The Sun.
London, England, 1835-08-20 00:00:00

RANDOM SHOTS from a RIFLEMAN.

BY. J. riNcalD,
Late Captain in, and Author of " Adventures in the Rifle

Brigade,"

London. Boone. 1835.

-If Captain Kincaid be not one of the jolliest fellows
that ever bared a blade in the service of his country,
we renounce all pretensions to know a tree by its
fruit. His book is full of genuine humour, without
one particle of the trickery sometimes resorted to for
the purpose of supplying the place of wit. His anec-
dotes are of the right sort—droll in the extreme, and
yet giving fine, clear insights into the personal charac-
ters of those persons of whom they are told. In one
sense of the phrase these shots are not random ones,
for they are all fired at blue devils, the spleen, indi-
gestion, and all the other thousand and one plagues to
which critical flesh is more especially heir. On us its
perusal produced the happiest effect. On laying it
down we felt what it was to be in good humour—a
sensation rather new to us on the occasion of closing a
book taken up immediately after dinner. The volume
is dedicated to Lord Fitzroy Somerset, and contains a
rough sketch of the author's life from- his birth to the
end of the last war in the Peninsula. As it is ciiiy
made up of the author's recollections, and does not
purport to be a correct detail of what occurred in the
army, or even in a single regiment, it would be unjust
to test it by any of the ordinary rules of criticism.
And, after all, what more than pleasure has any reader
a right to expect in works of this sort ? Surely,
nothing more ; and pleased he must be with the jolly
reception of the gallant veteran.
It may appear inconsistent in us to praise a book
for its humour, and yet to select from it as an extract
one of its few grave passages. To this our answer is,
that Captain Kincaid's humour is indivisible, and must
be sought for in his book. The perusal of the whole
is necessary to a cordial appreciation of the spirit of a
part. The following extract contains observations with
which every soldier should be familiar :--
"The young soldier when he first arrives in camp or
bivouac will (unless forced to do otherwise) always give in to
the languor and fatigue which oppresses him, and fall asleep.
He awakens most probably after dark, cold and comfortless.
He would gladly eat some of the undressed meat in
his haversack, but he has no fire to cook it with. He
would gladly shelter himself in one of the numerous huts
which have arisen round him since he fell asleep, but as he had
lent no hand iu the building he is thrust out. He attempts at
the eleventh hour to do as others have done, but the time has
gone by, for all the materials that were originally within reach,
have already been appropriated by his more active neighbours,
and there is nothing left for him but to pass the remainder of
the night as he best can, in hunger, in cold, and in discomfort,
and he marches before day-light in the morning without hav-
ing enjoyed either rest or refreshment. Such is often the fate
of young regiments for a longer period than would be be-
lieved, filling the hospitals and leading to all manner of evils.
" On the other hand, see the old soldiers come to their
ground. Let their feelings of fatigue be great or small, they
are no sooner suffered to leave the ranks than every man
rushes to secure whatever the neighbourhood affords as likely
to contribute towards his comfort for the night. Swords,
hatchets, and bill-hooks are to be seen hewing and hacking at
every tree and bush within reach,—huts arc quickly reared,
fires are quickly blazing, and while the camp kettle is boiling,
or the pound of beef frying, the tired, but happy souls, are
found toasting their toes around the cheerful blaze, recounting
their various adventures until the fire has done. the needful,
when they fall on like men, taking especial care, however,
that whatever their inclinations may be, they consume no part
of the provision which properly belongs to the morrow. The,
meal finished, they arrange their accoutrements in readiness
for any emergency, (caring little for the worst that can befal
them for the next twenty-four hours,) when they dispose them-
selves for rest, and be their allowance of sleep long or short
they enjoy it, for it does one's heart good to see ' the rapture
of repose that's there.'
" In actual battle, young soldiers are apt to have a feeling,
(from which many old ones are not exempt,) namely, that they
are but insignificant characters—only a humble individual out
of many thousands, and that his conduct, be it good or bad,
can have little influence over the fate of the day. This is a
monstrous mistake, which it ought to be the duty of every mi-
litary writer to endeavour to correct ; for in battle, as else-
where, no man is insignificant unless he chooses to make him-
self so. The greater part of the victories on record, I believe,
may be traced to the individual gallantry of a very small por-
tion of the troops engaged ; and if it were possible to take a
microscopic view of that small portion, there is every reason to
think that the whole of the glory might be found to rest with a
very few individuals.
" Military men in battle may be classed under three dispro-
portionate heads,—a very small class who consider themselves
insignificant—a very large class who content themselves with
doing their duty, without going beyond it—and a tolerably
large class who do their best, many of which are great men
without knowing it. One example in the history of a private
soldier will establish all that I have advanced on the subject.
" In one of the first smart actions that ,I ever was in, I
was a young officer in command of experienced soldiers, and,
therefore, found myself compelled to be an observer rather
than an active leader in the scene. We were engaged in a
very hot skirmish, and had driven the enemy's light troops
for a considerable distance with great rapidity, when we
were at length stopped by some of their regiments in line,
which opened such a terrific fire within a few yards that it
obliged every one to shelter himself as he best could among
the inequalities of the ground and the sprinkling of trees
which the place afforded. We remained inactive for about
ten minutes amidst a shower of balls that seemed to be al-
most like a hail-storm, and when at the very worst, when
it appeared to me to be certain death to quit the cover, a
young scampish fellow of the name of Priestly, at the
adjoining tree, started out from behind it, saying, Well !
I'll be if I'll be bothered any longer behind a tree, so
here's at you,' and with that he banged off his rifle in the
face of his foes, reloading very deliberately, while every one
right and left followed his example, and the enemy, panic-
struck, took to their heels without firing another shot. The
action requires no comment, the individual did not seem to be
aware that he had any merit in what he did, but it is never-
theless a valuable example for those who are disposed to study
causes and effects in the art of war."

