and much more able to look after their personal comforts than British
soldiers, as their camps indicated. The uniform of those days consisted
in a schako, which spread out at the top; a short-waisted, swallow-tailed
coat; and large, baggy trousers and gaiters. The clothing of the French
soldier was roomy, and enabled him to march and move about at ease:
no pipeclay accessories occupied their attention; in a word, their uniforms
and accoutrements were infinitely superior to our own, taking
into consideration the practical necessities of warfare. Their muskets
were inferior to ours, and their firing less deadly. The French cavalry
we thought badly horsed; but their uniforms, though showy, were, like
those of the infantry, comfortably large and roomy.

I have frequently remarked that firearms are of little use to the mounted
soldier, and often an incumbrance to man and horse. Cavalry want only
one arm - the sabre. Let the men be well mounted and at home in the
saddle. It requires great knowledge in a Commander-in-chief to know
when and how to use his cavalry. It has been my misfortune to witness
oft-repeated blunders in the employment of the best-mounted regiments
in the world. I consider the French generals had more knowledge of
the use of cavalry than our own, when a great battle was to be fought.



MAJOR-GENERAL STEWART AND LORD WELLINGTON



If the present generation of Englishmen would take the trouble of looking
at the newspaper which fifty years ago informed the British public of
passing events both at home and abroad, they would, doubtless, marvel