Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 2.djvu/651

] not a trace remains of the regiments that served under Turenne, and Conde, and Luxemburg in the glorious days of the old monarchy, and even the banner under which they fought is proscribed. The Prussian army was almost unknown until the time ol Frederick the Great ; and Austrian regiments have been so often changed that it is difficult to trace their antecedents. But many English regiments trace back an unbroken history of more than two centuries, and fought, under the numbers and the names they still retain, with William III. in the Nether lands, and with Marlborough at Blenheim, Kamilies, and Malplaquet. And their traditions are not confined to Europe. India conquered and permanently held ; every colony in the world at one time wrested from its owners ; the British flag planted on the ramparts of Cabul and Peking; and her arms carried into the fastnesses of Abys sinia and the forests of Ashantee ; such are among the deeds that attest the valour and enterprise of the English army. From time immemorial the inhabitants of the British Islands have been distinguished for a determined bravery and a physical power exceeding that of any other nation. Modern peaceful experiences have confirmed the opinion as to the physical superiority of the Briton, and in this respect no rival has yet been found to the highly-fed English navvy. The army is composed of Englishmen, Scotchmen, and Irishmen, in the proportion of about 75 per cent, of the first, 10 per cent, of the second, and 15 per cent, of the last. The Englishman generally is above the average of nations in height and physical power. Even when the standard for the army has been at its lowest, it has been several inches above that of Continental armies. His strength lies especially in the upper part of the body in the chest, shoulders, and arms and he is ponderous rather than active. His lower limbs are not always proportionately developed, and the Englishman as a rule is not a good marcher, nor is he so hardy as the inhabitants of many other countries. In temperament he is calm and rather stolid, not easily roused to enthusiasm, and not full of romantic visions of glory, though not so insensible to such emotions as is often believed ; slow, some what wanting in resource, and apt to grumble and show his discontent under hardships. On the other hand, he lias a strong sense of justice, of right, and of duty, which can generally be successfully appealed to. His spirits rise to danger ; he can always be depended on for battle ; and his courage, if less fiery, is of a more stubborn and enduring kind than that of any other race. The Scotch man is less ponderous in frame, but more sinewy and active, a better marcher, and more capable of enduring hardships and fatigue; more impetuous in action, though capable of a restrained energy very different from the reckless valour of the Frenchman or Irishman. The Scotch regiments have always been distinguished by a strong national feeling and clanship, producing an esprit de corps that cannot be surpassed by any corps d elite. The Irish man is active, gay, careless, more ready in resource than the others, and often more reckless in fighting; but, on the other hand, less to be depended upon, and more difficult to hold in the bonds of discipline. The English officer is drawn exclusively from the upper classes. His early education, his habits, and his traditions all fit him to be a leader of men. His physique, his intelligence, and the spirit of enterprise, are developed by those athletic exercises and field sports which distinguish the aristocracy of England. The character which especially distinguishes him is a love of euteqn-ise. Much of his spare time is spent in travelling, or in sports of a more or less dangerous character. Not a war takes place in the most distant and unhealthy colonies, but crowds of volun teers are found for it. There is not a country in the globe but has been explored and traversed by English officers for their amusement, and wherever a war takes place they flock to it. Not so devoted, perhaps, as the officers of some nations to the details of their profession, they yet cany out all that is required of them with rigorous exactitude and a high sense of duty. But it is in the field, and when thrown on their own resources, that they show to most advantage. Trained by our Indian empire and colonial possessions to the life of a conquering nation, command comes natural to them; and the youngest subaltern, sud denly called to a position of responsibility, raises armies and carries on wars, and dominates all around him by his daring and energy. The histories of Clive, Sir Herbert Edwardes, and others, repeat themselves on a smaller scale whenever the occasion offers. The social life of the English officer is unlike that of any other army. Off duty, the gradations of rank almost disappear, and all meet on a footing of equality as gentle men. Our mess system, envied and copied by foreign nations, is only possible where such freedom exists. The officers live together, dine at a table always handsomely furnished, and often rich with trophies and records of the old history of the regiment, at which the president, perhaps the junior officer, is for the time superior ; and wherever stationed, and under all conditions, retain the forms of high-bred society. The discipline of the English army, once proverbial for cruelty and harshness, is now the very reverse, and there is perhaps no army in which officers and men stand together on a more pleasant footing. Of the character of the English army in war it is almost unnecessary to speak ; it has written itself in history in a series of battles, often Avon against heavy odds, from Crecy, Poictiers, and Agincourt, to Waterloo. The highest eulogiums passed on it have been wrung from its adver saries. &quot; L infanterie Anglaise est la meilleur du monde ; heureusement il n y en a pas beaucoup,&quot; was Bugeaud s comment. &quot;Le soldat Anglais,&quot; says General Foy, &quot;poss^de la qualit6 la plus precieuse dans la guerre, le calme dans la colere.&quot; Readers of military history will remember Napier s vivid picture of the assault of Badajoz, when the troops, unable to advance, and yet scorning to retire, remained in the ditches to be shot down by the garrison. And our account may well close with Foy s description of the British infantry at Waterloo : &quot; La niort etait devant eux, la honte derriere. En cette terrible occurrence les boulets de la Garde Imperiale et la cavalerie de France victorieuse ne purent pas entamer 1 immobile infanterie britannique. On cut e&quot;te&quot; tente de croire qu elle avait pris racine dans la terre, si ses bataillons ne sefussent ebranles inajestueuse- ment quelques minutes apres le coucher du soleil.&quot;

 

The history of the armies of India is the history of our Indian empire, and as such, in its most striking features, is treated elsewhere. The present notice, therefore, is con fined to those details of organisation which do not fall within the province of a general history.