rapet: "Si tranquillement,--sacre Dieu! c'etoit superbe."

Of the military talents of the Duke of Wellington they spoke also with
much respect, though generally with strong indications of jealousy. They
were often very ingenious in devising means of explaining his
victories, without compromising, as they called it, the honour of the
French arms. At Salamanca, they said, that in consequence of the wounds
of Marmont and other generals, their army was two hours without a
commander. At Vittoria again, it was commanded by Jourdan, and any body
could beat Jourdan. At Talavera, he committed "les plus grandes sottises
du monde; il a fait une contre-marche digne d'un bete." Some of the Duke
of Wellington's victories over Soult they stoutly denied, and others
they ascribed to great superiority of numbers, and to the large drafts
of Soult's best troops for the purpose of forming skeleton battalions,
to receive the conscripts of 1813.

The French pride themselves greatly on the _honour_ of their soldiers,
and in this quality they uniformly maintain that they are unrivalled, at
least on the continent of Europe. To this it is easy to reply, that,
according to the common notions of honour, it has been violated more
frequently and more completely by the French army than by any other. But
this is in fact eluding the observation rather than refuting it. The
truth appears to be, that the French _soldiers_ have a stronger sense of
honour than those of almost any other service; but that the _officers_,
having risen from the ranks, have brought with them to the most exalted
stations, no more refined or liberal sentiments than those by which the
private soldiers are very frequently actuated; and have, on the
contrary, acquired habits of duplicity and intrigue, from which their
brethren in inferior situations are exempt.

When we say of the French soldiers that they have a strong sense of
honour, we mean merely to express, that they will encounter dangers, and
hardships, and privations, and calamities of every kind, with wonderful
fortitude, and even cheerfulness, from no other motive than an _esprit
du corps_--a regard for the character of the French arms. Without
provocation from their enemies, without the prospect of plunder, without
the hope of victory, without the conviction of the interest of their
country in their deeds, without even the consolation of expecting care
or attention in case of wounds or sickness,--they will not hesitate t