From cided superiority in both of these respects. From the beginning of the action, the sta tion of the commander in chief is near a strong reserve behind the centre. this point alone proceed all orders; from it an impulse, one and the same through. out, is communicated to the whole army. The commander in chief is surrounded by a number of intelligent staff-officers, who are perfectly acquainted with the posi tion of each respective corps. He watches the occurrence of a moment favourable to the execution of a great movement, such as we have seen at Austerlitz; and whenever that is arrived, he issues a verbal order to the surrounding officers, a part of whom set off immediately along the line, and transmit to the lieutenant-generals or marshals, the determination of the commander in chief. When we consider the ability of French staff-officers to make a clear communication of the orders, the simplicity of the organization of the troops, and the experience of their generals in manœuvring on a grand scale, we may safely take it for granted, that the combination of so many advantages must give a great degree of expedition and of concert to the movement of the whole. In addition to these facilities for the execution, it is necessary to be dextrous in seizing the favourable moment for the attempt; and in this, also, the French are superior to their enemies. "The battle of Marengo, unfavourable as it was to Bonaparte's reputation, must have impressed him with the truth that it is scarcely ever a first movement that decides the fate of an action, but that victory will attend that commander who, after a battle has been obstinately contested for some time, finds means to bring forwards a considerable number of fresh troops. The success of a body of reserve under such circumstances is infallible, provided that its attacks be made on the occurrence of that disorder and fluctuation in the enemy's line which are inseparable from a long contested battle; and provi ded also that its advance is supported by a correspondent change in the movements of the main body. With this view, the French reserve is generally numerous, and composed of prime troops. Stationed in the rear of the centre, it draws closer to it as the action proceeds, for the purpose both of making it impenetrable and of being at hand to carry assistance to either of the wings. Meanwhile, the main body is solely occupied in firing; no regiment, whether infantry or cavalry, presumes to advance towards the enemy without reeeiving special directions; which are never given until the enemy, after the action has lasted sometime, derange their order of battle by a false manœuvre, or present, from whatever cause, a weak point. Then is the time for a French regiment to advance to the charge; it is then that fresh troops march forwards to sustain it; and that all efforts are directed to take advantage of the enemy's confusion. It is of lit tle consequence that the corps is exposed in its advance to a double fire from the enemy; the fire may be destructive, but it will speedily be at an end by the rapidity of the French movements; for no sooner has a part of the French line advanced to attack their opponents, than their place is occupied by the reserve, who soon give employment to their antagonists in front. The column which has advanced has thus the means of forming into line, either on the flank or the rear of the enemy, and proceeds to the charge with impetuosity. The enemy, taken in front and flank, and too much broken either to retreat in good order, or to face about and meet their assailants, can scarcely escape being defeated, and the rout soon becomes general, because in the beaten army all union of action and mutual support are at an end. If, on the other hand, we suppose that, after a hot fire of some hours, the French line is broken in a particular point by the impetuous advance of an enemy's regi ment, notice is immediately sent to the commander in chief, who detaches to the spot, without a moment's delay, a part of the reserve under an able officer. This detachment, on its arrival, finds the enemy victorious, but confused, and ill fitted to resist the attack of fresh troops; and the chances are that the enemy will not only be beaten, but that, when driven back, they will carry disorder into their own line. The battles of Jena, of Ratisbon, and of Wagram, all present the application of the same principles as that of Austerlitz. We find in all of them that the French succeeded in breaking the hostile line, in separating one part of it from the rest, and in making an immense number of prisoners; -and we see the French generally alluring their enemy to make the first movement, well knowing that these movements are more likely to be insulated attacks, than parts of a combined operation. After having thus analysed the causes of the French victories, we may safely ask, would they have ever been won had the opposing generals conducted themselves with ability? It is not enough to provide a reserve; that corps should be brought near the main body, both to awe the enemy, and to be ready to afford succour whenever it is required. It is not enough to draw up the army well; an incessant communication must also take place between the commander in chief and every part of the line. It was, in a great measure, from a want of speedy communications, that Frederick II. lost those battles for which he had made the best arrangements: since, while exerting himself to snatch victory on the right, he would remain unacquainted with a mischance that had befallen the left.-It is no secret what are the decisive causes of the wonderful success of the French. Let the commanders, who do not yet comprehend them, begin by suppressing their baggage; by obliging their subordinate Generals to study manœuvres, and to fight at the head of their divisions; by making the captains of infantry march on foot at the head of their companies; and, above all, by new modelling their Etat-Major. Whatever be Bonaparte's talents, he will be found to have owed a great deal to the incapacity of his adversaries. It will scarcely be pretended that other armies of Europe are unable to acquire the active habits of the French. Were ever troops more speedy in their movements than those of the great Frederic, than the Austrians under Prince Eugene, or in our days, than the Russians under Suwarrow? All troops adapt themselves to the character of their commanders, on whom alone depend the safety and the glory of armies.' The intimate acquaintance of the writer of this essay with his subject, and the solidity of his views, are no where more fully proved, than in the passages relating to Spain and Portugal. Though the work was composed in the last year, and previously to Massena's retreat to Santarem, it is written under the fullest impression of the