1835.] GENERAL and flag officERS RECENTLY DECEASED.

95

was appointed to the ship Spartiate, of 74 guns, and attached to the fleet under Lord Nelson, accompanying him to the West Indies in search of the French and Spanish fleet; and in the memorable battle of Trafalgar had the good fortune to be engaged. The Spartiate sustained a loss of three killed, and twenty wounded. Sir F. Laforey, with the other captains of the fleet, received a gold medal. He continued in the Mediterranean until promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, in 1810. He was for three or four years Commander-in-Chief on the Barbadoes station, with his flag in the Dragon, of 74 guns. On the increase of the Order of the Bath, in 1815, Sir F. Laforey was nominated a K.C.B., and on the 22nd of July, 1833, was promoted to the rank of Admiral of the Blue.

THE LATE REAR-ADMIRAL JAMES BOWEN

Commenced his maratime career in the merchant service. Being appointed to the Artois frigate, in the capacity of Master, in 1781, he rendered himself conspicuous in several actions in the North Sea, particularly by his skill in seamanship in the difficult navigation off the coast of Holland. His services at this period having gained him considerable reputation, at the breaking out of the revolutionary war, Lord Howe selected him as Master of his flag-ship, the Queen Charlotte, and the admirable manner in which he steered her into action on the memorable 1st of June elicited the admiration of the whole fleet. As a mark of their esteem, the Captains of all the ships appointed him Agent for the prizes taken on that occasion, and he was made a Lieutenant, in order to be in the regular line of promotion, so as to reach the highest rank in his profession.

Being First-Lieutenant in Lord Bridport's ship, in the action off L'Orient, in 1795, he was made Commander, and shortly after Post, and appointed to the Glory, 98, and subsequently the Thunderer, 74, as Flag-Captain to Admiral Christian. After performing a variety of services in the West Indies and the Mediterranean, he captured a Spanish frigate, the Santa Teresa, of 42 guns, whilst commanding the Argo, 44, and chased another of similar force, which, by the darkness of the night, escaped. Having es corted a convoy of China ships from St. Helena to England, in 1801, the East India Company voted him a piece of plate, value 400 guineas.

In 1803, when hostilities were renewed, he commanded the Dreadnought, 98, for a short period, and was then appointed Commissioner of Transports, which office (with the exception of a short time that he acted as Captain of the fleet to Earl St. Vincent) he held for upwards of 20 years. He arranged the embarkation of Sir John Moore's army at Corunna, and, under his direction, the immense transit of soldiers, stores, and provisions, were regularly forwarded to the Duke of Wellington throughout the Peninsular campaigns. His decease took place at Ilfracombe, Devonshire, on the 27th of April, at the age of 85.

Of the professional and personal merits of this officer a correspondent writes as follows:-"Having known this brave and worthy veteran for fifty years, I can confidently assert that, during the whole of that period, the services he rendered to his country were gallant, important, and useful; and further, that there never was any duty he had to perform that was not carried into effect with a zeal for the cause of his King and country's honour and welfare, that no obstacle, however great, could subdue, or even abate. In fact, a narrative of his professional life would furnish the best exemplar for an officer's imitation that could be offered to his consideration. Further, it may with truth be said of him, that in private life he was a kind parent, a steady friend, an honourable man, and a sincere Christian. He left several daughters, and one surviving son (two others who had each attained the rank of post-captain pre-deceased the Admiral), the Rev. John St. Vincent Bowen, who, I believe, lives at Ilfracombe."

96

GENERAL AND FLAG OFFICERS RECENTLY DECEASED. [SEPT.

THE LATE REAR-ADMIRAL GEORGE WHITE.

Of the services of our present subject we have but scanty materials; we find him First-Lieutenant of the late Royal George, and on the capture of L'Hercule, by the Mars, in 1798, he was promoted by Lord Bridport, while Commander-in-Chief of the Channel fleet, into the Megara, fire-ship, in room of the present Rear-Admiral Shirley, when the latter was promoted into the Hercule. He was made a Captain in 1799, but never having been appointed to a post-ship, he retired as a Rear-Admiral in 1830.

