Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-10-16
ORDNANCE SERVICE IN EUROPE.
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BoNAPARTE. Tome Premiere. Paris, 1876.
In the Grantropos prexed his work the author gives
tabular sketch Of its proposed contents which intended
to comprise detailed history of gunpowder and guns with
an appurtenances and appliances of those benecent
strumens from the time when yanous satpetre first took
place among the agencies of the day when the last
shot fred in earnest from the heights of Monmartre, in
the eyer-memoabe campaign of 1875 There was be, be-
sides, volume containing Prince Bonapartes ideas
suggestions for the future perfeconng of the artillery service
which promised to be highly insucve-uness indeed gun
cotton and the lagrange" should furnish mankind with
implements Of destruction, and supersede the existing
te completely these latter have superseded the
bow and catapu
The comprehensive character of the contemplated history
may he inferred from the fact that the volume before
sists Of four hundred quao pages and, although called
Tome Premiere in the titepage does really contain only
the first book thereof the whole work being announced
comprise five volumes and fifteen books When the remain
ing tones the light told we have how
ever suspicion that nothing further will be heard of them
The work planned and undertaken by the author be-
guile the tedium of captivity, and will in all probability, be
abandoned for more exciting pursuits that the fortress Of
Ham longer contains its prisoner and the complicated
pect Of political affairs the Continent appears offer
tempting field for his ambition than the enown of
cessul authorship To prince of his and temperament
the most distant hope of using artillery far transcend the
qualification of writing about it
The present volume contains the history Of only branch
OF the art namely the practice of eldarey, which is
ried down the Of the reign of Louis XIV
ammo 643
Bayard, the chevalier peur reproche,
cordng old French historian, hated the arquebusers
such degree that he gave quarter any that fell into
his hands, it being great him that valiant
should q nv his is n
reproach in nowse differing from that which has fallen upon
all inventions when in their infancy From the miner to the
mathematician from the handloom-weaver the 'preux
chevaer the outcry has always been raised that their
degraded the mechanst has invaded their several
territories and brought within the powers of his engines of
brass and steel those performances which had heretofore been
accomplished only by strength segh Of hand We doubt
not that if Nelson could have oreseen modern improve
ments in the art of navigation and the theory Of pectles
he would have UNNECESSARILY depored the degradation that
modern warfare must, in his opinion inevitably suffer from
changes that would nyaiate his sku maneuvrings,
and render his favote gnal for close action utterly uef
hcent when would be in the power of any paty raga
muffin" of steamer to cope with the finest ine-ofbaitle
ship, and single we'll pitched shot, the percussion pnci
pie from 6s-pounder gun, might put untmely stop
the career Of the Victory herself Yet, who question
that all the future improvements will but tend
noble the art of warfare both by and land and result in
placing supremacy in the handsof thai people which, by their
attributes of dang and skill and shall prove
themselves best qualified to possess power
For Bayard and his companions in there
excuse they looked with dread and deesaon on any
change that might endanger the continuance Of their brilliant
chvalry. There something truly magnificent say
sublime, in the sight Of the gallant chevaer his pancng
charger, covered, horse and man. with their gorgeous pano
ply and moving about glittering and nvunerabe
a.
almost without feeling their resistance But here aso the
proverb true g From the sublime the ridiculous
there but STEP One false step the would I'M
horse the knight and there certainly nothing sublime in
his position when lying oppressed and crushed with the weight
OF his own armor, with the rascal eta crowded round his
body, like Esquimaux round stranded whale, and pecng
at him with their daggers till they could find cevc through
which their points could enter.
remarkable that Prince Bonapare makes attempt to
determine either the precise date the actual inventor Of the
earliest firearms The omission, however, might have arisen
from the fact that he had really nothing definite say on the
subject the subject has baed the researches of all previous
historians unless indee accept the assertion Of
Vossus, who assigns the honor of the invention The Chi
nese Emperor Ktey, who fourshed AID. SIS. But still
singular that the author all mention of the era when
cannon first employed in France, and does re-
fer those passages of his native historians which prove those
the English at the battle of Crecy, in 1896 Langey for ex-
ample, acknowledges that the pieces of in the English
army Crecy the first known in France and Me-
zera makes like assertion in order to account for the defeat
OF the French stating that by Of five six pieces Of
King Edward struck into the French soldiers
being the first time they had any of those laundering
machines. Indeed render the respect valid
by way Of accounting for the rout of fifty thousand men, il
was necessary pesuppese the absolute novelty Of the hun-
derng machines " the practical effects Of their fire being sim
ply equivalent to those Of like number Of Shots since
they could be discharged than when brought
into the field.
While describing the various species Of proeces which the
introduction Of firearms gradually supersede the au
thor furnishes with curious illustration of the manner in
which the political institutions OF people will up in IN
expected phases upon the field of battle At Crecy the
French afforded opportunity Of learning the terrible
efficacy Of the longbow when in kfu hands, and the lesson
was repeated not less forcibly at Poictiers.
cit then proved that in order cope with these mas
ses Of Of tc estate the chronclers OF the time call
them necessary to have force agile, more dis
crned, and more than that Of the aOJsse Con-
sequeny in 1894 il ordained throughout all France that
the people should themselves with Other games than
those with the bow crossbow and wonderful saws
the monk Of ST. Denis TO the readiness of the people for
this exercise Every body took part in it, The children
end ~ little while the French archcrs became well prac
ised that they valcd the English in skill shooting and
in fact if they had united themselves together they would
have been pocefi Than The princes and nojes on