The Sun.
London, England, 1840-10-02 00:00:00

MARSHAL MACDONALD.

(From the Journal des Debate.)
One of the greatest and most illustrious of the mili-
tary men of France, Marshal Macdonald, Duke of Ta-
rento, has just died at his chateau of Courcelles, near
Gion (Loiret), at the age of seventy-five years.
Etienne-Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre Macdonald was
born at Sancerre, in the department of Cher, in the
year 1765, of a distinguished Irish family which came
over to France in the suite of the Stuarts. While still
very young, he entered as a lieutenant into Dillon's re-
giment of Irish infantry, and served in 1784 under M.
de Maillebois, in the legion which went to the assistance
of the patriots of Holland.
Having adopted the principles of the revolution, he
continued to serve, and distinguished himself at the
battle of Gomapes, where he gained the rank of Colo-
nel. He was afterwards employed in the capacity of
Brigadier-General of the Army of the North. Com-
manding the advanced guard, he pursued the English
army, and beat the Duke of York more than once.
It was he that opened, in 1795, the famous cam-
paign against Holland, by passing the Aruba' on the
ice, and seizing the enemy's ships at the head of his in-
fantry. This action, unexampled in history, obtained
for him the rank of a General of division.
Up to 1798, the French army, under the command
of Berthier, occupied the Roman States. Macdonald,
havin4 the government of Rome, was obliged to re-
strain the violence of the insurgents who assembled in
force at several points. The King of Naples having
sent a body of 24,000 men to the relief of Rome, these
troops, united to those of Mack, formed an army of
40,000 combatants, whom Macdonald with only 6,000
held in check. He subsequently vanquished the Neapo-
litans near Etricoli, took possession of that town, and
made the enemy suffer considerable loss.
In consequence of a ;i isunderstanding which arose
between him and Championnet, Macdonald gave in his
resignation ; but the Directory took his part, deprived
Championnet of his commission, and gave to Maeponald
the general command of the army.
He had subjected Calabria to the French dominion,
when the defeats of Scherer forced him to evacuate
the kingdom of Naples. After executing a most skil-
fully-conducted retreat, he found himself on the right
bank of the Treble, with Suwarrow in front of him,
at the head of an army of 50,000 Austrians and Rus-
sians. With 33,000 men he maiatained an entire
day's struggle with this -army, and continued, with the
same success, to hold his position on the following day,
until a council of war which he callel together de-
cided, contrary to his opinion, upon the necessity of
retreating.
During the period of tl,e Hundred Days he was
named Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Army, but
presently lost his command through the turn of events.
He accompanied Louis XVIII. as far as Menin, and
returned with him to France.

He refused to serve under the Imperial Government,
and performed the duties of a simple grenadier in the
National Guards. He commanded at Versailles on
the celebrated 18th Brumaire. After the battle of
Marengo, and the campaign of the Grisons, Mac-
donald was sent to Denmark as Minister Pleni-
potentiary until 1803. On his return he received the
title of Grand-Officer of the Legion of Honour. He fell
into disgrace in consequence of opposing Moreau's trial,
and it was not until 1809 that he resumed the command
of a division in Italy. At Wagram he was made a Mar.
shal, after having broken the centre of the opposite army,
which was protected by 200 pieces of artillery.
Upon his return to Paris in 1810, he was created
Duke of Tarento, and went to take the command of the
corps dc arnzee in Spain. In 1812 he commanded the
10th corps of Russia. In 1813 he took a brilliant part
in the affairs of Lutzen, Bautzen, and Leipsic. He
swam across the Elster, where Poniatow3ki perished.
During the campaiga of 1814 he commanded the left
wing of the army ; and at Fontainbleau assisted at the
abdication of Napoleon.
On the 4th of June, 1814, the Duke of Tarento was
named a member of the Chamber of Peers, and in 1816.
Grand Chancellor of the Order of the Legion of Ho-
nour, a dignity which he retained up to 18a1.
The Marshal Duke of Tarento leaves a son 15 years
old. His remains will be deposited in the Hotel des
by/elides.

Promenade concerts, on a scale larger than any
yet attempted, are in contemplation. The spot at pre.
sent selected is Leicester-square, and the builder is under
promise to use .11 dispatch to get the building ready in
about a month. It is to be finished in a style not inferior
to any salon in the metropolis. The orchestra is to consist
of 160 yerforwersq

COMPRESSED AIR AS A

POWER.
Several distinguished enifineers and other scieatific
of c%perii
men attended on Saturday to witness a series
ments on compressed air, at the late establishment • -
M. Perrier and Co., at Chaillot. The inventor of the
various new and ingenious modes of applying
M. Andraud, a gentleman well known in the scientific
and literary world, began by exhibiting a small ear;
riage, which was set in motion by compressed air on
small railway laid down for the purpose. This
,carriag,
was moved up and down several times at the rate 01
about 25 miles an hour. The air, compressed only te'
about 25 atmospheres, which is little more than on!:
third of the power to which it can be compressed witbr
lout danger of explosion, is contained in a proof cylinde
or reservoir, which sur,plies the pistons in the same w4tie,
this pow.er,
as for a steam locomotive. M. Andraud states Os'
two of these cylinders arc sufficient for the supPlY el is
locomotive for several miles on a railway ; and as a tri
ea.] be compressed, almost without expense, where".
there is a stream or even a windmill to work the °at'
chinery, fresh charged cylinders can be kept readla he;
stations and applied to the locomotive, this being tm
.
work of only one minute. The improvement in. 7aei
Andraud's air locomotive; on all others Which
been
been invented, is in the application of a regulator toYa•
which the air is supplied with unfailing regularity o.e.
certainty, and which is under the full control of the;
engineer, and in the mode of dilating the air by
lle
as to cause great economy. In dilating air it iso
nary, for the purposes of locomotion, that it shoal be
one very rapidly, for otherwise the speed can net
d
kept up. It cannot be dilated in the cylinderf
tho'
sLrvoir without great danger of explosion ; and air,
ordinary
process only the exernal surface of the di,,
immediately exposed to the action of heat is raPiall
lated, the internal molecules, air being a bad c°-it
ductor, requiring great 'time for dilation. Dil• Aatiraub'
gets rid of all this difficulty by
a very long spiral tube immersedpianssbitTlitni;
•'fhis way the whole is dilated in the twelfth Parb!
a second, and a reservoir of air thus dilated Er-e;
five.c quantitye
x thousandpe
roifm air
experiments
tt
undulated
ae ss woift
with
:eon s
aopiston,rdye2a whereas2nooon lea Ali rdtnabli atsr:ir:lfirolff.,
thrown from it which, at a distance of 250 Pr" brake
the roof of a building, and lodged with great f°rsl-
in a wall, although the air was compressed.to.°_tii!, io
atmospheres. Mr. Andraud proposes that balm Air
fortified towns shall be worked by compressediswaltetilr,
stead of powder, the expense, where' there
power or wind to compress the air, being, according o
d if,
M. Poucelit, only one 75th of that of powder,
compressed by a steam engine about one 5"k•0110'
Andraud imagines that field artillery may be wo „ to,
the same manner, as the horses, in drawing the ell"-1
her
l
the field, would, by the motion of the wheels,
asirs necessary for a long battle. The ne/t raising'esPe-
reser%
riment was on the power of compressed air in 'og'
water
i either for the supply of towns or for the droll s,
o marshes, mines, &c. ; by a very small aPPerratut'oo
column
of water waa thrown to a height of 79 lee •
Paris correspondent of an Evening Paper.