The Sun.
London, England, 1829-11-06 00:00:00

GENERAL GNEISENAU.

The late Prussian Field Marshal, Count Neid-
hardt Von Gneisenau, Governor of Berlin, was the
slit of an officer, and born at Schilda, in 1760.
lie had the misfortune of losing both his parents
when very young; he therefore was brought up by
his grandmother, at Wurtzburg, where he soon
manifested a strong inclination for the military
career. From his eally youth he diligently applied
himself to the studies relative to his future profes-
sion, without neglecting other sciences, such as na-
tural history, agriculture, &c. Having attained his
20th year, he entered the military service of the
Margrave of Anspach as an officer, and went with
the troops of this Prince to America, to assist the
English in the vain attempt to recover their Ame-
rican colonies. Nine years after his return from the
American war, when, in 1792, the Margraviate of
Anspach was ceded to Pru,sia by the last Margrave
Charles Alexander, Gneisenau entered the Prussian
service. His regiment was quartered in Silesia. In
the intervals of peace ke devoted his leisure to a
more profound study of the military sciences, in
which pursuit he was considerably assisted by the
valuable library and excellent information of a neigh-
bouring nobleman. Gneisenau soon passed for the
most learned officer of his regiment,—a reputation
which he, however, lowered in some degree by
jocosely observing that he was the only4e of his
regiment who could resolve the problem Alf Pytha•
Boras, known by the name of Magister Jiathereos.
He married in 1796, and had by his lady, who, we-!
believe, survives him, seven children, the eldest of
whom, a son, is an officer in the Prussian Foot
Guards, and was Aide-de-camp to the Field Marshal.
In 1802 Gneisenau obtained a company in one of
the Fesileer battalions of the Silesian Light Brigade. i
In 1806 he was made a Major, and in 1807 the
King of Prussia sent him from Konigsberg, with the
rank of a Lieutenant-Colonel, to take the command
of Colberg, in the room of an old Colonel
Loucado, who was incapable of defending this
small fortress against the French. Gneisenaa,
immediately on his arrival, took such vigo-
rous measures, and inspired his weak garrison,
as well as the brave and patriotic inhabitants, with
so much confidence and courage, that they not only
withstood all the assaults and bombardments of the
besiegers, but also made many successful sallies
against them. Thus Colberg, through his exertions,
was one of the few strong holds of Prussia which had
not surrendered to the enemy before the peace of
Tilsit. During the siege Gneisenau was promoted
to the rank of Colonel.

After the peace Tilsit he left the army, as it
were, in disgust, and went to England.; but in
reality he was sent thither on a secret diplomatic
mission, from whence he returned to Berlin in 1810,
when he was for some time employed in the
administration. In 1813 he was appointed Major-
General and Quartermaster-General, in which
capacity he conducted that memorable • retreat of
the combined Prussian and Russian forces from the
field of battle of Lutzen to Breslau. The pursuing
French had forty cannons taken from them, whilst
the retreating army did not lose a single one. Dur-
ing the armistice, Geneisenau exerted his eminent
abilities in the formation of the Prussian national
militia, called the Landwehr. At the death of the
celebrated General Scharnhorst, he was appointed
chief of the Prussian staff; and after the armistice
he remained with Blucher's army. The destruction
of the French Marshal Macdonald's corps on the
Katzbach, the crossing of the Elbe at Wartetiburg,
and the glorious results of the battle of Mockern,
near Leipzig, on the 16th of October, 1813, were
mostly due to Gneisenau's able advice and great
military talents. He was now raised to the rank of
Lieutenant-General.