necessity of the abandonment of Portugal by the French. The mere knowledge of Lord Wellington's system seems to have been sufficient to enable the discerning eye of this tactician to trace its ultimate effects on the French operations. After having bestowed on it the encomiums to which it is so well entitled, he makes a strong appeal to the English and the Spaniards, to weigh well the inexpressible advantages of nominating a Generalissimo, and of banishing all the national jealousies which might stand in the way of the appointment. In VOL. VI. T t the present state of things, however, and the remoteness of the scenes of operation, he is led to dwell more particularly on the importance of making the province of Catalonia the object of a separate command, and of investing an able leader with exclusive powers to act throughout the whole of that quarter. The following passage explains his opinion of the causes which have retarded the progress of the French in the peninsula, and of the means by which they might still be driven out of it: "The great object of the nations who resist Bonaparte should be to render unavailing the application of the recent improvements in the French system of warfare. This has been done in Spain, partly by the hostile disposition of the inhabi tants, and partly by the uncultivated state of the country. The French armies have thus been deprived of the daily resources which they drew in other countries from the people, and have been reduced to the necessity of collecting provisions in maga zines. One cause of their success, rapidity of movement, has consequently been lost; and by the too confident calculations of Bonaparte, they have divided their troops in such a manner as to prevent, in a great measure, the advantage of unity in their operations. Massena has been ordered to pour a mass of force into Portugal, in the hope of overthrowing the English army, but he finds that he is opposed by neither a Mack, nor an Archduke Charles. Lord Wellington's able defence baffles the usurper's calculations, and absorbs the principal part of his troops, whose numbers are undergoing a rapid reduction from want of provisions and the effects of climate: breathing time, and are continuing the meanwhile, the Spaniards have had a struggle on the banks of the Ebro and the Tagus. It is in vain that Massena is invested with the most unlimited powers; Catalonia is too remote to be affected by this concentration of command in one will lose no time in that quarter, but tranchief. If the Spaniards are wise, they sport their disposable forces to Catalonia, before the French army, which has hitherto been merely an army of observation, becomes more considerable. It is by vigo rous diversions in Catalonia that the siege forced to retreat. Hitherto the Catalans, of Cadiz might be raised, and Massena though superior in number to the French, have carried on the war with only mid dling success. They have killed a number of Frenchmen, and have intercepted their convoys: but they have neither gained ground nor succeeded in taking possession of towns. To do this, their forces must be increased, and the orders must issue from one commander:-not that there would, on that account, be any necessity for changing the mode of operation, which should continue to be an incessant harassing of the French, without any attempt to act in mass, a method which suits only a regular army like the English. In Catalonia, the neighbourhood of the sea gives the Spaniards great advantages, in regard to provisions, over the French. They may rely with confidence on the arrival of supplies, while the French are exposed at all times to want. The inhabitants being entirely devoted to the Spanish cause, provisions might be disembarked along the coast, and intrusted to them for delivery to their countrymen in arms, who might thus advance with rapidity, and in full confidence of being supplied. An active warfare against the French, and a frequent interception of their convoys, would drive them closer together. The circle from which the French draw their provisions becoming daily more restricted, the ultimate issue must be either flight or surrender. The favourable re sults which we have witnessed in Portugal are owing to the nomination of a single commander: but Catalonia is too remote to be under his direction; and the alternative is to name another chief for that province. If, contrary to every hope, Bonaparte should succeed in his execrable attempt on Spain, the blame will not rest with the people but with the government. If we prevent the French troops from moving with rapidity, or from receiving their orders from a common centre, we deprive them of a large proportion of their fatal power. This would be one consequence of the nomination of an able Generalissimo; and a complete secrecy in the plans, hitherto too much open to treacherous communication, would form another inestimable advantage of the mea sure.' If we sufficiently attend to the stubborn impediments to the progress of the French in the peninsula, we shall have little difficulty in believing that Bonaparte would welcome a renewal of military operations on a grand scale in the north of Europe. The success which, as he calculates, might there follow his arms, would restore their eclipsed lustre, and strike new awe into the surrounding nations. It is evident, then, that the same reasons, which prompt him to seek a renewal of such conflicts, should make them be earnestly deprecated by every friend to the independence of Europe; and should lead us to hope that Russia will, as she undoubtedly may, assert her independence without engaging in war. As a literary composition, the essay before us is liable to several objections. Its tone is sometimes exaggerated; it abounds in repetitions and free from contradictions. It is also abrupt effusions; and it is not always greatly deficient in arrangement; and so hastily has it been put together, that the sentences belonging to one paragraph appear sometimes to have been allowed to run into another. As a display of tactical knowledge, however, it has a title to be described in very different terins; the perusal of it has afforded us much gratification; and we may safely promise the same pleasure to all military readers, or to those who, without being professional men, find an interest in the discussion of military topics... ORIGINAL. The American Lady's Preceptor; a compilation of Observations, Essays, and Poetical Effusions, designed to direct the female mind in a course of pleasing and instructive reading. Second edition, revised, corrected, and enlarged. Baltimore, published by E. J. Coale. p. 300.. 