The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-22 00:00:00

THE _FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION.

In considering the formation of a Foreign Legion
it may be interesting to (peruse the following
sketch of the French Foreign Legion, held so
highly in esteem by that nation :
"In 1815, immediatey after the restoration,
numbers of Italians who had served under Napo-
leon found their way to France in order to enrol
iheaaselves into the Frenoh army. They were
formed into a corps, the organisation of which was
entrusted to an officer named Hohenlohe, from
whom the corps took the name under which it
served in the occupation of the Morea.
" After the revolution of July 1830, this corps,
which had become reduced in numbers, was by
Louis Philippe incorporated in the French army
as the 21st Regiment of Light Infantry (now toe
9Ah Regimgnt of the Line).
"In 1831 it was thought desirable to raite
another fircign corps for trio purpose of being sent
to Algeria. It was composed of many battalions of
various nations, among other there was a Belgian
and likewise Garman and Italian battalions. This
formation, however, was not found successful,
and therefore from time to time as reinforcements
of recruits arrived front Franca Vie various natimis
were gradually intermixed. Yet this was not
thoroughly affected until 1839. At the engsg
men t of the Pont de la Machta, ono of the battalions
was cut to pieces by the enemy, owing, it is sai I,
to a bad esprit which existed in one of the bat-
talions.

" In 1835 these troops were given over to Quc►en
Christina of Spain, to fight against Don Carlos.
They served under Generals Bornelli and Cour3 d,
and after the death of the latter they were col n-
manded by Colonel Ferrari, a Neapolitan, who h ad
served many years in the Napoleonian army. Di ir-
nig this civil war in the Peninsula, they performed
many gallant deeds, and it is very worthy of :re-
mark, that during a period of 18 months, during
which they received neither pay nor rations, not
the slightest perception of discontent prevailed.
" In the year 1838 these foreign battalions, after
having suffered extremely, were reduced in all to
about 400 or 500 men ; these were ordered to cross
the Pyrenees to Pau and Perpignan, where they
then became the nuclei for the formation of two
regiments of three battalions each. On this new
formation it was deemed advisable to entirely
amalgamate the men of the different nations about
to compose the force. Two-thirds at least of the
officers were to be Frenchmen, a certain portion of
the non-commissioned officers were, on the com-
mencement of the organi,ation, likewise to be
Frenchmen. The corps was ac;ain destined to
servo is Algeria, where previously it had rendered
such great services, and in 1839 it proceeied there.
it distinguished itself during the second expeditio❑
to Constantine, at the storming of which place it
behaved admirably. It was on this occasion that
St. Arnaud was promoted to the rank of Captain,
and was decorated, and remarked that he owed
both to the bravery of these foreign soldiers. This
force took apart in nearly every engagement in the
Algerian campaign. In 1849, at the storming of
Zaatcha, its flank companies under the comurand
of Meyer, a Swiss, singularly distinguished them-
selves in leading the forlorn hope.
"In 1852 the let regiment was praised in a
general order for its very admirable conduct at
i'Ouad Kiss, under General Montauban.
" In Algeria, where all public works and roads
are made by the troops, the Engineers' officers
always solicit working parties from the Foreign
Legion, on account of their willingness and dispo-
sition.

" Marshal Pelissier, when commanding in Al-
geria, placed more dependence iu the Foreign Le-
gion than in any other troops under his command.
Iu 1834 the corps was sent to the Crimea. The
charge made by it at the Alma, and its very heroic
behaviour at the taking of the Mamelon, together
with its remarkable patience and endurance during
the entire winter of 1854, caused its fame to be-
-o,mi° more e tablished than before. On the 10th
of May, 1856, Napoleon 111. offend naturalisation
to all serving in it. Those who accepted were
transferred to the regiments they selected in the
regular force, while the remainder formed a nucleus
for its present forma,ion, which took place in 1856,
and proceeded once more to occupy Algeria. It 3
fore is about 6,330, and it is composed in round
numbers of the following nations, intermixed and
divided into battalions :
Germans
Swiss 2,500
Italians 6OO
Spaniards 7OO
Dutch
Belgians ... 1,200

`Total 6,300
!` It is now serving under Marshal Randon, and