Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

Poetical Essays on Military Subjects.

THE WHITE COCKADE.

AN ADDRESS TO THE FRENCH NATION.

By WM. THOS. FITZGERALD, Esq.

BRAVE Sons of FRANCE, you once could keenly feel
Disgrace more piercing than the sharpest steel!
Polish'd in courts, and gallant in the field,
Pure honour graced the LILIES on your shield;
Proud to support your Bourbon's splendid throne,
You ever made your MONARCH's cause your own!
And can you now THE CORSICAN obey,
And crouch beneath a STRANGER'S galling sway?
his base detested pomp support,

you

Can
The low, mean shadow of your former Court?
The air of FRANCE seems tainted with his breath,-
His smile is poison,-and his friendship death!
The wretch, who shared his plunder, hopes in vain
Wealth, hell-derived, in safety to maintain ;-
He too is robb'd to prop THE MURDERER'S throne,
For who can call a TYRANT's gifts his own?

A base Assassin laid GREAT HENRY low,-
But where's the hand to strike the PATRIOT blow?-
To hunt the monster in the battle's rage,-
To seize and chain him in THE TARTAR'S CAGE*;
Or rid the world, by one avenging deed,

[ocr errors]

Of him, who made devoted millions bleed!
Who dragg'd your sons, like felons, every hour,
To glut ambition, and his lust of power!-
Dragg'd them to perish in the NORTHERN BLAST;-
Oh! would that crime had been THE TYRANT's last!

Be then yourselves again, and break his chain,

Follow the bright example set by SPAIN!

See HOLLAND shakes his fetters from her hand,

And breathes once more-a renovated land!

Her exiled Prince recals, with one accord,

Augments his power, and makes him SOVEREIGN LORD!

TIMOR THE GREAT, when he defeated and took BAJAZET prisoner, had him confined in an iron cage, and carried about with his victorious army.

THE RHINE beholds her sons no more obey

A wretch, whose crimes pollute the face of day;-
But sees her rights, and liberties restored

By friendly nations, and her native sword!

Though from THE PYRENEN HEIGHTS advance
VICTORIOUS BRITONS in the Plains of FRANCE;
Led by A CHIEF as great in martial fame
As the PLUMED EDWARD, of immortal name!
No mad ambition fires that LEADER'S breast ;-
No peasants robb'd;-no village is oppress'd!-
No plunder'd provinces, or towns in flame,
Tarnish the glory of THE BRITISH NAME:
Not as a TORRENT, wasting all along,-
But like a NOBLE RIVER, deep and strong,
They come-in gallant trim, and firm array,
To give you promise of a happier day:

Break but your chains-the sword they nobly wield
Shall prove to FRANCE an adamantine shield;
Shake off THE CORSICAN'S detested yoke,

And prop your drooping vines with BRITISH OAK!

ENGLAND, no more your foe, will bring you aid

When FRANCE shall welcome home THE WHITE COCKADE !

In his last hour dark horror and despair

Shall wait the wretch who murder'd CONDE'S HEIR!
Who bathed his hands in youthful BOURBON'S gore

Shall never taste of peace or comfort more!

When in the field THE HERO meets his fate,
He dies lamented by the GOOD and GREAT;
And to do honour to the hostile brave,
The generous foe plants cypress on his grave!
Reflecting, as he bends his laurel brow,
His end may one day be what thine is now!
For though ambition might thy life mislead,
The VICTOR mourns to see the VANQUISH'D bleed.
Not so when BUONAPARTE meets his doom--
Hatred pursues THE TYRANT to his tomb;
Unwept, unpitied, shall THE MURDERER fall,

THE PLAGUE of Europe, anD THE SCOURGE OF GAUL!

Then let THE BARD his former strains repeat,

Prophetic of THE CORSICAN's defeat *!

"Heaven, for a while, permits THE TYRANT's crimes,
"As awful judgments on flagitious times!

"But come there will, or soon or late, the hour
"Shall hurl THE DESPOT headlong from his power;-
"Pluck from his brow the transient plume of fame,
"And give to DEATHLESS INFAMY his name!"
Himley Hall, Jan. 9, 1814.,

Orders of Knighthood in Sweden. THERE are four orders; the three first were instituted, in 1748, by Frederick the First, and the last by Gustavus the Third. First, -the order of the Seraphim, or Blue Ribband, which is appropriated to persons of the first rank; it admits only twenty-four members, exclusive of the Royal family and foreign princes. Second, -the order of the Sword, or the Yellow Ribband, for the officers

of the army and navy. There are three classes of this order; first,

Commanders of the Great Cross, who wear the ribband over the shoulder, and a star on the coat; second, Commanders, who wear the ribband in the same manner, but without the star. Each of these classes contains twenty-four members. Third, Knights, who wear the small cross pendant from the button-hole. The number of these is indefinite, but generally amounts to above one thousand. Third,-Polar Star, or the Black Ribband. Of this order there are two classes: first, Commanders, who wear the Great Cross pendant round the neck. There are twenty-four of this class, exclusive of four to be added by the bishops. Second,-Knights, who wear the Small Cross pendant from the button-hole, are, exclusive of foreigners, forty-eight; and six to be added by the clergy. This order, before the institution of the following order by Vasa, was conferred on men of letters. Fourth,--the order of Vasa, or the Green Ribband, established at the coronation of Gustavus the Third, is divided into three classes: first, Commanders of the Great Cross, who wear the ribband over the shoulder, and a star on the coat; second, Commanders, who wear the ribband over the shoulder without the star; third, Knights, who wear the ribband over the reck. This order is conferred on persons who have distinguished themselves in agriculture, commerce, the arts and sciences.

