"moral impropriety, or turpitude of the means employed. "The only qualifications, on which they seemed to set 66 a substantial value, were courage and capacity, bold"ness and expedition. These, divested of all virtuous or sentimental feelings, appear to have been the real "attributes of those extraordinary, but not respectable names, that continued for three years to keep all "Europe in unceasing alarms; that made kings tremble "on their thrones; that progressively overcame all "their enemies; that changed the face of all Christen"dom in some of the most essential respects; that intro"duced systems, which, if through the hand of power 'they may be repressed, will never be eradicated: that "founded, in short, an epoch, from which may be dated events, that are only beginning to unfold themselves, and “the ultimate issue of which, it is not within the compass of "the profoundest politics to ascertain; but which will, 'probably, if not certainly, be felt in the remotest ages "to come." The event in history, which bears the nearest resemblance to the French revolution, is the first extension of Mahometanism. In each may be found the same zeal to propagate the tenets of the sect, the same thirst of plunder, the same ardour of destruction, the same enthusiasm, and the same patient and adventurous courage : in each, instead of waiting like the Romans to subdue one enemy before another was provoked, an attack was made, almost in one instant, on the greatest part of the civilized world: in neither, the dissensions of the chiefs retarded for a moment the progress of the soldiers. When we read Abu Becr's circular letter,-" In the "name of God,-To all true believers: This is to ac"quaint you, than I intend to send the true believers into Syria to take it from the hands of the infidels," -it is impossible not to think of the great nation sending forth her sans-culottes to plant the tree of liberty: or of Napoleon's informing Rome and Naples that "their so"vereigns were no more.' lution. NAPOLEON, however, is the great figure in the revoThe battle of Wagram elevated him to the highest pitch of glory, which Providence has ever permitted an individual to attain. The military exploits of Zengis, Tamerlane, Aurengzebe, and other eastern conquerors, carried their victories over a much larger portion of the globe; Trajan and Charlemagne reigned over more ample territories; and the geographical size of the kingdoms subject to Napoleon, was far inferior to the size of those, over which the autocrat of Russia sways his sceptre : but, if we consider what constitutes the real strength and splendour of a state, its civilization, power, wealth, energy, and particularly the intellectual stock of its subjects, all empires, which have hitherto been subject to one man, incontestably yield to that of Napoleon. His military achievements may be compared with those of any conqueror, ancient or modern: if Alexander, Cæsar, or Hannibal be mentioned, the admirers of Napoleon will suggest, that he had not, like the first, effeminate troops of an Asiatic despot, or like the second, undisciplined tribes of barbarians to encounter: nor, when he subdued Italy, had he, like the third, the whole of its upper region at his command, and an army formed by campaigns of twenty years in Spain, to fight under him. The armies opposed to Napoleon were highly brave, completely disciplined, and commanded by the ablest generals; frequently a great proportion of his own had not seen actual service; yet he triumphed ; and his victorious banners were seen in the capital of every continental state, whose sovereign had attacked or resisted him. Still, to use an expression of Shakspeare, it must be admitted, that the previous unhingement of the world, which gave the invading armies of France, wherever they arrived, secret, but enthusiastic friends, both contributed to the successes of Napoleon, and increased their lustre.* Will not military men find more to study and admire in the campaigns of Turenne on the Rhine,† Marlborough on the Danube, and Welling * See the Quarterly Review for May 1809, Art. Austrian State Papers. + In the praise of this immortal man, the poets and orators of France exerted all their powers; but on one occasion, Louis XIV. was his best panegyrist. In January 1675, Turenne with 20,000 men, defeated 60,000 Germans, at Turcheim, and drove the whole remainder of the imperial army to the north of the Rhine. The detail of the victory was immediately sent to Versailles, and Louis read it to his courtiers: the disproportion of numbers in the conflicting armies made it heard with astonishment; and it became a contest, among the courtiers, which should express, in strongest terms, his admiration of the victory. Louis then took from his pocket a letter it had been written by Turenne to Louvois, his majesty's minister at war, in the preceding October: it appeared by it, that both his majesty and his minister had feared for the issue of the campaign: and that, by his majesty's orders, Louvois had suggested to Turenne the prudence of a retreat into the interior. To this communication, the letter produced by Louis was an answer. Turenne modestly intimated in it, a wish that his majesty's confidence in him, and the army entrusted to him, might be continued: he was aware, he said, of a projected junction of the elector of Brandenburgh with the Imperialists; that he should appear to be dismay: ed by it, and retreat before them, until he should draw them into Lorraine, and, then from a quarter which they could not foresee, he would fall on their most important division, completely destroy ton in Spain?* Throughout the whole of his long and brilliant career, did Napoleon once display greater military skill, than was exhibited by the duke of Wellington at Talavera? The reader probably remembers the sans-culottic exhibitions, equally ridiculous and disgusting, of the Goddess of Reason, and the uncatholicizing of the calendar. These had been foreseen :-When the first stone of the magnificent church of St. Généviève at Paris, (not yet completed,) was laying, the following verses and translation of them were circulated : "Templum augustum, ingens, reginâ assurgit in urbe Tarda nimis pietas! Vanos moliris honores! Ante Deo in summâ quam templum extruxeris urbe, it, and completely disorganize the whole remainder of the army. What he predicted, he effected, so that, at the end of the following January, there was not a German on the French side of the Rhine. Turenne was killed by a cannon ball, while he was reconnoitring in the advanced posts of his army. Before the news of his death had reached the camp of the enemy, the maréschal de Lorges, on whom the command of the French army devolved, made a movement, it is admitted, that showed no ordinary skill. Montecuculli, the Imperial general, surveyed it for some time with attention; then turning to the officers, who surrounded him, said coolly, -“Turenne ne commande plus :”—the greatest compliment ever paid by one general to another. * Considering all the circumstances, under which the Spanish campaigns of the duke of Wellington were fought, does the page of history record any which exhibit greater military skill? The impenetrable array at Waterloo appears to be beyond praise. Why was not the memorable conflict called,-THE BATTLE OF THE BRITISH SOLDIERS ? "Paris! sur ta montagne un saint temple s'élève ; Tardive piété ! d'un vain zéle saisi, Paris! pour ce projet quel temps as tu choisi! XVI. CONFESSIONS OF FAITH. IT has been observed invidiously of the Reminiscent, that, in all his publications, whatever may have been the subject of them, he has always had in view the interest of the Catholic cause. He pleads-sans phrases,-guilty to the charge ;-he unequivocally admits, that some of his works were written with no other view; and that in all, he kept his attention directed towards this object, so far, that he never omitted to avail himself of any opportunity which his subject afforded, either of bringing forward a topic that redounded to the honour of the Catholic church, or of defending her against charges, which he thought unfounded or exaggerated. In fact, the restoration of the Roman Catholic portion of his majesty's subjects to their legitimate rank in the community, or, in other words, to an equal participation with their fellow subjects, in the blessings of the constitution, has been the great object of his life. During forty years he has pursued it openly, and he thinks he may say honourably. In this pursuit, he has avoided every thing that savoured of personal hostility. Claiming for himself the merit of conviction and sincerity, he has ever been ready to acknowledge the equal conviction and sincerity of others. |