The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-02-23
(TCG4I

a charge Of mere blsck.mail-of an at
tempt to extort money--by threatening
to submit for the misconstruction of tn,
world folly which could easily be exag
gerated into crime, but Evarts saw a
once that to argue Tilton's willingness t
break up his home and expel his wife
from his embrace merely to gain $4,000
from Beecher would be to submit prop
osition too monstrous for a sane man ever
to consider. So, at his suggestion, thu
baser animus of envy and Of craving t
destroy Beecher was assumed as the in
spiration of the attack.
CAVALRY AND ARTILLERY.-The lonl
ranges and rapid and accurate firing O
the small.arms and ield-guns of to-day
have seriously affected the uses and mod,
of employing the different arms of ser
vice. The employment of large masses
of cavalry on the field of battle will pro
badly not again occur, under some very
exceptional circumstances, for where th,
ground is sufficiently open for them tt
form and act they will be fully exposed
to such fire as will prevent their advanc
ing, or even retaining their position. Tht
experience of the war of 1S70-71, as fal
as it went, proved that cavalry could no
attack good infantry armed with breech
leaders without incurring certain destruc
ticn. Again, in reference to the othel
duties of the cavalry, such as escort anc
patrol duty, it is quite certain that thu
breech-loader will enable very small
parties of infantry to at least annoy
cavalry parties so much as to hamper
them exceedingly in their operations
The fact that small parties Of the Germar
cavalry ranged so far and freely in France
will not serve as a rule for other cases
In moderately broken or wooded coun
try two or three good men with breech
leaders could, with entire safety to them
selves, very soon put an end to the move
ments of ordinary cavalry patrols. 1t il
quite probable that the future changes il
the cavalry organization will be in the
direction of assimilating large part Of il
to mounted infantry.
While the cavalry has lost something
of its Importance, the artillery, on the
other hand, has gained in power and in
dependence. The breech. loading field
guns can be SO readily placed under cover
and fired SO rapidly that it is possible tc
place them in position that the old muz
zle.loaders could never have held, and
also to trust them to themselves with very
slight infantry supports. In 1S70-71,
especially in the latter part Of the war
the German artillery was usually in ad.
vance of the infantry line, and often really
decided the battle when practically en-.
tirely without their infantry supports
The changes now being made in Europe
seem to be in the direction of small cali.
bres, heavy charges, fiat trajectories, and
long ranges; all this accomplished by
means Of material so light that it can
pass over rough ground, and find positions
almost anywhere. A consequence of all
this will probably be large increase Of
the relative strength Of the artillery. In
regard to the mitrailleuse and similar in
ventions for the rapid and concentrated
discharge Of small-arm bullets opinions
vary exceedingly. There is reason to
believe that the last war did not impress
the Germans with a very high idea of the
value of such weapons, but that they have
reached the conclusion that in face OF
active and accurate and long.range artil.
lery the mitralleusc can accomplish very
little. There seems good ground for be.
lieving, however, that for the defense OF
works, Of defiles, or of position of limit
ed extent the mitraiIleuse, or, still better,
the Gatin gun, will prove to be very
reliable adjunct.
The effect Of the modern improvements
upon the infantry has been no less mark.
cd than upon the other arms of the ser,
vice. If, on the one hand, their new
weapon has freed them from all danger
from the once.dreaded cavalry, on the
other hand the new artillery is 50 formid.
able as t. render a resort to new forma.
tions and new methods of attack obliga.
tory for the dense columns and success.
sive parallel lines of former years can moi
Withstand the distant, rapid, and accurate
fire of modern guns. Neither can those
old formations possibly succeed in the
attack of positions held by good infantry
armed with breech. leaders. Destruction
and wild disorder must bo the results oi
any such attempt.
LIrrELL's LIVING AGE.-The numbers
Of The Liring Age, for the weeks ending
Feb. 9th and 18th, are full of interesting
and valuable reading. They contain
Nasmyth's Physical History of the Moon
from the EdinJurg Rerieao- Mr.. Low.
ellis Poems, Cornhiii; Saxon Studies, by
Julian Hawthorne, Part ", Contempo
rary Reeiew; German Home Life, IRA.
ser; The Shakers or Girlingites, Specta
tor; The mental effects of the Cold, Spec
tatOr; A Vandal Venice, Pail Mall Ga
aette; The Literary Partnership of Can.
ming and Frere, Fraser: False Economy
Victoria Maga,in together with Mis-
Angel" by Miss Thackery. "Fated to be
Free" by Jean Ingelow. and the contin
uation Of Three Feathers" by William
Black, and the usual select poetry aLd
miscellany. With ffty.two such mum
bers, of sixty-four largo pages each, lag
gregating over 5000 pages a year, thu
subscription price 1887 is low; or still
better, for S10.50 any one of the Ameri
can 81 monthlies or weeklies is sent with
The Liring Age for year, both post
paid. Littell & Gay, Botson, Publishers
MRs. ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAMS
The other side of Mrs. Grant stooG
Mrs. Williams, wife of the attorney gen
eral. She has survived the storm o.
personal paragraphs which beat abou
her as the spouse of the possible chic
justice, survived the building of hel
ho,oa throuoh a IVash;nc4o, o,....... :.