THE

JUNE, 1812.

MILITARY BIOGRAPHY.

GENERAL MACKINNON.

AS the life of General Mackinnon has been already given, we have now only to call the attention of the public, and, we should hope, of the Government, to a recent incident in his family, which we cannot but think most peculiarly appeals to the nation's generosity. It appears that the Lady of this most lamented General has recently added to her preceding family a posthumous son; and is thus at once, within a very short interval, both a widow and a mother. There is something peculiarly affecting when the heaviest of female suffering is thus superadded to the heaviest of human calamities. The Almighty Author of our nature, who, throughout all the circumstances of our life, has softened necessary evils by some infusion of good, has benevolently implanted in the human mother a principle which alleviates the bitterness of his own assigned penalty; and, whilst she presses her offspring to her bosom, and retraces in it the image of the father, she forgets almost, in the moment of its occurrence, the pains and perils through which she has passed. The Roman poet has most beautifully alluded to this maternal feeling:

-Si quis mihi parvulus aulu

Luderet Eneas, qui te tantum ore referret,

Non omnino misera.

The Lady of General Mackinnon, however, is not merely denied this consolation, but its very circumstance aggravates her grief. Her sorrow is only refreshed with the memory of its object, and with the image that, recalls it. Every look of her orphan child reminds her how much his imbecility needs a protector, and that the natural protector, both of him and herself, is gone. We feel persuaded that we need say no more. The Parliament is now sitting, and would doubtless, upon the slightest mentiou, add one more to those acts of generosity, if not justice, which will long characterise the present Parliament as one of the most honourable of those which have ever sat, and as having most fully and duly represented, not merely the wisdom and wishes, but the virtue, high honour, and generous feeling of the nation.

Never, indeed has this country appeared at once greater, and more amiable, than during this period of war, and of the distress aud calamities which it necessarily brings. There seems to have been a kind of con

General Mackinnon.

test at home and abroad, whether we shall appear more valiant or more generous. This is our true national character. In the chivalrous ages we led the way in the wild but generous extravagance of the graces and accomplishments of knighthood: in the progress of religion, and the knowledge of arts and manners, we are now the first of Christian nations, as we were heretofore in the first rank of the middle times.

PLUTARCH'S LIVES.

SIR,-THE army are infinitely indebted to you for your Historical and Military Classics, the cheapness of which is as much suited to their finances as the matter of them is highly useful. I copy the following paragraph from your address to your correspondents in the third uumber of the Military Chronicle.

"The main object of the Military Chronicle is to inspire and cherish a military spirit in the army and country; forcibly to impress on the country what they owe to the army; and to excite in the younger officers of the army, through the medium of the biography of their illustrious fellow-soldiers, a professional zeal, a gentlemanly spirit, and those ornamental manners, knowledge, and accomplishments, which are necessary to complete the character of a British officer, and to render him what he ought to be, at once the grace and defence, the Decus and Præsidium of his country."

Permit me to suggest, Sir, that you could not do better than to keep this perpetually in your mind; and you would do well if you were to suffer it to guide you in the choice of the books which you are printing for the use of the army. Why not, for example, give them immediately Plutarch's Lives, one of the most useful books for the military instruction of the officer which either the ancient or modern world has produced? It is at the same time a Military and Historial Classic; it is almost as common in the French army as the rules and regulations in our own. Permit me likewise to suggest, that you would do well to state the exact quantity of numbers in which you propose to comprehend your several authors. I can easily make allowances for errors in this respect in your first numbers; but I think that as you can now easily make your calculations, I feel persuaded it will not occur again. I deem it but justice to you to add, that I most fully acquit you of having done this intentionally, as the whole spirit and manner of your Military Chronicle shews you are above it.

ANSWER.

J. H-.

The first part of Plutarch will be given. in the next number of the Classics. Our correspondent does us but justice in acquitting us of

A Card to the Publisher.

having intentionally added a number to what we originally intended to have given in Arrian and Polybius. It happened entirely from a miscalculation, which shall never occur again. Hereafter we shall specify the exact quantity of numbers in which each work will be contained; and if it should be necessary to exceed such quantity, all such supernumerary numbers shall be given gratis. We hereby make this distinct pledge. EDITOR.