THE LATE MAJOR-GENERAL BROOKE YOUNG

Went early in life to America, and joined the army of General Burgoyne in Canada as a volunteer, in 1776, and in that capacity served at Saratoga, where he was wounded and taken prisoner. In 1779 he was exchanged, and returned to England. In 1780 he was appointed Second Lieut. of artillery, and went to the West Indies to join his company at St. Lucie, where he got his first Lieutenantcy in 1782. He remained there till the island was ceded to the French in 1783, and returned to England in 1784, and joined his company at Plymouth Dock, where he remained till 1787, when he embarked for Gibraltar. In 1790 he was ordered with the company to the West Indies, and was at the taking of Martinique, Guadaloupe, and St. Lucie, in 1794. He had the honour of commanding the brigade of guns attached to the Duke of Kent; and at the storming of the Fleur d'Epée took with his own sword an ensign, which he presented to H.R.H. He got his Captain-Lieutenancy the same year, and returned to England in 1795. He remained at Woolwich till 1798, when he got his company at Plymouth Dock, where he went to take the command of it. In 1802 he embarked with his company for Gibraltar; in 1803 he went to Malta; in 1804 he got his Majority; and returned to England in 1805, and was immediately appointed to the command of the artillery then under orders for Bremen, where he went and joined General Don. He got his Lieut.-Colonelcy the same year, and returned with the expedition, then under Lord Cathcart, to England in 1806. He was then appointed to the Sussex District; and in 1807 removed to Cork, where he remained in the command of the artillery in the south-west district of Ireland till 1814, when he received orders to take the command of the artillery in Ceylon, where he arrived on the 20th January, 1815. He was appointed Colonel in the army, 4th June, 1813; Colonel in the Royal Artillery, 20th December, 1814; and Major-General, 12th August, 1819. He was presented with two swords-one in the West Indies in 1794, and one in Ireland in 1814.

THE LATE MAJOR-GENERAL SIR JOHN DALRYMPLE, BART.

Entered the service in 1790 as Ensign in the 40th; the 30th of April, 1792, he was promoted to Lieutenant; the 26th of April, 1793, Captain in the 19th foot; and on the 28th of the latter month, he exchanged into the 3rd Guards. In 1794 he went to Flanders, and served on the Continent till the return of the British in 1795. The 6th of December, 1798, he succeeded to a company, with the rank of Lieut.-Colonel. In October, 1805, he accompanied the expedition to Hanover; in July, 1807, he went to Zealand, and was present at the siege of Copenhagen. The 25th of April, 1808, he received the brevet of Colonel; and was appointed Major-General the 4th of June, 1811; and subsequently served for a short time on the staff in Scotland. Sir John died at his brother-in-law's residence, Bruntsfield House, N.B., on the 26th of May last.

FOREIGN MISCELLANY.

FRANCE.

THE LEGION OF HONOUR.

THE report made by the Grand Chancellor of this order enables us to present the following view of its financial state, up to the 1st of January last. The deficit for the year 1833, and for

From which deduct claims of the
Legion on account of revenues in arrear 6,071,322

or 242,8531.

49,5187.

The deaths of members of the Legion in 1833 amounted to 956; and the expense of providing insignia for new members was 84,517 francs, or 3380%. In that year the number of additional nominations was 2563, viz.-8 grand crosses, 17 great officers, 46 commanders, 305 officers, and 2187 knights. In that year, therefore, a very notable addition was made to the number of members. The outlay upon places of education in favour of the Legion was, last year, 661,166 francs, or 26,4467.; and in 1833, 667,805 francs, or 26,7127.

SPAIN.

THE LATE GENERAL ZUMALACARREGuy,

was born at Ormaistegui, a small village in the province of Guipuzcoa, in the year 1789. His family is one of high rank in that quarter of the Peninsula; and at the time when the French first broke into Spain he was studying for the legal profession at Pampeluna. This violation of his country's liberties was a signal to him to join the ranks of the Spanish patriots; he was one of those who served under Mina, and was therefore initiated into the craft of military matters by the very commander against whom it was his subsequent fate to measure his strength. In 1822 we find him serving in a regiment at that time in garrison at Pampeluna; but as soon as the standard of the Army of the Faith had been raised under Quesada's orders, he hastened to enlist under it, and was successively appointed Major and Lieutenant-Colonel. Upon the termination of the war of 1823 he was removed into the regiment of the Military Orders. At a review of this regiment by Ferdinand VII., the King was so much pleased with the superior discipline of the corps, and the precision with which it went through the manoeuvres, as to pay a high compliment to its commander on the occasion. This officer, however, honestly admitted that the regiment was wholly indebted to Zumalacarreguy for its efficiency; and Ferdinand having inquired why he had not obtained a colonelcy, and being informed that his length of service did not entitle him to that rank,—“ Well and good," answered the Monarch; "and so much the worse for the regiments of Military Orders;-I will show them that they are for once in error. It is my will that Don Thomas be appointed Colonel; for I do not choose he should wait for time to do that, which his skill and services have already done for him." He was consequently posted to the command of the 15th, or Estremadura Regiment, and in a short time the corps became a model to the whole service. "None is better organized, better taught, or better disU. S. JOURN. No. 82, SEPT. 1835.

H

ciplined," are the very words in which the Madrid Gazette of that day spoke of it.

The affair of La Granja, however, exposed him to the charge of being attached to the claims of Don Carlos, and singularly enough, Quesada himself was the individual who undertook to intimate to him that his services were dispensed with on that score. Zumalacarreguy hereupon withdrew to Pampeluna, where he remained until the death of Ferdinand once more called him into active service. He now made common cause with SantosLadron, who organized the first levies against the present Government. Upon the death of this leader, and the subsequent retiring of Colonel Eraso, on account of ill-health, who succeeded him in the command, Zumalacarreguy assumed it; and hence dates the brilliant career which has immortalized him. Some time afterwards Don Carlos sent him a brevet as MajorGeneral, and upon the King's arrival in Navarre, he appointed him Lieut.General and Commander-in-Chief of the Royalist forces. In this capacity he has at least acquired a claim to be classed among the skilful, because he was undeniably one of the successful warriors of his age and country. We leave it to posterity to judge the rank which he shall bear in the records of history; but we may not close this brief sketch without a glance at his personal endowments and character, drawn from the testimony of an eyewitness and companion in arms.

