four perched on the shoulders of these, and one on the shoulders of the latter by way of apex. (Plates II. and III.)

10. They have adopted all the feats of the trapèze, as performed by acrobats; they tend to strengthen the arms and promote that self-reliance and confidence which are the prime elements of a good soldier. Some of their swinging leaps with it were prodigious, from one end of the gymnasium to the other, where they alighted, and caught on the top of the wall, and descended with hand and fingers as before described.

Flying leaps on and over a wooden horse is practised in every possible direction; and the French cavalry are required to be able to leap on their horse from the rear whilst galloping, and to leap over a hedge or barrier together with him, but on foot, holding the reins. It is impossible to believe that very many can do this, but that is the aim, and the higher the aim the greater the effort; and something worth having is sure to be done, even if we fail of the highest attainment.

11. The most laborious of the practices is probably that of carrying at the top of their speed (the course cadencée) all the implements of war, fascines, sand-bags, gabions, projectiles, &c. or sacks of sand, whose weight is progressively increased from 20 to 50 lbs. They must also practice carrying ladders, beams, caissons, dragging gun-carriages, &c. and they are equally habituated to carry rapidly and skilfully the wounded from the field of battle, by placing men on litters or any substitute at hand, in the Gymnasium.

12. Sword exercise, bayonet exercise, boxing and fencing are also taught, but only the rudiments. In the regiments and battalions they have more opportunities of perfecting themselves in these accomplishments. It was rather odd to find that the fencing was confined to its elementary passes and parries: but the fact is, the authorities do not wish to impart much skill in this matter, thinking of its consequences as to duelling in the army.*

13. There was one exercise which I never before saw performed by any one but a clever Hindoo in the streets of London. Armed with a stick about two yards long, the gymnast went through a variety of vertical, oblique, and horizontal movements with it, seeming to prove that a rod of iron of the same dimensions would, with such skill, completely keep at bay three or four antagonists armed with the sword or with the rifle and bayonet. A light cavalry carbine provided with sword-bayonet might be practised after the manner of this true "single-stick."

14. Such is a succinct account of the military gymnastics of the French. The 300 various feats and practices have only one object-preparation for the possible and probable casualties of war; but they have meanwhile the

*Here I may state a fact not generally known, that in the French army duelling amongst the men-with the sword-is not only permitted, but sometimes commanded by the colonel. A soldier must not fight without leave, and the colonel may grant it if he thinks proper. In this case, if the man is disabled, he becomes entitled to his pension for the wound. The offending party in disputes or broils is sometimes required to "give satisfaction" in a duel, ordered by the colonel, in addition to his other punishment. It is supposed that people guard their tongues, and restrain their fists all the more, if they know that they run a chance of being pinked in a duel. It should, however, be mentioned that, in such cases, the maître d'armes, or fencing-master of the regiment, always stands beside the combatants to parry off any thrust or cut likely to be critical.

positive effect of giving the men the utmost freedom of motion-aplomb, self-reliance, and the very useful self-estimate in the soldier that he is superior to every other in the world. Depend upon it he will not be easily disabused of that opinion. It will take a vast deal to knock that conceit out of him.

PART II. THE ADVANTAGES OF THE TRAINING DEMONSTRATED-WITH REFERENCE TO THE NECESSARY TACTICS OF FUTure Battles, resultING FROM THE INTRODUCTION OF THE RIFLE AND RIFLED CANNON. THE FRENCH CHASSEURS, &c.

All who have recently witnessed the performances of the French soldiers, especially their battalions of chasseurs à pied, have admitted the success of French training in the formation of a perfect soldier.

The majority of the French army are certainly little men; but do we not err in England in our exaggerated "fancy" for big men? What have big men ever achieved but feats of brutal strength? And even this is only exceptional, the generality of big men being very rarely harmoniously set up, and almost always betraying some glaring deficiency, especially in the head; whilst all history proves that little men have been the great ones of the earth-in every department of human distinction. Little men have instructed, poetized, evangelized, legislated, ruled, regimented, sculptured, pictured, doctored, and conquered the earth.

We have heard talk about their "shockingly loose drill" and "short step;" but, without admitting that the former is strictly correct, I would suggest that our admirable precision sometimes exhibited in some "crack" regiments will be as nothing in the field of battle, compared to that training which they are now about to have, which will keep them always "in condition," and give them not only a ready and constructive use of their intelligence, but also the utmost nimbleness of motion and hardihood of which they are capable, being confessedly the best material in the world. for soldiers.