1811. WE were much gratified by the cursory review we took of this compilation. In our examination of its contents, we were struck in a very forcible manner, with the taste and judgment the editor has displayed in the arrangement of his selections, He has made choice of such only, as render the work, in every respect, proper for the perusal of young ladies at school, and through the whole collection, varied as it is, the most austere moralist will not, we are sure, be able to discover a single sentiment offensive to innocence and purity, or that can possibly have, in any point of view, a deteriorating tendency. A book of the kind now presented to the public, has long been wished for in our female seminaries. The works usually given to the classes in these institutions, are, for the most part, wanting in one or two essential requisites. The female mind is not so well fitted as that of man, for abstract reading it catches with greater avidity, at whatever appears variegated or diversified, and of course a compilation made expressly for the use of females, in an academy, should be of this complexion. It should present to the eye a parterre, divided into various differently coloured compartments, through which are scattered plants, capable of affording both nutrition and pleasure; in order that while cultivating the more important and useful of the two, the mind may be enlivened, at intervals, by turning its attention to matters, calculated more exclusively for recreation and amusement. This rule has been strictly attended to by the editor of the work before us. While he has avoided inserting in his miscellany : whatever is either very trifling or entirely useless, he has taken care that those, into whose hands it is put, shall not be chilled and fatigued by a dull and uninteresting chain of well known rules of morality, the seriousness and severity of which, would be sufficient to freeze the spirits and animation of a young and lively girl, before she could labour through one half of the collection. We find in it a harmonious combination of the serious and impressive, with the light and airy, of the instructive and useful, with the pleasing and agreeable; and from the commencement to the last page of the work, it is easily perceivable that the grand object of the compiler, is the inculcation of the moral and social virtues, and the strong and salutary tendency their cultivation will always have towards the happiness of man. We think it unnecessary to speak in any other than general terms, of the merits of this work. A particular analysis is not requisite, nor would it be interesting. The work of a compilation, like the one before us, is of a different species from that of an original production; and, although of minor importance, it still ranks high. In the formation of an original work, the stores of the mind and imagination, as well as the taste and judgment, are called into use and operation, while those of the latter two are alone in requisition, in making a compilation. The merit then of selections, like those under examination, depends on the elegant and judicious manner in which they are arranged: we are not to suppose, that where there is no originality, there can be neither genius nor ip vention exercised. Arrangement is of greater importance, than is by many imagined, and requires a peculiarity of talent and discrimination, that but few possess. Materials are always to be found, but we cannot as frequently discover a workman skillful enough to arrange them in such harmony and order, as to form them into an elegant and substantial fabric. The manner in which the compiler of this work has classed the different selections, forms its greatest utility he commences by general reasoning on the utility of a proper employment of our time, and from that proceeds to lay down particular directions, for the consideration of women, in the course of their studies. He has culled for their perusal, extracts from the most celebrated authors, and has been studiously attentive, while holding up to the abhorrence of youthful minds the consequences of vitious and depraved habits, to present to their view, the most flattering and brilliant pictures, of the happy effects of an attention, while young, to virtuous and religious principles. In a chapter of "Historical Sketch es," that constitutes one of the most interesting portions of the volume, be exemplifies the precepts previously inculcated, by accounts of the characters, dispositions, virtues, and vices of a number of the most prominent female personages mentioned in history; and immediately descending into private life, he excites the admiration and emulation of his young readers, by a few biographical sketches of the most distinguished females that have brightened the horizon of literature and science, with the splendour of their genius and the extent of their erudition; presenting them with models, they may contemplate with delight, and imitate in safety, and examples of integrity and virtue, they may pursue without distrust. Upon the whole, we think that the work will be found a very useful one, if generally applied to the purpose for which it is intended. We are very glad to find that it is received with much approbation in our female academies, as it proves that the merits of the editor have been properly appreciated, and that he has a fair prospect, and strong hopes, of being well remunerated for the laudable pains he has taken to render the compilation perfect. An If we have any fault to find with this collection, it is that the compiler has made it too short. : The extracts are in general hardly long enough to render what they contain as impressive as it should be. We could enumerate four or five instances, where the abruptness with which the extract is concluded, is an evident defect: we will, however, notice but one. The extract from Richardson, on novel reading, is liable to censure on this account. It is entirely too laconic; it contains but one objection, and that one, however material and satisfactory it may appear to a thinking mind, will never be sufficient to prevent a sprightly, lively, unthinking school-miss from continuing to read her favourite romances with her accustomed delight and avidity. objection to the pursuit of any thing obnoxious, either in conduct or study, when intended to be submitted to the consideration of a mind that is not disposed to ponder deeply on any thing, should never be stated alone; it should be preceded by something that may lead to reflexion, and the principal argument should never be brought forward, until, according to the judgment of the writer, what was previously advanced, has prepared and tuned the mind to serious meditation. We think that an essay might have been easily found, from which an extract could be made, comprising several solid and insuperable arguments to prove the injuri ous tendency of novel reading. We recollect to have seen, about a year ago, some very ingenious and handsomely written remarks on this sub |