The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-05-21 00:00:00

CITY RUS,INF,SS.

i .1

A Court of Common Coancil was held at Gqil.l-
- yesterday, at which were present, fo.ir
men, !decor-1:r, Sheriffs, sad about fifty Com-
moners.
The KING'S Answer to the late• Address was read,
and ordered to be entered on the Journals.
The Tciwn Ccear laid before the Court a lc-tter
he had received from SAIIVEL WHIT seams. Esq.
inanswer to the Vote of Thanks passed at the last
Conk for his conduft in bringing forward the Re-
solutions in the House of Commons, relative to Lord
MELVILIA.which was read, `and ordered to be en-
ter

ed on the Journals.
A Petition was presented from W. Ax!,
lately nominate) by the Loa D Ma voa to be put
in public nomination, on Midsuntmer-day next,
for
the office of S!ieriff, praying to be discharged bon'
the said nomination, bLing a dissenter and upwards
of 70 years of age, which was read and referred to
a Committee to take into consideration, and report
to this Court.

BRIGIITON. M•T 16.

But very few arrivals of fashionable iMportatice
increased the popularity of this town during the last
week, though the greater part of the best hia .es
are already engaged for the whole of the ensuing
season.
The Pewee, it is supposed, re-er.l.iveni the town
with his presenc^, in the course of the week.
Lieut. Rica A *Dam+, of t! le South Gloucester Mi-
litia, expir2d here of Tuesday last: His remains
were removed on Thursday for Intel mart in tl:e fa-
mily vault, near Battle. .
1..e0 armed schooners, in the impress s."rvice,
much to the alarm of the ti.hermer, were off" this
town on Tuesday and Wednesday last. On the '
latter day the officers of one of them were on shore ;
and two of. the fishermen to be honourably em-
played in His Majzsl's navy was the ultialate result
of their visit.
Much bustle has prevailel in the new bowling.
greets for some days past ; and many bets are ar-
ranged for decision there on Tuesday and Wed.
nesday next.
The hundred beds of the Old Ship have beets
fully occupied for some days past. By this it may
be perceived, that the Brighton season of Lila:4 is
fast approaching.

OXFORD. MAY 18.

•.
Tbe Rev. Gecrge Wheeler, of St. Edmund Ha
lls
and the Rev. Mm. Sbermingtou Davenport, of St.
Alban Hall, B. A. vi ere admitted Masters of Arts.
The Rev. Reginald 131. g's, B. A. of "Frinity Col-s
lege, will be admitted Master of Arts, Grand Come
pounder.
The Rev. George Rogers, A. Chaplain cf-
Christ Church, has been instituted to the Vicarage.
of Market-Laviagton, Wilts, on tha presentation
of the Dean and Chapter.
The Rev. L. K. Pitt has been instituted to the
Resary of Hinton on the Green, in the Diocese of
Gloucester, on the presentation of Wm. B.:!:er, Esq.,
void by the cession of Thomas Gresley, Civic. •

