talion are often synonymous, because the greater part of the English regiments consist of but one battalion.

Note 17.-Line 21, page 183.

How can the author dare to speak, gratuitously, of the prison-ships, which are the shame of modern England, and which have been stigmatised by every man of decent feeling throughout the world!

Note 18.-Line 43, page 184.

The Division of Sir C. Colville consisted of only 5000 men, because Mitchell's Brigade, which belonged to it, had remained at Waterloo. It was certainly not this feeble division that could have arrested the progress of the French had they been victorious. But there was at Hal, besides Colville's Division, three brigades of the Netherland army, and a brigade of Hanoverian cavalry, presenting altogether a force of about 14,000 men, so that Prince Frederic of the Pays Bas, who commanded the corps, had at his disposal about 19,000 men. Why does not the author speak the truth?

Note 19.-Line 3, and the note, page 185.

The "some guns," of which the author makes mention, were the signal by which Blucher announced to Wellington that the Prussians were about to take part in the battle. Soon after (at half-past four), the fifteenth and sixteenth brigades of the reserve cavalry of Bulow commenced the attack, in advancing on the village of Planchenoit.

The Prussians did not experience the least difficulty in clearing the wood of Frichermont (called also the "Bois de Paris"), since it was not occupied by the French; what retarded their arrival was the bad state of the roads, and the long defile of St. Lambert.

Note 20.-Line 23, page 185.

At five o'clock, three Prussian battalions attacked Frichermont; at six o'clock they took possession of it, and went to the aid of the brigade of the Prince of Saxe Weimar, who were fighting at the hamlet of La Haye Sainte (query-Terre la Haye). It is therefore not correct to say that it was towards seven o'clock that the communication was established between the Prussians and the left wing of the Allied Army.

Note 21.-On the 2nd note, page 187.

A little before the paragraph to which this note refers, the author has himself described the critical situation of the English troops before the grand attack, and now, by a singular contradiction, he pretends that after this attack they had become invincible. We will reply to this by the confession of the Duke of Wellington, who, in a letter addressed to his brother, has declared, that by the successive attacks of the French, his Army was so reduced, that it was on the point of being beaten. As the author is so fond of quoting from the Duke, why does he abstain from citing this letter?

Note 22.-Line 15, page 188.

In saying, and that was all, the author seems to insinuate that it was nothing. But we know very well, and so does the author, that that part of the right of the French army whose attention the Prussians drew, was neither more nor less than the eighteen battalions that composed the sixth corps d'armée, fourteen battalions of the Garde, and the two divisions of cavalry, Dumont and Subervic, amounting altogether to 24,000 good troops, not a fourth of which had been engaged against the English. We also know, that at seven o'clock in the evening, when 30,000 Prussians arrived on the field of battle, the Army of the Allies was reduced to 35,000 fighting men, worn out with fatigue, and depending on nothing but the hope of immediate succour. Well, if these 24,000 men, instead of attending to the Prussians, to whom they occasioned a loss of 7000 in killed and wounded, had been sent by Napoleon against the English, it cannot be doubted that they must have given way.,

CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE PRINCIPAL PORTS AND STATIONS.

Portsmouth, June 20, 1842.

MR. EDITOR,-H.M.S. Larne, upwards of five years in commission, returned to Spithead yesterday afternoon. She has been actively employed, the greater part of that period, in India and China; and her Commander has, in consequence, obtained his post rank, and brought the ship to England. The Larne has been on shore once, and from fair wear is in a weak state and condition. She has been upwards of six months on her passage from India, and consequently has not a particle of news to communicate. There are not any orders about her; but as she was fitted out at this port, it is possible she may be paid off at it.

Rear-Admiral the Hon. J. Percy, C.B., sailed on the 9th instant, in H.M.S. Winchester, for the Cape of Good Hope; there, the Rear-Admiral expects to find Vice-Admiral Sir E. D. King, and is to relieve him in the African command; and the latter is ordered to return to England in the Southampton.

The Pique, 36, has returned from the West Indies, been paid off, and re-commissioned by the same Captain. Most of the officers have been re-appointed, and a great number of the men have been allowed to re-enter. The ship is now lying alongside the Dockyard, and in a few days the officers and crew will commence equipping her for sea. No other ships or vessels are fitting, except the Satellite and Albatross; and from the abundance of seamen that have offered, both of them have been able to select good crews, and consequently they are rapidly progressing.

The Port duties are at present conducted by the Rear-Admiral the Hon. D. P. Bouverie-the Commander-in-Chief having gone to Jersey and Guernsey, and the different parts of his command, on the annual visit of inspection. The Rear-Admiral's successor, as Superintendent of the Dockyard, has not yet been announced officially; but there appears little doubt but Rear-Admiral Hyde Parker, C.B., will be the officer selected. The day for the change to take place is rapidly approaching-July 26th.

The works going on in the Dockyard consist of an extensive repair of the sea-wall at the W.N.W. part of it; a new building-slip on a large scale is to be made, and the one on which the Frolic is constructing is to be extended, and adapted for a frigate. Two ships of the line, a first-class steam-frigate, and an experimental frigate, are building. The ships are the Royal Frederick and Princess Royal; the steamer is the Firebrand; and the frigate is to be called the Eurydice-she is from a plan and designs of Rear-Admiral the Hon. George Elliot.

