as proud, and talked as much of his success, in growing prize-melons in the Faubourg du Temple, as he was of his chess-victories in the Palais Royal. In short, it seemed that in everything he turned his mind to, he was successful; and so much were the Parisians impressed with the idea of his universal abilities, that the Gauls-one of the secret societies of 1832-had seriously proposed, in the event of a forcible change of government, to create M. Deschapelles dictator of France. Deschapelles was probably the best, and ported by his merits: it was a sort of military certainly the most remarkable, chess-player frankness, rather than gasconade. He was that ever entered the salon of the Café de la Régence. He was naturally endowed with an exclusively peculiar talent for rapidly acquiring a complete mastership over the most intricate games of skill. At trick-track, a very difficult and complicated game, somewhat resembling backgammon, he was unrivalled. Polish draughts, a highly scientific game, little inferior to chess, he mastered in three months, beating the very best players of the day, though seven or eight years is generally considered a fair period for a person Mouret, chess-teacher to the family of of ordinary abilities to become a second or Louis-Philippe, was one of the most amusing third rate player. More extraordinary still: of the later frequenters of the Régence. It he always asserted that he acquired all he was he who, shut up in a drawer barely sufever knew of chess in four days! "I learned ficient to contain a good-sized cat, for many the moves," he used to say; "played with years conducted the moves of the celebrated, Bernard [a celebrated player]; lost the first, but improperly termed, automaton chesssecond, and third day, but beat him on the player, in almost all the principal towns of fourth; since which time I have neither ad- Europe. Many were the amusing anecdotes vanced nor receded. Chess to me has been, he used to relate, when subsequently revealing and is, a single idea. I look neither to the the secrets of his prison-house. Though the right nor to the left; but I simply examine slightest noise, the least audible intimation of the position before me, as I would that of two a living creature being concealed in the chest hostile armies, and I do that which I think-apparently filled with wheels and other best to be done." Still more extraordinary mechanism, upon which the automaton played is the manner in which this preternatural would have been fatal to the deception, faculty was developed. In his first youth, Mouret never lost his presence of mind, save Deschapelles was considered to be a person of upon one occasion. It happened thus: The rather inferior abilities. Joining, however, automaton was exhibiting in the capital of the army of the republic, he was one of a one of the minor German principalities, and, small body of French infantry which was as usual, drawing crowded audiences. charged by a brigade of Prussian cavalry in professor of legerdemain-everybody is a the melée, his right hand was shorn off; a professor now-a-days-who was performing sabre-cut clove his skull, and another gashed in the same place, finding his occupation gone his face diagonally from brow to chin. This through the superior attractions of the woodwas not all. The whole Prussian brigade en chess-player, determined to discover and galloped twice over his mangled body; once expose the secret. Aided by his long proin the onslaught, and again in their retreat.fessional experience of the deceptive art, he Deschapelles was subsequently picked up, soon saw through the trick, which more and carried off the field, his head presenting learned persons had only distantly guessed a ghastly mass of fractures. To the surprise at; and, assisted by an accomplice, raised a of everybody, he ultimately recovered; and to sudden outcry of fire just as the automaton his death, which occurred but a few years was in the midst of an interesting game. since, he ever attributed his unparalleled en- The noise of the alarmed spectators rushing dowments, as regards games of skill, to the from the room struck a momentary panic to bouleversement his brain received on that aw- the heart of Mouret, who, believing himself ful occasion! about to burned alive, struggled so violently Great men, in their varied walks of life, to release himself from his concealed bondage, are generally modest; Deschapelles, however, that he rolled the automaton, turban, cushion, was an exception to the rule. Yet his as- and all, over on the floor. Maelzel, the vissumption, if not warranted, was at least sup-ible exhibitor, instantly flying to the rescue, A dropped the curtain; but next day the automaton left the town, and the astute conjuror remained master of the field. In justice to chess, it must be added of poor Mouret, the most amusing of story-tellers, that he was the only first-class chess-player I have ever met with who extinguished fine abilities, sacrificed character, and destroyed . life, by over-indulgence in strong waters. I found the temple of Caïssa, as my companion rather magniloquently denominated it, to be, in spite of plate-glass, gilding, and marble-topped