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numerous as the subject has hitherto I tain how far such a place is capable ofproved inexhaustible. It must, however, holding out.

be acknowledged, with some regret, thatthe tendency of the greater part, if notof all, seems to be an indiscriminate andbold attack upon the works of the im-mortal Vauban , without any advertenceto their real defects. That able, suc-cessful, and celebrated engineer had agreat deal of practice, without possessinga sufficiency of science for improvingradically the commonly received prin-ciples of the art he professed. Thesewriters censure the methods of thatgreat engineer by proposing somethingof their own, which only differs inappearance, and which they think properto call a superior system. Assertions,and promises to afford new lights uponthe science of fortification, have always,in fact, been profusely given by authorsof this description. Their labours, how-ever, are only so far to-be regarded andesteemed, in as much as their differentsystems tend to point out the necessarycalculations which are required to shewthe expense attending their construction,and to prove the effects they mightproduce. The memoirs upon perpen-dicular fortification, written by M. M.engineer, will throw considerable lightupon these observations.

With respect to the knowledge offortification, it must be manifest to everythinking man, that from a sovereignprince, or head of a country, down tothe lowest infantry officer, the acquire-ment of it is more or less indispensablynecessary.

A prince, or chief magistrate of acountry, should be well versed in thescience of fortification, in order toexamine the plans that are laid beforehim, and to determine upon the execu-tion of proposed projects.

A minister should know it, in orderto explain the nature of the plans whenquestioned by a superior power, to cal-culate the expenses which will attendthe construction of works, and to dis-tinguish good ones from those which'might be useless and expensive.

Every governor of a town, or fortifiedplace, should be well acquainted with.the subject, because it may fall to hispeculiar share to construct works incases of emergency, or to add to thosealready erected for the defence of theplace entrusted to his care. He likewisecught, at all times, to be able to ascer-

Every director of fortification shouldbe master of it, in order to discriminatebetween what is proper, or what isdefective, aud make his report accord-

’■'s'y-

Every infantry officer, in a word,should be conversant in field fortifica-tion at least, if not acquainted with thsgeneral system. For without someknowledge of its branches, how will he,in cases of emergency, be capable ofthrowing up a temporary redoubt, offortifying a spot of ground which he isordered to maintain, or of securing acommon out-post ?

For the dimensions of the principalangles and lines in the methods deliveredby the above authors, see Glenie’sMilitary Construction.

1'icld Fortifications, (fortificationsde campagne , Fr.) consist in the art offortifying, constructing, attacking, anddefending all sorts of temporary fieldworks during a campaign.

Although an engineer may be per-fectly master of the different methodsby which a town can be strengthenedand secured by permanent works, heshould not remain satisfied with thatacquisition, but carefully direct his atten-tion to the distribution of ground, forfield fortification. He should be ableto ascertain, with geometrical precision,all the relative divisions and correspond-ing points of any situation in which itmight be judged expedient to constructthat species of fortification which con-sists in entrenched lines, fortins or smallforts, and in redoubts of various deno-minations. The shape or figure of theseworks is exactly similar to those of thepermanent kind. Ditches, ramparts.,and parapets, must be dug and thrownup, to secure the former, in the samemanner as they are practised for theprotection of the latter. They onlydiffer in their measurement and propor-tions. Entrenched lines are made Forthe purpose of covering a camp fromany sudden insult of the enemy, whichshould always,on this account, be pitchedin the most advantageous manner. Con-tiguous to and facing that quarter whersit is probable the attack will be made,a ditch must be dug, having three toisesat least in width and two in depth. Thismust be defended by a parapet en redans,or be occasionally flanked with small