HELPS AND HINTS HOW TO PROTECT LIFE
AND PROPERTY.
With Instructions in Rifle and Pistol Shooting.
Br LIRUTENANT-EOLONEL BARON DR BERENOER.

London : J. Hurst, St. Paul's Church-yard. 1835.
Were we a living personification of all the dulnesq,
insolence, ignorance, dogmatism, spleen, acrimony,
and habitual envy and uncharitableness, ascribed by
pinionless bards, and suckling prose writers, to our-
selves and brethren, professors of the art of literary
dissection, we could not find in our heart to utter so
much as a harsh word respecting the merits of this
performance of the Baron de Berenger. The curious

iu matters of criticism may well beg to learn the reason
of this ; knowing, as they must, that the intrinsic
merits of any work would not preserve it from the la-
ceration of a critic imbued with half the evil proper-

ties enumerated above. We are not quite certain
whether we consult our own interest, and that of our
brethren, by making public the contrivance by which
the Baron has disarmed us. We almost fear that his
example will be followed, and that in consequence we
shall be constrained to assume looks of great goad
humour, when otherwise we might take the liberty of
indulging in a towering •passion. Now our read.vs
ought to know that we like being angry sometimes,
and that, on the whole, we are better pleased with the
world for occasionally affording us opportunitie.i of
appearing out of humour, without our being exposed to
a charge of-waywardness or irrationality. There are
moments when we would not be comforted, even if we
could. Now, if all authors followed the exa:nple of