tables, little better than a third-rate café; and saw, as soon as I entered, that the fane of the goddess was desecrated by draughts and dominoes- the games of boors and children. The Pole invited me to play, but I declined; for not relishing either But I have wandered too long among the the air of the place or the tone of its comtraditions of the Régence. Fatigued and pany, I had at once made up my mind to disappointed by my fruitless search after the remain but a few minutes. We had disbuilding itself, I made my way round to the cussed a demi tasse each, and were about to Place du Palais Royal, and seating myself depart, when a young soldier entered the in a peculiarly comfortable arm-chair, com- salon · a Zouave, who had been wounded at menced an agreeable flirtation with a glass of the Alma. I am an Englishman, and, of lemonade. There, while musing on the chess- course, having a thorough contempt for enpaladins of the past, I was startled by an thusiasm, detest scenes and all such sort of appearance which, at first glance, I took to things; still, I could not refrain from fraterbe a spectre, but immediately after recognized nizing with the brave fellow, from shaking as one of the last living relics of the olden the remaining hand of one who had lost the time. It was the tall, thin, black-stocked, other fighting beside my own countrymen. frock-coated, buttoned-up, linenless-looking, Then the filling and emptying of glasses, the grisly old Pole, with the unpronounceable universal rite and symbol of fraternity, had name, who for many years has been so well to be duly celebrated. Did we not trinquer known to the habitués of the Régence. I together! Did I not, in honor of the occanever met any one who could spell and pronounce his most cacophonous of names; but that did not matter, as he had long held the titular rank of colonel; while the youngsters of the Régence-behind his back, though, be The entrance of the soldier, like the breakit said gave him the sobriquet of Leipsic, ing of a potent spell, unloosed a score of from his interminable, and not always very tongues. Draught, domino, and chess-playwell-relished, accounts of that famous battle. ers threw up their games to converse on the He was doing the flaneur business in grand all-absorbing topic of the war. With no litstyle, when, like the Ancient Mariner, I held tle amount of vociferation and gesticulation, him with my eye, and, to keep up the nau- the movements of the allied armies were tical allusion, soon brought him to anchor in freely criticized, and approval or censure the chair beside me. Our first greeting being loudly proclaimed by the wordy disputants. · over, we lamented the decadence of chess and I need scarcely observe, that there are matthe fall of the Régence; then spoke of other ters connected with the war humiliating and matters of general and peculiar interest. As painful to English ears - with true French I suspected the great question of the day, to politeness, these subjects were not brought him at least, related to dinner, I at once, by forward in my presence. But as the hot a quiet invitation, set his mind at rest on debate was rapidly leading towards that that important subject, and then inquired unpleasant direction, the wily old Pole crewhere the Parisian chess-players now mus- ated a diversion by exclaiming: "After all, tered. gentlemen, war is but chess, and chess is war." "Some of them," he replied, 66 are aristos shut up in clubs -a vile system, excuse me, though borrowed from your own country. A few still worship Caïssa, the divine goddess of chess, in a café; come," he continued, "let me introduce you to her modern temple." sion, drink a whole petit verre of that, to me of the art of war. For instance, no one can fate of arms depends upon a number of play at chess without first acquiring a perfect "True, true," chorused a number of voices. It evidently appeared that the Pole had mounted his hobby; and the audience, forgetting their previous debate, had unanimously determined that he should ride it for their amusement. 66 I "Well, I will say a few words more. need not tell you that, when a projected attack at chess is foiled by the superior defences of your adversary, it should be immediately abandoned, and your men placed in another position of attack, or on the defensive. In war, an obstinate persistence in attack has been fatal to the fame of many great generals: they lost their men, and with them the means of forming another attack, on a less formidable position, and even the power of making a vigorous defence. A great general is never obstinate. Napoleon I., particularly in his Italian campaigns, was the beau-ideal of a chess-player. The art of war, as exemplified by that great general, wholly consisted in the proper application of three combinations; "When opening the game," continued the colonel, we direct our moves so that no one of our pieces or pawns can neutralize the effect of another; while, at the same time, we place them where they cannot be attacked with impunity, and in the most advantageous positions for assaulting the enemy. A skilful general will act on a similar principle. He will select the ground most favorable