Retrospect of Domestic Literature—Voyages, Wes 879 
produced by the retreat. Indeed, during 
the whole campaign, they. evinced as 
much humanity and generosity, as of 
bravery and heroism. 
“ But reciprocal ignorance . of lan- 
guage, and diversity of religious customs 
and local prejudices, were perpetually 
interposing to frustrate the endeavours 
ef the officers to preserve amity between 
the soldiery and the Spaniards, Besides, 
as in Gallicia and the North of Spain 
_ there is more specie than real property: 
our soldiers were frequently incensed, at 
finding that the offer of a dollar would 
not induce a peasant to part witha 
morsel of rusty bacon, a few garlic, 
sausages, or a bit of bread, which often, 
in fact, were not intrinsically worth one- 
third of the sum, On arriving on an 
evening at their villages, after a most 
fatiguing march, wet to the skin, yet ex- 
piring with thirst, these unfeeling mortals 
often refused, when requested by our 
men, to run to the adjoining fountain 
for a pitcher of water, or to procure a 
few heath-roots to make a fire. Hence 
frequent bickerings ensued, and some- 
times a few blows, which the Spamiards 
generally deserved. That the breast of 
the British soldier is incapable of wanton 
cruelty, and is warmed by the best af- 
fections, I could convince you by several 
anecdotes; but you may judge of his 
character by the following : 
““ At the battle of Vimiera, our men 
who belonged to the pickets, and who 
had fallen down wounded, were passed 
over by the French in their advance, but 
were inhumanly stabbed by them in the 
limbs or trunk afterwards, How did the 
British behave towards them under the 
same circumstances? Their first act, on 
coming up with a wounded Frenchman, 
was to uusling the canteen from their 
shoulders, and pour a portion of its con- 
teuts into his quivering lips. This hap- 
pened in innumerable instances. I will 
then go on and ask, what such men may 
effect, if properly managed, and ably 
led on? Do you not recognize in them 
the real descendants of that handful of 
brave men, who, conducted by a Black 
iers, left, and that, before he could come round 
Prince, in two succeeding summers, 
chased from shore to shore of their ex- 
tensive realm the forefathers of the 
myrmidons who are now ravaging and 
depopulating Europe? Can you have 
any difficulty in believing, that our army 
might soon, with a little management, 
be made equal to that of vain-glorious 
France? It is already equal, and more 
than equal, in every thing but numbers, 
Monruzy Mac. No, 187. 
Consider the facility with which, upon 
all occasions, we vanquished the foe, 
when not absolutely overpowered by 
numbers, ° . 
** Our battalion officers are at present, 
and have long been, esteemed the best 
in Europe.’ Our artillery is, at length, 
much superior to that of France; and 
inferior as our Coinmissariat must al- 
ways be to thatofa continental army, yets 
with a little attention, it might soon-be 
rendered nearly as effective. As to the 
French Generals of the present day, they 
are mostly ignorant and uneducated men, 
and in every respect inferior to the Ge- 
nerals of the English army. 1 
you will naturally ask, has it happened, 
that they have over-run the greater part 
of Europe? Partly from the general 
corruption of theis opponents, and their 
weak and bigotted policy; but chiefly 
from the force of opinion, which has 
done more for them than all other causes, 
The opinion: of every nation, our own 
alone excepted, seems to be that the — 
French, especially with Bonaparte’ at 
their head, are invincible. 
add, that, by the most minute attention 
to. geographical and topographical de- 
tails, they have, acquired a method of 
combining aseries of complicated movee 
ments, with a degree of mathematical 
certainty, a thing never before attempt» 
ed. With each corps d’armée are two or 
three men, named imperial geographers, 
who, with the largest and best maps in 
Europe under their eyes, direct the march | 
of every detachment, and: compute the 
half. hours, nay minutes; which will be 
necessary to effect each movement. 
‘‘ Ffence their attacks are characte 
rized by a. simultaneous impulse and rae. 
pidity, which at first sight appears ase 
tonishing. How much have we not lost 
from a defect in this species of knows 
ledge? Consider the failure of our first 
attempt on Seringapatam, and our last 
march to attack Buenos Ayres. Nay, 
during our last retreat in Spain, should 
it not have been known that it was im- 
possible for the enemy to get between us 
and the sea by any lateral road on our 
our right, he must have beaten and dis- 
psrsed Generals Crawford and Altent’s 
brigade, and the Marquis de la Romana’s 
army? Sir John Moore, it is presumed, 
would not have retreated so rapidly 
‘through the strongest country in Europe, 
had it not been for a defect of knowledge 
such as that of which I speak. 
“ As tothe force of opinion already 
47 mentioned, 
Ilow then, » 
And I must ' 
