Star.
London, England, 1804-10-19 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOE OF THE STAR.

•
8! profccute the fubjed which I introdnonj
in.your papers of the t9th and- alit salt. • and hoe
that, my object cannot be miflaken. No loyal mina
who glories 'as I do in the belief that the. (4)44 of
our Sovereign pervades, at this moment hts affec-
tionate and grateful people, can be unconfcious that
of all chiles, the officers, ((tidier' and failors of every
defcription are not only tke molt committed, but ate
molt meritorious in exertion for our defence. Ate-.
eels, and public profperity. Neither let it be fop-. ,
poled that any one who thinks fo has failed to per-
ceive, or is unwilling to acknowledge the great ad-
vancement certainly made, and molt eminently an-
der the exi fling direction, towards tendering the
_BA-
tilh army the belt of tl univerfe- in difcipline, as
well as in valour. Moll, clear it is, that the efta-
bliflunent of order and conliftency is the Sill aid
molt arduous Rep of this propels. My endeavour
limply is, to prompt to the next, which, I aPprehend,
that our enemy has in louse degree made without the
materials we poffefs, in the courage, bodily Rrength,
or motives of their foldiery. Even in my humble
fituation thefe things are well known and felt, and
I troll that nu expretton of unguarded anxiety or
raillery Stall eves indicate ignorance or infenfibility
on fuch vital points. . •
It will be remembered that the feries of istir deci-
five naval gift oties were preceded by an alteration of
fyltem originally propoled by a gentleman in civil
life, perhaps at the moment when the (ervice waa
prepared for the change. I troll, therefore. it ar-
gues no prefemption in any man whole fats is pledg-
ed with that of his King and Country,
.to provoke
attention to the quellion, whether fumething snarl-
gous limpid not now take place in the other grand
department of our force.
If I am right in fuppofing that the time is come,
can the change be made there likewife upon a more
aufpicious augury and example than the maritime
hifiory of Britain finniffes ?
With this impreiton I refume the examination of
thole principles which 1 conceive to Rand in the way.
While Colonel DILEADSOUGNT was teaching me
the changes of formation and pofition according to
the ettablifhed rules of the manoeuvres he deferibed.
it. always (truck me that, under the roar of can-
non, and in the, heat and rage of battle, the order
which there require for their execution could not
cliff- Echellon movements, and the modes of tak-
ing up new alignments appeared very incapable of
being pradifed in fuels circumflances, where I could
not conceive how even the words of command could
be beard or communicated. It leaned to me that I
was learning a fort of ever abate' in arms, very grace-
ful indeed, but which 1 Ihould never be able to per-
form, excepting on parade ground. I law very well
that there it gave the habits of uhing attentively and
readily the eyes, limbs, and mind of the foldier, as
I had heard that the eiercife of the Corniatt Martiur
and Palefra did anciently. But methought there
was this difference, that the difcipline of the Greeks
and Romans exactly correfpoaded with the real pm-
bat, while with us it it a proverbial laying, that " no-
thing can be more unlike a review than a battle."
And this is the cafe, although our fire arms, when we
ufe ball, inftead of idle blank cartridges. admit of the
molt period pradice by taking aim at io animate died&
One chapter of the cetechifm I have before men-
tioned., however, removed all doubt about the effed
of confining exclufively the praaice of difcipline to
fomethieg which could not be the prance of gloat
fighting. To the question, " how are foldiery to be
prevented from leaving heir lines and columns,
when they find that they cannot deltroy the enemy.
and that they are perifhing in thefe ?" there is this
fatisfadory anfwer, " By Never teaching thou to ail is
any other.fituatios." Without going throngh the de-
tail, you will eafily conceive that, from the adoption
of this principle, it mutt follow that the brava fol-
dier will be awkward and helplefs as a clown, when
he is called to individual exertion which he has never
before tried, either for making on repelling rapid and
difengaged alTaults and changes of' pontoon.
In the use, too, of the muftlet, the only wcapon,with
its bayonet, of the common foldier, I could not for my
foul imagine how in battle the firing Iltuuld always
be from platoons or lines, or the fronts of columns,
or fides of hollow squares. It (truck me, that to
load, aim, fire, and puns as quickly and effttively
as paible, would be all that men could do in an en-
gagement. Betides, that lines and columns could not
be always the heft fituations for making our weapons
deadly to the foe, even fuppofing it to be always pot-
fibte to referee thefe. Why, then, not also teach
to fire with certain effed in all fuppofable fituations,
and to take and leave every pufition in the mutt ex-
peditious and Welt way for the'. tutpole.
The Catechifm again relieved the doubt. To
the queltion, " what is the ule of the mufquet I" the
anfwer is not, " to deftroy the enemy," but, " to be
carried, fired, and tolled, according to the regula-
tions." When no effee could be produced in that
way, I underflood from him that it was the Colonel's
practice rather to endure pallively what the enemy
might inflin, than ever to deviate from rule; and
that it was equally prohibited by the Laws of war so
approach the enemy with irregular (peed, as it is by
our Seoul& statutes, to kill hares and partridges in
what thefe term, "forbidden tins."
This might be fomewbat equitable while the enemy
aeltd in the fame manner, but as it is pettedly known
that they now We regular attach, by siting their
whole infantry in thole innumerable fituations whet:
cavalry cannot as as light troops, nothing can
give me greater pleafute than to hear it reported that
fume of our toigades are training under the direttion
of Generals of the mat eminent reputation, to the
fame mode of warfare. May no prejudice this
improvement, and may immortal renown in the ap
proaching hours of trial be the meed I
• TION•11 OF •VISNIIILII.

On Saturday night a poor woman had her pocket
cut off by time Spital-rields matker. It
contained 11. 5, the shode of ha Flory Ind'. earnings
for the week.. rite fh•'pkeepers of Fitz treighbotarhood
humanely made a tuhfcriptlon fcr her, amounting
to 2:s.
I.alt week come thieves ente, ed the patifh church
of wiafewood. by torcrug the Imo bar of the chan-
cel window,and bredatiof, open the cheft near it. %hay
Role the furpliee and Uic whole of the ccounsami
plate.

•