Advices to General Officers. kins, after having ordered out (in a booth erected for the purpose) the electrical apparatus, proceeded to demonftrate his important theory. His first step was to discover the nature of the cloud's electricity; and he found it to be highly pofitive. Two dozen pair of fhoes, with foals of baked wood, of a proper thicknefs, were presently put on by fome of those who were eager of the though the disappointment has most ter- Advices to General Officers, commanding in Commander in chief is to the army bonour of being concerned in this great Ander his command, what the foul is r bufinefs; not a fourth part of whom, for want of a fufficient quantity of electrical fhodding, could be admitted to share in the honour of the experiment.They were scarcely prepared, but the rain began to defcend; and in a fhort time it even threatened a deluge. The happy twenty four mounted on their magic fandals, were ftrongly electrified plus; and proper directions being given them not to touch any non-electric fubftance, they were turned adrift into the dreadful ftorm. The expectation of Wilkins was immenfe! But, alas! the imperfection of human inventions! The infulated heroes no fooner trod on the ground, than (the wet, forming a connection between their bodies and the earth) their electricity was fuddenly discharged. And as they had been strongly electrified indeed, in order to make the experiment furer, the fhock which they felt in confequence thereof was terrible! They fprung aloft, with a loud fcream into the air; many of them reft of fenfe, and lofing their self-balance, fell forward on their faces, lying like breathless corpfe' on mother earth, which was ftained red with the fluid iffuing from their bloody nofes. They who retained their fenfes, fmarting from the violence of the fhock, wet through, and conclud. ing from the loud laughter, and cutting jefts of Wilkins's foes, that they had been decoyed into that fituation, only to be made fools of, flew upon poor Wilkins in their rage, and would probably have demolished him, had he not happily been refcued by the better part of the company, and conveyed away in safety. On his electrical apparatus, however, they had no mercy, but confidering it as infernal, inftantly broke it piece-meal, "burning the diabolical fragments." The poor fellows are the standing jets of the town to this hour, and will be fo, I imagine, during their lives. Whenever it rains, they are dryly asked, Why don't you put on your electrical fhoes?-Thofe people who are more knowing, see this affair, in course, to Wilkins's difadvantage. Others look apon it as a piece of philofophical fun, and imagine that he had defignedly taken in the ignorant town's people. Wilkins, to the body; it can neither think nor act You must be as abfolute in your command, and as inacceffible to your troops, as the eastern fultans, who call themselves the Lord's vicegerents upon earth. In fact, a commander in chief is greater than a fultan: for if he is not the Lord's viccgerent, he is the king's, which, in the idea of a military man, is much better. As no other perfon in your army is allowed to be poffeffed of a single idea, it would be ridiculous, on any occafion, to affemble a council of war, or at least to be guided by their opinion: for, in oppofition to yours, they must not truft to the moft evident perception of their fenfes. It would be equally abfurd and unmilitary to confult their convenience; even when it may be done without any detriment to the fervice: that would be taking away the most effectual method of exercifing their obedience, and of perfecting them in a very confiderable branch of military difcipline. You have heard that fecrecy is one of the first requifites in a commander. In order, therefore, to get a name for this great military virtue, you must always be filent and fullen, particularly at your own table; and I would advife you to fecure your fecrets the more effectually, by depofiting them in the fafeft place you can think of; as, for inftance, in the breast of your wife or mistress. Ignorance of your profeffion is likewise beft concealed by folemnity and filence, which pass for profound knowledge upon the the generality of mankind. A proper attention to thefe, together with extreme feverity, particularly in trifles, will foon procure you the character of a good offi cer. think you a dare devil indeed. I would recommend it to you to make use of fome oath or execration peculiar to yourself, in imitation of queen Elizabeth and captain Bobadil; as, "I hope to be damned," or any other equally expreffive. It is your duty to be attentive to the public good, but not without some regard Remember that