Dec. 9. 1854.] 



NOTES AND QUEEIES. 



471 



All the world knows the immense service ren- 

 dered by the Zouaves in Africa ; in all the expe- 

 ditions they invariably occupied the posts of 

 greatest danger ; and every one desirous of a 

 rapid advancement acquired at the point of his 

 own sword sought to join their body. Without 

 enumerating a crowd of other distinguished of- 

 ficers who have been formed in this brilliant 

 school, it is from the corps of Zouaves that the 

 generals Duvivier, Lamoricicre, Cavaignac, Lad- 

 mirault, Canrobert, and Bourbaki have taken 

 their rise. W. Coles. 



It is true that when the Zouaves were instituted 

 they were intended to form a body of native 

 troops. In 1832 Marshal Soult, then minister 

 of war, ordered the formation of a battalion of 

 Kabyles, under the denomination of Zouaves ; but 

 the lively hatred of the Arabians against the 

 Christian invaders, and their natural repulsion to 

 fight against their brethren in faith and in blood, 

 prevented the orders of the marshal from being 

 executed as he wished, so that only a few natives 

 volunteered to enter the French service. But at 

 the same time many young Frenchmen, desirous 

 to go through the African campaigns, and seduced 

 by the graceful and picturesque costume of the 

 Zouaves, enlisted in that corps, which was com- 

 pleted by driaughts from the regiments of the line. 

 From one battalion they soon increased to three, 

 and were then formed into a regiment under Col. 

 Lamoricicre. Their services in all the African 

 campaigns are too well known to be recorded 

 here. I shall only add that two years ago the 

 Emperor raised the number of regiments of Zou- 

 aves from one to three (of three battalions each), 

 and that they are recruited, like all other regi- 

 ments, by means of the conscription in all the 

 departments of the empire. My own department 

 (I'Oise) has furnished a great many Zouaves, of 

 whom I know several personally; and those of 

 your readers who have perused the lists of killed 

 and wounded in the French army after the battle 

 of the Alma, must have noticed that all the names 

 of the Zouaves therein mentioned were essentially 

 French. 



Now, a word about the native troops. A few 

 years after the conquest, the hatred against us 

 having diminished amongst the Arabians, whilst 

 they were perpetually at war between themselves, 

 many of them at last offered their services to the 

 French government, who accepted them. Thus 

 were formed the three battalions of Tirailleurs 

 Indigenes, of the provinces of Oran, Constantine, 

 and Algiers. The latter increased so much that 

 a few months ago the Emperor ordered it to be 

 divided into two battalions, who constituted the 

 regiment of Tirailleurs Algeriens, now in the East 

 under Colonel Wimpfen. 



Now, having, I hope, vindicated the nationality 

 of the Zouaves, — 



" Hie artem victor caestumque repono." 



F. DE Beenhabdt. 



The meaning of this word, now so often met 

 with, is explained by Professor Max MUller in his 

 work on the languages of the seat of war, as fol- 

 lows : 



" The real Zouaves belong to the Berber branch : for in 

 Algiers the Berbers are called Sha\vi, a word which means 

 Nomads, and has been corrupted in Tunis into Suav; 

 French, Zouave." 



J. M. S. 



JOHNSON r. BOSWELL. 



(Vol. X., p. 363.) 



The case stated by Professor de Morgan is a 

 curious instance of oversight in a work so fre- 

 quently edited. To make the comment clear, I 

 must repeat a portion of the extract : 



Johnson to Boswdl. — " We compute, in England, a park 

 wall at a thousand pounds a mile ; now a garden wall 

 must cost at least as much. — Now let us see ; for a hun- 

 dred pounds you could only have forty-four square yards, 

 which is very little ; for two hundred pounds you may 

 have eighty-four [eighty-eight?] square yards," which is 

 very well." — BosxveU's Johnson, the sixth edition, 1811, 

 iv. 219. 



If a garden wall costs a thousand pounds a mile, 

 one hundred pounds would build one hundred 

 and seventy-six yards of wall, which would form 

 a square of forty-four yards, and inclose an area 

 of nineteen hundred and thirty- six square yards ; 

 and two hundred pounds would build three hun- 

 dred and fifty-two yards of wall, which would 

 form a square of eighty-eight yards, and inclose 

 an area of seven thousand seven hundred and 

 forty-four square yards. The cost of the wall in 

 the latter case, as compared with the space inclosed, 

 would therefore be reduced to one half — which, 

 as Johnson said, " is very well." 



Mr. Boswell was no doubt aware that one yard 

 square is equal to one square yard, but he did not 

 consider the results of mathematical progression. 

 Now, two yards square give an area of Jour square 

 yards ; three yards square give an area of nine 

 square yards ; four yards square give an area of 

 sixteen square yards, &c. 



I can perceive no error in the emendation which 

 is said to have been proposed by the bishop of 

 Ferns. I cannot even conjecture on what grounds 

 Professor de Morgan asserts, that it " makes the 

 matter worse." So I must consider myself, in 

 that particular, as enveloped in a cloud of obtuse- 

 ness. Bolton Cornet. 