(,the Baron De Berenger, we must appear pleased in
‘spite of ourselves. This to a critic is a dreadful pro
:peel. But the inherent wickedness of our race is,
'after all, a no bad security for a long life of pleasure
in our own peculiar line. We may, therefore, :make
:the world acquainted with the Baron's tactics with Out
a fear that they will be often used as a foil against our
nature. Well, then mark the secret:—The Basron.
has dedicated his book to ourselves--to the critics
If it be borne in mind that the
.act, of ,dedication
purely voluntary, it cannot be, diSp6ted that, sur-
passes, in the sacrifice of parental. feeling, any act of
heroism recorded in ancient or modern history. Tiw
Hebrew mother sacrificed her parental to her religious
feelings—she had but the choice of two evils. Junius
Brutus allowed the duty of the magistrate to swallow
up the yearnings of the father. But in neither case
was the sacrifice purely voluntary. Not so the Baron
De Berenger, who commits his literary. offspring—the
child of his soul in solitude—to the keeping of the
guant wolves who prowl through the fields of litera-
ture. Such virtue merits a signal reward. The ten-
derness which distinguished Romulus's nurse still
exists, though in a diminished degree, in the class of
animals which represent that all but extinct race.
Could we, however, contrive to forget the obligation
the Baron has conferred upon us, and regard his book
as indifferently as we sometimes do, others, we should
nevertheless recommend it as wortriiif an extensiv?
patronage. The young sportsman and the traveller
will find it invaluable.

THE MINING RE VIE 14
CONDUCTED BY HENRY ENGLISH, ESQ., F. G. S.
Simpkin and Marshall.

The object of this periodical being " to afford the means
of acquiring authentic information, and to convey intelli-
gence connected with Mining at home and abroad, and also
to uphold Mining operations when conducted with integrity
and ability," it cannot fail to obtain an extensive patronage
among those connected by study or pecuniary interest with
these wonderful sources of wealth and knowledge. No
person understands better than does its able editor, the so-
cial and political effects of geological and mineralogical
pursuits ; and few are so well qualified to clothe the know-
ledge of them in a language intelligible to every class of
' readers. The most interesting article in this Num-
ber is the " Comparative View of celebrated Mines
in Europe and America," which we cordially re-
commend to the perusal of the curious. The " De-
scriptive Notice of the Consolidated and United Mines"
is rather long for a Review, though certainly not
longer than is warranted by the great importance of the
subject. The article on " Mining Companies," by the
Editor, is well worth the attention of shareholders, stock-
jobbers, and all those who regard Mines merely as a safe,
convenient, and profitable investment for capital. Some of
the observations on the causes of the failure of different
Companies are not so well understood as they ought to be,
even by the most enterprising and successful Mining Ca-
pitalists. It is not the least important feature in this work
that it contains full reports of the proceedings of the vari-
ous Mining and Geological Companies and Societies, with
the most accurate information respecting all proposals made
for the formation of others for similar purposes. The
plates, showing the comparative depths of the different
shafts of the Cornwall Mines, are fairly executed, and the
work, as a whole, displays ability, industry, and accuracy.

COLONIZATION; PARTICULARLY IN
SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA :
WITH SOME REMARKS ON SMALL FARMS AND OVER POPULATION.

BY COLONEL CHARLES JAMES NAPIER.
F. and W. Boone. 1835.

This work is full of vigorous and original conceptions,
blurred over with a coarseness of expression for which no
palliation can be offered but the professional pursuits of its
gallant author. In the discipline of their limbs, soldiers
are apt to forget the discipline of their feelings ; nor are
they sufficiently in the habit of paying due respect to laws,
a violation of which cannot subject them to an examination
before a court-martial, to be fully aware of the deference to
its tastes which the reading public exacts from every writer
who aspires to the honour of its especial regard. To this
rule we are willing to make several splendid, and a few
illustrious exceptions. Some of our most elegant writers
have drawn the sword in the service of their country.
Colonel Napier's observations on the effects of the small
farm system, and his repudiation of the cry of over-
population, are among the most valuable parts of his
book. We concur in his opinion on both these sub-
jects ; and we must take leave to say, that we paid a large
share of our attention to them long before the appearance
of some of the works to which he refers. As, however,
the public is not greatly interested in the immediate discus-
sion of these questions, we will pass them over for the pre-
sent, and give, in the author's own words, a scheme which
he proposes for the more equitable taxation of our colonies.
What the public will think of it we pretend not to divine,
nor are we disposed to express any opinion about it :