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supernumeraries swell it to 36,000, Our navy has annihilated that of the enemy; there is little probability of their being called into action; many of our ships of the line are at this moment employed in transporting troops: Why, then, could not some of these marines be spared to assist in the campaign? These men have been accustomed to rigid discipline, have been inured to hardships, to fatigue, and danger; the Gazette constantly exhibits instances of their zeal, their courage, and their spirit of enterprise. Would not ten thousand of such men be a valuable acquisition at this moment to Lord Wellington? CL.

LOCAL MILITIA,

SIR, Though it is currently reported that the local militia is to be called out only one fortnight in the year, I can hardly bring myself to credit it, being thoroughly persuaded, that a month is barely sufficient either to form soldiers, or to give the habits and propensities that lead men to prefer a military life, The local militia act was certainly framed to answer one or the other of these purposes; and it is as certain that a fortnight's drilling cannot fulfil the intention of the legislature in either. But is well calculated to throw a ridicule over the whole system, and to disgust men with a situation where their utmost exertions can ither bring credit to themselves nor advantage to the country,

Government, I have no doubt, have adopted this measure from a principle of economy; but what kind of economy is that which, by saving a hundred thousand pounds, renders the expenditure of a million useless to the country? It would be far better to abolish the system altogether, provided we were not under the necessity of introducing another, and perhaps a worse, in its stead; for we cannot safely reduce our force, whilst Buonaparte is every day adding to his.

Measure succeeds measure with such rapidity in our military department, that the nation is never allowed to reap advantage from any and is thus like the human body kept in a state of weakness by never adhering long enough to the same regimen. Besides, the odium that attaches to all new schemes is perpetually recurring, and the embers of discontent are never allowed to cool.

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When there is no confidence in the permanency of a measure, few men like to engage in the undertaking; and those who are prevailed on, do not put their shoulders fairly to the collar, be cause no man likes to exert himself en pure perte.

I really almost question whether the peasantry of France are less contented under the oppressive yet permament system of the conscription than the people of this country under our milder yet chiangeable military service. T. W.

The Editor of the Military Chronic feels a great pleasure in the letters of this correspondent. T. W., whoever he may be, reminds him of a valuable friend now no more; he possesses a congenial mind with the late Mr. W., whom nothing so much annoyed as these successive experiments, these unsystematic attempt, upon our military resources. The best use of the local militia, and of all the other training, &c. acts, would be, that of keeping on foot, and on a muster roll, a body of men, from whence the army might be occasionally recruited. It is something to have even a list of ablebodied men. It would be a treason, however, to the constitution to carry this notion too far.

MILITARY EDUCATION,

SIR,-In your sketch of the life of Lord Hutchinson, as well as in other parts of the Military Chronicle, you have shewn so clearly the great importance of study to military men, that very little remains to be said on that subject. I venture, however, to send the extract from Santa Cruz promised in a former letter; and strongly recommend this author to the attentive perusal of military men. I beg leave also to recommend the works of the Chevalier de Folard. The Chevalier, I allow, has carried his system of the column to an extravagant length; and his ignorance of Greek has led him into so many mistakes that no reliance can be placed in his translation of Polybius. Still, if the military lesson be complete (of which I have no doubt), it is of little importance to the mere military student, whether the battles are the battles of the ancients or of the Chevalier de Folard. I am acquainted with no author whose works afford so much military instruction as Folard. His great opponent Guichard was compelled to do justice to his merit and whoever studies Folard, and reviews the campaigns of Buonaparte and the French, cannot fail to notice the connexion

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between the precepts of the one, and the military conduct of the other. T. W.

"Rein ne vous instruira plus que de lire de bons livres. Alexandre appelJoit les œuvres de Homere qui portoit tojours avec lai, "le recuil de toute la discipline militaire, et des actions de valeur." En particulier, on peut tirer un très grand profit des histoires, qui parlent des fameux capitaines dont les actions vous instruiront mieux en peu de mois, que l'experience ne sçauroit faire en plusieurs années: car quand vous serviriez des votre plus tendre enfance, à peine arrivera-t-il que vous vous rencontriez dans cinquante occasions dignes de remarque. Au lieu que dans le livres vous trouverez des milliers d'examples, qui par un succès hereux ou malhereux, par les mesures bien ou mal concertées, ou par le jugement, que les hommis sages en ont portè, vous font voir le parti, qui dans un semblable cas vous devez prendre, ou qu'il n'est pas apropos de suivre. Il vous est fort avantageux,' dit Tite Live, de voir dans des personnes illustres des examples de toute façon, qui vous apprennent à imiter ce qui puit vous être utile et a la republique; ou a éviter ce qui n'a ou qu'un commencement et un succés honteux.'