eafe and conveniency to your own, in your difpenfation of fa- are very apt to render foldiers effeminate! vours. You must take care never to ad-witness Hannibal's army at Capua. Nevance an officer above one step at a time, however brilliant his merit, unless he be your relation: you mult confider, that your ignorance in the higher branches of your profeffion can only be covered with the fricteft attention to punctilio, and the eminutia of the fervice. As you probably did not rife to your prefent diftinguished rank by your own merit, it cannot reafonably be expected that you should promote others on that fcere. Above all, be careful never to promote an intelligent officer: a brave chucklebeaded fellow will do full as well to execute your orders. An officer that has an iota of knowledge above the common run, you must confider as your perfonal enemy; for you may be sure he laughs at you, and your manœuvres. A principal part of your duty is to fee justice diftributed among your troops. Military law being fo fummary and concife, you will not find this a difficult matter: but if fimple as it is, you thould be entirely unacquainted with it, you may fubftitute your own good-will and pleafure-and that in fact must be justice, for a commander in chief is as infallible as the pope, and, being the king's reprefentative, he can do no wrong, any more than his royal matter. In diftributing juftice, you must always incline a little to the strongest fide. Thus, if a difpute happens between a field-officer and a fubaltern, you muft, if poffible, give it in favour of the former.-Force is indeed the ruling principle in military affairs; in conformity to which the cannon have been called, ever fince their firft invention, the ratio ultima regum. Subordination being highly neceffary in an army, you must take care to keep a proper distance, first between yourself and your fecretary, then between your fecretary and the general officers on the ftaff, and fo ou, to the latt link in the military chain. Though you are not to allow fwearing in others, it being forbidden by the articles of war, yet, by introducing a few oaths occ fionally into your difcourfe, you will give your inferiors fome idea of your courage, especially if you should be advanced in years; for then they must ver, therefore, let the troops have com. fortable quarters; and as money, according to Horace, lowers a man's courage, be fure to cut off every emolument from your army, to prevent the im. pediment of a full purfe. Befides, no perfon will behave fo defperately in action as thofe who are tired of their lives; lit eo quo vis qui zonam perdidit—and the more you pinch the army under your command, the more you may appropriate to your own use your country can af ford to make you the handsomer allowance. If you ferve under a miniftry with whom economy is the word, make a great bustle and parade about retrenchments; it will be prudent for you, like. wife, to put it in some measure into practice: but not fo as to your own perqui fites, or thofe of your dependants. Thefe favings are best out of the pay of the fubaltern officers and private foldiers; who, being little able to bear it, will of courfe make much complaint of it, which will render your regard to economy the more confpicuous. And though your pay-mafter, or commiffary general, may touch more than the amount of all that you retrench from the body of the army, no matter, if you go snacks with them : the public need know nothing about them, if they are but fnug, and learn how to keep their own fecrets. Should the duties bear hard on any particular corps, never attend in the leaft to their reprefentations. Remonftrances are the forerunners of mutiny; and it is the higheft infult to your rank and command to infinuate that you are not infallible.This rule, however, may be difpenfed with, when the colonel or commanding officer happens to be a peer or a man of great intereft. Be fure to give out a number of orders. It will at leaft fhew the troops you do not forget them. The more trifling they are, the more it fhews your attention to the fervice; and thould your orders contradict one another, it will give you an opportunity of altering them, and find fubject of fresh regulations. You will doubtlefs foon learn what to do with the fecret-fervice money. The gullibility of the miniflers at home may perhaps 1782. You fhould have a clever fecretary to If upon fervice you have any ladies in your camp, be valiant in your converfation before them. There is nothing pleafes the ladies more than to hear of forming breaches, and fuch like martial exploits. This, however, I only recommend at night over the bottle: it cannot be expected that you