* THE BATTLE OF AZINCOURT. AFTER the expiration of a truce with France, Henry the Fifth determined, with the advice of his Council, to prosecute his pretensions to the crown of that kingdom, by virtue of his descent from Isabella, daughter of Philip the Fair. He was, at this period, in the twenty-seventh year of his age, and the third of his reign. Grave and gentle in his deportment, he mingled a becoming affability with the dignity which belonged to his rank; and the impartiality with which he administered justice to the lowest as well as the highest of his subjects, endeared him to all classes. His piety was sincere; and his attention to devotional exercises constant and fervent.

Henry sailed from Southampton with a fleet of 1600 ships, on the 19th of August, 1415, and landed at Havre de Grace, in Normandy, on the 21st. His army consisted of 36,000 men; 6000 of whom were cavalry, 23,000 archers, and the remainder cannoniers, pioneers, waggoners, suttlers, &c. They were armed with bows, battle-axes, swords, and maces or malls; and the horsemen, in armour, had lances.

His first attempt was upon Harfleur, a fortified town in Normandy, of considerable strength; it made a vigorous resistance, but capitulated after a short siege. Having secured his conquest by expelling the native inhabitants, and planting an English colony in their stead, the king challenged the Dauphin of France to single combat, but it does not appear that that prince returned any answer to the challenge.

Soon after the surrender of Harfleur, the dysentery broke out in the English army, and made such havoc among the troops, that not more than a fourth part were able to bear arms. The Bishop of Norwich and the Earl of Suffolk died of it; and the Duke of Clarence, the Earl of Arundel, and many officers of distinction, were obliged to return to England, accompanied with about 10,000 of the troops, which, with those that had already fallen, reduced the army to about 20,000 men.

The King of France was not idle during these operations. He issued proclamations, calling upon his nobles to collect their vassals and repair to his standard The prospect of this armament, the bad state of his troops, and the approach of winter, concurred to induce Henry to think of retreating; he resolved, however, not to re-embark at Havre, but at Calais, lest his retreat should appear too much like a flight. Leaving, therefore, 3000 men as a garrison at Harfleur; he set out for Calais, a most difficult and dangerous undertaking; for the French had broken down the bridges, cut up the roads, and destroyed, or removed into the fortified places, all the provisions and forage in their line of march.

On arriving at the Somme, Henry found it rendered impracticable by sharp stakes fixed in the river. All the bridges were destroyed, and the fords guarded by troops, intrenched on the opposite side. The dysentery still preyed upon his army, and, to complete their misfortunes, the king of France sent forward a reinforcement of 14,000 men, and the flower and chivalry of France flocked to the Royal Standard. A council of war was held at Rouen, consisting of the chief nobles of France, at which it was resolved to give the English battle; but being confident of victory, it was determined to allow them to pass the Somme, and to arrest their progress on the road to Calais.

King Henry, with his army, at length passed the river; and soon after he had effected the passage, three Heralds arrived at his camp from the French Princes, offering him battle, and leaving him to choose the time and place. Henry's reply was as follows.

"Mine intent is to do as it pleases God. I will not seek your master at this time, but if he or his seek me, I will meet with them, God willing. If any of your nation once attempt to stop me on my march now to Calais, at their jeopardy be it; and yet wish I not any of you so unadvised as to be the occasion that I dye your tawny ground with your red blood!"

Finding, however, that it was not possible to avoid fighting, Henry resolved to prepare for battle, and on the 22nd of October, the French generals sent him word by a herald, that on the Friday following they would give him battle.

During the three days previous to the battle, Henry occupied himself in mingling with his troops, stimulating their courage by the promise of rewards and honours, and reminding them of the glory obtained by their ancestors at the famous battles of Cressy and Poictiers. Such was the effect of his exertions, that both officers and soldiers, far from dreading the approaching conflict, were eager to engage. The day before the battle, David Gam, a Welch captain, having been sent to reconnoitre the enemy, gallantly reported, "There are enough to be killed, enough to be taken prisoners, and enough to run away."

The disparity between the two armies, indeed, might well have appalled the bravest hearts. From the best accounts extant, French as well as English, the French army amounted to 150,000 men, 60,000 of whom were horsemen, clad in complete armour, all well armed, well clothed, and well fed; suffering no privations, on their own ground, and at liberty to fight in the most advantageous situation. This army was commanded by almost all the princes and nobles of France, and a vast proportion of the troops were men of quality. So certain were they of victory, that they spent the night before the battle in rejoicing, the officers arranging how to divide the spoil, and the soldiers playing at dice for the prisoners. Some of the princes had procured a sort of chariot, to convey their royal captive, the king of England, in triumph to Paris; and orders were sent to the different towns, to make large preparations to celebrate a glorious victory over the English.

The English army, on the contrary, consisted, at the utmost, of 15,000 men, of whom only 2000 were horse. Nearly all were affected, in some degree, with the dysentery, which inconvenienced them so much, that they actually fought naked from the waist downwards. They were harassed with a tedious march, in bad weather, destitute of provisions, and barely clothed. Hollinshed describes their condition in the following quaint but forcible language. "Rest could they none take, their enemies with alarms did so infest them; daily it rained, and nightly it freezed; of fuel there was great scarcity, of fluxes plenty, money enough, but wares for their relief to bestow it had they none, &c." So far were they from entertaining sanguine expectations of the victory, that they spent the evening previous to the battle," in making their peace with God, by confessing their sins, taking the sacrament, and other acts of devotion, as men who looked for certain death on the morrow."

