Position of the ships after the Victoria had closed and grounded, and before Ajdaha, Semiramis, and sloops had come close:

WOOLWICH ARSENAL.-Some time since, Colonel Tullock, Superintendent of the Royal Carriage Department in the Arsenal, with a view of retaining all his men in employment, issued an order to the effect that the number of working days would be five instead of six. The men were not satisfied with this arrangement, and sent a memorial to Lord Panmure, praying to be placed upon the former footing of "full time." The result is that the request has been granted; but an order has been received from the War Office to discharge 150 men from the department.

REDUCTION OF POSTAGE ON OFFICERS' LETTERS.-The post-office has issued a notice to the effect that from the 1st June last all letters addressed to officers serving on board any of her Majesty's ships on foreign or colonial stations shall be charged as follows:-A letter not exceeding half-an-ounce weight, the postage will be sixpence; not exceeding one ounce, one shilling; and not exceeding two ounces, two shillings. Letters sent via Marseilles to India, China, or Australia, will be charged threepence extra for every quarter of an ounce; also to the Pacific sixpence the half-ounce.

WHY ARE ARTILLERY OFFICERS EXCLUDED FROM THE COMMAND OF ARMIES IN THE FIELD, AND OF DISTRICTS AT HOME AND ABROAD?

WHILE SO many changes have latterly been made and suggested concerning the army, it is astonishing that the subject here dealt with should have been hitherto left unnoticed; but it will readily be admitted by every unprejudiced person, that this fact ought not to impugn the correctness of, or even influence, a decision on a subject of such importance to the good of the service. Whether it is owing to diffidence on the part of my brother officers and others to become the channel of free expression of the collective opinion, or from fear of overstepping the limits of that reserve which is said to be one of our national characteristics, is of no moment. I can but regret that the subject of this article is not here handled by one who can wield the pen with that degree of eloquence and power of which the importance of the above question is worthy. It is argued (how justly I will not presume to say) that a large standing army is an impossibility in England; that it is contrary to the British constitution, disposition, &c., &c., &c.; but that, in order to make up for deficiency of numbers, our legislators, in fact all, agree, that the army should be modelled in the most perfect form, and rendered in every respect, and in every branch, perfectly efficient. It must be admitted, that, as far as concerns the lowest ranks of our army-in short, our soldiers " this principle has been admirably carried out; but, on the other hand, concerning our higher and highest ranks, oh! what a falling off is there! It is indeed but too apparent that we rely now on the indomitable pluck and Spartan endurance of our noble soldiers alone, unassisted even by leaders of practical military education. This is notorious: I need not even cite the opinion of our distinguished allies during the late campaign on this subject. Is this fair? Is this making the most of our strength, or turning it to the best advantage? Would not the owner of a steeple-chase horse, on entering him for the race, select for his rider one who had been brought up to excel in equestrianism, and thus give every advantage possible to the noble animal whose powers and excellent qualities are displayed in proportion to the judgment, knowledge, and science displayed by his rider?

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A French military work, published towards the end of last century, announces that mathematics, viz., arithmetic, geometry, trigonometry, topography, &c., form the basis of the science of war, which is simply a science of combinations, where everything is reduced to calculation, and computation of time and space, every proposition capable of demonstration, where one movement gives rise to another, and where every operation is followed by certain necessary consequences. It is by the assistance of geometry, also, that works in the field, &c., are conducted; that the situation and plans of towns, the distances of places, and even of such things as are accessible "only" to the sight, are accurately ascertained. On geometry, likewise, depends the theory of "gunnery," "mining," and "drawing." But, besides the direct and

immediate advantages to be derived from the application of geometrical principles to the movements of troops, the study of this science generally is also the most ready means of acquiring that spirit of precision so useful in war. Without a knowledge of geometry the ideas are commonly vague, and the mind is incapable of comparing, and of judging or calculating but with difficulty. Topography, or the description of a particular district, is that part of geography the most essential for an officer: this can only be pursued "practically." An officer ought to be no less skilled in geography, the art of designing, "the management of artillery," and "the knowledge of fortification, if he is ambitious of qualifying himself for the variety of different situations and contingencies which daily present themselves in the operations of a campaign. And do not all works that ever were written on military subjects agree, that those intrusted with a gene ral's command in the field should be thoroughly versed in military lore; that their education should have been essentially one embracing every branch of military knowledge (and particularly all mention this, mathematics)? Do not both experience and history bear out the truth of this? Yet, in the face of it, we see a system pursued in our own army, whereby the officers of the only scientific military corps in the service are apparently excluded from holding that post for which they are so eminently qualified.

It is well known that the royal regiment of artillery is essentially a scientific corps, and that its officers are brought up, I may say, from their childhood, to proficiency in the military sciences, and their whole education devoted to the acquirements indispensable to form a true soldier. Why, then, should they, on attaining the higher ranks, be debarred from holding a position for which they are so admirably fitted? Apart from their scientific acquirements, the officers of the Royal Artillery are the only ones in the British army who are acquainted with the manoeuvres of each and every nature of arm in the service; and I may safely say, that not one officer in any of her Majesty's regiments not in the ordnance corps, is in any way familiar with the numerous drills and movements of artillery. Therefore, in answer to what I imagine could be the only argument advanced in opposition to artillery officers holding "active" general commands, I maintain that those officers are perfectly capable of superintending and directing the manœuvres of a large force (mixed or otherwise); in fact, are, for the above reason, better calculated to do so than those to whose lot such superior commands appear at present to fall. It may not be out of place to recapitulate here what are the acquirements possessed by the artillery officer. In the first instance, a thorough knowledge of mathematics (including its highest branches); a complete knowledge of fortification, both field and permanent (theoretically and "practically"); surveying (with theodolite, prismatic compass, and pocket sextant, &c.); military topography, in all its varieties; contouring and projections, &c.; trigonometry and geometry; also plan and landscape drawing, &c., and a knowledge of French and German. Whatever can be done practically, even by manual labour-as throwing up field-works, constructing mines, making gabions and fascines, and a complete "labora