Tie Meerneell, PATTOS, from Liverpool, for Bar+
bad ws, is captured, and carried into Gua!aloueise
The NMI firm L;,,e,pcvap.ikre
Lisbon, is captured, and carried Into Cot U 11112• •
The Tagus, G• i" ca, and the Corm, p,! Cox,
from Loudon. an ived at Surinam on the LA Ari:,
with four other vessels; they were very mo:la an.
noyed the day before they arrived, by the Grind •
Ile(5111 and a sc.:lamer, privateer:. leers Cayen-e„
which were prevented horn eaptaiing thein, by. the
1.,14 sloop ut war, who chased them uut of the
fleet.
lo one strew: on Bolton-le-Moor, the e have lately
been no fewer than twenty-five women in that ad.
vancect state of pregnancy which reqrii s:.e Lpeetly
assis:acceof the obstetric tribe. About a week ago,
two of these females were delivered of 12,yr, in the
same house, and within so sh,,rt a period, that the
man-midWifk had scarcely time to peaform his duty
vest/'the one, until he was called on to assist the other.
Theetwo children were, during the confusion, inad-
vertently put into one bed; the consequence was,
that nobody could afterwards ascertain to which
mother either belonged. Neither rt the mothers
could identify her Own Chad, and each claimed the
handsome,t.
The Picket N0.2,8;5, First Drawn on the Second
Day. entitled to 1.0001. was sold and regi.tered at
G. Scovv's Fortunate Office, No. /5, New Bond-
stre-t, where Tickets and Sh .res, warranted un-
drawn, will continue on Sale whilst there are a
left. Next Wednesday will be the Third Day
Drawing.
Two days drawing of the Lottery are already
over. and the only Capital Pi ite yet shared. is
13,001, a Prize of 1,0001. sold in one halt, one
quarter, one eighth, and two Sixteerrh Shares. at
BISH'S offices, 4, Carnhill, and 9, Charing-cross,
whet. rickets and Shares are selling. warranted
undrawn, at the following prices e
Taber tie. Cs. Od.
tos. Os I s ebth 2l Ol. GJ.
Quartet.. 41. Os. Sixteenth..ll. ss. od.
In the last Lottery, every Ticket was cold before
the Gth day, notwithstanding they were so high as
301. per Ticket. In the present Lottery, eying. to
the price of rickets being moderate, the sale, since
the Drawing began, has been at least three times as
great as in the last ; and, as the First Drawn Ticket
on the Fourth Day is entitled to. 5.0001. and the
First Drawn Ticket, on the Pith Day, to 20,0001.
there is not a doubt but every Tiebet will be sold
before the Eighth Day, when the First Drawn is
entitled to 30,0001.

CORN-EXCHANGE, MONDAY, .MA• go.
Our fresh arrivals of Whew to day are WO kw, but a good
supply en hand, and many niilkrs is demand for tine, ean-ed
an advanc. 00 our out rency for thaw wimples, early in the Jar,
of Ss. and 4s. per quarter. Pine Mait•na Batley is rath .r
wove, and r-adily obtauis our quotation. Malt asiw.ly. Guy
Peat. with B .alts of each wort, it short •dipply, and at hi, her
price. Oats are in tolerable quantity, whiult, with Flour, l.as
but little euetoati.m.
CtlatiENT PRICE OF uampt.
%Chad.. SU. 6$ 90s. Bitted 44- 504 OA.
Fine do Ws. twia 01 Tick Keen.. • ... -9-. 44.. o*.
Rye..
Raney .l4a. 41. 04 P.lse.la pe.
724. 04. Rope 5ec4...... tAh. 00!.
White Peas 44.. It h 0,1 File F.:Mif • • 734. NO..
Grey 444 Od. I Soc,dids St. l)•••


VOLUNTFERS.

TO THE WHIT 'ION. TOE EARL OF MOIRA.

