302 Major-General Sir Howard Douglas on 



April 1812 to make preparations for this operation, — a man of fertile genius 

 and great practical knowledge, — happily devised an application of cordage, 

 which might be prepared secretly, and even in privacy, at any distance from 

 the place at which it was to be used, and easily transported thither entire, 

 and speedily stretched across whenever it might be required. The broken 

 arch left void Avas about 100 feet wide, and between its shattered buttresses a 

 precipitous chasm 140 feet deep. Across this abyss the slender material 

 spread gracefully but securely. A work so slight and temporary, contrasted 

 strangely with a massive structure which had stood for ages; but the happy 

 expedient made good, in a few hours, a way over ruins of vast account ; and 

 formed an auspicious opening to the important scenes that were now about 

 to be acted on the gi*eat theatre of war." 



The seventh and last section treats of Bridges, on Trestles, 

 Piles, Truss-frames, and other applications of Carpentry. This 

 section is managed with the same ability as the other parts of 

 the volume, and cannot fail to be highly useful and instructive 

 to military engineers, though, from the length to which this al*- 

 ticle has already extended, we are reluctantly forced to dispense 

 with an analysis of its contents. To this is subjoined a valuable 

 appendix, on the strength of timber and other materials^, of great 

 importance to all descriptions of practical men, of either the 

 civil or mihtary professions. 



We now terminate our examination of this most useful and 

 interesting volume, with Segur's graphic description of the pas- 

 sage of the Beresina by the French army under Napoleon, in 

 his disastrous retreat from Russia in 1812; and the author's 

 judicious reflections on the propriety of keeping up, even in 

 peace, a corps of pontoneers. 



« When the Imperial Guard began to move, the stragglers dispersed in 

 the surrounding woods and villages, who had not taken advantage of the first 

 night to cross the river, now rushed from all sides, and flocked to the river 

 side in one dense and confused mass, which soon choked up the narrow en- 

 trances to the bridges. The foremost, impelled by those who followed, were 

 driven upon the guards and pontoneers, who were endeavouring to keep a 

 passage open for our troops. In i!^ressing these crowds of fugitives, many 

 were trodden under foot in the mele'e, others thrown upon the floating ice, 

 and great numbers, unable to regain the bridge or to reach the shore, perished 

 in the river. The efforts of Napoleon and his officers to re-establish order 

 were unavailing. So great was the confusion, that force was necessary to 

 clear a passage even for the Emperor, who crossed at about 2 p. m., with 

 nearly fiOOO of the guard under Ney. The troops continued to pass till the 

 morning of the 29th ; but multitudes of the stragglers, benumbed with cold, 

 were unable to avail themselves of this last opportunity ; and about S in 

 the morning, General Ebl^, seeing the Russians advancing, was obliged to set 



