Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

no more ther was) that came of that night. The next night we marched againe, and came to another lurking place; stay'd till night, engaged among us never to part but by consent: And late, Sir John got notice Argyle was taken, and his party quite broke; whereupon he came and told us, that now it was impossible to stay together, but we must pairt, and shift each for himselfe, so wee condescended, and pairted.

And this narrative is true, not full, for I am forced to conceall names of persons, places, yea comtreys, till a freer time. I have written this haistily, and had not time to correct errors in the write.

[blocks in formation]

death the archives were removed to the garrets of Versailles, unheeded by his successors, who, nevertheless suffered the collection to increase its bulk, for the benefit of posterity. Towards the end of that reign they were removed to the Hotel des Invalides, at Paris, under a regular establishment of clerks, to be conducted by M. de la Faye.

The plan of organization was now renewed with spirit, and at the end of several years successful perseverance, many valuable documents were brought to light, to the great improvement of science, history, and military tactics. When the peace of Utrecht gave repose to Europe, the war-ministers of France employed the interval towards perfecting these military treasures.— All papers relating to the different wars were methodically classed, and enrolled under two distinct heads ; the first, relating to dispatches from general officers with the army; and the second, containing the replies of the King, or his ministers-either the ori ginal documents or attested copies of them. To each volume M. de Chamillart caused a table of contents to be annexed; and gradually added thereto a summary of each year's military operations, under the title of "Avertissemens."

These manuscripts, distinguished at the depôt as their "Ancient Archives," comprise at least 2700 volumes; referring, in part, to the eleventh century, but commencing in series only from the year 1631.

The importance now given to this department authorized the nomination of a general officer to its future direction; and the Marshal de Maillebois, so well known in the German campaigns of 1733-4, and in the Italian campaigns of 1744-5, was appointed to the charge.

In the year 1696 a corps was instituted, called "Engineers of Camps and Armies," which served under the command of M. de Lillier, afterwards

a

[ocr errors]

a brigadier. In 1726 they were named" Geographical Engineers," and employed with the staff of the army, in drawing plans, &c. These drawings, however, were not addressed to the war depôt till the year 1744, when the minister Argenson united this collection and that of the minister at war with the fortification departments, and gave stability to the geographical engineer corps. They had a residence appointed them at Versailles, and wore the uniform of engineers in ordinary to the King. Their commanding of ficer continued to be selected from the staff of the army.

From the war depôt Voltaire borrowed his most valuable materials to commemorate the age of Louis XIV.: his work therefore bears a stamp of unrivalled authority.

The seven years' war having considerably extended the war department, the French government, at the suggestion of M. Berthier, ordered the Hôtel de la Guerre to be erected at Versailles, in 1758, that the different offices might be united.

This building was completed in 1760, and occupied the following year, when M. Berthier, a staff-off cer, and the intimate friend of Marshal Saxe, was appointed chief of the geographical engineer department, having under his immediate charge the enrolment of all charts and plans not exactly relating to fortification. About this time many valuable topographical and geographical designs, on the Lower Rhine, Westphalia, Hesse, Hanover, &c. enriched the collection.

M. d'Argenson having been succeeded by the Marshal de Belleisle; and M. de Vault, a very distinguished officer, being appointed director of the depôt, vice Maillebois, new plans were adopted.

At this period the materials of the war depôt, though volumed and catalogued, were rather a collection than a digestion of authorities. M. de

Vault, however, very patriotically resolved to associate these scattered documents, and persevered in the labour till he actually compiled the 'histories of the several campaigns, from the German war of 1677, progressively, through 125 volumes, down to the peace of 1763.

By an arrêt of April 1, 1769, the geographical engineer corps was reorganised; it was then composed of an engineer en chef, four brigadiers, eight captains, and sixteen lieutenants, with a mathematical master, a German master, and two drawing-masters attached. Fourteen cartoons appear in the depôt, from the pencils of these officers, giving a connected view of the seven years' war, together with other designs, equally honourable to the talents of the corps.

But their brilliant career was soon after arrested by M. de St Germain, the then minister, who, by a new regulation in 1776, embodied them with the engineer corps, under the orders of the director of fortifications. Against this innovation they presented a memorial, and in 1777 the former örder was amended, and they were again styled "Military and Geographical Engineers."

Notwithstanding these dissatisfactions, Roger, Deplanque, Duplain, Montesson, Gauthier, &c. zealously exerted their professional abilities in the service of their country.

