RIESBECK’s TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY.

195

A great advantage poffeffed by the Pruffian army is the uniform difcipline that obtainsall through. There are particular mailers of exercife for every divifion of the army.Thefe the colonels themfelves mull not control, when they are exercifing their regiments,though they are often only majors. This occalions an attention to a great number oflittle things, which in other armies particularly our own, depend only on the will of thecolonel, and are therefore often neglected. By this means the whole muft harmonizebetter, for when rules are the fame, the alacrity or negligence of the colonels or majorsin the execution, make a wonderful difference in regiments.

Another caufe, which in my opinion, greatly contributes to the excellence of the army,is the high birth of the officers. They are moll of them of the firft nobility of thecountry, and you hardly meet with one foreigner in twenty. They mull all havebeen educated at the cadet’s fchool, and have ferved as cadets : I have fome very refpeft-able acquaintance amongfi: them. They are in every refpedl well-educated people, andupon the whole very fenfible men. The fmall pay of the fubalterns obliges them to be^economical, which is of great advantage to the fervice. They have all a martial appear-ance, and that alacrity in every thing, which befpeaks men always ready to cut a knottvith their fwords. I believe that the Pruffian army has an advantage over the Aultrian,from the Pruffian nobility not being fo powerful as the Aultrian. You cannot expectfrom counts and princes with large incomes, that exact fubordination and fimplicity,which is the foul of the Pruffian army. Our experienced officers make a great outcryabout the irregularities in fervice, which are perpetually arifing from the intrigues ,ofprivate families ; and it is well known that the Engliffi army is as ill circumltanced in thisrefpeft.

The Auftrians are by nature a far ftouter race of foldiers than the Pruffians, but thisdoes not avail them ; for, after all that has been faid of the advantage of art over un-cultivated nature, no Itronger inltance can be fhewn of it, than bringing up a miferableartificial being, with all his art about him, to face a natural man, who is without it. Thenatural man, who, were they both unarmed, would be able to tear to pieces a dozenfuch creatures, lies flretched out at the feet of the wretched man of art, as foon as thelatter gives fire.

The fame truth holds good with regard to armies that are more or Iefs difciplined,nor are the natural qualities of the foldier able to fland againft thofe which are acquiredby art.

LETTER LII.

Berlin.

"WHEN we read in Linguet ’s Annals that the King of Pruffia had more foldiers thanpeafants, during the laft Silefian war, we are naturally apt to take it for a bon mot; butf am apt to think it rank ignorance. The man who could advife the European powersto help the Houfe of Auftria to a part of Germany , in order to enable it to oppofe the-*■ nrk on all fides, is very capable of making fuch a blunder. He eftimated the Pruffianterritories by the map, where, on account of their broken appearance, they make but aforry figure, and fo naturally fell into the opinion of its being impoffible for more thantwo hundred thoufand men to inhabit fo narrow a flip of land.

What confirms me in this opinion, is the ignorance people are in with regard to thet'cal flrength of Pruffia, which yet they ought to be better acquainted with, partlyby the information of their eyes, and partly from German documents, which are opento every man.

Mr*

CC J