CONSIDERABLE interest has

recently been manifested in various quarters respecting the life and actions of James Wolfe, the early matured and early lost commander of the British forces in the reign of George the Second. It is some years since a life of Wolfe was expected from the pen of Mr. Robert Chambers, which would have been gladly welcomed at his hand. Some useful materials for such a work have recently been communicated by various contributors to "Notes and Queries." A series of his letters to an intimate friend and brother officer was printed in Tait's Magazine for December 1849: others were published in the Naval and Military Gazette at the latter part of 1850 and the commencement of last year; and some others will be found in the Bedford Correspondence.

The following, we believe, has not hitherto been printed. We are favoured with it by our kind friend, Robert Cole, esq. F.S.A.; but the manuscript in his possession is not the original autograph.

Mr. Townshend, to whom it was addressed, was at the time Secretary of State for the Home Department, and afterwards the first Lord Viscount Sydney. His brother, for whose benefit it was written, was Henry Townshend, "who was killed in Germany in 1760, being then Captain of a company of Foot Guards, being confessedly, for his heroic courage, and his amiable manners, the favourite of the whole army, and of all who knew him.” *

As presenting a view of the qualifications deemed requisite to military proficiency a century ago, by one himself so distinguished by his early accomplishments and success, this letter will be perused with interest. The year in which it was written was passed by Wolfe in England; in the next he was engaged in the unfortunate descent upon Rochefort; in 1758 he had the command of the expedition against Louisberg; and in 1759 he was sent against Quebec, where he was killed in September of

that year, at the early age of thirty

two.

Lieut.-Colonel Wolfe to the Right Hon. Thomas Townshend.

Dear Sir,

You cannot find me a more agreeable employment than to serve and oblige you, and I wish with all my heart that my inclinations and abilities were of equal force. I do not recollect what it was that I recommended to Mr. Cornwallis's nephew ; it might be the Compte de Turpine's Book, which is certainly worth looking into, as it contains a good deal of plain practice.

Your brother, no doubt, is master of the Latin and French languages, and has some knowledge of the mathematics; without this last he can never become acquainted with one considerable branch of our business, the construction of fortification and the attack and defence of places; and I would advise him by all means to give up a year or two of his time now while he is

young, if he has not already done it, to the study of mathematics, because it will greatly facilitate his progress in military

matters. As to the books that are fittest for his purpose, he may begin with the King of Prussia's Regulations for his Horse and Foot, where the economy and good order of an army in the lower branches is extremely well established. There are the Memoirs of the Marquis de Santa Crux; Fauquin and Montecuculi; Folard's Tactiques; la Phalanxe a Poussée et Doublée, l'attaque et la defense des Places par Le Maréchal de Vauban, Les Memoirs de Goulon; L'Engineur de Compagne; St. Remi for all that concerns artillery. Of the ancients, Vegetius, Cæsar, Thucydides, Xenophon's Life

of Cyrus, and The Retreat of the 10,000 Greeks. I do not mention Polybius, because the Commentaries and the History naturally go together. Of late days, Davila, Guicciardini, Strada, and the Memoirs of the Duc de Sully. There is an abundance of military knowledge to be picked out of the lives of Gustavus Adolphus and Charles Twelfth King of Sweden

and of Rusca the Bohemian; and if a tolerable account could be got of the exploits of Scanderberg it would be invaluable, for he excels all the officers ancient and modern in the conduct of a small defensive army. I met with him in the Turkish history, but no where else. The

refection with meat and drink, every man then gave himself to prayer and contemplation, busily vising (i. e. visiting or viewing) the holy places aforesaid, after their devotion, during the whole night. And early in the morning all we that were priests said mass, some at Calvary, some at our Lady's chapel, and some at the Holy Sepulchre, after our devotion. And the lay pilgrims were houselled at the chapel of Calvary. And also by vij or viij of the clock in the morning we had said all mass. And then we refreshed us with wine and bread, and such other caseles as we could get for our money of the Turks and Saracens."

In some places, however, Torkington is rather fuller. Like Guylford he made an excursion from Venice to Padua, and though it occupied only one day, Guylford having taken four, he is very minute in his description of the religious treasures of that city.

"Wedynsday the vj day of May we went by watir to Padua by the ryver of Brente; and there we visited and saw many reliquies, as Seynt Antoni whiche was a grey fryer, and lith ryght fayer in the body of the churche. In the vestrye ther ys an herse that stond full of chalys to the nowmber of iiij. or vxx, wherin ys closyd many grett reliquies, a rybbe of the syd of seynt Bonaventure, whiche translate the holy body of seynt Antony, and also the tong of seynt Antony yet fayer and fressh, which tong he convertyd myche peple to the feythe of Crist.

"Also in the abbey of seynt Justine virgyne, a place of blake monkys, ryght delectable and also solytary, ther lithe the body of seynt Justine, and seynt Luke and seynt Mathew; and ther we see the fynger of seynt Luke that he wrote the holy gospell with. And also the table of ower blessed Lady which seynt Luke peynted with his owen hande, beryng hyr son in hyr armys. It is seyd who so ever behold thys picture of our blessed Lady devoutly in hys lyff he shall never be deprivyd from the syght of her everlastyng. Also ther ys ij locures of iij quarterys of a yard long full of bonys of Innocentis whyche kyng Herrodys slew for malyce that he bar to Criste."

