Star.
London, England, 1823-03-31 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

THE PYRENEES AND THE SOUTH OF FRANCE,
During the months of November and December, 1822.
• This is really an entertaining volume, mid at the
• present moment doubly interesting from the tempo-.
rary importance of the objects and persons it de-
scribes. The lively manner in which_ the book begins
makes us liellgoivesitiesieally in company with some
one who ls. in haste to set out on his journey—for
. this is II book of travels—who has taken his place in
the diligence, and who is mortified and vexed by the
delayeuteasoneil by passports and police. However,
the Author, after studying with much attention and
some disgust the organs of all the clerks in the police
office, as we have ourselves done, sett off; and happy
should we be to accompany him through every part
-of MS journey. But our vocation as politicians corn-
'pets es to jump at onZe to those parts of the book
which are itt this moment politically interesting.
-The following is the Author's description of the two
areas abuts; to meet, probably on the south-western
. side of the 7Yrenees
4, Our troops have a very satisfactory appearance
in point of discipline and equipment, they were never
better clothed or better fed, and it must be admitted
that' nidrepains are taken to satisfy the army than
'public. opinion. The military administration is said
id be better than ever, which may be easily conceived.
LLThettfttlerfillt administrators who were formed
stdigitt -the gieateit difficulties of war, find it much
snore easy to employ their resources and apply the
knowledge they have acquired in the midst of peace
mid tranquillity. Persons so long accustomed to feed
arid Clothe our troops, and to prepare hospitals for
ihem diring the continual and rapid movements of
victory or defeat, and the confusion of battle and in
the midst of a hostile country, must naturally do the
same things much more easily in France during a
period of perfect tranquillity. There is not a single
veteran among our soldiers, the oldest has no advan-
tage over the others but that of having made the
soup for the last four years, and perhaps knowing a
' little better how to crib the portions. We find among
them only countrymen eating better soupand dressed in
better clothes than in their nativevillages, and never-
theless:anxious to return home as soon as they can.
There are no longer to be seen amongst them the ve-
nerable countenances or the original manners of our
old renadiere, with their sprightly jokes on their
loeginai ches or the dangers they had escaped, and on
the great man who had gained such anascendancy over
their imaginations. There is not one left of those
eict subalterns formerly so capable of discussing the
tns of their General, and of seconding them with
greatest intelligence. In a war in Spain in par-
nwlar,• where action is subdivided and becomes al-
most a personal contest between man and man, abi-
lity beenmee mach less necessary in the conansander
thin in the whale body, that is to say, in the sabal--
teenA, and privates combined. There are more old
soldiers in the middle ranks, the sub-lieuteuants and
lieutenants are almost all young men; the captains
and superior officers are mostly officers of the old
army, these are reserved and silent, and express no
decided opinions."
The Author then describes at some length the
opinions of, the offiCers, and seems to think that on
any question concerning the interests of France, they
would be likely to act against the Government.
Of the Spanish army he says—
“il saw the Constitutional army drawn up, in line
to be reviewed. It was not clothed like ours, and it
did not form so regular and geometrical a whole;
above all, there was not the same cleanliness ; but
the soldiers had all uniform coats, caps, and great
coats: they wore, without exception, shoes. or spar-
tillas ; they had not, at their backs a good leather
knapsack like ours, but instead of it they had a linen
walle4 tied at both ends, hanging over their shoul-
ders, which held baggage enough for them. 'Their
ranks were not regular, but, on a comparison with
the-bands of the Faith, they formed a perfect whole;
and; in comparison with our own army, they were
very old soldiers. If our young conscripts exhibit
rare dexterity and intelligence, their features and ap-
pearance are indicative of extreme youth, and one
cannot kelp feeling apprehension for them when they
come totdoet Ire for-the first time. As for the Spa-
nish bands, notwithstanding the dirt and negligence(
which prevailed in their. rinks, one recognized in
them the oldest soldiers that are, perhaps, now to be
found in Europe. Black, scarred, and carelessly
leaning on' their muskets, them soldiers had all the
appearance of old grenadiers, and one had no diffi-
cultrin-faneying thtni in a shower of grape-shot.—
I felt a -singular emotion, when I recollected that
these were. the bands which. had so long combated
our great army, and I thought they might yet give
a•good account of our heroes, and bear witness to
their-
To those persons who admire the French going to
war because, as M. Chateaubriand said, the oxen of
France could not be told owing to the troubles which
exist in Spain, we recommend what this author says
' of the Sanitary Cordon. He :hews very clearly that,
independent of exciting of the troubles in Spain, that
cordon necessarily cur off the communication, and
ruined the French commerce. We recommend the
Viscomte, therefore, to turn the arms of France
against the yellow fever, to recall the soldiers and
dispatch an army of doctors. But fortunately even this
pfetext is no longer there. The Heavens have been
more merciful to man than man is to himself; or pro-
baily we should say they confide the task of punish-
ing him to his own passions—the yellow fever has
eisappeared, and war is to rage in its stead.
We suppose this work to be in reality the produc-
tion of some person connected with the notch army,
who has used the fiction of being a traveller to escape
detection. On this supposition the details with whith—
it is full, and they have a great verisimilifitie7,
are so much the more valuable.
THE MIRROR OF LITZItATUIIE, AItIUSIUUNT,
AND INSTRUCTION—Part I and' IL
We believe this to be the very cheapest Jpurnal of the
day, and we knot of,few. whiebarnealcultated to be
more extensively sail. • While it is the wicked sin;
of other cheap publications to unsettle and poutethe
minds of the yiouittand:ignmint. it, appears to he the
ambition Of ,Plez,Wrneto-hold- up knowledge and
virtue in their genuine and attractive colours. hpte-
sents a judicreustOndeniation or the sweets of all the
other publicatioes -01.. the dad; many valtuthle &j n-