thickest of the fight, and so void of talent as to be the victor, and so obstinate as not to let Bonny take him and his army prisoners. Oh, Blucher, Blucher, but for your stubbornness you might have won golden opinions from the "Conqueror of the Earth." Wel. Ha, ha, very good, Nelson. He went on to say, speaking of Blucher. I recollect that when I was in Prussia, he dined at my table after he had surrendered, and he was then considered to be an ordinary character. Nel. No pleasing Bonny. An ordinary character when he surrendered, and no talent when he made Bonny surrender. Wel. Speaking of the English soldiers he observed. The English soldier is brave, nobody can deny, and the officers generally men of honour, but I do not think them yet capable of executing manœuvres. Nel. The deuce they're not, messmate; it's time they were then, they seemed capable of executing a manœuvre on the 18th of June, 1815. Wel. They certainly did. He continued, I think that if 1 were at the head of them, I could make them do anything. Nel. I think under your command, messmate, they did all that was required, Wel. Perfectly so; I was satisfied, and so was England. However, he con tinued; I know them not enough yet to speak decidedly. Nel. It's time he did. Wel. I would alter your system; instead of the lash, I would lead them by the stimulus of honour, I would instil a degree of emulation into their minds, I would promote every deserving soldier as I did in France. Nel. Very good. Wel. After an action, I assembled the officers and soldiers, and asked who have acquitted themselves best, and promoted such of them as were capable of reading and writing. Nel. Then the brave would stand no chance without they could make pothooks, and know great A. from a Bull's foot; in vain might they cover themselves with glory, if they could not spell GLORY. How those gallant fellows must have cursed their youthful days in which they chaunted Multiplication is vexation. The Rule of Three does puzzle me, And Practice makes me mad. Neither could the soldiers of Napoleon, who had acquitted themselves best, exclaim with the Poet "A little learning is a dangerous thing." Wel. Yes, yes, Nelson; but hear him out; he says-those whe could not read or write, I ordered to study five hours a day, until they had learned a sufficiency, and then promoted them. Nel. Very good plan. Wel, What might not be expected from the English army, if every soldier hoped to be made a general, if he behaved well. Nel. I can see; no, I cannot see; but I know no reason why a man from the ranks should not become a General, or even a Field Marshal. Wel. He says some one told him, that English soldiers must be driven by the stick. But surely, continued he, the English soldiers must be possessed of sentiments sufficient to put them at least upon a level with the soldiers of other nations, where the degrading system of the lash is not used. Whatever debases man, cannot be serviceable. Nel. Very good. Wel. He was told, that none but the dregs of the canaille voluntarily enter as soldiers; this disgraceful punishment is the cause of it, I would remove it and make even the situation of the private soldier be considered as conferring honour upon the individual that bore it; I would act as I did in France; I encourage young men of education; the sons of merchants, gentlemen and others, to enter as private soldiers. Nel. But we must not forget that Bonny made France Wel. Perfectly so. A Nation of Soldiers! Nel. If Bonny thought the sons of English merchants, and gentlemen, would enter as private soldiers (supposing the lash was abolished), to go and be shot shilling per day," I think he formed a wrong estimate of English for a society. Wel. Quite so. England is a commercial nation, The Royal Exchange ranks before MARS, in the estimation of John Bull. Nel. No doubt of it; England is a great nation by means of her commerce; John Bull is not led away by such a Will-o'-the-wisp as Austerlitz Sunshine. Wel. No indeed; he continued—I would substitute confinement, bread and water. Nel. I don't think that even would prompt the sons of merchants, and gentlemen to enter. Wel. No, no. He said what honour can a man have who is flogged before his comrades; he loses all feeling, and would as soon fight against his country, if he were better paid by the opposite party. When the Austrians had possession of Italy, they in vain attempted to make soldiers of the Italians ; they either deserted as fast as they raised them; or else when compelled to advance against an enemy, they ran away on the first fire. Nel. Gallant fellows. Wel. It was impossible to keep together a single regiment. When I got Italy, and began to raise soldiers, the Austrians laughed at me. Nel. Bonny soon made them laugh the other side of their mouths. Wel. He did indeed. They said it was in vain, that they had been trying for a long time, and that it was not in the nature of the Italians to fight or make good soldiers; notwithstanding this, I raised many thousands of Italians, who fought with a bravery équal to the French, and did not desert me even in my adversity. Nel. Hear, hear! Wel. What was the cause I abolished flogging and the stick, which the Austrians had adopted? I promoted those amongst the soldiers who had talents, and made many of them generals. I substituted honour and emulation for terror and the lash. Nel. Very good. Wel. He was asked his opinion