ART. V.-1. Souvenirs du Maréchal Macdonald, Duc de Tarente. Avec une Introduction par M. CAMILLE ROUSSET, de l'Académie Française. Paris: 1892.

2. Recollections of Marshal Macdonald, Duke of Tarentum. Edited by CAMILLE ROUSSET. Translated by STEPHEN LOUIS SIMEON. In 2 vols. London.

NOTWITHSTANDING the natural genius of the French for war, it is a fact that some of the most distinguished leaders of French armies have been virtually foreigners. Among these may be mentioned the Duke of Berwick, Marshal Saxe, the great Napoleon, and Marshal Macdonald. By a strange caprice of fortune a Scottish highlander from the Hebrides and a Corsican islander from the Mediterranean were brought together to command the armies of France; and it is not less remarkable that the son of a Jacobite exiled for his attachment to the right divine' of kings should have fought stoutly for a republic, and have cherished throughout life a feeling of gratitude for the French Revolution.

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It may be asked whether the Recollections of the marshal were worth publishing so long after the eventful period with which they deal, although the writer of them played no distinguished part in politics, and even in his own profession does not occupy a place in the first rank and was surpassed by many of the great Corsican's lieutenants. a matter of fact, in the two principal battles in which Macdonald commanded in chief he was defeated. No one, however, after reading the book before us, will deny that it has been well published; for the marshal, if not a great commander, was what Napoleon would have called un grand homme de guerre,' and as the chief of an army corps was surpassed by none of his comrades. Moreover, he was conspicuous for his honesty, sturdy frankness, and devotion to duty among a group of men most of whom were solely occupied with the promotion of their own interests. The chief merit of these Recollections is that, whatever may be thought of the marshal's capacity, circumstances brought him into intimate relations with many men who played important parts in the great drama which absorbed the world's attention for nearly a quarter of a century, and concerning these he tells us much that is of the highest interest, and throws valuable side-lights on Napoleon and his chief lieutenants. As there is no question.

about the marshal's honour and truthfulness, and as he was singularly free from jealousy, his testimony may be accepted without hesitation. No French writer of military memoirs has criticised his superiors and subordinates with equal frankness and severity. As he wrote for his son, without reference to publication, he gave full license to his pen, and he has left us a truthful but sinister record of the men with whom he acted.

The father of the future marshal was Vall Macachaim, son of Ronald Macachaim, a farmer at Houghbeag, South Uist. Vall was at first intended for the priesthood, and was educated at the Scotch college at Douai. After, however, completing his course, he abandoned the idea of taking holy orders, and returned home. There he became schoolmaster of his native parish and tutor in the family of Clanranald. It is not so expressly stated, but it appears probable that Vall joined Prince Charles Edward from the first. At all events, after Culloden had been fought and lost, he, according to his son, accompanied the prince in his wanderings in the Hebrides. When Charles Edward eventually escaped, he was still attended by Vall, who, on reaching France, exchanged the name of Macachaim-that of a sept of the Macdonalds-for the better known name of the clan. As a reward for his services Vall obtained a lieutenancy first in Albany's Scotch regiment and afterwards one in Ogilvie's. As the marshal expresses it: Your grandfather was put into Ogilvie's Scotch regiment, and the prince (Charles Edward) never gave him another thought.' After the peace of 1763, nearly all the foreign regiments in the service of France were disbanded, and Vall Macdonald found himself thrown on the world with a pension of 30l. a year. With true military improvidence, he took the opportunity of marrying a girl of good family but no fortune, and on November 17, 1765, the future marshal was born at Sédan. Like his father, he was destined by his family for the priesthood, but being sent to a semi-military academy at Paris he was seized with martial ardour. He studied for the Engineers and failed, but powerful patrons exerting themselves on his behalf, he obtained in 1785 a lieutenancy in Maillebois' regiment, which was being raised for the service of the Dutch then embroiled with Austria. Matters, however, having been accommodated, Maillebois' regiment was disbanded, and young Macdonald found himself without employment, and without other resources than a small sum drawn from the Dutch government. He wisely determined to sink

his pride and begin again at the foot of the ladder. He, therefore, thankfully accepted the offer of a gentleman cadetship in Dillon's Irish regiment, and was rewarded by the brevet of sub-lieutenant in six months, followed six months later by the substantive rank. In 1791 he became a lieutenant. War having broken out, General Beurnonville, an old friend of the family, obtained for him promotion to the rank of captain and appointed him his aide-de-camp. Two months later Dumouriez, then commanding the army of the North, pleased with the manner in which Macdonald had performed several special duties with which he had been entrusted, wished to take him as his own aide-de-camp. Beurnonville urged him to accept the flattering and advantageous offer, but it took much pressure before he consented to quit his first patron.

