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RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY. 195
A great advantage: poffeffed by the Pruffian army is the uniform difcipline that obtains
all through. There are particular mafters of exercife for every divifion of the army,
Thefe the colonels themfelves muft not control, when they are exercifing their regiments,
though they are often only majors. ‘This occafions an attention to a great number of
little things, which in other armies particularly our own, depend only on the-will of the
colonel, and are therefore often neglefted. By this means the whole muft harmonize
better, for when rules are the fame, the alacrity or negligence of the colonels or majors
in the execution, make a wonderful difference in regiments.
Another caufe, which in my opinion, greatly contributes to the excellence of the army.
is the high birth of the officers. They are moft of them of the firft nobility of the
country, and you hardly meet with one foreigner in twenty. They muft all have
been educated at the cadet’s fchool, and have ferved as cadets : I have fome very refpect-
able acquaintance amongft them. ‘They are in every refpect well-educated people, and
upon the whole very fenfible men. The {mall pay of the fubalterns obliges them to be
ceconomical, which is of great advantage to the fervice. They have all a martial appear-
ance, and that alacrity in every thing, which befpeaks men always ready to cut a knot
with their fwords. I believe that the Pruffian army has an advantage over the Auftrian,
from the Pruffian nobility not being fo powerful as the Auftrian. You cannot expeé
from counts and princes with large incomes, that exact fubordination and fimplicity,
which is the foul of the Pruffian army. Our experienced officers make a great outcry
about the irregularities in fervice, which are perpetually arifing from the intrigues of
private families ; and it is well known that the Englifh army is as ill circumftanced in this
refpect.
‘The Auftrians are by nature a far ftouter race of foldiers than the Pruflians, but this
does not avail them; for, after all that has been faid of the advantage of art over un-
cultivated nature, no ftronger in{ftance can be fhewn of it, than bringing up a miferable
artificial being, with all his art about him, to face a natural man, who is without it. The
natural man, who, were they both unarmed, would be able to tear to pieces a dozen
fuch creatures, lies ftretched out at the feet of the wretched man of art, as foon as the
latter gives fire.
The fame truth holds good with regard to armies that are more or lefs difciplined,
nor are the natural qualities of the foldier able to ftand againft thofe which are acquired
by art.
LETTER LIL.
: Berlin.
WHEN we read in Linguet’s Annals that the King of Pruffia had more foldiers than
peafants, during the laft Silefian war, we are naturally apt to take it for a bon mot; but
1 am apt to think it rank ignorance. - The man who could advife the European powers
to help the Houfe of Auftria to a part of Germany, in order to enable it to oppofe the
Turk on all fides, is very capable of making fucha blunder. He eftimated the Pruffian
territories by the map, where, on account of their broken appearance, they make but a
forry figure, and fo naturally fell into the opinion of its being impoffible for more than
two hundred thoufand men to inhabit fo narrow a flip of land.
What confirms me in this opinion, is the ignorance people are in with regard to the
real {trength of Pruflia, which yet they ought to be better acquainted with, partly
by the information of their eyes, and partly from German documents, which are open
to every man.
CiCe & Mr
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