s favourite chasseur. We assert, then,
that a scrupulous attention to the nature of the service should form the
basis and the starting point of all discussions as to military costume;
but we will not go so far as to say that ornament is inadmissible or
unnecessary for military men. On the contrary, we know that the
adornment of the person has been attended to by the bravest men in all
ages and in all armies; and we know further, that it does produce a
powerful effect on the _morale_ of a corps. We intend to advocate the
use of frequent but consistent ornament for our soldiers, but we do not
wish to turn then into mere paraders. Use first and before every thing,
in this case at least--ornament next and entirely subsidiary to it; keep
to this rule, and you shall see an army turned out into the field
better than most that pass muster now-a-days.

It is of no use going into that diffuse subject--that _vexatissima
quaestio_--of how far the military dress of ancient days accorded with
the wants and uses of the service; the reader may go and look into that
dusty little volume of _Vegetius de Re Militari_, if he is fond of
dabbling in military antiquities; or he may consult our learned old
friend, Captain Grose of facetious memory; or still better, let him be
off to Goderich Court, and ask the porter to admit him to a sight of the
finest collection of armour in the world. We are not going to dive into
these matters; we will rather say roundly, that ever since armour came
to be disused, we think military men have gone clean daft in equipping
themselves. Only look at the uniforms of the campaigns of the Grand
Monarque or William of Orange; see what inconvenient coats those
glorious fellows that won Blenheim and Ramilies wore; recollect the
absurd turn-out of Charles XII., and even of Frederick the Great.
Convenience and comfort seem to have been totally out of the question in
those days--not that they made the men worse soldiers--they all fought
admirably--but we question whether their fatigues would not have been
less, and their health sounder, had they been clad and equipped in a
sensible manner. Oh, the powder, and the pigtails, and the broad cuffs,
and the Ramilies cock, and the sword tucked through the coat-tail!
Glories of glorious times, ye are gone for ever! But so, too, are the
tactics of your wearers; all is changed; another Caesar has swept you all
off the field; and even the famous uniforms of the French empire, so
br