centration of scattered bodies of an army; and it should be impressed on all officers in command of detached bodies, that whatever may be the difficulty of obeying orders for a rendezvous, nothing but the well-ascertained impossibility of executing them will be received as an excuse for non-fulfilment.

The conception of, and orders for, such combinations emanate from the general, and call for the highest qualities of a commander; but for their accurate fulfilment he must very much depend on his subordinates, and most particularly on the general staff of the army.

The whole of a general's combinations may be frustrated and his army exposed to defeat by the want of clear comprehension by a staff officer of the orders of which he is to be the medium of conveyance to the different columns; or the same danger will arise from a loose system of marching, resulting from want of proper discipline and organisation. Suppose, for instance, that a regiment meeting with an obstacle in its march along a road, improperly breaks into file to avoid it. Now "it is proved that the defiling of one battalion on the march, even if done with as much promptitude as is practicable on such occasions, will cause a delay of ten minutes; one such obstacle therefore, if not passed without defiling, would delay a brigade half an hour."*

* See "Standing Orders of the Light Division," p. 14.

If, then, improper looseness of marching in passing one obstacle cause so much loss of time, and, as a consequence, extra fatigue, to the men of one brigade; the delay occasioned by many obstacles to a body of troops composed of many brigades might seriously imperil the safety of an army. Slowness of marching, when estimated for in the calculations of the general, is a great drawback to the effective force of an army; but slowness of marching, when not estimated for, may be fatal. Such columns as keep their time at the point of concentration may be beaten by an enterprising enemy before the laggards come up, who in their turn on arriving are beaten in detail.

In this view any distance an army may have to traverse should be calculated, not in miles, but in the number of marches; and in order to estimate that number correctly, the general must have accurate information of the state of each road by which his army is to advance. For this information he must depend on the officers of his staff; or, should the enemy's patrols be pushed too far and be too vigilant to admit of those officers making personal reconnaissances within the sphere of the enemy's action, then on the best information possible to be obtained from country people or spies; using great caution in winnowing the true from the false in their reports.

The Training to March.

The rate at which an army is in the habit of marching without overfatigue, depends on the bodily health and strength of the men composing it, and not only on those qualities, but also most particularly on the degree in which their powers of marching have been exercised and increased by constant practice or 'training." Napoleon said that if two armies were equal in all things except numbers and rates of marching, their relative values would be found, not by comparing their numbers, but by comparing the products of their numbers and rates. Thus it was his opinion that an army of 10,000 men which could average twenty miles a day, would produce as great an effect on the success of a campaign, as one of 20,000 which marched only ten miles a day.

This being undoubtedly true, ought we not to give more attention to the subject, and to endeavour by all means to develop the powers of the soldier in this respect? Our recruits join just at that age which is most favourable for training the body to the endurance of fatigue without the risk of injury. Why, with the example of the Duke of Wellington's splendid light division before our eyes, should we be satisfied with anything which falls short of that standard? That division was organised and trained originally under Sir John Moore.

As a result of their system, look at the march to Talavera. Napier relates how they crossed the field of battle in compact order and immediately took charge of the outposts, after having marched sixty-two miles in twenty-six hours (leaving only seventeen stragglers behind) in the hot season ;—each man carrying upwards of fifty pounds' weight; which weight may be best appreciated by considering it as that of a good-sized portmanteau, well packed.

Those were indeed "soldiers," they were trained to some purpose. Why should not we emulate them? They were men of the same stuff as our soldiers of to-day. We have not degenerated in courage or pluck certainly, and not in thews and sinews; and morally there need be no hesitation in asserting our superiority. All our soldiers who are in health should be in constant "training" in the sporting sense of the word, though not of course over severe.

Weight carried by Soldier.

The equipment of the soldier is closely connected with his powers of marching with reference to the weight he carries. That weight must be reduced to a minimum, regard being had to perfect efficiency. The greater the reduction of all unnecessary weight in arms, accoutrements, and general equipment, the greater the margin left for the carriage of his provisions by the soldier. The French soldier in heavy

marching order, with his piece of abri tent and his provisions, carries about sixty-eight pounds; but he is a marching animal, which the English soldier, from want of training, is not. — On the Kertch expedition, in the eleven miles' march from the landing place to Yenikale, our men fell out by sections-the French did the same; ours, however, from fatigue, the French to pillage; and the same little men with their big loads were soon to be seen going to the front at a run, with the voluntary addition to their burdens of poultry, baskets, and even in some instances looking glasses or pictures.

The French soldier frequently carries eight days' rations ours seldom more than three: with a large army what an important difference in the amount of transport required by the two! and how many operations become possible in the one case which are not so in the other! But in laying down rules for armies of different nations the characteristics and habits of the men composing them must not be lost sight of. The sort of food the French can work upon for eight days would not probably suit the English.

The French soldier is kept in constant training, but he is overweighted, and the machine soon wears out: his officers say that at thirty-two he is completely "usé," but there is plenty more of the raw material. With us, on the contrary, the raw material is not