for the action of his infantry and cavalry, taking care that they do not restrain the fire of his artillery; and, by the same rule, he will use all the means in his power to prevent the enemy from deploying his forces in so advantageous a manner. At chess, this can be first, the disposition of his lines of operation done only by having the first move. There in the most advantageous manner, either for are first moves also in war. The general attack or defence; secondly, the skilful conwho first takes the field acts on the offensive, centration of his forces, with the greatest his opponent being compelled to act accord- possible activity, on the weakest or most iming to the manner in which he is attacked. portant point of the enemy's lines; thirdly, And, as in chess, it is no very great disadvan- the simultaneous employment of this accumutage to be forced to act on the defensive; for, lated force upon the position against which in the course of a campaign, the attacking it was directed. This is exactly the correct army will be almost sure to make some mis-system of attack at chess. The principles of take, which, if promptly taken advantage of defensive operations in war and chess are preby its opponents, will change the defence to cisely similar. It is an acknowledged prinan attack. In war, as in chess, it is much ciple, that the basis of a plan of attack more difficult to attack than to defend. The should form the best possible line of defence. great secret of success in chess is foresight, This fundamental rule can never be violated not only to direct your own moves towards a with impunity; for nothing is more embardefinite object, but also to penetrate the rassing than a sudden transition from offenintentions of your adversary. It is the same sive to defensive operations - when false in war. Your enemy makes a certain move- moves, or an unfortunate oversight, has ment; it is for you to divine his motives for deranged the plan of an assault. There likedoing so. This is absolutely indispensable, wise is considerable analogy between the if you wish to be in a position to parry suc- abilities required to form a great general and cessfully his attacks. A small disadvantage a skilful chess-player. The commander of in chess, a crowded situation, an unsupported an army should possess a complete knowledge piece, a neglected opportunity of castling, of the general principles of war, which may and other apparent trifles, frequently leads to be required during a tedious campaign, or the loss of the game. So it is in war: the demanded by the exigencies of actual conflict. He must plan, arrange, and conduct prelimi- order to amuse him with an image of war, nary operations; act with promptness and while his metropolis was besieged by Ramah, decision in cases of emergency; judge of the in the second age of the world. The Westimportance of a position, or the strength of ern tradition, however, is more feasible. an intrenchment; discover, from the slight- According to it, the game was invented by est indications, the designs of the enemy, Palamedes, to amuse the Grecian warriors while he shrouds his own in impenetrable during the ten tedious years of the siege of obscurity; and, at the same time, preside Troy. Sinon, it is said, was one of the most with unshaken self-possession over the shift- celebrated of the Greek players, and derived ing fortunes of the tumultuous battle-field. the idea of the wooden horse, with which he A skilful chess-player requires qualities of finally checkmated the Trojans, from the a similar description. To a perfect mastery knight of the chess-board." of the difficult art of selecting and occupying, This awful climax recalled me to myself. with the utmost rapidity, a commanding I had begun to fancy myself in the Régence, position, he must add a thorough knowledge when, startled by the appearance of that of all the many and complicated varieties of wooden horse, I looked round and saw that I stratagems and snares, which he is alternately was in a vulgar café without traditions and called upon to invent and put into practice without celebrities. to see through and defeat. Catching the old soldier's eye, I made a "All great generals have been chess-play-significant gesture, implying that I was going ers; and it is a curious fact, that the tra- to dinner, and walked out. I had gone but ditions of both the East and the West relate a few paces ere he rejoined me; and I was that chess was invented during a siege. The soon happy to find that neither his appetite, Hindoo legend states, that it was invented nor his immense fund of anecdote, was at all by the wife of Ravan, king of Ceylon, in affected by his lecture on Chess and War. WORK FOR HEAVEN. Ir thou have thrown a glorious thought Great thinker, often shalt thou find, While folly plunders fame, What matter that, if thou uncoil If thou art true, yet in thee lurks Her own deep bounty she forgets, Her flowers above her weeds. She hides the modest leaves between, From the Church Journal. As from the glare of busy, feverish day, And bless it for the respite from our cares; With longing for this covert from his fears. Close by the door of heaven, with skilful hands; The