It deserves notice that Macdonald was one of the few French officers in the republican armies who had obtained some rank in the royal army before the revolution, which accounts for his rapid rise in the service. The battle of Jemappes won for him the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Being on leave in Paris, he at the end of the winter was named by his old friend Beurnonville, then minister of war, to the coloneley of the regiment of Picardy. The tide of victory had by this time set against Dumouriez; he had been beaten at Neerwinden, and the army was in full retreat when the new colonel arrived at Brussels. Everything, indeed, was in such confusion that he could not for some time find his regiment. A few days later Beurnonville and four commissioners from the Convention arrived to arrest Dumouriez, who, however, anticipated them by seizing all five and handing them over to the Austrians. Macdonald was ordered by General Miaczinski, commanding the brigade, to take command and to march to Lille, whither he, the general, was preceding him. On reaching the suburbs he received a note from the general, ordering him to halt, to provide refreshment for the men, and not to leave them, sending into Lille for food. The gates were found to be shut and the drawbridges raised. A municipal official informed him that the council wished to see him. He pleaded his orders not to quit the troops, and, assuming that the interview was only to arrange about rations and quarters, sent a captain in his place. This officer returned without any instructions. Night was coming on, the hungry troops burst out into loud complaints, when suddenly a voice from the ramparts called out that the brigade was to march round the glacis to another suburb, where rations and tents would be issued. On arriving at

the suburb in question the gate was seen to be closed, but a voice from within called out that the colonel of the regiment of Picardy was to come to the council.

'My grenadiers mutinied and replied in the negative, adding that if their colonel went they would go too. This was refused. I had nothing to reproach myself with. I at once determined upon going alone. The soldiers then raised very alarming cries, declaring, among other things, that these had killed their poor Capet (Louis XVI.), and so on. They also began to shout, "Long live the king!" I addressed them with severity, threatening them, and pretending that I could recognise individual voices, which frightened them; and I then extracted from them a promise to remain quiet until my return.'

Taken under escort to the town hall, he was at first regarded with suspicion and closely questioned; but he soon succeeded in establishing his innocence of any share in the plot by which General Miaczinski was to have seized Lille, and was sent back to his brigade with instructions to lead it to the camp of La Madeleine, where everything necessary would be furnished. On his reappearance he said, "Well, my friends, I knew that it was simply to discuss your "needs." They all began to cry "Long live the republic!" Such is the inconstancy of the multitude.'

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Notwithstanding his loyal conduct, he still remained suspected owing to his having been on Dumouriez's staff. General Lamarlière defended him, but his enemies, for personal reasons, wished to transfer him from the command. of his regiment to the position of adjutant-general. He declined to accept the arrangement, and being backed up by the general, he gained his point. He had, however, the gratification of seeing one of his captains, Béru, promoted to the rank of general of brigade, and placed in command of the camp where the regiment of Picardy was quartered. Soon after General Lamarlière was disgraced and executed, Béru replacing him with the rank of general of division, while, to Macdonald's great astonishment, he was promoted to the rank of general of brigade on August 26, 1793. Again he was suspected, and was on the point of being arrested and tried, when a chance saved him. Pichegru, appointed to the command of the army of the North, knowing his merit, begged that he might be exempted from the decree which banished all ci-devant nobles to a distance of thirty leagues from Paris, the frontiers, and from the armies. The commissioners decided that he should retain his post. They, however, refused Macdonald's request that he might be protected by written orders against accusations in case of defeat.

Macdonald on this threatened to resign, but was told that if he quitted the army he would be arrested and tried. He had no choice, therefore, but to remain. Meanwhile, the representative Isore, who had seen him at work on the frontier, speaking to the minister of war on his behalf, averted the tempest, and henceforth his republicanism remained unsuspected.

In the campaign which ensued--that of 1794—he played an honourable part, and at its conclusion was promoted to the rank of general of division. He was twenty-nine years of age, and three years before had been but a lieutenant. His headquarters were at Nimeguen, and he was placed temporarily in command of two divisions. On the opposite side of the Waal was the Anglo-Hanoverian army, whose position was defended by forts and fortified dykes. The passage of the river seemed impracticable, but Macdonald hoped that the ice, when thick enough, might render the operation. feasible. Suddenly he noticed what he deemed symptoms of retreat, though, as he afterwards ascertained, no retreat was contemplated. Be that as it may, the arrangements he had carefully matured were carried out energetically, the river was crossed on the ice, and, in spite of a sharp resistance, the French were victorious. This success won for Macdonald great fame, though he modestly confesses that he acted on an incorrect supposition. After sharing in the subsequent campaign, he in 1796 was ordered with an army corps to Düsseldorf, but the year closed without his being engaged in any important operations. In the following year he was in command of the army of the North on the lower Rhine with orders to co-operate with the armies of the Rhine and the Sambre et Meuse, when the treaty of Campo Formio put an end to hostilities. The three armies were then reunited under the title of the army of Germany, and Augereau was sent from Paris to take the command. reviewed the army of the North at Cologne.

He

'A halt was called before the march past. The soldiers crowded round the new commander-in-chief. His dress was startling; he was covered with gold embroidery even down to his short boots, thus contrasting strongly with our simple uniforms. He related his Italian campaigns, spoke of the bravery of the troops, but without even mentioning the leader of that army. He said that the soldiers were very well treated there, and that there was not a man among them, bad character as he might be, who had not ten gold pieces in his pocket and a gold watch. This was a hint to our fellows.'

In the spring of 1798 Macdonald was transferred to the