M y L.) H o-.-The present alarming situaticn of the
empire, 1 conceive, will convince every person of
the motives which prompt me to pi esent your 'Lord-
ship with an opportunity of immortalising a name,
already rendered truly illustrious, by the noble and
patristic vi: tees, which so eminently signalise your
Lordship's public and private charaaer ; by tailing
your Lordship's serieus attention to the dangerous
errors existing in the present military system. I
flatter myself. these communications will, at last,
have had the honour of being dedicated to a person,
who will devote to them a few minutes due reflec-
tion ; and whose patriotic zeal will menifest itself
so far above every nit row view of self-interest, or
political intrigue, as candidly to suggest them to
the most excellent Sovereign. in the manner that
;nay appear to your Lordship the best calculated to
tesure their being effeanally taken into His Majes-
ty's gracious consideration.
It has long been evident to me, that several of the
most important of the rules laid down in our present
wisely-ordered system of taetics, composed by Ge-
neral Sir David Dundas, had been almost entirely
misconceived, in these parts upon which the precise
operation of the grand essential maneeuvre, the
movement in line, almost entirely depends. Indeed.
I cannot help indulging the belief, that the great
compiler must have written several of those rules
and maxims, by the special aid of Divine Inspira-
tion ; but that it bad pleased the Sovereign Ruler cf
human anions, at the same time, forcibly to re-
mind us of the infirmity of our nature.
It mete a nos vertus des marques tie ;ntbleise,
rareineut avOrde a no!re ambition
L'antier et per honorer dune bonne anion,"
through the means, by which I presume confidently
to hope, he has erdained, that this rauchsfavoured
nation should, in the sight of this world, punish
the, but to his all-seeing eye, innumerable scenes of
the most horrible, and most enormous crimes, which
have marked the steps of the immense host of infa-
mous robbers and murderers now assembled on our
neighbouring shores, thirsting with impatience to
plunder all the fruits with which it has pleased God
to reward the upright, industrious, and honest toils
• of our merchants and agriculturists; and to im-
brue their foul and murderous hands in the blood of
the most possible benevolent of earthly Monarchs,
and of every individual worthy of the inestimable
blessings so conspicuously yielded to all classes of
mankind, by the glorious Constitutional Laws of
Old England ; by suffering the influence of habit
in vet y irrational steps, to have obscured, for thir-
teen years, from the eyes of General Sir David
Dundas himself, and the senior part of the army,
several of the most material points written by that
gallant veteran, in his invaluable treatise, which
has been published, and ordered by His Majesty to
be rigidly observed be all the British troops, since
the Ist of June, 1792.
" The chief objea of every other manoeuvre is,
the quick and just formation into line when neces-
sary, and the consequent advance of that line in
front towards an enemy. The just movement of
aline, which is the operation that immediately leads
to the enetny, is the most difficult and most material
of all manoeuvres"
Indeed, so nice a matter is it to moee in line with
precision, that, according to the true and ordered
principles of military movement, .. one man, imper.
feel in his march, or whose person is distorted,
merely by bringing forward a shoulder improperly,
will derange his division, and of course as in a still
more consequential manner upon the battalion."
Wherefore, His Majesty has wisely commanded,
that evert "every old soldier, on his return from long
absence, must be re-drilled, before he is permitted
to as in the ranks of his company." Hence, it
might he very clearly imagined, even by persons
wholly unacquainted with military evolution, that
it is of infinite moment to the welfare of the
state, that a posirien, which would give the soldier
the greatest possible command of his petson, both
In standing and moving, and without constraint,
that would fatigue the body and limbs, more than
any one that human wisdom could devise, should
be established; and that the first and true principles
of movement (which are now, very generally, most
widely transgressed) should be thoroughly incul-
cated throughout every description of our military
forces, without the avoidable loss of one moment
of time.
This position is incomparably defined in the Ist,
and 2Sd Seaions of His Majesty's Rules and
Ileealetions. The first section commences with a
maxim that should ever be borne uppermost in his
mind.
Ist Seaion. s, The equal squareness of the
shoulders and body to the front is the first and
great principle of the position of the soldier. The
heels must be in a line, and closed. The knees
straight, without epees. The tots a little turned
out, so that the feet may form an angle of about
CD degrees. Let the arms hang near the body, hat
not ?tiff; the flit part of the hand and little finger
touching the thigh; the thumbs as far back as the
seams of the breeches. The elbows and shonlders
to be kept back ; the belly rather drawn in, and the
Mast akoneest, but without imistrairt ; the body in-
r iihisoz.r,rward, so that the weight of it principally
o bears n the lore parr al the jest ; the head to be
tree, aid neither tanned to 'he right or tilt. That
of :Mill up which stip: the perten, and tends
to throw the body lariat:4lrd, intual of forward, is
contrary to every true principle of movement, and,
therefore, must be most carefullysavoided."
The position ordered ter marching, in the fifth
section. when rightly comprehended, must be ad-
mitted insurpassable (eth btaion). 4. In marching,
the soldier must maintain, as much as possible, the
position of the body as dire red in Sea. 1. He must
be well balanced upon his limbs. His arms and
hands, without stifle's, must be kept steady ly Ins
ricir:, and slot suffered to vibrate. He must not he
allowed to stoop forwai d, still less to lean sack. His
telly muit be kept square to the front,* and thrown
rather mare forward in starchiro, than when halted,
that itcompany the movement of the kg
. c h movement must spring fens the
• thus little pointed, and kept near the
e • 4, 14htsi soles may not be visible to
e

N-w-. - • 4•1-:
ft..,ta be se rariab:7 preserved direst
"."

tll, .

