The Sun.
London, England, 1804-12-14 00:00:00

. -As a latilable zeal foi. military
,knowledge Ins
diffused itself thi;nigh all daises of Englialimen, the
followina- 04servations. may he fauna very
• particularly with reipen •to the Volunteer Service.
Our Enemy is a'Auated by an unappe 'sable rancour
against us, and, whether at war or peace, will,
never his' sight of his .favourite plan, an Invasion,
by which he' hopes to reduce Great Britain:- to a
leVel with those parts of the Continent which have
hail the .misfortime to fall into the hands of France.
We are indebted for the followiog Extract to Tar'
REG.IMPNTAi, COMPANION, a very valuable Work,
written by Captain JAMII9, whose taleots have
• often been exerted to the advantage of literature and
his Country : •
" For the purpose of rendering the various move.
menta of a regiment easy to the mind, small de.
!ached pieces of painted wood, which represent di.
compolie.s, &c. have been lately invented
for' the use•of Officers. Althotigh this 'wadies has
obtained the sarottion of some eXperiencil men, sir
is by no means., in our humble opinion, the most
. eligible mode of acquiring that technical familiarity
with the movements of living bodies which is so
requisite on service.. We are very far, however,
from attempting to discourage any. mode thatmight
eventuaLy lead to military kodwledge ; on the con.
trait', aye-would recommend to every Officer a fee.
(-picot intercourse, not only with geographical charta,
and books upon Mathematics, but likewise the ap.
plicaiion of their different principles to pradical
experiments. The invention just mentioned will
certainly be of use on these occasions; 'hut an Of&
cerwho could remain satisfied with Merely having
studied the nineteen manceuvres, as published by
authority, by putting his wooden battalion through
the different evolutions across his breakfast table,
or think himself master of ground by having run
lilt eye over the map al' a country, would find him.
self deplorably mistaken in a state of Moat warfare.
The best mode, therefore. (without attempting to
depreciate these occasional aids), is to accustom the;
mind's eye to. every change and shatCe -that bodies
of'soen ate susceptible of; to bring into the-imme.
diate conta6l. of observation, living. ' instances of
what is written and prescribed ; and to see how
different positions :might. be taken, iolci by what
number of men differetit places could be advantage-
ously occupied. Next to the at quireinetat of this
aptitude of eye (if we may so express ourselves),
a full possession. of different military tones' of
voice, with appropriate pausea, is essentially re.‘
The aptitude of eye, and, consequent
knowledge of ground tire gradually obtained by un-.
remitting attention to the many and various as.
pens which a single battalion will aff:Pril doting the
foimation of •a common parade, but moat espe.
cially in the course oft field.day. Theiwo grand
principles of extension and compression will be
thus, rendered familiar to .his' eye, provided .he bas
steadiness enough to trace theme by degrees from
the pratliee of a drill squad up to the exercise of
several battalions. Tne, same observation will
hold good.with regard to word,: of conimand.What
might appear extremely load 40 audible in a
barrack-room, would scarcely, be heard along the
line of a moderately sized battalion. . On this ac.
cnithr, Officers commanding regiments will readily
. perceive the Advantages which must result from the
younger branches of their corps being occasionally
ordessed to put the battaliOn, division, of company,
through .some .patt of the new system. At the an-
nual. inspedion of corps under the old Government
of -France, the Reviewing Officer, or, as he was
then styled, the Inspnor, was directed, by his in,
strudlions from the king, to order any Officer to
-.quit his post in' the battalion, and to affird proofs
'of his • cornpetcocy ao .undertake the command,
should . his exertions be wanted.* The reports
which the different Inspeaors made to the king on
this head put him in possession of the good or bad ,
qualities of every diactr inthe service... Hence
arose that superiority •of knowledge in military
Lidice which enabled our neighbors to become
models of imitation to the rest of Europe. The
stuff we have to workuport.ii not inferior to their's.
with regard to Officers ; and as to men, even they
allow, tint Briti4l soldiers, like Britian seamen,
want nothing but good management and wise di.,
radio!) to make them irresistible.

." In order to accomplish these important objeas,
it is indispensably necessary that every Officer
should be initrutted in each' individual Circumstance
"ieciared sof a recruit of aulditt. accustom
himself to give his words of command not only with
'energy and precisitmtbut,rith Oat confident, man.
ly voice, Which at once diScoVers that ha is puf 4a,.
ly master of the _subjeti,...l.n. .addition, therefore,
to the observations already made, it cannot be siiper-
boos to 'recommend,- that every Officer, on first
alilbuld he examined by the' CiCi',inmaiiiiing
.0111Cei, or MijJr of the regiment; and if he "Sh3illil
'appear ignorant Of the common movements requir.
ed of a soldier, he must be Ordered to be
that he may learn the just execut4m of them.
he is master of these points, ;MA cable of
strnAing the men under his cokuniavd, he ought riot
tob'4 perMitted to take charge of a platoon in the
". Squads of 011iters ought to be formed Ala ex-
ercised by a' rigid Officer : they must be marched
in all direEtiops, to the front, obliwie, and to the
ft•i!.k ;''they must-move iri titre, at.pLittion
taking 'is care to preserve their dressing Hod perriiiiieli;
lardireetion from an 'advanced centre •They,mtlit
. occasionally be placed in file at platoon distaCeel
and he matched as in open column';. they' must
change direction as in file, 'and cover . anew in
there and paler winiilar movements, the;
pace and distance are to.be objens of material Atten.
lion. From. the number of '616 iti:diti4ion they
Must learn accurately to judge the 'ground necessary
fur each,. and to be able- to extend that knowledge
'Y'The appointment of lurplOng Field Ottleers is one
step towards this. oleatati. Hut a krQat deal ii still wantiut
to repder it eile, clunk., to;, at present, rte can Qat). ba cum-
tiered as it Muster Alastvr: