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military reading, thoroughly conversant■with every species of military duty, andcapable of the most ready combinationof theory and practice. All memorials,&c. to be addressed for the Commanderin Chief, are to be sent under cover tohis public or official secretary, at theCommander in Chief’s office, HorseGuards.

Military Sf.crf.tary on expeditions, anexperienced officer, who is selected fromthe staff of the line, or from the army atlarge, to accompany a general officerwho has the charge of some importantexpedition, lie ought, in addition tothe qualities above recited, to be alsowell versed m foreign languages, andhave a thorough knowledge of geogra-phy, See.

Sfxretary and aide-de-camp. The con-fidential aide-de-camp of a Commanderin Chief, or general officer, is usually socalled.

Secretary of state, (secretaire d'etat,Fr.) This olhcer, independent of hiscivil capacity, has so far an intimateconnexion with the administration of thearmy, that many of its essential branchesmust necessarily pass through him. Itis his duty, in particular, to lay beforethe King the names of all persons re-commended to hold commissions in themilitia. He must likewise cause copiesof the several qualifications, which havebeen transmitted to him by the clerks ofthe peace, or their deputies, to be annu-ally laid before both houses of Parlia-ment. This clause, we believe, haslately been dispensed with, as well as aforegoing one, which exacts that theclerk of the peace of every countv,riding, and place, shall enter the qualifi-cations transmitted to him upon a roll,and shall cause to be inserted in theLondon Gazette , the dates of the com-missions, and names and rank of the offi-cers, together with the names of the offi-cers in whose room they are appointed ;in like manner as commissions in thearmy are published from the War-office.The expense of such insertion in theGazette, for each commission, is likewisedirected to be charged to the treasurerof the county, riding, or place. For par-ticulars, see the last edition of the Regi­ mental companion.

To SECRETE, to hide; to keep pri-vate ; to harbour; to conceal, &c. Bythe Articles of War it is provided, thatit any person shall harbour, conceal, or

assist any deserter from his Majesty’sservice, knowing him to be such, thei person, so offending, shall forfeit, forevery such offence, the sum of five! pounds.

Faire SECTE d part, Fr. to maintainsingular opinions respecting military orcivil things.

SECTION, (section, Fr.) from theLatin word sectio, which is derived fromseco, to cut, a part of a thing divided, orthe division itself. Such particularly arethe subdivisions of a chapter, called alsoparagraphs and articles. Sometimes wefind the term section divided into articles;as in the Articles of War. The Rulesand Regulations for the discipline of theBritish army are divided into parts, andeach part subdivided into heads or sec-tions of explanation. So that when anofficer reads the higher tactics underBattalion and Line, and wants any spe-cific explanation, he must refer to thesection. The Drill, or instruction ofthe recruit, is explained in forty sectionswhich constitute the 1st part. The in-structions and various operations of theCompany are explained in 235 sections,which form the 2d part.

The several operations, Sec. which be-long to a battalion when it acts singly,or in line with others, are explained in108 sections, which form the 3d part.Aud the principal circumstances relativeto the movements of a considerable line,are explained in 32 sections, which con-stitute the 4th part, or the line. All ofwhich have been compiled and arranged,with much skill and accuracy, by Gene­ ral Sir David Dundas .

Section, a certain proportion of abattalion or company, when it is told oft’for military movements and evolutions.It is stated in the Rules and Regulations,that a section should never be less thanfive files. This rule, however, is not ab-solute, as we find in another part of thej Regulations, that a section may consistjof four files. This relates to the infan-j try; the cavalry is not told off’ into sec-j tions, but into ranks by threes. TheFrench use the word section for the same:purpose; but their sections are stronger: than our’s. We generally divide a com-: pany into two sub-divisions, and each|subdivision into two sections; and for| the convenience of marching throughj narrow ground, these sections are fre-iquently reduced to three, or even two,i files in front. The French form their