Napoleon said (at St. Helena if I mistake not) that he would conquer the world with British soldiers and French officers.

Of the French chasseurs of the present time-the veritable handartillery of the French army-it has been said by a competent Prussian officer: "At the first glance you see that they are a picked body, chosen from the best men of the wood and mountain districts. They are wellknit, compact, strong, and yet so wonderfully nimble! As they flit about with astonishing rapidity, you recognise their enterprising spirit, their daring pluck, their quick intellect, their indefatigable endurance, though, certainly, you also recognise their immense conceit and French vanity; and wherever you see them-in Strasburg, in Paris, or in any garrisonthey always make the same impression-they look as though cast in the same mould.

"At their head I saw none but young officers. A few only of the captains appeared thirty-five, most of them less, and even amongst the field officers not older.

"Their rapid mobility shows neither constraint nor effort. Constant exercise VOL. V.

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to me.

appears to have made it their second nature, with such ease and freedom do these battalions go through their movements. Their blood has a more tranquil flow-their breathing is less disturbed than that of other men. Single orderlies would pass, in a short time, all persons walking before them; and at the same quick pace, whole battalions, at the merry sound of their bugle, defile through the streets. Wherever they were seen-on the drill-ground, on the march out, or at home-never did they seem tired Ambition, in this matter, may go hand-in-hand with habit. If quickness of motion and steadiness of aim appear to be irreconcileable, the chasseurs seem to have overcome this apparent incompatibility. If their steadiness of aim is at all disturbed, it certainly must be so in a degree very little affecting their efficiency on the field of battle. In Africa, where many an engagement was preceded by similar marches at the double, they have always known how to hit their opponents; and this proves that the special system of training to which they are subjected, tends to properly develope the powers of the body, and does not destroy steadiness of aim. With troops not so trained this would, of course, be very different.

"The great advantages of this system of training are evident. Many are the cases in war in which it may be of decisive importance that your infantry should be capable of quicker locomotion than it is at present,-for instance, in anticipating the enemy in occupying an important position, in rapidly attaining a commanding point, in supporting a body engaged by superior forces, or in surprising the enemy by making a detachment suddenly appear in a certain direction quite unexpectedly."

It is certain that Marshal Saxe's maxim, that in battle all depends upon the legs, will more than ever be verified. It is not length of step that is required, but rapidity of motion, and the ability to keep it up the longest. Twelve, fifteen, and over twenty miles continuous march, alternately at the quick and the double, is an ordinary affair with the chasseurs. The ease of their marching is acquired by the mode of preliminary instruction before described. In marching, they have learnt to keep the feet as close as possible to the ground, which gives them the appearance of gliding, the upper part of the body being always steady. It is a question whether our longer step, as prescribed by the regulations, is ever practically taken; at all events, it has never seemed to me that I got over more space when walking beside the chasseurs in their march. However, it is worth knowing that by quickening the steps we fatigue the body much less than by lengthening the pace.

In heavy marching order they are made to run and leap for a whole hour, so that the space gone over in the steps taken would be equal to five miles of ground.

All their field movements and evolutions are performed at the double. They form square, break into column, open out to wheeling distance and wheel into line, as consecutive evolutions, all at the double; and I never saw the least disorder during the movement, nor were any files left out. Unquestionably the French army is quite prepared for the change of tactics more or less required by the longer range of modern rifles and rifled cannon. The emperor told them that such arms were dangerous only at a distance, and that the bayonet would be, as it always was, the terrible arm of the French soldier. They will close in as quickly as pos

sible, and the battle will be decided by the suddenness of attack and the unabated vigour of practised hands, lungs, and legs.

The recent alterations in their battalion drill consist in simplifications, ready combinations, and easy conversions, all with the view of saving time, and being ready to take advantage of every turn in battle.

In skirmishing they form squares of contiguous fours, of contiguous eights, for mutual defence against cavalry; and, besides the usual square of the line, the skirmishing party will run in and form a solid circle with the reserve; and then they "reform companies" by a simple right and left face, quick or double march.

The bayonet exercise is indefatigably practised throughout the French army; and there is no doubt that both officers and men believe that it will do the chief work in future battles. I asked a chasseur what was the "figure of merit" of his battalion; he said, "About 50 per cent., but we don't care much about firing." "What then?" I asked. "The bayonet," he replied, placing himself in position; and adding, "at Magenta the battalion didn't fire a shot; but we made lots of prisoners."

