/ 
STAUNTON. 
23T 
stage coach, or a general dealing ou penny 
ribbon behind his counter; but no There, I 
believe, is there such a superfluity of these 
military personages as in the little town of 
Staunton; there is hardly a decent person in it, 
excepting* lawyers and medical men,but what 
is a colonel, a major, or a captain. This is to 
be accounted for as follows: in America, every 
freeman from the age of sixteen to fifty years, 
whose occupation does not absolute*' forbid it, 
must enrol himself in the militia. In Virginia 
alone, the militia amounts to ab&ft sixty-two 
thousand men, and it is divided iijto four di¬ 
visions and seventeen brigades, to esch of which 
there is a general and other offiers. Were 
there no officers therefore, exciting those 
actually belonging to the militia the number 
must be very great; but independent of the 
militia, there are also volunteer brps in most 
of the towns, which have likewise their re¬ 
spective officers. In Staunton Hire are two or 
three corps, one of cavalry, theother of artil¬ 
lery. These are formed chie# of men who 
find a certain degree of amusinent in exer¬ 
cising as soldiers, and who ar also induced 
to associate, by the vanity of appearing in re¬ 
gimentals. The militia is no assembled of* 
tener than once in two or thee mouths, and 
as it rests with every individual to provide 
himself with arms and accoutements, and no 