"Zumalacarreguy was of middling stature, and his figure, a twelvemonth ago, was growing plumper and heavier. His whole features were full of expression; he had a quick and piercing eye, and his curled mustachios and full whiskers gave him a martial look. He was a man of astonishing activity, and quickness of motion characterised every limb and muscle of his frame. His memory, too, was so extraordinary, that the whole personale of his corps was as accurately carried in his head as on the musterrolls: hence his pen was rarely called into play. He was a father to his soldiers, and a single look from him was sufficient to command obedience and submission, and rivet their attention. Rough and abrupt as was his outward bearing, a kinder creature never existed: he combined simplicity of manners with generosity and entire disinterestedness of disposition, and his affability was as conspicuous as his frankness: no man ever held his word more sacred,-none could have a less humble opinion of his own merits. He wrote occasionally to his shamefully persecuted wife, but it was in few words; for he seldom went to greater length than this, I am well; keep your mind at ease. Kiss our dear daughter on each cheek.' I should add, that Zumalacarreguy was brave as the bravest; and when the occasion called for it, exposed his person with as much unconcern as the meanest of his followers."

RUSSIA.

THE RECRUIT.

Extract of a letter from Ekaterinoslaff-"The servitude which exists among the lower classes naturally leads me to speak of the manner in which the ranks are filled. You will easily conceive that it rests wholly and solely with the landholder to determine which of his vassals he will include in his quota of recruits. The superior authorities, in the first place, send down an order to the military governors of provinces, specifying how many recruits are to be furnished out of a given number of individuals. And here I should remark, that it is extremely difficult, under the present order of things, to obtain an accurate return of the amount of population; for, as every single vassal is of no small value in the estimation of his owner, it is natural enough that, as he parts with him for ever, he should be extremely reluctant to have a soldier made of him. A new census, it is true, is attempted from time to at nothing like correctness ever results from it.

The landholder in Russia is almost as complete sovereign lord and master over his estates as in Hungary; and though liable to any orders he may receive from the constituted authorities of his province, as well as to the established laws of his country, he is not troubled with any particular qualms of conscience in his construction of either. Whenever, therefore, the Mixed Board, composed of military officers and one or two civilians, receives directions to take an account of the number of inhabitants in a district, the landholder gives himself little trouble or concern about the matter. When questioned as to the number of souls on his property, his reply is, Really I cannot tell.' If pressed more closely, he calls in his manager or steward, and orders him to give all the information in his power. The man has as great an interest in concealing the truth, and professes as consummate an ignorance on the subject as his master: nay more, even threats will not extort a veracious answer from him. The local authorities are then called; but not a word can be obtained from them, excepting professions of their utter inability to state how many human beings live within the village bounds.

"Under these circumstances, the only resource left to the Commissioners is to assemble the inhabitants on a given spot, search every house in the place, and count heads for themselves. Whilst this is in operation, care is taken to send a number of males to a distance, pack them off to work in some remote forest, or else ensconce them in some hiding-place. The poor fellows themselves are the first to lend a helping hand in the fraud, as it affords them the best chance of escaping military service, for which they entertain a decided repugnance.

"You may now judge for yourself what little reliance is to be placed on the Russian population returns; and you may safely take it for granted, too, that the whole country is far more densely peopled than appears upon the face of any statistical accounts. A few words on the province from which I am writing may not here be out of place. The greatest breadth of Ekaterinoslaff is about one hundred and forty miles, and its area cannot, therefore, be much under fourteen thousand square miles; three times the superficial extent of Yorkshire. If the number of its inhabitants stood at all in proportion to the situation and productiveness of the soil, it would suffice for the support of at least nine millions of individuals; at this moment, however, they do not exceed one-third of the number, though it is accounted one of the most populous provinces in the empire. In fact, it is a pretty extensive state in itself; and you may, therefore, form some notion of the power possessed by the governor of such an expanse of country, particularly when you are likewise made aware that in many cases that authority is absolutely despotic; for not only does he rule as the immediate representative of his sovereign, but from the distance at which he is placed from the seat of government, it is no very easy matter to call him to account for any malversation. The judicial and civil administration of every province is vested in a civil governor; and in military concerns, two, and often as many as three, military lieutenant-governors, are subordinate to the military governor, whose authority is in many respects even of a more extensive nature than that of his civilian colleague.'

MONGOLIA.

THE CACHARIAN MONGOLS.

The following notes on the military state of this people are derived from the Journal of Koflefski, a Polish traveller, who accompanied the Russian mission to Peking in 1830. "Between the 28th of October and the 6th of November, the mission was engaged in traversing the steppes on which the Cachars are encamped, and we here collected the subsequent notes with