tions on mountains, thofe great and ftriking features of countries. In thofe on the celebrated chain of the Alps, their direction, heighth, and internal conftitution, the lover of nature, and the ftudent of geology, will find an ample fund of entertainment. We have room for no more but a beautiful, though general, fketch, which rivals, we think, the fubject itself in fublimity. "It was referved for this age of enterprise to disclose the secret wonders of the fuperior Alps. The enormous ridges, clothed with a depth of perpetual fnow, often crowned with tharp obelisks of granite, tyled by the Swifs horns or needles; the dreadful chaẩms of fome thoufand feet in perpendicular height, over which the dauntle's traveller fometimes ftands on a fhelt of frozen inow; the glaciers or feas of ice, fometimes exceeding thirty or forty miles in length; the facred filence of the fcenes before unvifited, except by the chamois and goat of the rocks; the clouds, and fometimes the thunder-ftorm, paffing at a great diftance below; the extenfive prospects, which reduce kingdoms as it were to a map; the pure elafticity of the air, exciting a kind of incorporeal fenfation; are all novelties in the hiftory of human adventure." (p. 583.) With the following more extended defcription, in no degree, we think, inferior to that which we have just now given, we are under the neceffity of difmiffing the first volume of this great and valuable work. On the fecond volume, which is fingularly important, our remarks must be referved for another number. "To enumerate the natural curiofities of Swifferland would be to defcribe the country. The Alps, the glaciers, the vaft precipices, the descending torrents, the fources of the rivers, the beautiful lakes and cataracts, are all natural curiofities of the greatest fingularity, and moft fublime description. Of late the glaciers have attracted particular attention; but those feas of ice, interfected with numerous deep fillures, owing to fudden cracks which refound like thunder, muft yield in fublimity to the ftupendous fummits clothed with ice and fnow, the latter often defcending in what are called avalanches, or prodigious balls, which, gathering as they roll, fometimes overwhelm travellers, and even villages. Nay, the mountains themfelves will fometimes burft, and overwhelm whole towns, as happened in the memorable inftance of Pleurs near Chiavana, in which thoufands perifhed, and not a veftige of a building was left; nor are recent inflances, though defs tremendous, wholly unknown. The vaft refervoirs of ice and fnow give birth to many important rivers, whofe fources deeply intereft curiosity. As an example, the account which Bourrit gives of that of the Rhone may be felected. At length we perceived through the trees a mountain of ice as fplendid as the fun, and flashing a fimilar light on the environs. This first aspect of the glacier of the Rhone infpired us with great expectation. A moment afterwards this enormous mafs of ice having dilappeared behind thick pines, it foon after met our fight between two vast blocks of rock, which formed a kind of portico. Surprifed at the magnificence of this fpectacle, and at its admirable contrafts, we beheld it with rapture. At length we reached this beautiful portico, beyond which we were to difcover all the glacier. We arrived: at this fight one would fuppofe one's self in another world, fo much is the imagination imprefied with the nature and immentity of the objects. To form an idea of this fuperb spectacle, figure in your mind C 2 mind a fcaffolding of transparent ice, filling a space of two miles, rifing to the clouds, and darting flashes of light like the fun. Nor were the several parts lefs magnificent and furprifing. One might fee as it were the streets. and buildings of a city, erected in the form of an amphitheatre, and embellihed with pieces of water, cascades and torrents. The effects were as prodigious as the immenfity and the height; the most beautiful azure, the most fplendid white, the regular appearance of a thoufand pyramids of ice, are more easy to be imagined than defcribed. Such is the aspect of the glacier of the Rhone, reared by nature on a plan which the alone can execute: we admire the majestic course of a river without fufpecting that which gives it birth, and maintains its waters, may be ftill more majeftic and magnificent.' (Bourrit, iii. 163.) He afterwards defcribes the river as iffuing from a vault of ice, as tranfparent as crystal, and illuminated by streams of sunshine darting through apertures in the roof." (Pp. 589,-590.) (To be continued.) Military Memoirs, relating to campaigns, battles, and ftratagems of war, ancient and modern. Extracted from the best authorities. With occafional remarks. By the Author of the War in Afia, from 1778 to 1784; of the Hiftory of Europe, in Dodfley's Annual Regifter, continued from 1791 to 1801, both inclufive, (1793 excepted;) and the tranflator of Mr. Cunningham's MSS. Hiftory of Great Britain, in Latin, from the time of Cromwell, to the acceffion of George I. I vol. 8vo. PP. 588. Price 10s. 6d. Johnfon. 1804. FRO ROM the works mentioned in the title-page, our readers will perceive, that the author is Dr. William Thomson; and a dedication to the Duke of York is fubfcribed by the name of that gentleman. The leading object of the performance is to exhibit military operations and events in fuch a manner as to fhew the caufes by which the refults were determined. "The event of war," fays the preface, generally depends on the fuperiority of talents in those who form and execute military plans. Here lies the ftrength of armies more than in their numbers, or even their veteran discipline. Hiftory, both ancient and modern, abundantly proves that victory has not so often turned upon the comparative maffes of oppofite numbers, as on the quantum of matter, to borrow a phrafe from the mathematicians, multiplied into its velocity, and both, by skilful evolutions, ably and dextroufly directed." That, in the great majority of cafes, victory has followed fuperior genius, wifdom and felf-poffeffion, is the leffon that the author of these memoirs feeks to inculcate; and in his execution of his task, he has very fteadily kept in view UNITY OF DESIGN. Taking a general view of the qualifications of a leader of armies, our author obferves, that one of the most important attainments is to know the character of mankind, and particularly the character of the enemy. Julius Cæfar, he obferves, in his campaigns against the Gauls, Germans, and Britons, was careful in the first place, not only to learn the na ture ture of the country, and the military force and refources of the nations which he was about to invade, but to inveftigate their government, and above all their character. One feature in the military character of the Gauls, eafily deducible from their d.fpofitions, he particularly points out as applicable to the fucceffive inhabitants of that country, from the age of Julius Cælar to the prefent. Sudden in their refolutions, unfteady, without perfeverance, without patience, they are more fitted for making than for fuftaining and repelling an attack. The victories of the French have been owing to their attacks, their defeats to attacks made upon them. This general fact our author undertakes amply to illuftrate in his military memoirs. He thinks it has been lefs attended to by nations at war with France, than prudence and expediency required. The work is divided into three parts. The first comprehends an account of war before the invention of gun-powder, beginning with the times of Homer, and ending with the laft battles which the English and Scotch fought during the reign of Edward II. and in the beginning of the reign of his fon.-The fecond part contains war after the invention of gun-powder, beginning with the battle of Crecy, and ending with the battle of Fontenoy. The third part defcribes war fince the introduction of the Pruffian tactics, and brings it down to the battle of Alexandria in 1801. It is now neceffary to advert to the authorities of our author. In ancient military history he has chiefly reforted to Xenophon, the most experienced hiftorian of Grecian warfare; to Arrian, the most accurate narrator of the exploits of Alexander; Polybius, the only authentic war hiftorian of the contests between the Romans and Carthaginians, the only writer who has fully unfolded the genius of a Scipio and a Hannibal. The wars of Cæfar he takes from the most accurate fource; Cæfar himself; and occafionally calls in Plutarch for fupplemen.ary information, on different parts of Roman military hiftory; he alfo has recourfe, though not often, to modern military criticism on ancient warfare. He has read Sir Walter Raleigh with confiderable advantage, and is impreffed with a very high idea of the wisdom of that writer. His authorities for the wars of the middle ages are in a great degree French, efpecially Froiffard and Mauvillon. For English efforts he chiefly refers to Hume, and fometimes to Ry. mer; for battles between the Scotch and English, he principally confults Hume and Buchannan. As he defcends nearer to modern times, he refers to Guicciardini, Father Daniel, Bayard, and Strada. The exploits of Gustavus Adolphus are taken from his hiftorian Gualdo, and his military inventions from Grimoard. To none of these authorities can we make any objection. When our author reaches the wars of Marlborough, we think of English hiftorians he, too exclufively quotes Cunningham; not that we impeach the authority, but there are other authorities which are also deemed weighty. His accounts of Frederick are chiefly taken from Grimoard's picture of ' the reign of Frederick, In his account of the American war, his sole authority C 3 except in one instance, is Captain Stedman, a very decent, useful writer; but certainly not the only one who has handled that fubject; and certainly one who is not paramount in hiftorical fame or importance. For the events of the laft war he refers chiefly to Dodfley's Annual Regifter. The following reafon he adduces for citing that work: "It may," he fays, "well occafion a fmile to fee a man, who acknowledges himself to be the writer of the Hiftory of Europe, in Dodfley's Annual Regifter continued, fo often quoting that publication among the beft authorities. But let it be recollected, that the authorities from whidh his ftatements of military affairs are there given, are diftinctly pointed out where thofe authorities have been published." Our author adds, that he has been much affifted by private information. From the object, plan, and authorities of this work, we now proceed to the execution. He commences the memoirs by a defcription of the battle of Thymbrium between Croefus and Cyrus. This combat is very