Christian soldier hears the glorious psalm As weary children to their mother's care Of life's last weary day, pray him to keep M. Part of an article in the British Quarterly Review. WAR POLICY OF GREAT BRITAIN. On the west, the Western Powers are retrained, or affect to be restrained, by dread of stimulating revolutions, or by fear of embroiling themselves with the two great Powers whose territories would be concerned in the struggle. Now, we should like to know what England has to fear from foreign nationalities. It is true that the French Emperor's throne would not be the more secure for a revolt in Hungary, or from the proclamation of another Roman republic. The hint that he gave Europe, in not allowing Kossuth to pass through his dominions, fully proclaims his feelings on this head; nevertheless, he has a strong predilection for the plans of his uncle, and there is nothing in the reconstruction of Poland that need alarm him about the rising of the Red Republicans in any part of Europe. No doubt there are anarchists in Poland, as there are everywhere else. When the government of a state is in solution, the people have the more excuse for forming their own opinion, but the generality are strongly in favor of an hereditary monarchy, and if the country rose of itself to-morrow, they would aim at no other form of government. But, in resuming their independence under the protection of the Western Powers, the Poles would only be too glad to accept any polity their deliverers pressed upon them; nor is it at all likely that the uprising of this people at the dictation of two conservative states, to fulfil a contumely poured upon that very religion which the republicans of Italy would disthere be between the Protestant Magyar, who grace? ? What community of sentiment can evoked a revolution in attempting to render the Sclavonic element subservient to his rule, and the chivalrous Pole, who regards his dis tinction as the leader of that element as the proudest badge which his country could assume? * But People, because they hear of the word revolutionist applied indistinctly to all popuin behalf of chimerical schemes of government lations who are struggling against their rulers Poles to be exactly in the same predicament; which never had any existence, imagine the and Russia, with an insolence that defies comparison, has taken care to spread this impression, with a view to intimidate Germany and the conservative classes of Europe. we have no more right to apply the word that of anarchist to the man who, having revolutionist in this sense to the Poles, than been recently plundered of his money and such stigma is to be used, it must be applied watch, demands their restitution. If any to the imperial spoiler who, like a thief in the night, watched for opportunity to filch their liberties from their grasp, appropriate their territories, and slay their independence. In reclaiming these, the cause of the Poles is essentially that of order and justice, and, as servative statesmen in Europe; - by the Cassuch, has been maintained by the most contlereaghs and the Metternichs, by the Talleywho, had not the Lion escaped from his lair rands, by the Hardenbergs, and the Steins, at Elba, would have risked another European war for their deliverance. The Poles do not aim at visionary constitutions and long-forcountries, the movement might be effected gotten codes buried under the accumulated with as much order and regularity as if the dust of centuries; their rights are those of provinces were merely turning out, as they were wont, to fire a feu de joie over the election of a new sovereign. What community of feeling can there be between the republican of Italy, who would deprive the Pope of his estates and enthrone another Goddess of Reason on the altar of the Apostles, and the Catholic Pole, who regards as the foulest blot upon his national honor the political necessity, would awaken any hopes among the democrats of Hungary or Italy. Instead of a national outbreak, raging with that fury as to emit sparks to light up the inflammable materials which smoulder in other The sympathies of Napoleon's Foreign Minister, Count Walewski, strongly incline to the Poles; and Count de Persigny, his London ambassador, is no less committed to their cause. sacred to order, not only in political affranyesterday, and embrace everything that is chisement but religious freedom. The wounds *It is true that the imprudent conduct of a few exiles, in fraternizing with the Red Republicans, seems to fly in the face of this reasoning; but if we judge of the Polish nation from these specimens, we shall fall into the absurdity of the Portuguese, who formed their estimate of the refined people ninsular war, carried off their wives, and plundered their of Edinburgh from the Scotch marauders, who, in the Pecellars. We indeed marvel that the Poles are so reserved as they are. If the conservative classes turn their backs upon a people, they must expect them to fall into unseemly ways, and catch at every straw which promises to better their condition; but once admit them to their ranks, they will assert the respectability of their pretensions, and bid good-bye to these messieurs. |