They have simplified the bayonet drill-retaining only 24 movements, easily learnt, and admitting of the greatest dexterity in attack or defence. This return to the heroic hand-to-hand encounter of early times is a curious fact. The use of fire-arms separated combatants; and now their perfection will bring them again front to front, and foot to foot," on mutual slaughter bent."

I suppose, however, one side is sure to run first, in nine cases out of ten. During the whole of the wars of the Empire there were but two occasions in which the combatants stood the brunt, and went at it in right good earnest; the first in 1805, at the battle of Amstetten, when Oudinot's grenadiers attacked the grenadiers of the Russian rear-guard, and the engagement lasted some minutes. The second was in 1813, at Lutzen, when the 25th regiment of the line, piqued at the idea that the Emperor seemed to doubt its energy, fought the whole day with the bayonet without firing a shot. On the other hand, at the battle of Caldiero, two battalions, one French, the other Austrian, had been firing at each other for some time without results on either side, when the French, getting impatient, were ordered to charge bayonets. The Austrians instantly went to the right-about, although covered by a ravine which it was quite impossible to

cross.

From a well-written pamphlet, I borrow the following very significant observations: "The real practice-ground for skirmishers is before the enemy; and here the French had a splendid school for their light infantry in the fearfully broken ground of Algeria, defended by the Kabyles-the bravest, most tenacious, and most wary skirmishers the world ever saw. Here it was that the French developed to the highest degree that instinct for extended fighting, and taking advantage of cover, which they have shown in every war since 1792; and here the Zouaves especially turned to the best account the lessons given to them by the natives, and served as models to the whole army. Generally a chain of skirmishers is supposed to advance in something like a deployed line, crowding together, perhaps, on points offering good cover, and thinning where they have to pass open ground; occupying the enemy's skirmishers in front, only now and then

taking advantage of a hedge or so, to put in a little flank fire, and, withal, not expected nor even attempting to do much besides occupying their opponents. Not so the Zouaves. With them, extended order means the independent action, subordinate to a common object, of small groups; the attempt at seizing advantages as soon as they offer; the chance of getting near the enemy's masses, and disturbing them by a well-sustained fire; and, in small engagements, the possibility of deciding them without calling in the masses at all. With the Zouaves, surprise and ambush are the very essence of skirmishing. They do not use cover merely to open fire from a comparatively sheltered position; they principally use it to creep, unseen, close up to the enemy's skirmishers, jump up suddenly, and drive them away in disorder. They use it to get on the flanks of their opponents, and there to appear unexpectedly in a thick swarm, cutting off part of their line, or to form an ambush, into which they entice the hostile skirmishers, if following too quick upon their simulated retreat. In decisive actions, such artifices will be applicable in the many pauses occurring between the great efforts to bring on decision; but in petty warfare, in the war of detachments and outposts, in collecting information respecting the enemy, or securing the rest of their own army, such qualities are of the highest importance. What the Zouaves are, one example will show. In outpost duty in all armies the rule is, that, especially at night, the sentries must not sit, much less lie down, and they are to fire as soon as the enemy approaches-in order to alarm the pickets."

Now read the Duke d'Aumale's description of a camp of Zouaves: "At night, even the solitary Zouave, placed on the brow of yonder hill, and overlooking the plain beyond, has been drawn in. You see no videttes; but wait till the officer goes his rounds, and you will find him speaking to a Zouave who is lying flat on the ground, just behind the brow, and watchful of everything. You see yonder group of bushes; I should not be at all surprised if, on examination, you were to find there ensconced a few couples of Zouaves; in case a Bedouin should creep up into these bushes to espy what is going on in the camp, the Zouaves will not fire, but despatch him quietly with the bayonet, in order to shut the trap." What are soldiers, then, who have learnt out-post duty in peace garrisons only, and who cannot be trusted to keep awake except when standing or walking, to men trained in a war of ruse and stratagem-against Bedouins and Kabyles? And, with all these deviations from the prescribed system, the Zouaves have been surprised only once by their wary enemies.

"England has, in the north-west frontier of India, a district very similar, in its military features, to Algeria. The climate is nearly the same; so is the nature of the ground; and so is the border population. Frequent forays and hostile encounters do occur there; and that district has formed some of the best men in the British service. But that these long and highly instructive encounters should not have had any lasting influence upon the mode in which all kinds of light service are carried on in the British army,-that, after more than twenty years of fighting with Affghans and Beloochees, the service should have been found so defective that French examples had to be hurriedly imitated, in order to bring the infantry, in this respect, into a state of efficiency-that is certainly very strange. The French chasseurs have introduced into the French army: