Having attempted to characterize the former Tranflation, to which we have already referred, we find ourselves too much embarraffed to fay any thing more particular of the prefent one, than that it feenis, upon the whole, to be very decent and intelligible. This is one of the most invidious and difagreeable circumftances of our engagements to the Public; as it feems next to an impoffibility to be juft to two ingenious Tranflators of the fame piece, and to make our judgment acceptable to both. It being highly probable, this anonymous Gentleman of Oxford has read and confidered Mr. Scott's Tranflation, he must undoubtedly have intended to present the public with one that is preferable. As it is poffible Mr. Scott may not be convinced he has effected this; and we do not affume to be the ultimate Arbitrators in the case; we fhall present a specimen or two, from the prefent verfion or copy, exactly of the fame parts which we cited from Mr. Scott's, (then anonymous) whence our Readers may compare them from our general reference, and determine according to their own taste or judgment. Should any very close fimilarity of expreffion occur in their transfufion of the fame paffage of the original, it will be obvious the Translator could not imbibe it from the Copier; tho', perhaps, their coincidence may be accidental.-The fenfual pleasures, and their confequences, are thus pourtrayed by the present Tranflator, beginning at v. 155.

Here Luft her eyes in liquid glances rolls,

Here flush'd Intemp'rance quaffs her countless bowls;
Her heaps of gold infatiate A'rice fhews,

And broods o'er treasures which fhe dares not use.
Here Flatt'ry mafk'd in Truth's fair feeming veil,
Infinuates flily her bewitching tale.

By them feduc'd to Pleafure's painted bow'rs,
He roves at large, and crops the short-liv'd flow'rs
Runs blindly on, by whim or paffion led,
Or idly fleeps on Sloth's inglorious bed;
In vain purfuits his waking hours employs,
And feafts at night on vifionary joys.
But when abafh'd at Reafon's rifing light,
The fhadowy phantoms vanifh from his fight:
Alarm'd, afham'd, he mourns his hapless fate,
Too foon deluded, and convinc'd too late.
Sweet Mufic fooths his ravifh'd ear no more,
Now, big with ftorms, the hollow tempefts roar,.
Diffolv'd in air, the pleafing landfcape dies,
Thick clouds defcend, and grizly spectres rife :
From the dark manfions of her loathfome cell,
Where wrapt in night her fad attendants dwell,
4

Stalks

Stalks flow-pac'd Punishment with brow fevere,
Confcious he flies, and starts to find her near;
She ftill purfues him with her vengeful rod,
And drags him trembling to her dark abode.

The Virtues are thus delineated with their Symbols, in the present performance. V. 269.

See white-rob'd Chaflity with filver zone,
And healthful Temp'rance, by her bridle known;
See blufhing Modefy with filken veil,
And Justice poiling her impartial scale :
Here Liberty her glorious ftandard bears,
And Fortitude her batter'd helmet wears:
Here Liberality thofe gifts fupplies,

Which Fortune oft to modeft Worth denies :
Here hand in hand with Equity appears,

Indulgent Mercy bath'd in tender tears.

To these correfpond the paffages cited from Mr. Scott: Review, vol. XI. p. 503, 504, and 506.

ACCOUNT of FOREIGN BOOKS.

La Foibleffe du feu précipité du Canon, et du Mosquet, demontrée, par les Faits; par M. Knoch, Lieutenant du premier Regiment d'Orange-Naffaus 8vo. Frankfort, 1759. Or, The Infufficiency of Fire-arms, for Attack or Defence, demonftrated from Facts, &c.

N the prefent circumstances of general War, it may be

I reasonably expected the Military Art will receive many

Improvements, that are the immediate refult of experience. While this deftructive art continues, alfo, to be a neceffary one, every such improvement will be confidered as important and useful; while, at the fame time, every plaufible or promifing attempt to this end, will lay juft claim to the attention of the public. The fenfible Author of this little performance, endeavours to demonftrate, from experience, the truth of what has, indeed, been before fuggefted by many, viz. That Fire-arms are not fo deftructive, or fo ufeful, either in Field-fights, or in Sieges, as was formerly imagined: and that the Bayonets now in ufe, are lefs ferviceable than the Pikes, which have been laid afide fince the invention of Gunpowder.

Z 2

As

As many of his obfervations, on this fubject, feem to be confirmed by facts, as well as to be reasonable enough in themselves, we fhall extract fome of the most material, for the information or entertainment of our Readers.

Ever fince the invention of Fire-arms, it has been a principal branch of study, in the Art-military, to improve on the defign, and increase the effects of those destructive engines. The methods, however, which have hitherto been taken to effect this purpose, have, according to our Author, failed of fuccefs. Each nation, fays he, hath eagerly endeavoured to furpass the other in quickness of firing; from whence are derived the feveral methods of firing by divifions, platoons, by rank and file, from the right to the left, &c. But the fuppofed utility of all thefe various manoeuvres will, in a great degree, vanifh; if we examine into their effects, by comparing the number of the killed and wounded, in any battle, with the number of the combatants, and the frequency of their firings: fince, from a number of examples, it might hence be proved, that out of eighty bullets fired, there is not above one that does execution. As an instance of this, it is obferved, that at the battle of Fontenoy, the French had about fix thoufand killed and wounded. Now, on the fide of the Allies, there were not, in the whole, more than thirty-fix thousand men: deducting from this number that of the Dutch troops, and the cavalry, which did not engage, there were but twenty thousand combatants. It is knowır, thefe fired away all their cartridges, to the number, perhaps, of thirty-fix each man: but we will fuppofe each man fired no more than twenty: here were four hundred thousand shot difcharged. And if, at the fame time, we fuppofe, that only five hundred men fuffered from the artillery, it is plain, here were feventy-three shot to one perfon killed or wounded. If we confider befides, how many might fuffer from the bayonet, the difproportion will also be confiderably increased.