should be so valiant and blood thirsty, upon mature deliberation, the next morning; that, indeed, would be murder in cold blood. Nothing is fo commendable as generofity to an enemy. To follow up a victory, would be taking the advantage of his distress. It will be fufficient therefore for you to fhew, that you can beat him when you think proper. Befides, giving your enemy too fevere a drubbing may put an end to the war before you have feathered your neft handsomely, and provided for your relations and dependants. If you are pursuing a retreating enemy, let him get a few days march a-head, to fhew him that you have no doubt of being able to overtake him, when you fet about it and who knows but this proceeding may encourage him to ftop? Af ter he has retired to a place of fecurity, you may then go in queft of him with It will be your own fault if you do not If you should ever be called into the fervice again, you will be too wife from your paft experience to go and expofe your old bones in Germany, America, or the Indies. Sol would advife you to get the command of a camp or diftrict in Old England; where you may enjoy all the pomp and parade of war, and, at the fame time, be tolerably fecure from those hard knocks which your neceffities impelled you to risk in your younger days. Account of the land of Sardinia. TH HE population of the illand, it is well known, is neither proportioned to its fize, nor to its natural fertility. The king never refides in it: the viceroys are changed every third year. The afcendency of the nobility and the clergy; the. poverty and oppreffion of the common people; the groffeft ignorance of the improvements and enjoyments of other nations; the laziness of the natives, and their dull contentment with their own wretched and fqualid ftate; the neglect of agriculture, and want of trade, are more than fufficient to account for that fmall population. In 1758 the feven cities and towns of the island contained no more than 53,451 people; and the whole. island not above 326,445 that number. has now rifen to 376,000, of which the capital, Cagliari, alone is faid to contain from 25 to 26,000. The power of the viceroy is very contined; as is that of the king himself, by the ancient and established liberties and privileges, which by favouring the interes of particular classes, obftruct the profperity of the nation in general. The number of troops kept in the island is very small; fo is the revenue of the kingdom, which does not quite amount to one million of Sardinian lire; this revenue arifes from a land tax of 60,000 feudi, from fait, from tobacco; monopolized by the king, from the duty of goods imported (which at Cagliari a mounts to fixteen per cent, of which the The tunny fishery is a confiderable ar- The viceroy receives every year, in A Literary Deception. T is understood, that Anfon's voyage written. The narrative is equally intruc- man can furnish a strong proof, that the A fingular Cafe which occurred to J. P. THE as a difeafe of the fkin. As this is A relief in London. Being a Suffolk man, INDEX 1782. Poetry. Prologue to the Beft Bidder. Written by Captain WOE of life, OE to the man, who, midft the forms Still braves his filence with renew'd attack, Th' approaching dawn, to chafe his last night's vapours, Brings friendly counsel in the morning papers: feen before! -We advife the Gentleman to write no more.' To diffipate your cares, and wake your file, Sing rub a dub, dub a dub, whe, whe, whe, Thunder and plunder ! a foldier, a foldier, a Each morn when you fee him upon the parade, With his gorget and fash; With his gaiters and queue, Or else when he's mounted, fo trim, and so tall, Our hearts gallop off, and are left at White- Sing tara, tantara, tan, too, too, too, too, too, a foldier for me. A Defcription of Winter. By a Gentleman of ROM mountains of eternal fnow, Fand Zembla's dreary plains; Where the bleak winds for ever blow, Lo! Winter comes in fogs array'd, With ice, and (pangled dews; The tribute of the muse. 1 No blushing rose unfolds its bloom, In Hymen's pleafing tics; Tho' yon pale orb no warmth bestows, The flame of love, and friendship glows The Farmer's Tail exemplified. But if again the culprit you receive, Neep for ever! ift PART you caft forth for rent, due out of 2d One other part for feed, to fow thy land; The following Song is introduced in the Farce of the 6th One part t'uphold thy teams that draw A Beft Bidder. Soldier, a foldier for me! His arms are fo bright, And he stands fo upright; So gallant and gay, Who is fo nice and well powder'd as he? Hib. Mag. App. 1782. therewith; 7th Another part for workmen' ages lay; akes no nay; 9th One part thy wife, for necutul things, doth |