1803.) 
the troops, the troops are obliged to 
suard and defend if, and render themfelves 
jubfervient to the dificulties of its move- 
ments. Their care:to guard their cannon, 
and the dangerous point of honour in 
preferving what ought to be confidered 
only asthe tools or inftruments of war, 
have on more than one occafion caufed 
the defeat of the Auftrian infantry ; this 
might have been avoided, had they either 
had no cannon, or confented to lofe it. 
The Aufrian cavalry is proverbially 
good. The French always avoid coming 
in contact with it. 
The Auftrian army altogether is as 
much fuperior to the French army, as the 
French foldier is, individually, to theAuf- 
trian foldier: give it an Achilles, and the 
Auftrian army will be the lance of Achil- 
les ; fuch has it been under the Archduke 
Charles. ; 
The Aoftrians employ an enormous 
quantity of troops in what they call a 
chain of polts, and in guards of every 
kind, which are frequently ufelefs. One 
part of their troops is at a diftance from 
the battle, and the other is always beaten 
before the battle is begun; and fometimes 
this part conftitutes the half of their army. 
Never do all their troops, as might be 
done upon any other fyftem, take part in 
the engagement ; the referve, if there be 
any, is todiftributed,and at fuch a diftance, 
that the different corps are beatenand over- 
thrown, without having been able to keep 
themfelvestogether. The method to which 
the Auftrians invariably attach themf{e!ves 
in all cafes, eccafions this injurious diftri- 
bution of their troops, and of courfe 
weakens them. 
Their generals haye committed the 
grofleft and moft fatal blunders ; the French 
too. have been guilty of the moft dagrant 
errors on their fide. It has already been 
feen, in the article of the French army, 
that a fuperiority, not of military fcience, 
but of intelligence, joined to their great 
aStivity, and their bodies of referve, has 
uniformly refcued the French from the 
evil effects of temporary overthrow. 
he continuation of the fame faults, in 
which the Auftrians will infallibly perfe- 
vere, muft of neceflity caufe the Houle of 
Auftria to yield, if it has to ftruggle fingly 
againft the French. 
If we reflect on the operations of the 
French, we difcover no military fcience, 
except in the campaigns of Pichegru and 
of Moreau, who imitated him; all the 
others dilplay only boldnefs, activity, {4- 
gacity, and finefie. Alli their knowledge 
confifts, as we before remarked, in attack- 
Auftrian Army—Fairy-rings, 219 
ing the Auftrians, on certain points, and, 
above all, in hanging upon their flanks, 
and in. marching forward. The French 
have not been accuftomed to ufe real ftra- 
tagem, at leait fuch as an able and upright 
general would avow. : 
Thefe faults have taken fuch deep root in 
the Auftrian army, that the Archduke 
Charles is the only perfonwho, from his fer- 
vices, talents, and birth, (which ought to 
raife him above.all invidious counterven- 
tion,) and from the love and confidence of 
the army, can animate this grand piece of 
mechanilim, and by giving life to it, enable 
it to act of itfelf, inftead of being touched 
by a fingle {pring, which cannot produce 
the neceffary movements with that promp- 
titude and vigour that are indifpenfably 
neceffary to fuccefs.—[ A further account in 
our next. | 
eI 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
N perufing your laft excellent Half- 
Yearly Retro{peét of Dometic Lite- 
rature, I find, under the notice of the 
Rev. Gilbert White’s works in natural- 
hiftory, a reference to the ingenious hy- 
pothelis of Dr. Darwin, refpeéting- the 
production of Fairy-rimgs by eleétricity. 
However plaufible this idea may feem to - 
the theoretical philofopher, it is found by 
the obfervant naturalift to be inadequate 
to the explication of the phenomenon. 
Without intending to enter into any kind 
of controverfy upon this fubjeét, which, 
doubtlefs,will be thought by fome readers 
already to have occupied too many pages 
of the moft popular mifcellanies, allow me 
to mention a few facts which appear irre- 
concileable with the above-mentioned the- 
ory. 
Mostinre is flated as requifite for the 
attraction of lightning to turf—but fairy- 
rings are difcoverable in fituations which 
have no pretenfions to moifture. 
Tt is next obferved, that the cloud at- 
traéted by moifture, will become cylindri- 
cal, or conical, and confequently the 
ftream of eleétricity defcending on the 
turf, by its external ring will there form 
the circular mark vulgarly called a fairy- 
ring ; but inftead of thefe marks being 
uniformly circular, which they would be 
from fuch a caule, they; as Mr. White 
accurately ttates, ‘* vary their fhape, and 
fhift fituation continually, difcovering 
themfelves now in circles,’ (though fel- 
dom entire) ‘now in fegments, and fomee 
times in irregular patches and {pots.”” 
The gradual fhifting of fituation fur- 
nifhes another objection to the phenome- 
Fi2 non’s 