a perm in front. The headt to bikept well up,
straighoto the front, and the eyes not suffered to he
cast down. The foot, withost being drawn borb,t
must be placed flat on the ground.
Surely no man will attempt to demonstrate, that
seventy-five paces (ot thirty inches) in a minute ; in
this position, is not the most possible manly, and
except the hands being in a rather constrained po-
sition) the most natural easy walk that can be de-
vised. It is :me which gives the man the greatest
command of his person, and can really be maintain-
ed. in standing or moving, much longer than any
other whatever.
. This grand point being once understood, the ab-
solute necessity of the other few, simple, and most
excellent rules prescribed for the movement of the
line being ;serially inculcated; not only the Vo-
lunteers, and of course the Regular and Militia bat-
talions, but the nation at large should feel the most
entire confidence, that their lines could not fail to
prove impregnable, to very superior numbers of any
troops in Europe, as long as she lit iiish soldiers were
disposed firmly to suppoit the glorious cause of their
King and Country. The rules of which I have last
spoken, are pi incipally comprised in these few worts,
seleEted from His Majesty's rules and regulations.
44 If the dressing and line are chiefly determined by
the light touch of the files (to the centre of batta-
lions), the eyes alone being permitted to take an oc-
casional glance towards the centre of battalions ;
if the figure of each individual it
,roil to the front ;
if the whole move square along their just lines with-
out crowding, at an equal and uniform cadence
add pace, the lines will be fires and united, and the
soldier will be animated with that sense of superi-
ority which perfed order, and due consistence will
always give."
It is also veiT material. that the musket should
becarried, in al movements in line, exaftly as or-
dered in the 25th seCtion ; for, " should the lire-
lock be drawn back, thrown too forward, or be car-
ried too high, one shoulder will be advanced, and
the other kept back, and the upper part of the body
distorted, and not placed square, with respeCt to the
The indispensable necessity of the utmost atten-
tion to.the position, and directions for movement
to the front, being unremittingly direSed by all
ranks, is most strongly illustrated by General Sir
David Dundas, in the following passages transcribed
from Ills Majesty's Rules and Regulations.
" In marching, the recruit must not turn his head
to the band to which he is dressing. as a turning of
the shoulders would undoubtedly follow. His arms
must be kept steady, without ronstraint ; if they are
opened or closed, in either case, waving on the
march must take place." The twain". back of the
soldier, and bringing forward of the shoulder, may
be produflive of the worst curvefignoCes in a line,
Where one man, by bringing forwent a shoulder, may
change the direillion of the march, and oblige the
wing of a battalion to run. As the march or every
body, except in cases of inclining, is made on lines
perpendicular to its front, each individual, compos-
ing that; body, must, in his own person, be placed
and remain perfedly square to the given line; other-
wise he will naturally and insensibly move in a di-
relion perpendicular to his own person, and thereby
open out or close in, according to the manner in
which lie is turned from the true point of march."
The sole objedt of the eye being permitted to take an
" occasional glance to the centre of battalions," is
that the exalt cadence of step may be preserved
with the dire Sing serjeants advanced in front,; the
recruit should be particularly mindful not to suffer
that shoulder to go to the rear, when he takes the
glance to the centre.
As all these &fells, just specified, prevail to a
pernicious deirce in the Guards, almost every Re-
giment of the Line (except the brigade commanded
by Major Gen. Sir John Moore, where. as I have
before said, these points are pretty nearly under-
stood and prartited), the Militia, and of course still
worse in the Volunteers; it is no longer to be won-
dered, that all their endeavours to move in line
with justness should prove ineffedual. These ex-
isting " errors may be justly compared to a defekii ve
wheel in a watch. in every other part construfted
by exquisite mechanics, from the best materials ;
the bad wheel would totally countera& all endea-
vour to make the mechanism perform its evolutions
with precision, although it might be kept in constant
motion ; but that detetlive part being replaced by
one of sound materials, and just formation, almost
any person might easily make it move with insur-
passable excellence. Thus, the soldier blunders in
error, at every instant of movement, from fault .f
principle, and not of the soldier."
Several aftual experiments, with Volunteer Corps,
&c. have aforded me a full confidence, that the
pernicious effects of these evils might be thoroughly
impressed on every mind; and those important rules,
before mentioned, might be inculcated, and pretty
well confirmed in a very few moderate drills, by
proceeding with gradual oasiances. Under this con-
viction, I have (alas! in vain) ingested various
plans, which have been thought not Unworthy of
serious attention (by persons .1 great respectability),
to the present Chancellor of the Exchequer, and to
other departments of the Executive Government,
to whose province I thought they immediately ap-
pertained ; with a view of establishing a more per-
fect system of drill, and of speedily creating a re-
spectable state of discipline throughout the Volun-
teers. and the Regular Troops.
And the same views now urge me to presume to
entreat your Lordship would pray that His Majesty
would cause to be assembled, a certain number of
his most ailitive General Officers, with eight or ten
inferior officers attached as assistants to each of the
Generals, be assembled ; that those errors be clearly
pointed' out to them, end that the best system of
drill which should be suggested to them, be fixed
upon • that the Volunteers be then embodied for a
month ; and that those Generals, with their assist-
ants, be dispatched throughout the several &stria%
to train evei y description of our infantry forces, in
the true and jest principles of movement. These
officers should be strenuously recomMended to de-
vote two or three hours in each day, during that