In 1814, he greatly contributed to the victories
of the Allies at Brienne and Paris, as he had done
in the battle of Alontmirail. It was chiefly his opi
nion which determined the bold march upon Paris.
After the first treaty of Paris, the King of Prussia
raised him to the dignity of a Count, appointed him
General of Infantry, and gave hirn landed estates in
Silesia, the rent-roll of which exceeded 10,000 dol-
lars a year.
In 1815, it was Count Gneisenaul who, in a few
hours, enabled the Prussian army, which had been
defeated by the French near Ligny, to resume the
offensive, and to advance to the assistance of the
Duke of Wellington at Waterloo, with whom he,
under Blucher's command, vigorously pursued the
enemy up to the very gates of Paris, where he had
a share in the diplomatic transactions that preceded
Buonaparte's second abdication and flight. lie then
was appointed Governor ofthe Prussian provinces on
the Rhine ; but political circumstances induced him
to resign this high office in 1816, and to solicit leave
to retire for the benefit of his health. The King of
Prussia allowed him to retire on full pay, and to re-
side wherever he liked, on the express condition,
however, that his Majesty relied on his services in
case of a war. Count Gneisenau repaired first to
the celebrated bathing places of Bohemia, and then
to his estate, Groszerdmarmsdorf, between Hirsch-
berg and Schmiedeberg, in Silesia. Here he conti-
nued a few years, at the end of which he was ap-
pointed a Prussian Field-Marshal, Governor of Ber-
lin, and Colonel of the militia regiment of Colberg,
in commemoration of the eminent services which he
had rendered to that town by his able defence. He
occasionally resided at his estate, where he died
lately in the 69th year of his age.
To the various knowledge and accomplishments
requisite for a Commander-in-Chief, which he pos-
sessed in the highest degree, Count Gneisenau added
an admirably quick judgment of the military capa-
bilities of the ground on which he found himself
with his troops, and an astonishing sagacity in ra-
pidly turning them to the best use. His presence
of mind never failed him under the most disastrous
reverses ; even when he resorted to measures bor-
dering on temerity, his orders and instructions were
given with the utmost precision, propriety, and calm
intrepidity. He never for a single moment seemed
to labour under any embarassment in the midst of
the most perplexing difficulties. His coup d'aUl on
the field of battle was as prompt as perfect. But
Count Gneisenau enhanced all these brilliant quali-
ties which constitute a great General, by his un-
affected modesty and the most interesting domestic
virtues. The constant amiability of his disposition,
and the cheerfulness of his social intercourse, gained
him the love of all who approached him, in as great
a degree as his military talents excited the general
adm►ration of those who were able to discern his
transcendent merits.

The death of General DENTzEL, who suc-
ceeded General CHURCH in the command of the Greek
army, has caused much lamentation. The remark made,
that he died three days after dining with the Governor of
Santa Maura, has given rise in this country to conjectures
which we will not state here, but which it would be diffi-
cult to suppress elsewhere.--(Letter from Navarin, of the
Bth October, in the Courier :Francais.)
There is now living with " mine host" at
Scarthing Moor, a post-boo, who has attained the age of
75 years, well known by the name of " Old lhionrs," or
Old Roads," as brisk as a lad of 18. He has beep] on
the road for 52 years, and during that time has never been
prevented attending his Post. It is calculated he has rode
upon an average, daily, 31 miles ; consequently, in that
time, he has gone over 588,380 miles. In 1828, during
the Doncaster race week, he in one day (24 hours) rode
five times from Scarthing Moor to Barnby Moor, a dis-
tance of 13 miles, making altogether 130 miles.—Newark
Times.

