THE BRITISH OFFICER, PAST AND PRESENT. .[To . lax EDITOR. OF
THE "SPECTATOR.") SIR,—The opinion of Major Mauvillon, a competent critic, upowthe,characteristics of the British soldier, exemplified in the year 1760, when fighting under Duke Ferdinand at Minden and elsewhere, suggests that the defects are racial. and ate 3:10 to be eliminated by reform at the War Office. 1 quote from Carlyle's "History of Friedrich II.," Vol. vt, p. 202:—
,
4` The first in rank were the English. Braver treola when on the field of battle and under arms against the enen?Y, you will nowhere find in the world : that is a truth ;--sind wai, that the Sum of their military merits ends °fter Into military negligences, which would sound incredible,. ,IreN
from winch it commissions among them are all had by purchase,
follows that their officers do not trouble their heads abontth service; and understand of it, very, very few excepted, absolutely nothing Whatever, and this goes from the Ensign up to the General. Their home-customs incline them to the indulg,ences of life; and, nearly without exception, they all expect to ha" ample and comfortable means of sleep. This leads them often they narrated to a soldier. To all this' is a bled a quiet imam arrogance, which tempts them to despise the enemy as we" the danger ; and as they very seldom think of making any rtoriusi themselves, they generally take it for granted that the enemy will as little."
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