612 
from the French and German writers, 
“younger, 
and will be found extremely useful to 
the military student, who is desirous of 
an ample acquaintance with the science 
in which he has embarked. Many of. 
the descriptions are highly interesting 
to general readers, who aim at possessing 
that kind of knowledge, which will ena- 
ble them to follow, in their closet, 
. the contending European armies, in this 
Most important epoch of our history. 
Tn proof of this assertion, we might refer 
to very many parts of these volumes. 
But we prefer giving a sketch of the Es- 
say founded on this Enquiry :—‘ Should 
generals in chief be youngmen?’ In 
favour of the affirmative side of the 
question, we are referred to the suppo- 
sition, that bodily strength constitutes the 
- most indispensable quality of a warrior: 
and to history, for a variety of striking 
examples, in which the inost brilliant 
exploits have been performed in early 
life. ‘* Alexander was not thirty years 
old, when he conquered half the globe, 
known in, his time; the conqueror of 
‘Carthage had not completed his twenty- 
fourth year; the great Condé was still 
when he obtained the most 
glorious of his victories ; and in our own 
time, we have seen very young generals 
defeat the most celebrated warriors in 
Europe. We have seen our countryman, 
General Wolfe, storm the heights of 
Quebec, and fall gloriously in the midst 
of victory.” Enumerating many other 
circumstances in- hehalf of this opinion, 
the author adds: “* Occurrences no doubt 
may happen, where the example of 
the commanding general proves decisive ; 
but these are few, and to set the exam- 
ple in such cases is by no means an ex- 
elusive privilege of youth. 
The author next proceeds to point 
out the qualifications of a great ge- 
neral, and concludes, that in almost 
_ all cases, aged and experienced officers, 
and not young men, should be placed at 
the head of anarmy. 
Another military work lately published, 
is entitled, ‘“‘ Construction of several 
Systems of Fortifications, for the Use. 
- of the Royal Military Academy,” by J. 
LanNDMANN, Professor of Fortifications 
and Artillery, with 26 folio plates in 
a separate’ volume. ‘This work is drawn 
up chiefly from Vauban and others, whose 
systems are given with sufficient accus 
racy in the plates, and which ate pretty 
fuily explained in the corresponding let- 
ter-press. The talents of the protessor- 
re 
Retrospect of Domestic Literature—Mathematies, Kc. 
are well known, and the situation whiel 
he fills may lead us to expect from him 
hereafter a more general treatise on this 
subject, which we shall be happy to in- 
treduce to the notice of our readers. 
‘¢ Mathematics simplified and practi-— 
cally illustrated, by ihe Adoption of prin= - 
cipal Problems to the ordinary Purposes 
of Life,” &c. &c. by Captain Tuomas 
WILLIAMSON. ‘ 
This is a fascinating title ; but, as we 
have long since learned that tliere is 
“no royal road to geometry,” we sus- 
pected that more was promised in the 
title-page, of which we have copied only 
a part, than the perusal of the vulume 
would justify. Our expectations were 
of course very moderate, yet these have 
been- grievously disappointed. The au- 
thor has been Jed into sad mistakes, 
which shew that he is ill qualified to 
instruct young persons in mathematics. 
We do not ebject to any laudable at- 
tempt to simplify the principles of sci- 
ence; but those who make the experi- 
ment should take care that they strictly 
adhere to the truth; that, under the pre. 
tence of making a subject easy, they 
do not, in fact, abandon their pupils té 
error, We suspect Captain Williamson 
has not been of late in the habic of re- 
calling his own mathematical knowledge, 
for we would impute some gross slips to 
forgetfulness, rather than to ignorance. — 
The plates, if such they can be called, 
are wretched scrawls, that would dis- 
grace the school-boy of the very lowest 
form. 
““ Problems in some of the higher 
Branches of Algebra,” 'Yhese are not — 
intended® for. novices in the analytical 
art: they require a considerable share of — 
knowledge in order to appreciate their 
value and importance. ‘They have un- 
questionably afforded amusement to the 
author, and will probably excite the m- 
austry and ingenuity of those readers who 
are desirous of following bim in the track 
which he has beaten out for himself. 
“A Grammar of Geometry ; contain- 
ing an eusy Exhibition of the Practice of 
that Art ; serving as an Introduction to - 
Euclid, and to the practical Mathéma- 
tics,” by JeSmitu, L.L.D.. | 
The Introduction to this little work 
contains an account of the uses of a 
common case of mathematical instru- 
ments, by the help of which, and Dr. 
Smith’s Grammar, he may be initiated 
into the elementary principles of practi- 
cal geometry, ‘* The student,”’says the 
mer ; Doctor, 
el i 
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