A CARD TO THE PUBLISHER.

[The Publisher is compelled to insert this as he received it, as the lateness of the month will not admit of a moment's delay].

MY DEAR SIR,

HAVE the goodness to announce in your next number, that, together with the next number of the Military Chronicle (July 1st), will be ready for delivery, "A Spanish Grammar for the use of Officers, price two shillings and sixpence, arranged upon the plan of the Eton Latiu Grammar, i. e. so as by the omission of what is superfluous, and the fullest exposition of what is necessary, to unite the greatest brevity with the fullest explanation, and thereby to asssist the memory, and enable every one to instruct themselves."

Have the goodness to forin this into a proper advertisement, and insert it on the cover of the Chronicle I do not know whether you yet per

fectly understand the idea. It is this: The greater part of the foreign Grammars are written by the most ignorant foreigners, adventurers, &c. In short, by any one who happens to be a Spaniard, Portuguese, or Frenchman, and therefore are most miserably confused productions, and totally without that method or science which are equally necessary to accuracy, and to assist the memory of learners. Thus one of thein makes seven cases of the nouns, another three, another only one, converting all the changes into what he pleases to term particles, and thereby making as many rules as there are changes. My idea, therefore is, to give a simple, intelligible, and classical Spanish Grammar, arranged so as to assist instead of incumbering the memory. I am persuaded it will have as great a sale as the Chronicle, being as cheap, and certainly as useful. This was the way that I learned Spanish myself. I bought one of the best Grammars (a Spanish Grammar in Italian), and, after having given it a very careful reading, went over it with my pen, and struck out all the confusion and nonsense, and then learned the rest by memory. I propose it to be, if you think right, the same size, and printed in the same form as the Chronicle, so as that they may bind it up with it, if they chuse, or as a separate book.

A Card to the Publisher.

It really astonishes me that we should have forgotten the Advertisement till this time, when we have been talking about it all the month, and have got so forward in it. The EDITOR.

P.S. We will follow up this Spanish Grammar with a Spanish Dictionary, to be completed in four half-crown numbers, the same size and form as the Classics and Grammar itself. The cheapest Spanish Dictinnary is three or four guineas; ours will be only Half a Guinea.

LIVES OF THE MARSHALS OF FRANCE.

AUGEREAU.

AUGEREAU, Commander in Chief in the service of the French republic, is the son of an artizan at Paris, and, having enlisted in the Neapolitan troops, served as a private till 1787, when he settled at Naples as a fencing master, and was sent thence, with the rest of his countrymen, in 1792. He then entered the army of Italy as a volunteer, and soon rose by his valour and understanding. In 1794 he was employed as a General of Brigade in the army of the Pyrenees, and on the 19th of May distinguished himself in the action at Figuières, and on several other occasions. In May 1795 he greatly contributed to the success of a battle fought against the Spaniards on the banks of the Flavia. Being appointed General of Division, he served with the same activity, and with the same success, in Italy. After a forced march of two days, he seized the passes of Millésimo, on the tenth of April, 1796, and, having by this movement effected a junction with Generals Mesnard and Joubert, he drew the enemy from all the circumjacent posts, and, by the promptitude and daring of his measures, surrounded a division commanded by the Austrian General Preréra. On the 15th of the same month he took possession of the redoubts of Montelesimo, at the fight of Dego, and facilitated the junction of the army with General Serrurier. The next day he quitted his position, and attacked and took the intrenched camp of Céva, defended by the Piedmontese; on the 26th he seized Alba; on the 7th of May he made himself master of Casale, and rushed to the bridge of Lodi, at the head of which the enemy had entrenched themselves, and were defending its passage by a destructive fire. Animated by this fortunate temerity, the troops forced the bridge and the intrenchments. On the 16th of June he passed the Po at Bogoforte, arrived at Bologna on the 19th, and there took prisoners 400 of the Pope's soldiers, with the Cardinal-legate and all the staff. In the course of July the inhabitants of Lugo having risen against the French, Augerau went thither to re-establish order, and having dispersed the rebels, gave up the town to pillage for three hours.