Not any ships are expected here, except the Cleopatra and Talbot, from Sheerness; they are to call at Spithead for their seamen gunners and sailing orders; and, being nearly ready for sea, will be round about the first week in the ensuing month. It has been reported that they are intended for the Coast of Africa; but this is all surmise-their destination is not fixed.

The Thunderbolt, first-class steamer, is in the Clyde, having her machinery, engines, &c., fitted. She will not be ready for some months, so that it will be Christmas before she is commissioned.

The report which has been circulated that six sail of the line are to be brought forward is imagination; such an idea is not thought of; it has probably arisen from the Collingwood and Vengeance, two new second-rate ships, having had the dimensions of their ports taken, that the gun-carriages, guns, &c. &c., may be prepared, which is a work of considerable

time.

At the customary examination of Midshipmen, in navigation and the use of instruments, held this month at the Naval College in Portsmouth Dock

yard, owing to several ships having recently returned to England, the following eleven went through the ordeal, and the whole of them passed, viz.:

Mr. G. W. Towsey, late Daphne

Alex. George West, Camperdown
Francis H. Shortt, Excellent

Charles B. Strong, Queen

John C. D. Hay, late Benbow
Henry J. Grant, Illustrious

Mr. Henry Bartlett King, late Daphne
Russel Patey, late President

C. W. G. Cerjat, Excellent
H. F. W. Ingram, late Talbot
Charles A. Vansittart, Winchester.

As the examination in gunnery, on board the Excellent, now forms an indispensable part of the qualifications of an officer, before he is made a Lieutenant, and as all who are to undergo it may not be aware of what is required on board that ship, the following is a copy of the card placed in the office of the Commander-in-Chief at this port, for the guidance of all Mates and Midshipmen who may hereafter present themselves for examination. The day fixed is the second Monday after each second Wednesday in the month.

Mates and Midshipmen offering themselves as Candidates to pass the Gunnery Examination on board H.M. ship Excellent, will be required to be perfect in the following branches of gunnery :—

First Instructions

Handspike drill (partially)

Manual exercise (with detail and words

of command)

Secure outboard

Secure inboard

Shifting breechings

Double breeching

Securing with messenger

Extreme training

Quick firing

Lower-deck exercise

Mounting and dismounting

Fighting both sides

Wooden gun

Diagrams

Each of the foregoing subjects have certain value in numbers: for instance, the questions in naval gunnery and shell-firing are 250, and disparting, 100. The whole amount to 700, which are the full numbers; and no Mate or Midshipman will get a certificate of qualification, unless he obtains 500 numbers. It is to be observed, that in future no one can attend the College Navigation Examination, unless he produce a certificate in gunnery; and, moreover, the system of cramming for it will not be allowed, as each officer must acquire the necessary knowledge in his own ship, or it may be years before he is made a Lieutenant.

The Marine Cadets on board H.M.S. Excellent have undergone their second half-yearly examination. It is probable that some of them will have made such progress as to be recommended for commissions in the corps, and that, when the result of the whole examination is laid before the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, the recommendation may be attended to. The system of education is very good, and a few years will produce a clever set of officers. The following Marine Cadets are now studying on board the Excellent :

P.S.-The Danish frigate Flora has come up to Spithead this afternoon from Cowes; and, that no one might take umbrage at proper salutes not being fired, she saluted both Admirals and then the Governor of the Garrison each salute was returned.

The dates of the Larne are as follow:-She left Chusan, 1st Nov.; Macao, 14th Nov.: Singapore, 29th Nov.; Madras, 15th January; Trincomalee, 8th February; and the Cape of Good Hope, 10th April. She has brought Commander Aug. H. Ingram, promoted out of the Blonde, and a number of invalids from the squadron.

P.

Plymouth, June 19, 1842.

MR. EDITOR,-The Admiralty have issued orders to the dockyards to admit annually 100 apprentices to shipwrights, to supply the vacancies in the shipwright department, occasioned by death and other causes. The share for Plymouth will be twenty-five per annum; and eight having been already entered this year, seventeen are to be entered immediately.

24th May. That fine ship, the Canopus, was undocked, after undergoing a considerable repair. On the next day, the Wolf, which is fitted with Capt. Conch's chock channels, was undocked.

26th May.-Rhadamanthus, steam-vessel, arrived;-waiting for orders. The forecastle was caulked in two hours. She sailed on the 28th, with a special Queen's messenger to New York, having taken on board 700 bags of coals, which employed her crew during part of the night. She is to return to Plymouth.

27th.-Espoir placed in the dock from which the Wolf was taken. The Espoir is said to be about to be brought forward for commission. The Weazel arrived this day from the Mediterranean, and anchored in the Sound; having on board that unhappy man Cumming, who was tried by court-martial, and condemned to be executed for the murder of a boy on board H.M.S. Cambridge. The Weazel has sailed for the eastward, where, if at all, the sentence will be carried into effect. I say, if at all, because there are some reasons, I understand, to apprehend that the man Cumming is insane.