relative to the comparative merits of the Russians, Prussians, and Germans. Nel. What was his answer? Wel. He replied. Soldiers change, sometimes brave, sometimes the reverse. I have seen the Russians at Eylau perform prodigies of valour; they were so many heroes. Nel, No doubt of it, they let Bonny beat them. Wel. At Moscow, entrenched up to their necks, they allowed me to beat two hundred and fifty thousand men with ninety thousand. Nel. mighty odds, and on their own dung-hill too. Wel. Yes. At Jena, and other battles in that campaign, the Prussians fled like sheep, since that time they have fought bravely. My opinion is that now the Prussian soldier is superior to the Austrian; The French Cuirassiers were the best cavalry in the world. Nel. Except yours. Wel. Individually, there is no horsemen superior or perhaps equal to the Mamaluke, but they cannot act in a body. As partisans the Cossacks excel, and the Poles as lancers. This he said in reply to a question as to his opinion relative to the cavalry. Nel. On such matters he certainly was a judge, but whether he was an impartial judge, is another question. Wel. Quite so. He was asked, who he thought was the best general amongst the Austrians? Nel. Who did he name? Wel. Prince Charles-he replied; although he has committed a thousand faults. As to Schwartzenberg, he is not fit to command six thousand men. Nel. I say, messmate, it's a difficult task to extract praise from Buonaparte in favour of a commander; yet, somehow, "blunderers" as you and old Blucher were, you managed to drive the "Grande Army" from Waterloo. Wel. We did. We are told, he then spoke about the siege of Toulon. Wel. He said, that he made General O'Hara prisoner-I may say, said he, with my own hand. I had constructed a masked battery of eight twenty-four pounders, and four mortars, in order to open upon Fort Malbosquet (I think it was), which was in possession of the English. It was finished in the evening and it was my intention to have opened upon them in the morning. While I was giving directions at another part of the army, some of the deputies from the convention came down. In these days they sometimes took upon them to direct the operations of the armies, and those imbeciles ordered the battery to be commenced, which was obeyed. As soon as I saw the premature fire, I immediately conceived that the English General would attack the battery, and most probably carry it, as matters had not been yet arranged to support it; in fact, O'Hara seeing the fire from that battery, would dislodge his troops from Malbosquet, from which last I would have taken the fort which commanded the harbour, determined upon attacking it. Accordingly, early in the morning, he put himself at the head of his troops, sallied out, and actually carried the battery and the lines which I had formed. (We are told, he here drew a plan upon a piece of paper.) While he was busy in spiking the guns, I advanced with three or four hundred grenadiers, unperceived, through a part covered with olive trees, which communicated with the battery, and commenced a terrible fire upon his troops. Nel. Bnt how did he take General O'Hara with his own hands? Wel, He says—O'Hara ran out of the battery, and advanced towards us; in advancing, he was wounded in the arm by the fire of a serjeant, and I, who stood close by, seized him by the coat, and threw him back among my own men, thinking that he was a colonel, as he had two epaulettes on. While they were taking him to the rear, he cried out, that he was the commander-in-chief of the English. He thought they were going to massacre him, as there existed a horrible order at that time from the convention to give no quarter to the English. I ran up and prevented the soldiers from ill-treating him. He spoke very bad French, and as I saw that he imagined they intended to butcher him, I did everything in my power to console him, and gave directions that his wound should be immediately dressed, and every attention paid to him. He afterwards begged of me to give him a statement of how he had been taken, in order that he might shew it to his government in his justification. Nel. Very good generalship. Wel. Those Neapolitans, continued he, are the most vile in the world. Murat ruined me, by advancing against the Austrians with them. When old Ferdinand heard of it, he laughed, and said in his jargon, that they would serve Murat as they had done him before. I had forbidden Murat to act; for after I returned from Elba, there was an understanding between the Emperor of Austria and me, that if I gave him up Italy, he would not join the coalition against me. This I had promised, and would have fulfilled it; but that imbecille, in spite of the directions I gave him, to remain quiet, advanced with his rabble into Italy, where he was blown away like a puff. Nel. Murat could not please him. Wel. The Emperor of Austria seeing this, concluded directly that it was by my orders, and that I deceived him, and being conscious that he had betrayed me himself before, supposed that I did not intend to keep faith with him, and determined to crush me with all his forces. Twice Murat betrayed and ruined me. Before, when he forsook me, he joined the allies with sixty thousand men, and obliged me to leave thirty thousand in Italy, when I wanted them so much elsewhere. Nel. I am surprised Bonny gave him the chance to betray him twice, but I dare