6

“Le livre de la sagesse nous apprend, ' Que par la connoissance qu'on a des choses passées, on peut juger des choses à venir.' Aristote expliquant cette même pensée dit, Que l'histoire sert infinement dans les délibérations; parce que pour l'ordinaire les choses futures sont fort semblable aux choses passées.'

"Les cas imprevûs de la guerre obligent souvent à des déterminations si promptes, qu'on n'a ni le temps d'une longue réflexion, ne celui de pouvoir assembler le conseil de guerre. Alors les expédiens, qu'en ce peu d'instans la mémoire peut fournir, et que d'autres généreux dans semblable occasions ont pris, pouvont servir tout d'un coup à fixer votre détermination, parce que cette maxim, Pensez à loisir, et executez avec promptitude,' se doit entendre, quand le temps de la déliberation n'est pas contraire à l'execution. Il n'est pas besoin de délibérer, dit Tacite, ou la lenteur est plus nuésible que la témérite.""

MARSHAL DE FABERT.

SIR, As the actions of great and good soldiers must tend, when blazoned forth to the young military hero, to inspire him in a great degree in emulating, or at least in aspiring to the like estimable qualities; it has struck me, Mr. Editor, if you were to introduce juto your excellent publication at least one or two military anecdotes monthly, it would,be of the greatest service. Should it meet with your approbation, I will not fail to contribute all in my

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power to furthering the plan. Many of these anecdotes have, no, doubt, been published before; but as the pockets of the greater part of the subalterns of our army are none of the longest, they can seldom get at works of any value, and when they do, the remembrance is soon effaced by being mixed with other extraneous matter, and having them so short a time in their possession; but a work of this kind, dedicated solely to military affairs, and meeting with such warm approbation, cannot fail to make a deep and lasting impression. P. F. T.

MARSHAL DE FABERT was a general whose bravery and military conduct did honour to France in the reign of Louis XIV. His sentiments, though sometimes indeed singular and capricious, were in general exalted, and worthy of imitation. Being wounded in the thigh at the siege of Turin, he would by no means submit to amputation." One ought not to die by pieces," said he to the great Turenne, and to the Cardinal la Valette, who exhorted him to submit to that operation; he answered, "Death shall have me entire, or shall have nothing." Surviving this misfortune, contrary to the expectations of his friends, and distinguishing himself afterwards by some singular exploits, his sovereign was desirous to reward him with the collar of his order. He refused it through a modesty yet more glorious than the honour he had so nobly acquired. To one of his friends, who could not procure the titles necessary to enable him to receive that honour, he observed, that he could not endure that his robe should be adorned by a cross, and his soul dishonoured by deceit. With the same magnanimity he answered Cardinal Mazarine, who had proposed to him to serve as a spy in the army: "A great minister like your eminence ought to have all sorts of persons in your service; some to serve you by their valour, and others by their subtlety and address. Permit me to appear in the class of the first."-Among other observations of this great man, he said, "If, in order to prevent a place intrusted to me by the king from falling into the power of the enemy, it were necessary to place myself, my family, and my whole estate in the breach, I would not hesitate a moment to do it."

Notwithstanding the licentiousness which the civil wars of

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France had introduced among the soldiery, Fabert preserved the most rigid discipline in the troops that were in garrison in his go vernment of Sedan. The inhabitants of this place were frequently, though unavailingly, anxious to prevail upon him to receive some mark of their gratitude. The marshal being one day obliged to take a journey to court, the grateful citizens seized the opportunity of offering to their governor's lady a beautiful hanging of tapestry, which they had procured from Flanders. This present was perfectly agreeable to Madame de Fabert; but she refused it, in the apprehension that she might displease her husband. Some time after his return, Fabert understood that this noble piece of furniture was to be sold, and that no one would give the price it had cost. Unwilling that the magistracy should be losers by a purchase that was intended to evince their gratitude to him, the generous marshal sent the money that had been disbursed both for the purchase of the tapestry, and the expense of its carriage. Two days after he caused it to be sold, and ordered the produce to be employed on the fortifications.

His conduct in war was no less meritorious. The troops of Galas, the imperial general, having penetrated into Champagne, and being obliged to retire from that province through want of provisions, killed all the peasantry who refused to supply them, Fabert, who pursued them, entered into a camp that was abandoned, and covered with dying or wounded Austrians. A Frenchman with a ferocious soul loudly said, "Dispatch these wretches, who have massacred our comrades and countrymen in the retreat of Mayence *." "Inhuman counsel!" answered Fabert: "let us seek a revenge more noble and more worthy of our nation." He instantly caused to be distributed among those who could take any solid nourishment the small quantity of provisions that his detachment had brought. The sick were next conveyed to Mezieres, where the greatest part soon recovered, and almost all of them devoted themselves to the service of that power, who, contrary to their expectations, had treated them with such generosity.

* In this retreat, compared by some writers to that of the ten thousand, of Xenophon, Fabert had saved the king's army,