accurately. detailed from Xenophon, and the purpofe of the narrative is to fhew that Cyrus, with a smaller number of troops, not better than those of the Lydian monarch, obtained the victory, first by his general arrangement, which enabled his forces to act with combined and complete effect, whereas the movements of Crofus were lefs connected. Secondly, Cyrus fkilfully concealed part of his defign of combat ; Crofus manifefted the whole of his plan: thirdly, Cyrus had prefence of mind to remove unforeseen obftacles, and to avail himself of unexpected occurrences. Cyrus defeated Croefus, not from commanding better foldiers, but from better directing his foldiers. He vanquished the King of Lydia, and afterwards other fovereigns, because he was an abler man than any of his adverfaries. Our author makes feveral obfervations on the warfare mentioned in the Bible, especially a fcheme of Jothua for cap.uring the city Ai; and a very able ftratagem it was. He quotes an account of the Trojan war, and imputes the capture of Priam's city to the fuperior invention of the Greeks. In mere fighting, the Trojans and their allies were a match for the Greeks, but were overcome by ftratagem. The next inftance adduced to fhew the efficacy of genius in war, is a contrivance of Cambyfes; but a fucceeding example more forcibly illuftrates the fame truth. This was the battle of Marathon, in which, though the fmall Athenian band was far more warlike than the Perfian multitude, yet they must have been overwhelmed by numbers, if it had not been for the ability of the general. Miltiades faw it would be vain to attempt the centre of the enemy, and that his hopes of fuccefs must reft on attacking a weaker part, which being thrown into confufion, might difturb the whole line; therefore he refolved the onfet fhould be from the wings, and to prevent his own handful from being furrounded, he occupied fuch a pofition as fecured his rear, and made fuch preparations as fecured each fl.nk. With thefe offenfive and defenfive difpofitions he proceeded to attle. The Perfian generals had not ability to counteract these movements, they trufted to their numbers, and the mere weight of the he Perfian column; but the genius of Miltiades threw this ponderous body into confufion, and its bulk attacked by fkill, and managed without fkill, proved its deftructión. Our author could not have felected a happier inftance of mind overcoming matter than the battle of Marathon. Another reflection, which he very feafonably introduces upon this fubject, is the fpirit of enthufiaftic valour, by which generous men are inspired to refift an invading foe. The writer inadvertently fuffered an error, we prefume of the prefs, to efcape him in ftyling the Darius, who was king of Perfia at the time of the battle of Marathon, Darius Ochus. The Darius in queftion, as the Doctor well knows was the fon of Hyftafpes. Ochus was one of the last of the Perfian kings one hundred and thirty years after. After the battle of Marathon, our author proceeds to the exploit of Leonidas; the general efforts of the Greeks, and the inefficiency of multitudes headed by fuch a man as Xerxes, against troops which had fuch commanders as Themistocles. When the Doctor reaches Epaminondas, we are furprised to find that he confines his confideration entirely to the battle of Mantinea, whereas Leuctra is fully as important an epoch in military hiftory. There Epaminondas firft formed that wedge column which the Doctor mentions; and by an attack on a part, broke the whole line of the enemy, with fix thoufand Thebans, reckoned only fecondary in valour, defeated twenty-four thoufand Lacedemonians, a nation that had hitherto been deemed invincible. Leuctra would have been one of the happiest inftances he could have chofen to illuftrate his maxim, that victory depends much more on the genius of the general, than the troops which he has to command. Epaminondas, a very able man, with fix thoufand, not better, if fo good, troops, overcame Cleombrotus, an ordinary paffable man, with twentyfour thousand. At Leuctra the Thebans had to meet an enemy that knew not defeat: at Mantinea they encountered an enemy that they had fignally defeated, and reduced from being the dictators of Greece to the lowest humiliation and diftrefs; as the author himself obferves, at, Mantinea Epaminondas was greatly fuperior in numbers. Splendid as was that victory, therefore, it was of much eafier atchievement than Leuctra, and fraught with lefs important military inftruction. From Epaminondas our author naturally proceeds to Philip of Macedon, explains the phalanx, and indeed exhibits a very clear view both of the arms and arrangements, and their reciprocal adaptation. He follows Alexander through his expedition, and prefents an accurate account of the battle of the Granicus; but without much remark. the battle of Iffus, the fiege of Tyre, and the conqueft of Egypt, he makes no remarks; but proceeds to the battle of Arbela, which he describes with very great accuracy, and clearly fhews the vaft fuperiority of intellectual powers. Though brave and hardy men, the Macedonians being about seven and forty thoufand to eleven hundred thoufand in an open country, where the chief part of the Perfians could act, could be no match in phyfical ftrength. The battle was won by the genius of Alexander fo directing his attack, as to make the numbers C4 On |