The 24th and 65th Regiments of Foot, and the division of Royal Marines, stationed in this garrison, have, during this month, undergone their halfyearly inspection by Major-General Murray, who has been pleased to express himself in the highest terms as to his satisfaction at the condition of these several corps.

27th May.-Spider, schooner, Lieut.-Com. Pym, arrived from Chatham on her way to South America. She is to be employed in conveying the mails to and from Rio Janeiro and Buenos Ayres. She sailed on the 2nd June.

On the 31st May, the Pigeon packet, and on the 13th June, the Star packet, arrived to be paid off, still adding to the very large number of small craft in this harbour, to which allusion has been made in a former part of this letter

The following is the list of packets and small brigs recently paid off, and dismantled at this port, viz. :—

Magnet, Lyra, Alert, Pandora, Sheldrake, Tyrian, Buzzard, Scorpion, Lapwing, Seagull, Delight, Pigeon, Nightingale, Wizard, Saracen, Hope, Espoir, Star.

The following 10-gun brigs are to be brought forward in turn for commission, viz.:-Hope, Scorpion, Saracen, Musquito, Tyrian.

The only ships commissioned during the month, are the Etna, Lieut.Com. Butler, to be stationed at Liverpool, and the Wolf, Com. Hayes. The number of good seamen hanging about here, in consequence of the recent paying off of so many ships, is considerable. The Wolf consequently is manning unusually fast, with capital hands.

The Malabar, which had been lying so many weeks in the Sound, sailed, at length, for Rio Janeiro, on the 5th June, carrying out supernumeraries for the South American station.

On the 6th, the Pluto, steam-vessel, arrived from Sierra Leone, Com.

Blount, with a mail, having left the coast on the 9th April. She remained seven days at the island of Bona Vista, three at Madeira, four at Lisbon, one at Toriano Bay, to repair engine, and was obliged by a strong gale to bear up for Corunna, which she left on the 1st instant for this port. These particulars are given just to show how this vessel, which was not built for long voyages, bas, nevertheless, been enabled to accomplish one. The squadron were generally healthy when the Pluto left the coast.

The Surveyor of the Navy visited this dockyard on the 9th inst., and left the following day. His large ship, the Albion, which will carry to sea, probably, the most formidable battery ever embarked, namely, ninety 68pounders, is being proceeded with with great dispatch, and will perhaps be launched in August.

Commissioned ships in harbour, Caledonia, San Josef, Philomel, Etna, Wolf, Star; the latter is to be immediately off. In the Sound, none.

D.

REVIEWS AND CRITICAL NOTICES.

PLAN OF ALEXANDRIA AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. BY LIEUT.-COLONEL E. NAPIER, 46TH REGIMENT.

COLONEL NAPIER, who is never idle, profited by his Syrian mission during which he was employed in Egypt, to reconnoitre and lay down the coast and localities of Alexandria, with as much accuracy as was possible in his position, requiring much caution under the jealous system of the Egyptian Government. This Plan, under the peculiar circumstances, is therefore valuable, and will be rendered more clear and practical by explanatory Notes on the Defences, drawn up by Colonel Napier, but not yet circulated, for obvious reasons. It is satisfactory to find officers thus turning their opportunities to good account, as the author of this Plan never fails to do.

'EXCURSIONS IN ALBANIA. BY CAPT. J. J. Best, 34th Regiment." We should have sooner done justice to Capt. Best's pleasant volume, had our wish alone sufficed, but room and opportunity were wanting. It is not, however, too late to express the entertainment we have derived from his lively and sensible descriptions, whether of Albanian sports or the interesting and chequered localities he traversed in Greece, Turkey, and the Austrian dominions. Capt. Best, as Aide-de-camp to the Lord High Commissioner, Sir Howard Douglas, was stationed in the Ionian Isles, from whence he made the excursions, both as a sportsman and traveller, related in his book, which is one of the most agreeable, yet unpretending, of its class.

JOURNAL OF A RESIDENCE IN THE ESMAILLA OF ABD-EL-Kader, and OF TRAVELS IN MOROCCO AND ALGIERS. BY COL. SCOTT, K.S.F., &c. Originally employed in the Spanish Service, on the Christino side, during the late war, Col. Scott, moved by an enterprising spirit, proffered his services to the Arabian hero, Abd-el-Kader, who readily adopted the adventurous Englishman rather as a confidential adviser than as a military officer in his service. To reach his Chief it was necessary that Col. Scott should traverse Morocco and Algeria,-a route both rare and difficult to a Frank, and in the gallant Colonel's case diversified by many perils and incidents, which he relates with much frankness and vivacity. The picture of the Emir Abd-el-Kader, drawn by "the Chief of his Staff," is highly favourable to that brave and persevering patriot, who is well disposed to an alliance with England; while the details of the war, as conducted by the French, are anything but creditable to the arms and policy of that nation. The volume of Col. Scott, who, inter alia, visited Fez, both in a military and topographical sense, will well repay perusal.