Year: 1872

A letter from Geneva, published in the y. Y.


World, gives some account of a conversation
with Gen. Sherman relative to his travels and
observations in Europe and Egypt The General
says he has seen no country except the United
States, (which is so manifestly growing under
ones eyes" as Russia. His account of the ruler
Of Egypt is as follows


&" In Egypt the Khedive from whom received
the most marked attention and civility is a ruler
who personally superintends the work of govern
ment. He is well educated and perfect man of
the world, fully alive to the fact that his own
interest lies in the development of his people.
He takes an active interest in trade and manu-
factures. He is one of the greatest sugar planters
in his own dominions. During our civil war, you
will remember, be set to work to raise cotton
the English market. When the war was finished
the Egyptian trade came nearly to a standstill,
but very handsome profit had been made out Of
it 10 the meantime. Then the land reverted TO
its original uses, and the old cotton fields were
planted for produce better suited to the climate
and soil. The growing of sugar is now the Khe-
dives favorte scheme. / called on him one day,
and found him sitting at a table covered with
several varieties of cane and specimen jars of the
sugar extracted from them. lie laughed and
said l might suppose he had turned grocer, and
went on to talk about his plantations, and showed
as much practical knowledge as if he had been
at that kind of farming all his life."


When Gen. Sherman was in Berlin, the Court
was in the midst of that christening ceremonial
of which something has been heard IN this coun-
try; but be was invited TO meet the Emperor at
a review. at which unfortunately he could not be
present. He did not fail, however, of giving very
careful attention to the Prussian army. Here is
what be says of it,


The Prussian army is unquestiOnably the
finest army in the world, and no wonder, if we
consider the years it has taken them to make it.
1t is perfect machine of war The men who have
re-created it have made every separate force,
aptitude and impulse that can contribute TO mill
tary success the subject of the most vigorously
scientific study. 0rigi-ality is only new form
of truth, and truth is generally the reward of
painstaking thought. BY hard thinking and'close
observation of the mental as well as the bodily
habits Of men, the Prussians have established
system exactly adapted to their national tradi-
tions, temperament, and moral aud political
organization. The same study would yield other
results as applied to other countries, and there
fore an imitation Of the Prussian scheme in its
details, instead of in its spirit, would, in my
opinion, be mistake. The most striking thing
about it is the rev recognition it has given to
individuality in the soldier The army is an ag-
gregate of localized and therefore indvldualized
corps, and every man in every corps is taught to
combine a sense of personal responsibility and of
selfreIiance with the instinct of military obedI-
ence. 1t is not only an army of thousands, but an
army of units. And this take to be the incest
military problem in the whole range. 1t has
often been talked about before but perhaps never
fairly grappled with. l DO not say the Prussiaus
have completely solved it but they have gone
further than any nation | know Of. You may
talk contemptuously OF the Prussian drilling
but their idea seems to be to drill men to do
without drilling in fact they have made their
drilling SO thorough that it has become kind of
synonym for the aggregate of all the forces of
their varied culture. and that culture has the
union of the most thorough individuality with
the most thorough subordination for its highest
end aud aim"