At first sight the revolution which has taken
place so quietly in the East does not seem to
have really changed the political state of Europe
One is apt to consider it as nothing but a war
supported with different chances of success, and
!erminated, as usual, ky an advantageous peace
for the victor. We hear people speak of in-
demnities, as if Mahmoud's exhausted treasury
could pal' them ;—of the possession of the in.
vatted territory, as if it was to be returned ;—of
the free commerce of the Black Sea, as if it was
nothing but extension of a privilege to which all
nations have a right ;—and finally, some will
confound together the sovereignty de filet° with
that suzeraniet6 de jure, which is the' expiring
efforts of Turkey to preacrve its domination over
Servia and the two principalities.
And after all this, it will be asked, what
change has taken place in Europe ?
What is changed ? All. In the first place,
there is a new distribution of parts amongst the
different Powers. There is one nation which
takes possession of the first rank, whilst all
around it remains in statu quo. The delusion
which existed about the omnipotence of one of
the European cabinets, against whose will one
would have thought it impossible to resolve a
single question, has now entirely vanished. We
have before our eyes the nullity of those Govern-
ments which followed its impulse in the treaty
of Adrianople, after having uselessly endeavoured
to avert the different clauses and stipulations by
their petty negotiations. In fact, a most serious
lesson has been given by Russia to the vaiti
menaces of England, to the surly inactivity of
Austria, and to the insincere conduct of France.
A most inevitable revolution in the policy
of Europe resultS from these different incidents.
Every one 'knows-nos how- to rely on his own
forces, and on those of his allies in case of a
crisis in Europe.
Russia has also learned that she wants the
assistance of no one, and that she can herself
accomplish all her plans and designs. Any
general commotion (and God knows if we have
been near one !) would now give the different
Powers quite another direction to that they
would have received a year ago. He who would
then have thrown himself into the arms of Eng-
land, France, and Austria, would now run into
those of Russia, because the weak always fly to
the strong ; and certainly the general cause would
be affected by this new impulse given to private
,interests.

The preponderance of a nation is not only
an enjoyment of pride ; it does not only give all
Ambassador the right of precedency on his col-
leagues, and of signing higher or lower a proto-
col ; it exists also in the opinion which it gives
of the strength of the nation : it prepares events,
by showing to whom belongs the right of go-
verning them ; and this is not the meanest ele-
ment of its force to accomplish them.
What a length of time will elapse before
England will have again confidence in that flag.
which has floated for a whole year alongside of
a blockading squadron in the Mediterranean.
Mr. Canning's toast to the men-of-war—to
the floating citadels of England—would now be
ridiculous ; and yet three years ago it made
British hearts exult in triumph ! And, not-
withstanding that, there has been no naval battle
lost, the ship-yards are as well stocked at present
as at that period ; the seamen in 1829 are as
good as those in 1827 ; the vessels have in-
creased rather than diminished in numbers. All
this is very true, but from Sebastopol and Odessa
on the Euxine, from Cronstadt and H iga on the
Baltic, we have seen fleets obeying the orders o.
one will, enveloping Europe and meeting toge-
ther in the Bosphorus. Nicholas has had to
manceuvre his two squadrons under the windows
of the Seraglio, whilst the English ships were
carrying to Landon the despatches of Sir It.
Gordon, or those of the Governor of tile lonian
Islands ! What a prospect for futurity in such a
spectacle !
Who thinks that Austria, who sees all thc
nations that surround her recovering by degrees
their freedom, does not also feel all the links of
her political existence loosening and weakening
on all sides? She has already for neighbours
on the west, the Greeks, the Servians, the Wal-
lachians, and the Moldavians—ail free. At a few
steps from Galicia, a people is recovering its po-
litical rights. The ports of Italy resound with
the songs of liberty from Greece ! M. de
Metternich had foreseen it, and has done
all in his power to prevent this alarming
resurrection. Yes, he has been able to
effectuate nothing against it. This great
Statesman was inclined to think that fortune
would always favour mediocrity. What a
lesson for the Minister and the nations at the
same time ! Thus Austria also, without a sin-
gle battle lost, without any alienation of terri-
tory, descends to the second rank by the mere
re-action of an event accomplished without her
co-operation, reveals to Germany, by the ex-
ample of the Porte, the weakness of her protec-
tion, and even suffers, under the eves of Italy,
that provinces should rise once more to the rank
of nations !