A more recent example was afforded in the affair of Meer, near Wezel, where General Imhoff attacked the French, The latter confifted of five thousand men, who fired, at leaft, fix times a-piece, difcharging, in confequence, thirty thoufand fhot; and yet the killed and wounded of the Hanoverians amounted to no more than three hundred, including those who fuffered by the bayonet and artillery. This was

in the proportion of a hundred fhot to one man.

Thus, at a medium, taken from any number of late battles, it will be found, that not more than one man has been killed or wounded by eighty fhot discharged.

As

At the battle of Sanderhaufen, a Heffian regiment on the left wing referved their fire, till a regiment of French advanced within thirty paces of their line; when the former gave a general volley, by which, in all appearance, eight hundred mufkets were discharged full in the faces of the latter. But notwithstanding the French were fo near, they fuffered very little. If then, the effect of the mufquetry, at thirty paces, be fo inconfiderable, what muft it be at a hundred and fifty, or two hundred paces, the distance at which they usually begin to fire?

Indeed, if the fire of the mufquetry were fo terrible in effect, as it threatens, in appearance, two armies of equal numbers, and equally expert at firing, muft, in a manner, totally destroy each other in a few rounds. As it is, in fact, however, after twenty or thirty fhot are exchanged on both fides, there is hardly any fenfible decrease of numbers.

There is, notwithstanding, but little reason for furprize, at this apparently-wonderful difproportion between the caufe and effect, if we examine into the matter. In the first place, the barrels of the common mufkets are too fhort, to take aim with, or to carry a bullet far in a ftrait line. The charge, alfo, not being proportioned to the length of the barrel, the force of the fhot is much less than it ought to be. Both thefe circumstances together contribute to render the effect precarious and uncertain. Yet, were it otherwife as to thefe defects, who ever faw foldiers take aim? they are not instructed in it; and, indeed, confidering the ordinary way in which they attack, it would be labour loft to teach them any thing about it. The men are, in general, fo much crowded, that they cannot help joftling and hindering each other. The mufket is also too heavy for a foldier to hold, presented, with the object in view, till the word of command be given: and, if that be given too haftily, it is a great chance if many will have taken aim at all. There is an inconvenience alfo, in the form of the but-end of the mufket, which is too ftrai to admit of the foldier's conveniently taking aim. Add to all this, that, in a warm engagement, few of the men are capable of acting with fufficient deliberation; and, at clofe firing, they frequently cannot fee the enemy for fmoke.

All these circumftances confidered, it becomes rather an object of furprize, that fo many are killed and wounded by the mufquetry, as, indeed, there are, than that there fhould be fo few.

In respect to the defence of fortified places, the distance at which the befieged usually fire, being confiderable, the discharge of the mufquetry is here of ftill lefs ufe than in the field. It is alfo impoffible to take all the advantages of the difpofition of the works, to keep firing from several parts on the enemy, without running the risk of killing, with random fhot, as many of the befieged as the befiegers.

At the fame time that the mufket is of fo little use, it is highly inconvenient and burthenfome to the foldier, who is alfo loaded with an ufelefs weight of ammunition; feventynine parts of which, out of eighty, are entirely thrown

away.

The Pruffians have certainly brought quick firing to a greater degree of perfection than the troops of any other nation in the univerfe: but, if we may judge by their practice, they do not think it so very terrible in effect, or rely on it much in the time of action. At the battle of Prague, they not only made light of fuftaining the fire of the Auftrians, but even neglected to take the advantage of their own, tho' fo greatly fuperior; rufhing at once upon the enemy with their bayonets, as the moft decifive method of fighting.

The fundamental principles on which the use of fire-arms fhould reft, are doubtlefs the right direction and fufficient force of the shot. Without having a nice regard to these, quickness of firing is of no account; as it is better to fire, in any given time, two bullets whofe execution is certain, than double, or treble, the number whofe effects are fo precarious as above mentioned. It was, therefore, previously neceffary, to find out a method whereby to render the mufket fhot certain, and of fufficient force to do execution, before fo much trouble had been taken about quick firing for if the uncertainty of the effect increafes with the expedition, as it naturally must be fuppofed to do, all the arts of quick firing ferve only to fatigue the foldiery, and throw away gunpowder and fhot, to no better purpose than to make much noife and a great fmoke.

Our Author objects alfo, to the ufe of the mortar, in throwing bombs; prefering the Catapult of the antients, as more fure of the mark, of much eafier carriage, and in many other refpects more ferviceable.

As to the Bayonet and Pike, Mr. Knoch obferves, that the latter growing out of ufe, on the introduction of firearms, the infantry were at a lofs for a weapon of defence, till they were fupplied with the former. The bayonet, how

ever,