say Murat could justify himself. Wel. It is possible. He observed, that he had always been willing to conclude a peace with England. Let your ministers say what they like, said he, I was always ready to make a peace Nel. Of work. Wel. At the time Fox died, there was every prospect of effecting one, if Lord Lauderdale had been sincere at first, it would also have been concluded. Before the campaign in Prussia, I caused it to be signified to him that he had better persuade his countrymen to make peace, as I would be master of Prussia in two months; for this reason, that although Russia and Prussia united might be able to oppose me, yet that Prussia alone could not. Nel. That I believe to be the case. Wel. He continued-I believe that Lord Landerdale was sincere, and that he wrote to your ministers recommending peace, but they would not agree to it, thinking that the King of Prussia was at the head of a hundred thousand men, that I might be defeated, and that a defeat would be my ruin, this was possible, a battle sometimes decides ever thing. Nel. It does indeed, he had a proof of that at Waterloo. Wel. Yes. He spoke of Sir Sydney Smith, Nel. Ah, tell me what he said of Smith. Wel. Sydney Smith, said he, is a brave officer, he displayed great ability in the treaty for the evacuation of Egypt by the French. Nela Hear! Wel. He took advantage of the discontent which he found to prevail amongst the French troops, at being so long away from France, and other circumstances. Nel. He did not always speak so well of Smith; if I remember right Smith once challenged him. Wel. Yes, in Egypt Sir Sydney challenged him to single combat, to which he made answer, that he would not come forth to a duel, unless the English could fetch Marlborough from his grave. Nel. Oh ! Wel. But that in the meantime any one of his grenadiers would willingly give the challenger such satisfaction as he was entitled to demand. Nel. Such an answer does not give me satisfaction; and I dare say, could it have been possible to have produced Marlborough, Bonny would then have stood out for His Majesty George the Third. Wel. Quite possible. The Historian says, Buonaparte and Sir Sydney Smith Also, A REVIEW of the Recent Cruelty to the Poor Cabman, and the Baneful Prospects Just Published-Price On Penny-The Passengers Correct New Cab Act of New the Cab Act strove together at Acre, under the highest influence of personal resentment, as well as martial skill and determination. Nel. Yes, yes, the siege of Acre put them both upon their mettle. Wel, The Historian says-The siege had now lasted sixty days. Once more Napoleon commanded an assault, and his officers and soldiers once more obeyed him with devouted but fruitless gallantry. Nel. Yes, yes, the loss of the French was great. Wel. The loss his army had by this time undergone was very great. Nel. Indeed it was Wel. Caffarelli, and many other officers of the highest importance, were no more. Nel. And the plague was raging Wel. Yes; the plague appeared in the camp, every day the ranks of his legions were thinned by this pestilence, as well as the weapons of the defenders of Acre; the hearts of all men were quickly sinking, the Turkish fleet was at hand. Nel. Oh yes, I remember. Wel. And upon the utter failure of the attack of the 21st of May, Napoleon yielded to stern necessity, and began his retreat upon Jaffa. Nel. What more did he say of Smith. Wel. He said-Sir Sydney Smith shewed great humanity and honour in all his proceedings towards the French who fell into his hands. Nel. In return for which they put him in prison. Wel. They did. Buonaparte said-He landed at IIavre respecting a bet he had made, according to some, to go to the Theatre, others said it was for espionage however, that may be, he was arrested and confined in the Temple as a spy; and at one time it was intended to try and execute him. Nel. Because they merely thought he was a spy-a pretty sample of gratitude for his " great humanity and honour in all his proceedings towards the French who fell into his hands." Wel. Truly so. He continued-Shortly after I returned from Italy, he wrote to me from his prison, to request that I would intercede for him, but under the circumstances in which he was taken I could do nothing for him. Nel. Of course not, not even meet him in combat. Wel. He is active, intelligent, intriguing, and indefatigable. He was asked if Sir Sydney had not displayed great bravery at Acre ? Nel. What did Bonny say? Wel. He replied-yes, the chief cause of the failure there was that he took all my battering train, which was on board several small vessels; had it not been for that I would have taken Acre in spite of him. Nel. Oh, Bonny, I dare say you would. Wel. He behaved very bravely, and was well seconded by Philippeaux, a Wel. Whose spirits they revived, and whom they shewed how to defend the fortress. But he committed a great fault in making sorties, which cost the lives of two or three hundred brave fellows, without the possibility of success, for it was impossible he could succeed against the number of French who were before Acre.. Nel. To him a Long Acre, Wel. I would lay a wager that he lost half his crew in them. He dispersed proclamations amongst my troops which certainly shook some of them, and I, in consequence published an order, stating that he was mad. Nel. Mad, indeed, there certainly then was a method in his madness. To be Continued. |