1 In the fi.st section, which is here enjoined as far as %Mod-
hie, the head is directed to be kept straight to tire front ; which
C.ll,lefe be accomplished, unless the eyes are kept steady to the
eitre,,t takiee aserdr act occasional momentary glance"
as hereafter directed. _

j Mate f”ut wit to be drawn back. or course it is n,t to
ba t out us the absurd manna at ptisseut rag:lvied in the
a &me aOw GwrM &c.

time, to the study of the general principles of tactics
" I hese principles, laid down in 114 Nlajesty's Rules
and Regulations," arid, as Sir David Dundas has
justly said, " are in themselves so simple, that mo-
derate refleaion, habit, and attention, will soon shew
them to the eye, and fix them in the mini"
As to our Volunteers, I believe that the zeal and
courage which pervade their ranks, in every indivi-
dual, cannot be exceeded in human beings ; but
still, I must honestly protest, that they do not ap-
pear to meta have yet attained a state of discipline
that could justify any reasonable hope of their valour
availing against very inferior numbers of an expe-
rienced and desperate enemy. I have been ink lyde
Park upon many of the inspeaions--indeed, on
Thursday lam---on which occasions very flatter-
ing compliments have been paid upon their des-
tinies, unthr et ms, &c. Yet, even upon that ground,
ten steps wcie not made ere the arms were thrown
out ; the heads turning unceasingly, its various di-
reaions ; the shoulders honing back ; the feet in ge-
neral were thrown out and brought barb in the com-
mon way ; consequently openings, crowding of
files, and such irregularities in the march ensued,
that proved that had they been marching upon any
heath (Hounslow for example), or ground where
they are most likely to meet an enemy, such
disorder must have occurred in their line, as
to have rendered them totally incapable of
advancing further against an experienced ene-
my, whom their fire might have shaken. Yet, I
feel no diffiience in maintaining that, by adopting
the rules for marching, which I have before speci-
fied, in one week only, almost every Volunteer Corps
should he enabled to march upon extremely rough
ground, with a degree of accuracy that neither Bat-
talion of the Guards even could accomplish, at this
day, upon the finest bowling green.
As it is of the utmost importance that, during
the training especially, every thing dons under arms
should be performed with the greatest possible re-
gularity, music and drums should be absolutely pro-
hibited in all movements, even to and from the place
of exercise; for, as mentioned in the rules and re-
gulations, " music and drums are incompatible with
the just and combined movements of any consider.
able body, and give false aids to the very smallest ;
as they never persevere in the ordered time, or in
any other, are constantlf changing measure, create
noise, and derange the equality of step, and coun-
teraa the very end they are supposed to promote."
Nor should music ever be used to regulate the march,
unless while several persons are minutely observing,
by the plummet and second watches, whether the
troops can " maintain the true and ordered cadence
of step, in spite of almost every noise and circum-
stance that could tend to derange them."
I have the honour to be,
Your Lordship', most obedient, and very
humble Servant,
A VERY HUMBLE PATRIOT.
117111,eek-ttrert, May 19, 1805.