Now, if this be compared with Guyl

* casuals?

ford's account, at p. 6, all the passages we have marked by italic characters will be there found, but in other respects we see Torkington is more diffuse. Guylford, however, differs in relating that

"There be two tables of our blessyd Lady which seynt Luke paynted with his awne handes at Padowa. Also we sawe the tombes of Antenore of Troye and of Titus Lyvyus."

On the festivals of Venice the relation of Torkington is still more curious, and he is here so much fuller than Guylford that it seems very extraordinary that he should to a considerable extent use the same words. If we did not know that Guylford's pilgrimage was made in 1506, and Torkington's in 1517, the latter would here certainly be regarded as the earlier writer, and Guylford would appear as the maker of the copy and abridgment. All he says is that portion which is now printed in italic.

"The rychesse, the sumptuous buyldynge, the relygyous howses, and the stablyssynge of their justyces and counceylles, with all other thynges that maketh a cylie glorious, surmounteth in Venyse above all places that ever I sawe. And specially at ij. festis wherał we were present.

"The one was upon the Ascencion daye, which daye the Duke, with a greate tryumphe and solempnyte, with all the Senyorye, went in their Archa triumphali, which is in maner of a galye of a straunge facyon and wonder stately; and so they rowed out into the see with assystence of their patriarche, and there spoused the see with a rynge. The spousall wordes And therwith the Duke lete fall the rynge be, In signum veri perpetui que Domini. in to the see. The processe and cerimonyes wherof were to longe to wryte.

"Then thaye rode to the abbey of seynt Nicholas of blake monkys that stond by juste be them; and all they brake ther fasts, and so retornyd ageyne to Venys to the Dukys palace, wher they had provyded for them a mervelous dyner. Wher at we pilgrimes was present and see them servyd. At which dyner ther wer viij corse of soundery metys; and att every corse the

trumpetts and the mynistrellys com inne afore them. Ther was exceeding muche plate, as basons, ewers, wonders grett and of a straunge facion. Every iiij persons had a bason and an ewer to washen their hands. Also ther was a grett vesell of sylver and gylte, and it was iiij cornerde, and it had at every ende iiij ryngs, that ij men myght bere it betwyne them for to cast owt the watyr of ther basons whanne they had wasshed ther handys. Ther dysshys, ther platers, ther sawcers, all was of silver and gylte.

"And while they sett at dyner ther was parte of the Dukys chapell singing dyverse balyttys; and sumtyme they song with organes. And aftyr that ther cam one of the trompetores, and he pleyd with the organs all maner of messur, the excellent conyng man that ever I hard, with diverse instruments I hard nor never see affor. And whanne dyner was don the Duke sent to the pilgryms gret basons full of marchepanys, and also coumfytes, and malmsey and other swete wynys, as myche as ony man wold ete and drynke. Thys don, ther cam on that was disgysyd, and he gestyd

afor the Duke and the Marchose and the company, and made them very mery. And aftyr that ther cam dauncers, and sume of them disguysed in womens clothes, that daunsyd a gret while. And after them come tumbelers both men and childern, the marvelows felows that ever I saw, so myche that I canne nott writt it.

"The other ffest was oone Corpus Xp'i day, wher was the most solemne procession that ever I saw. Ther went pageants of the Old Law and the New Law joynyng togedyr the ffygmyes* of the blessyd sacrament, in such nowmbre and so apte and convenient for that ffest that it wold make any man joyus to see it. And over that it was a grett merveyle to se the grett nowmbre of religius folkes and of scholys that we call bachelers + or felachippys clothid all in with gramens with diverse bages on ther brestis, which bar all lights of wondyr goodly facion. And be twyne every of the pagents went lityll childern of bothe kynds, gloriusly and richely dressed, beryng in ther handys ryche cuppes or other vesseles of gold and silver

rychely inamelyd and gylt, full of plesaunt flowers and well smellyng,§ which chyldern kest the flowers upon the lords and pylgryms. They was dressid as aungellis with clothe of gold and crymsyn velvet to order || the seyd procession. The forme and maner therof excedyd all other that ever I saw, so myche that I canne nott wryte it.

"The Duke satt in Seynt Markes churche in ryght hye astate in the qwer on the ryght syd with senyoryte, which they call lords, in riche aparell, as purpyll velvet, cremsyn velvet, ffyne scarlet. Also all the pylgrymes war commaundyd to come in to the fforseyd qwer, and then we satt all on the left syde on the qwere. The Duke thus sitting, with hys lords, the seyd procession beganne to com be hym abowle viij** of the clok, and it was xij or the seyd procession myght com oonys about passyng by as faste as they myght goo but one tyme. Than the Duke rose up with his lords and company to folow the forseyd procession, he commaunded hys lordys that they shuld in the procession every oon of them take a pylgryme on hys right hande, hys servaunts gevyng to us grett candyls of wax, whych candelys every pylgrim bar awey the procession doon at hys owen plesur.tt We procedyd owt of Seynt Markes churche in to the Dukys palas, and so went in procession with inne the seyd place, be cause it was reyné wedyr; and so retornyd in to the churche ende of the seyd procession." ageyne of Seynt Marke, and ther made

In this curious passage there will be observed the same peculiarity which we noticed in Guylford's prilgrimage with respect to Latin words introduced, that they are in objective cases. "The Duke and Seignory went in their archa triumphali." And in Guylford's pilgrimage we have also Corporis Christi day where it is Corpus in Torkington. Does not this intimate that Latin? And the greater fullness of we are reading a version from the Torkington seems to lead to this further conclusion, that we are yet not arrived at the original translator either

‡‡ i. e. sexes.

** vij. G.