M. de Vault died in 1790 a lieute nant-general in the army, after devoting forty years to the improvement of this branch of history. M. de Beaudoin, who had been named his colleague, died in 1787, with the rank of field-marshal.

General Mathieu Dumas next succeeded to the direction of this department, but soon after, the spirit of revolution becoming universal, and the overthrow of ancient customs being the primary object of its grasp, the war depôt, at the close of 1791, was removed from Versailles to Paris, for safety.

[ocr errors]

In the same year the depôt for fortifications was detached from the war depôt; and by a national decree of August 17, the geographical engineers were suppressed; their duty was once more transferred to the engineer department. But the new government being fully aware that the preservation of the country depended on the protection of this important department, gave it a new organization.

At this period the annual expences of the war depot were estimated at 68,000 francs, and soon after geography and history were deprived of artificers, and remained stationary. Even the war depôt was for some time totally neglected it is true Citizen Poncet was ostensibly the director of that department; but the situation was not virtually filled till May, 1793, when Citizen Calon, formerly of the geographical engineer depart ment, was appointed by the minister Bouchotte to that office, in which he was assisted by Citizen Desdorides, ge

neral of division.

In the same year Citizen Carnot established a private topographical cabinet, the materials for which were drawn from the war depôt; and this institution re-awakened the then government to the importance of this neglected department.

As the troops of the republic were called into action, the want of geographical engineers was very severely felt by the staff of the army; and after a variety of efforts to supply this deficiency, it became advisable to revive that corps. Three new companies were accordingly raised, each composed of twelve artists, and classed in proportion to their respective merits. These persons were engaged in preparing plans of Bavaria, Suabia, &c. The materials collected in Egypt, at Naples, Piedmont, and St Domingo, have since occupied their attention.

In 1793 this depôt not only resumed its former importance, but with increased establishment. The ex

pence of the interior amounted to 123,000 francs, and that of the geographical engineers employed with the army to 102,500 francs.

By an order from the committee of safety, of 22 Brumaire, year 2, the grand map of France, attributed to Cassini, was removed from the observatory to the war depôt; and twelve engravers and five deputies were appointed to retouch and perfect the plate. Latterly the depôt has been enriched by a chart of the Low Coúntries by Feraris, and another of Piedmont by Borgonio.

Such, at the commencement of the year 2, was the actual situation of the war depôt, then established at the Place Vendome ; and a committee was appointed to collect all geographical materials, of whatever nature, and wherever to be found. This order was productive of many valuable additions to the war depôt ; but the service had withdrawn so many plans, &c. during the war, that unless government had taken some very decisive step towards their restoration, a severe loss would have been sustained.

The rapidity of events, and frequent changes of government, which agitated the republic at this momentous crisis, prevent any regular detail of the various operations which influenced the war depôt; but under the direction of General Dupont, many useful arrangements were made.

In the year 5, that General having been otherwise appointed, was succeeded by the General of Division Ernouf, formerly chef de l'etat major in the army of the Sambre and Meuse. During his administration, a valuable library was established at the war depôt, and has since been very considerably augmented by every interesting work on war, whether a national or foreign publication. The grand plate of the map of France was completed about this time, at the expence of 85,400 francs, afterwards paid by monthly instalments of 1,826 franes.

The

The great resources afforded by this depôt to the military service, at length determined the directory to perfect its organization; which it did by framing a plan for its administration, under which it now flourishes.

The interior is conducted by twenty-one clerks, and the geographical engineers employed on service are paid out of the "extraordinary dis bursements" of the army. In their capacities of topographical draftsmen, it is their duty to address to the director of the war depôt, all charts, routes, plans, and other military operations, resulting from their labours; and such persons as were omitted in the minister's yearly list, were considered as no longer employed. The duties of the director, and the attributes of the depôt remain nearly the same as then imposed by the arret of 25 April,

1792.

The reduction of the map of the Tyrol into a pocket compass, was among its labours in that year.

In the year 8, the first of the Consulate, the war depôt was confided to the direction of the General of Division Clarke, employed near the person of the First Consul, when he established a private topographical bureau. General Desdorides was now replaced by the Adjutant-commandant Hastrel.

At the close of this year, all the public offices resumed a permanent form, and many considerable improvements took place in the war depôt.-An analytical catalogue is in forwardness of the ancient archives. The library has been classed, methodized, and catalogued. It amounts to upwards of 8000 volumes, comprehending every thing rare and scientific, relating either to the arts, geography, ancient or modern history, voyages, the art of war, philosophy, literature, &c. and every attention is paid towards augmenting the collection with the works of other nations.

