500 Account of the Royal Military College, at High Wycombe. [May 1, 
he had two daughters; and whether they are 
in that part of the country now I can’t tell: 
but I think one of them was married about 
fourteen years ago,toa Mr.Keeme or Keene, 
who, I think, is very likely to know fome- 
think about the book. Should any farther 
queition arife, when you have made the in- 
quiries as above, I fhall be happy to give 
every affiftance in my power. 
Beaumauris, Anglefea, Your’s, &c. 
April 4, 1803. JostaH Maup. 
Sere 
ACCOUNT of the ROYAL MILITARY 
COLLEGE lately effablifhed at HIGH 
WYCOMBE. 
bape Royal Military College is an in- 
ftitution founded for the purpofe of 
affording a military education to perfons 
intended for his Majefty’s land-fervice, as 
well as inftruGtion to officers already in 
the army who are defirous of qualifying 
themfelves to ferve in the general ftaff. 
This inftitution was firft founded by his 
Majefty’s authority in the year 1799.— 
It confifts of two departments. 
Firfi Department.—The firk department 
is exclufively for the inftruction of officers 
in the duties of the general ftaff, and in 
particular thofe which relate to the quar- 
ter-malter general’s department in the 
field. 
No officer is eligible to the firft depart- 
ment under the age of nineteen, and it muft 
be certified by the commanding officer of 
his regiment that he has ferved two years 
with his corps, and is well acquainted with 
the duties of an officer in the interior care 
of a company as wel] as his duty in the 
field. This certificate is addreffed to the 
governor at the college, who, through the 
commander in chief, receives his Majefty’s 
pleafure, without whefe concurrence no 
officer can be admitted to the eftablith- 
ment. Every officer joining the depart- 
Ment is examined in the knowledge of 
the military movements prefcribed by his 
Majefy’s regulations—likwife, in re- 
{pe& to mathematics and the French lan- 
guage, of which it is required that he 
fhould at Jeaft poffefs the elements. In 
the event that an officer is found deficient 
in the knowledge of any one of thefe pre- 
liminary qualifications, his nomination 
will be fulpended until his Majefty’s plea- 
fure is further known. 
The officers at the ccllege are upon the 
fame footing, in point of fubordination, as 
when in garrifon, and fubjeét to the fame 
rules and difcipline obferved in his Ma- 
jefty’s fervice. They wear the uniform of 
their refpective corps, and receive the al- 
lowance made to officers in barracks, ac- 
cording to their military rank, indepen- 
dent of forage for one horfe, which they 
are required to keep for the purpofes of at- 
tending their inftruétion in the field. They 
dine together, paying at the fame rate as 
officers are meffed with their regiments: 
the only difference is, that it is not fo ex- 
penfive, being fubje& to the regulations of 
the eftablifhment, which enfure, atalltimes, 
a fyitem of economy. Breakfaft and fup- 
per are left for individuals to provide at 
their. private apartments as they think 
proper. 
Mafers in French, German, mathema- 
tics, fortification, and military drawing, 
are provided for the inftru€tion of fuch 
officers, as, on firft joining the eftablifh- 
ment, are not fufficiently converfant in 
thofe branches of knowledge, which are 
indifpenfably neceffary to their entering on 
the ftudies appropriated to the duties of 
the general ftaff. Thefe are arranged 
under the heads—Reconnoitring —Pofitioz 
— Marches and Movements ; and contift of 
examining ground for a given number of co- 
Jumns ; reconnoitring ground for the po- * 
fition of an army aéting on the offenfive or 
defenfive; for the routes of one or more 
columns in advancing or retreating. Alfo, 
in eftimating the labour and time necef- 
fary for opening the communications, and 
clearing the routes of march; in eftimating 
the refources of ‘a country in forage, po- 
pulation, &c.; placing troops correfpon- 
dent with the circumitances of ground; 
determining the chain of pofts; conftruét- 
ing batteries; felling abbatis; placing 
troops on a pofition offenfive, with an at- 
tention to a plan of future operations ; 
placing troops in camp when in reute of 
march; regulating the cantonments of an 
army ; forming and calculating the march 
of one or more columns, under various 
circumftances; regulating retreats, &c. 
&c. Thefe feveral objects of inftrution 
,are combined with fufficient practice in — 
the field, by which movement and military 
arrangement are made to correfpond with 
plans in drawing, taken by the officers, - 
defcriptive of the a€tual circumftances of 
ground in the neighbourhood of the efta- 
blifhment. This inftruction is given in 
French, as more immediately the language 
in which the greateft number of military 
works are written, and to which reference 
muft frequently be had, whilft it infures 
to the fervice of the ftaff, officers conver- 
{ant in a continental tongue. 
The ftudies of this firft or fenior de- 
partment are eftimated to employ two 
years, admitting that an officer Has appli- 
caticn, without which, under any circum- 
: ftances 
’ 
