and confent ;that fuch boys be afterwards difpofed of as above, and according to circumftances;-and that quarterly examinations fhall take place, by order of the bench of bishops, in order to ascertain the progrefs of the children in religious knowledge and moral acquire

ments.

"Such is the general outline of a plan adapted to the probability of a ftated neceffity, and calculated to add to the strength and profperity of the empire; to furnish recruits for our colonial and other armies; and for preventing the too frequent crime of infanticide, which alone is a confideration highly gratifying to humanity.

Without mentioning many other untouched refources of these wealthy kingdoms, and the faving in recruiting, the fale of a certain portion of the wafte lands would not only afford funds for the fupport of the General Military and National Asylum, but would, at the fame time, promote the interefts of commerce, agriculture, and manufactures.

The author alfo elsewhere fuggefts the idea of a Board of Military Tactics, which feems well worthy of being taken up and acted upon. On the whole this work, as far as it is English, is full of patriotic and ufetul fuggeftions; and the French Original was certainly very defirable to have tranflated, for the ufe of all Military Students.

ART.