In the enrolment of charts, either

engraved or in manuscript, attention is had to their geographical position; so that all interior topographical information may be found classed with the division allotted to the country of which it forms a part.

In the year 9, (1801) the depôt was enriched by nine plates of the geography of France, by Robert Hesseln, and an infinity of topographical information; the fruits of the conquests of the French armies, arrived from Italy-chiefly from Turin, and a variety of interesting works are preparing from these valuable materials.

The following is an abstract of the contents of the War Depôt :

Independently of 8000 select volumes, among which are many very valuable atlases, of 2700 volumes of the ancient archives, and of more than 900 rolls of original modern plans; the Depôt contains 131 volumes and seventy-eight rolls of narrative, each of which is composed of at least fifty individual memoirs; 4700 engraved maps, of which there are from two to twenty-five copies of each, without counting those printed at the Depôt, and more than 7400 manuscript plans or drawings of marches, encampments, and battles.

The Depôt furnished, by order of government, in the course of the war, 7278 engraved maps, 207 manuscript plans or drawings, 61 atlases of different parts of the globe, and upwards of 600 narrative memoirs.

Great part, if not the whole, of the latter must have been dispersed among officers in the army. They form a chasm in history, but will, doubtless, be restored to their former station through the mediation of government: still, with all these disadvantages, it must be evident to the world that this establishment, created by Louvois, reared by Maillebois, and modelled by De Vaulb, is the richest in the world, as to authentic elements of history, topography, and the art of war. is of a description peculiar to France

It

and on principles worthy the imitation of every polished nation in Eu

rope.

inhabited it, were early initiated inte the art of agriculture. Even the Caledonians of the west, who in the fourth century began to be called Scots, were not altogether ignorant

Sketch of the History of Agriculture in of husbandry in this period; for St

SCOTLAND.

(From the Farmer's Magazine, No. 37.) IN N this northern part of the island, husbandry was long unknown, and still longer imperfectly exercised. There is sufficient evidence, that husbandry entered Britain at the south-east corner, and travelled by slow and gradual steps to other quarters; but it is difficult to trace the progress of the art, or to discover how far it had advanced at the time this island was evacuated by the Romans. When Severus invaded Scotland, A. D. 207. we are told," that the Maeatæ and Caledonians, who possessed all the island beyond Hadrian's Wall, inhabited barren uncultivated mountains, or desert marshy plains; that they had neither towns nor cultivated lands, but lived on the milk and flesh of their flocks and herds, on what they got by plunder, or catched by hunting, and on the fruit of trees.”These barbarous nations, however, being obliged by Severus to yield up a part of their country to the Romans, that industrious people, in the course of the third century, built several towns and stations, constructed highways, cut down woods, drained marshes, and introduced agriculture into the districts south of the Frith of Forth, which are generally well calculated for tillage. Though the Romans never formed any lasting station north of the Forth, yet many of them and of the provincial Britons retired into Caledonia, at different times, particularly about the end of the third century, to escape from the Dioclesian persecution. It is probable these refugees instructed the natives; and as the eastern coast of Caledonia was remarkably fit for cultivation, there is little Houbt but that the Pictish nation, who

Jerome reproaches Celestius, who was a Scotchman, "That his belly was swelled or distended with Scots pottage, or hasty-pudding." This is at least a proof, that, in the beginning of the fifth century, the Scots, or western Caledonians, lived partly on oat-meal, a kind of food, to which they had been absolute strangers about two hundred years before, when invaded by the emperor Severus.

Till the reign of Macolm Canmore, in the eleventh century, the progress of husbandry was very slow; but during his reign, a greater degree of attention was paid to the cultivation of the country. This increased attention arose from the number of Anglo-Saxons who migrated at that time into Scotland, by whose endeavours the face of the country was changed from that of a barren wilderness, to that of a well regulated and cultivated territory. During the twelfth and thiṛteenth centuries, the lowlands of Scot land, were improved considerably, and their inhabitants were prosperous and happy. As a proof of their internal prosperity, it was in these periods that all the religious houses were erected; and it is plain, that before any nation can be munificently pious, it must first be flourishing and rich. In these periods the greatest part of our modern towns and villages were also built; and it was then that the people began to be civilized, and society to assume something of its present shape. Circumstances, however, soon occurred, which blasted, and in a manner destroyed, all these fair prospects; and Scotland, from continuing flourishing and prosperous, was so completely wasted by civil broils and foreign wars, that the efforts of the people, during the four succeeding

centuries

« ZurückWeiter »