The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-02 00:00:00

United Service Magazine.

The first article in this number is upon " Our
Colonial Empire." The writer takes a very just
and comprehensive view of the subject, and exposes
the shortsightedness of those penny-wise economists
who, for the sake of a paltry saving, would ruin
the empire. The notice of "Professional Papers of
the Corps of Royal Engineers" is continued from
last month, and contains copious extracts of inte-
rest. Amongst these we may mention those taken
from a paper on the application of iron to defensive
works, by Captain Inglis, R.E., in which the vari-
ous experiments which have from time to time been
made, both by the corps of Royal Engineers and
others, to ascertain the relative merits of different
constructions and thickness of iron for resisting
shot, are considered. Lieutenant Miller, R.E., on
"Iron Plate Carps," and other engineers' papers,
are noticed. These papers contain much useful
information on subjects which, the reviewer truly
observes, must be considered of vital importance
to every officer who aims at distinction in his
profession, or who even wishes to hold his plus°
in the society of well-educated military mi.m.
But be goes on to say :
The generals commanding-in-chief have, successively,
manifested their determination to advance the system of
military education throughout all ranks of the army ; mi-
litary examinations have become the order of the day, but
what avails this manifestation of the feelings of the corn.•
manders-in-chief, and we may add also the voice of the
country, if officers, as soon as they join their corps, obsti-
nately refuse to continue the studies of their youth, and.
perversely neglect to peruse works either of science or
neral information, employing their leisure hours in skim-
ming nothing but the lightest literature, and trashy pe
publications. Futile would it prove, were we to at-
tempt to induce a large number of officers to possess %rim'
selves of " The Professional Papers ;" but, at all events,
those officers who have passed through the Staff College,
and consequently look forward to obtaining appointments
on the staff, ought ceetainly to add to their libraries these
interesting and appropriate volumes of scien'dfic informs.-
tion ; and there can be no doubt that every garrison and
regimental library should invariably possess the whole of
the pat ere published by the ccrps of Royal Engineers.

Under the title of " The Pillars of Hercules," we
hsve the history of Gibraltar and Ceuta, but 'there
is little to be said of the latter compared with tha
of the former. These two natural fortresses, stand
on either side of the entrance to the Medi-
terranean, and were held in ancient times
by the Phoenicians and Carthagenians, who
at that time ruled the ocean, and were, in fact, the
only navigators and traders in existence. In course
of time Gibraltar, which is simply the Arabic (Jeb-
ral-tar) for new castle, together with its vis-a-vis
Ceuta, fell into the hands of the Moors, and was
only taken by the Spaniards in A.D. 1462.
Ceuta came into their possession in A.D. 1580, when
Portugal was annexed, the Portuguese having
taken it from the Moors in 1415, and it has always
retained its ancient name. Gibraltae was taken
from the Spatiiards by the English In 1704 by Sir
George Brooke, and has ever since remained in their
hands, notwithstanding the determined and repeated
attempts made by the Spaniards to retakeit, so that
at the present time Spain is in the anomalous posi-
tion of holding a strong fortress on the African
coast, while a foreign nation holds an equally, if
not stronger one on her own territory. The de-
scription of the town and its inhabitants, and vari-
ous matters relating to the station, are given; and
the writer observes that if the Governmeut would
only lay out the money they expend in the purchase
of water in sinking wells, water in plenty could be
obtained. 'the ancient system of patronage and
peculation which was carried on to such an extent
not very long ago is exposed, as regards Gibraltar.
A paper on the " Combined Action of Horse Artil."
lery and Cavalry" goes to show that these two arnso
of the service can act together with gr eat advantage,
and the two generals who seemed most to appreciate
and make use of this combination weee Frederick the
Great and the first Napoleon, who, t'ae writer regrets,
have left but few memoranda on the subject. TO
first part of "A Trip to Vancouver's Island and
British Columbia" gives promise that its coetinua°
tion will prove interesting. Under the head of
" Poland," the prospects of the revolution are coil'
sidered. The writer, while sympathising with the
Poles, fears that the end is inevitable, and that
courage and resolution cannot avail against the
large armies that the Czar can bring into the field
against them. The Russian army, " all told," coil'
sists of upwards of 800,000 men, but these are of
course distributed throughout a vast extent et
country. Still a large and well-appointed fore°
could always be kept in the field, which, unless the
remonstrances of the Western Powers avail, must
in the end crush this last attempt to throw off the
Russian yoke. The author of an article on " Gut
Military Organisation" contends that a local feelief
should always exist between regiments and special
districts, to the end that a county militia may long
upon some regiment as its owe; and he cites as au
instance that, in the year 1758, the Black WWII'
a regiment raised in the Highlands, which was At;
tached toLordAmherst's army inAmerica, and forme.
part of the British force under General Abercronible'
in the attack of the strong fort of Teconderoga, they'
in possession of the French. The place was vie"
ously defended, and after several regiments had been
successively repulsed, the Black Watch was ordered
forward, and for six hours did those brave men_
persevere in the desperate endeavour to enter the
ltehaevionrgd,erotuotreotfirle,oll)
fort,he 1 and
thr eoen times
a
men, 316 killed and 326 wounded. When the nevi!
withdrewreite reiterated,
afterted
of this terrible calamity reached the Highlands, n'
produced considerable excitement, but the feelinci
manifested was not so much grief as revenge, ae
in the course of six weeks afterwards I,oo°
volunteers came forward, principally relatives el
those who had fallen, and so many enlisted that I
became necessary to form a second battalion of dt2l3e
regiment, which then assumed the title of the 42d
Royal Regiment. " Kinglake's Invasion of ,be
Crimea" is reviewed, and we have also a paper e"
" Some of the Artilleries of Europe."

The New aianthly Magazine.
The believers in the natural nobility and heroism
of human nature must be somewhat shaken in the:it
creed when they peruse the opening paper of 03'4,
magazine. The records of " Seven generations
Executioners," open such a grim and ghastly P 131410,,
of torture and cruelty that those who raise tP.
standard of human excellence in opposition to reli;
gious principle must needs shrink abashed from OA
spectacle. The family which could boast of seal:
generations of executioners was the family of Sane
of Paris. "It was a Sanson who broke the eeleci
brated bandit Cartouche on the wheel, °L.,
tore the regicide Damiens into four quarters
it was a Sanson who beheaded an amiable and inocii
nocent monarch, and a beautiful and intellectu%
queen." The terrible and degrading office was be
the satisfaction felt when a family of daughter:
in anything but honour in the family,
broke the spell, and removed the fatal inheritanc;
The painful but powerfully written story of " Tao;
hi smeeonntt continued.
evil
dv
fallsalnt de xguer ipe aoPtni 1:1;00
deeply
and keenly the gtiiate
innocent,
nohrnacoideboel wny t oh, foaAwn
thesdh
hlyodwpyuant
are made to suffer for the crimes of fhe guilty Go,
defalcations of the faithless banker,
George
etl:
dolphin, fall with crushing weight on his more rsu it
sitive wife and brother, while wide•spread Abbe
desolates quiet
the country town. Sir Natt
discourses on the career and character of the ele
Sieyes, whose famous pamphlet lc Quest ee of the
Tiers Etat ?" startled Paris in the early days
eventful 1789. " Lady Morgan's GossiPing,,,er,
moirs" afford the subject of an entertaining Piertios
and a lady of a very opposite character--The
story
of Sweden—is also briefly discoursed of. '1,.0 a $OlO
of Granville de Vigae, which is too rauci'