Prussia, who since the commencement of
hlolcsitiap
l i tii)eesar ehad(ie shownvtl
to
waitthe fori nost
the
e prudentresult
of events
a
before shetook an active part in the negotia-
tions,—Prussia, who does not pretend to govern
Europe, but only to preserve the rank she owes
to her military position, will soon give a new
character in her policy, which family connexions
were not sufficient to produce. Fortune has
passed to the north, and there is still a station
in Europe by the side of Russia. Besides,
when time and contingencies will have changed
a momentary protection into a permanent pos-
session,—when the treaty of Adrianople shall
have produced the necessary result of its stipula-
tions,—Prussia will then insist on the necessity
of increasing a territory which is not adequate to
her influence; and Russia will not object to an
aggrandizement which will strengthen her ally,
that she cannot fear as a rival.

In regard to France, she will ♦iew all these
revolutions in European hierarchy, without at-
tending to the opportunity which Providence had
offered to her of re-ascending with dignity to
that high station from which her Ministers en-
deavoured to keep her distant. And yet these
same Ministers—mere caricatures of Metternich
and Wellington—will come and present their
incapacity for moderation, and their impotency
for fidelity to engagements. Unhappily men
pass, and faults remain.

HArzwicit.—lf any thing more than has al-
ready been urged was required to show the necessity of
prompt measures to save the land along this coast, nature
herself seems to have supplied it—since we are informed
by respectable mariners arrived here, that for some miles
extent at sea off this pot t is seen floating materials, stakes,
faggots, planks, &c., which have been torn from the sea
walls and banks by the ravages of the late floods and galks
Kent and Essex Ifferertry.

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SHIPPING INTELLIGERE.--(THIS DAY.

I'ROM LLOYD'S.

DEAL, Nov. .s.—Wind N,W, to W.N.W.—The
out ward-bound have sailed,

FALMOUTH, Nov. S.W. to W.—AN
rivcd his Majesty's cutter Bramble, from Lisbon,
sailed the 25th ult. A packet is in sight, supposed
tb be the Sheldrakc from the Mediterranean.
LIVERPOOL, Nov. 4.--Arrived the Adelaide,
Dobson, and Union, Troup, from Quebec ; Ariel,
London, from Valparaiso; Perseverance, Hughes,
from St. John's, N. B.; Juno, from Malta ; and
Atlantic, from Riga.
MARGATE, NOV. W.--Arrived the
Mountaineer, Hart; Wellington, Forster ; Wilber-
force, Dodd ; and Exmouth, Hart, from Quebec.
CLYDE, NOV. 4.—Arrived the. St. John, Nichol!,
from Mirarnichi ; and Paddy Carey, from Bay
Chaleur.

BELPAsT, Nov. I.—Arrived the Two Brothers,
IPKruzie, from Pirtou,

DUBLIN, Nov. 1.-:—Arrived the Roge, Morrow,
and Union, Fisher, from Quebec ; Mary, Bibby,
from Demtrara ; and Reserve, Smith, from Leghorn.
Tins-rm., Nov. s.—Arrived the Tom Cod, Potter,
from Africa.

CORK, Nov. 4.—Arrived the Elizabeth, Holmes,
from Miramichi.

SWANSEA, Nov. s.—Arrived the Enterpt ize,
from Quebec.

ABERDEEN, NOT. 4.—Arrived the Jean, Wil•
Lamson, from Quebcc.

Ti:e Clara, Reidel, from Stralsund to Hull, sunk
of the Scuro the 23d ult.; crew saved.

The Jonge Henry, Obeist, from Hamburg to
Aberdeen, was totally wrecked the 25th ult., near
Bahr= ; crew saved.

The Thoulton, Snell, of Wisbeach, ran upon
Barnard Sand on Wednesday night and sunk.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.-(THIS DAY.)

COURT OF CHANCERY.

This being the first day of Michaelmas Term, the LORD
CAA NCIT.I.LOR after being met by the other Learned Judges
and King's Counsel, in Lincn!u's Inn-hall, proceeded to
sit at Westminger. his Lord-hip did not arrive there till
a litiarter past one.

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