The

tory" course, such as making powder, rockets, and a variety of compositions, and many other things,-all this is thoroughly exercised. The construction of military bridges, or "pontooning," is also practised; and a host of other things such as mechanics, chemistry, geology, mineralogy, &c. These acquirements are naturally calculated to expand the mind, and it is impossible to deny, as I have said before, that on a sound knowledge of mathematics depends the principal and scientific branch of the art of war in every military work. This is "most strongly " represented, as also that "fortification and gunnery" are sciences which all superior officers should know; "for the command of a siege may fall to the lot of any one. commander of a force, who is not 'practically' and 'scientifically both an engineer and artillerist, must in some degree be a slave to the opinion of inferiors in rank; and this must always be painful in proportion to his ignorance of those branches of military duty. Can he be regarded as much more than an automaton? The general who would rush upon any personal danger is often found deficient in that firmness and decision which depend upon a confidence in one's own judgment and thorough knowledge of the scientific part of the military profession, while others dash headlong into danger and difficulty, without perceiving the former, or being able to extricate themselves from the latter. These are too often the effects of ignorance." I refrain here from making any comparison between the amount of sound military acquirement possessed by officers of the Royal Artillery, and those of the other corps in the army; they must ever be odious to one of the parties concerned. This must be admitted by every one, that the acquirements of an artillery officer, besides "comprising " (to say the least of it) those titles for pre-eminence which one might be led to suppose the officers of the other branches of the service possessed (from their being selected to command forces of all arms, &c.), have necessarily a perfect knowledge of their peculiar drill in its infinite branches and intricate manœuvres ; "they" know what artillery can do; their proper position with respect to the nature of any ground where they may be required; "their" capabilities of there acting to advantage or otherwise; and innumerable other things, which none but an artillery officer can know. See the examples of Xuroc, Marmont, Pichegru, Victor, and Buonaparte himself! In conclusion, I can but reiterate my regret that the subject is not here handled by one better versed in the art of writing; for I must admit that I am more aux faits with that species of "thundering eloquence" so fatal to those to whom it is addressed, than the art of gracious discourse by the pen.

CAPTAIN BRINE, R.E., has had the honour of presenting to her Majesty, at Osborne, his elegant collection of models of the principal monuments in the East. They are made out of Inkermann stone, and stand on a large writingtable taken out of Sebastopol, the whole being covered with glass, and forming an interesting relic of the late war. In forming this collection, Captain Brine was assisted by a Sapper of his company, named Charles Parker.

THE MILITARY CHARACTER, AS ILLUSTRATED BY
WORKS OF FICTION.

BY PORTFIRE.

"MILITARY genius is the highest order of genius." So said the late Sir Walter Scott-no mean authority. And if great legislative powers form part and parcel of such genius, we quite agree with the Wizard of the North. The necessity of legislating is a corollary of conquest, and we see no reason why the mind that can furnish powers of calculation and combination sufficient to subjugate a people, should not be able to employ those powers efficiently in governing them.

Be this as it may, it is certain that the military hero is the hero par excellence. He has always been so-always will be so-in spite of peace societies and Cobdens unborn, so long as human nature remains unchanged, and the world is what it is. The latter may be considered, as one huge Donnybrook Fair, in which men are for ever squabbling and breaking one another's heads, with cause or without cause, from that unconquerable propensity to shed blood and oppress one another which seems instinctive in our natures; and he who can shed most blood, and oppress the greatest number, is looked upon as the hero par excellence, and deified accordingly, not only by his own sex, but the softer sex too! The Queen of the Amazons made a long journey for the express purpose of seeing Alexander, and, prudently combining business with pleasure, took that opportunity of improving her breed. Catherine of Russia seems to have had a penchant for manufacturing heroes, who were pretty sure to be great men, for they were generally fine strapping fellows, upwards of six feet high. In our own times, we all know how the ladies crowded to behold Napoleon and Wellington, who, though not exactly the sort of men Catherine would have selected for heroes, were men of mettle nevertheless, and well worth going to see. Yes! the ladies-Heaven bless 'em!-have always been partial to military men, and for our own sake we hope they always will be so.

Demosthenes! Cicero! Solon! Socrates! Justinian! Lycurgus!-these were doubtless all great men in their way, just as Judge Hale was a great man, and Lord Mansfield was a great man, and the present Lords Lyndhurst and Brougham are great men; but what is their greatness, great as it is, to the greater greatness of Cæsar, and Hannibal, and Scipio, and Fabius, and Charlemagne, and Gustavus, and Wallenstein, and Turenne, with a host of other illustrious warriors, whose names it would be superfluous to mention, and who are all-every mother's son of 'em-heroes par excellence? Even the fame of Milton pales before the superior lustre of the halo which encircles the name of stern old Noll; and though Shakspeare is a fine plucky fellow, and a brick every inch of him, he is rather, as we shall see hereafter, a chronicler of heroes than a hero himself. We think less of Spenser and Byron than we do of Suwarrow and Marlborough, who could hardly write their names, or pen the despatches announcing their great victories; while we read with increased interest the "Retreat of the Ten Thousand," "The