MILITARY AND POLITICAL HINTS

1808. LACROIX, Col. Irenee Amelot de. MILITARY AND POLITICAL HINTS By Colonel Irenee Amelot de LaCroix, humbly submitted to the Hon. Members of Congress, and the General Officers of the militia of the United States. Digested and Translated by Samuel MacKay, late Professor of French Literature at Williams College, To Which is added The Artillerist, translated by the Same. Boston, Etheridge and Bliss, 1808. 8vo. 121[i]54pp +[2]pp. ads. First American edition, same year as first English. In spite of Col. LaCroix' "attachment to the laws" of the USA, and having found there "the summum bonum of all earthly enjoyment, Liberty" he is very blunt about his scorn for her defences. "I cannot observe, unconcerned, your half-way measures, at the moment which calls for all your energies." "The loud voice of enthusiasm," and "patriotic ardor" will not suffice. He offers a detailed analysis of her "Navy, Fortifications, and Militia" with recommendations for their improvement, with exact geography. As to the militia, "things are strangely altered since 1783. Your ancient prejudices ought to be discarded. A war commenced now with certain European powers would not resemble that which secured your independence." His answer to "no other preparations but fine speeches and political disputes" is a thorough reorganization on the French method. "THE FRENCH ARTILLERIST, containing brief Instruction for the different Objects of Practical Artillery" is a question-and-answer manual on the latest guns, their parts, and their operation. Library markings to title, else internally fine, in a cloth library binding with worn label.