Coxe's Travels.

* Vide Mr. Fitzgerald's Address to THE LITERARY FUND, at their ANNIVERSARY, last May.

Passes on the Mayo Heights.

THE following is Lieut.-General Sir Wm. Stuart's report to Sir Rowland Hill of all that took place at the Pass of Mayo on the 25th of July, and which did not appear in the Gazette.-As the enemy's force opposed to the British at that point was so superior, and as many officers are particularly mentioned whose names have not been publicly noticed on the occasion, its present publication must be gratifying to all concerned.

Bernevelte, July 26, 1813.—Sir, It is with infinite regret I have to report to you my having yesterday been compelled to abandon to the enemy the four passes on the Mayo heights, which you had done me the honour of intrusting to my charge. The circumstances which led to the relinquishment of these important posts were the following. The Arretesque, or right centre pass, has an extensive hill, about a mile and a half in its front, of a nature to conceal the formation of any number of men whom the enemy might there collect for the attack of the pass, and of an elevation to command the intervening insulated ground up to the pass, and yet at too great a distance for the small force which I could collect for the defence of this position of the line to occupy, or even to detach a piquet to. The defence of the pass had been confided to a piquet of between 80 and 90 rank and file, from the 2d brigade, and Maj.General Pringle's general instructions had been to move up with the whole of his brigade to that point, on the earliest intimation of alarm from any part of the heights: the nearest encamped corps not above twenty minutes march, nor the most distant of his brigade above fifty minutes or an hour. The first brigade you are aware had charge of the two passes on the left of the Arretesque pass, viz. Lessesa and Mayo Passes: it appears that the enemy, after having menaced the Condé Damarantes right pass in the morning, and by every movement perceived, or information acquired, having indi. cated an intention of moving in force against all points to the right of my position, and of menacing the Mayo heights, with only a -feigned attack, it appears that he unexpectedly shewed a force, first of one division, and subsequently of a second, about mid-day, on the high hill, as before stated to be in front of the Arretesque pass. The alarm guns on the Mayo pass, and an immediate report from the Arretesque pass, moved the second brigade to their station at the last-named pass, but not in sufficient time, it should appear, for

the last-arriving regiment, the 28th, to reach its alarum post before the enemy, who arrived with great rapidity upon, and around, the Arretesque rock, had by very superior numbers driven the light infantry and piquets from that commanding position: the tenor of that part of the line was thereby rendered insecure, notwithstanding the support of the 50th, which Lieut.-colonel Cameron had detached from the first brigade: this regiment made a spirited charge upon the column that was advancing up the pass, and for a time had effectually repulsed them. The efforts of the 34th and 59th regiments in rear of the pass, appear to have been directed by MajorGeneral Pringle to repel the enemy's rapidly advancing force to the best of their power, but to have been in vain, by reason of the enemy's holding the rock above-mentioned. The enemy having then gained an ascendancy, moved his whole force up the pass and round the rock in such numbers, as to prevent the 34th and 28th regiments from joining in the natural and prescribed order of retreat, for all the corps, viz. upon the first brigade, the Mayo pass, and before the commanding rocky heights on its left, those regiments retreated to their encampment on the lower ridge, and I was deprived of their services during the rest of the day.-Lieut.-colonel Cameron, who had charge of the first brigade's position, with his usual judgment and spirit, not only left a sufficiency of force, by piquets and wings of the 71st regiment and 92d to guard the left of the position, but, as before stated, first detached the 50th regiment, and then moved himself with the right wings of the 71st and 923, and with the two guns, to the support of the Arretesque pass, and its intervening heights. Major-General Pringle reports all these corps to have conducted themselves with great spirit, and to have maintained the successive heights with as much tenacity as could have been expected from corps opposed to a force so greatly superior as was that of the enemy. When I arrived at the heights, which, from the utmost diligence I could make from Elisonda, (where I had been with you on duty) I could not before I o'clock, I found both the Arretesque and Lessessa passes retired from by our troops, and the enemy's columns on the ridge advancing in such superior force, with apparently a fresh division pushing up the Mayo and the ravines to the left, as far as the front of the 92d camp, that there appeared to be no other alternative but ceding that pass, and retiring upon the rocky ridge, which could bring us in communication with the 7th division.

"I sent instructions to the 82d regiment to advance to our sup

« ForrigeFortsæt »