On the 25th of October, the day appointed for the conflict, the two armies were drawn up as soon as it was light. The Constable d'Albret committed on this occasion, one of those blunders which ap pear the result of infatuation. In taking up his position, he chose a narrow piece of ground, flanked on one side by a rivulet, and on the other by a large wood, thereby sacrificing all the advantages which the superiority of numbers, especially in cavalry, could give him. He divided his army into three bodies, the first of which he commanded him

self. This line consisted of 8000 horse, 4000 archers, and 1500 crossbow-men: they were flanked by 1200 men on each side, with a flying reserve of 800 men, ready to direct their operations to any point where they might be wanted. In the front were placed 2400 horsemen, all, men and horses, clad in a lobster-like armour, to repel the English archers on the first attack. The second line was commanded by the Duke of Alençon, and the third by the Earl of Merle.

His arrangements being completed, the Constable made a pompous speech to his army, in which, after describing the mighty force of this great armament, and their certainty of victory, he goes on to say, "And on the other side, see a small handful | of poor English, who by reason that their victuals is consumed and spent, are by deadly famine sorely weakened, consumed, and almost without spirits; for their force is clearly abated, and their strength utterly decayed, so that ere the battle shall join, they shall for very feebleness be vanquished and overcome, and instead of men you shall fight with shadows. For you must know, that keep an Englishman one month from his warm bed, fat beef, and stale drink, and let him that season taste cold and suffer hunger, you then shall see his courage abated, and his body wax lean and bare. Such courage is in Englishmen when fair weather and victuals follow them, and such weakness when famine and cold trouble them."

When Henry perceived how the French were drawn up, he secretly detached a body of 400 lancers to post themselves out of sight, behind the wood on the left of the field of battle. He also lodged 200 archers on a low meadow on the right, fenced with bushes, and separated from the field by a wide ditch. Then drawing up his army, he could make but two feeble lines, on account of the small number of his troops. Edward, Duke of York, commanded the first; the king put himself at the head of the second; and the rear, consisting of archers, and such as were armed with spears, halberds, and bills, was led by Thomas Beaufort, Earl of Dorset, afterwards created Duke of Exeter.

Riding along the front of his army with a golden crown upon his helmet for a crest, and four royal standards near him, and several noble steeds richly caparisoned, but without riders, in his rear, Henry addressed a short but animated speech to his men, exhorting them not to fear a multitude of raw and undisciplined soldiers. "Victory," said he, "dependeth not on numbers but on bravery, and, above all, on God's help! in which I charge you to place all your trust. For myself, I do declare, that England shall never be charged with my ransom, nor any Frenchman triumph over me as their capture; for, either by famous death or glorious victory, will I, by God's grace, win honour and fame." Hearing one of his host express to another a wish" that there were with them then as many good soldiers, as were at that time within England," he immediately replied, "I would not wish a man more here than I have. We are, indeed, in comparison with the enemy, but a few: but if God, of his clemency, do favour us and our just cause, as I trust he will, we shall speed well enough."

At this period a herald approached with an insulting message from the French Princes, to know what Henry intended to offer for his ransom! Despising this mean gasconade, he replied calmly, "that a few hours would show whose care it would be to provide ransom.”

[To be concluded.Ţ

THE MARINER'S COMPASS. THE Mariner's Compass is an object not only of great curiosity, but also of extreme importance, when considered with regard to the interests, the security, or the wants of mankind. Up to the period of the discovery of the extraordinary natural properties of the LOADSTONE, or MAGNET, and the applicability of those properties to practical purposes, the science of Navigation was difficult, dangerous, and confined within narrow bounds. The ancient mariner, whose only guides upon the trackless waters were the heavenly bodies, the aid of which was uncertain, (concealed as they often were by clouds, or rendered difficult of observation by storms and tempests,) could not venture far from the land, and his voyages were therefore necessarily slow and short, but requiring much time and patience. By the aid of the Compass, the navigator can now range the most distant and unfrequented seas, with perfect security as to his course, and with certainty that he shall in due time arrive at the place of his destination. By means of the Compass, was the New World, among many other important discoveries, made known to the inhabitants of the old; and by its aid, is the intercourse between the most distant parts of the globe maintained, so that the productions of various regions have become objects of familiar interchange.

The inventor of the Mariner's Compass is not known, and the exact date of its introduction is also matter of doubt. It was employed in Europe in navigation about the middle of the thirteenth century, and has therefore been in use for more than five hundred years. The Chinese are said to have been acquainted with it much earlier, but no reliance can be placed upon their dates. The power of the loadstone to attract iron was known to the ancient Egyptians, but was not by them applied to any practical purpose.

Before describing the Mariner's Compass, it is necessary to explain a few of the phenomena of Magnetism, from which its power and usefulness are derived.

The only natural Magnet with which we are acquainted is the Loadstone, a mineral of a dark irongray colour, approaching to black, found in great abundance in the iron-mines of Sweden, in some parts of the East, in America, and sometimes, though rarely, among the iron-ores of England. There is a property peculiar to this substance, namely, that of attracting iron, which it draws into contact with its own mass and holds firmly attached, by its own power of attraction.

A piece of Loadstone drawn several times along a needle, or small piece of iron, converts it into an Artificial Magnet. If this magnetized needle be then carefully balanced, so as to move easily or its centre, it will voluntarily turn round, until one of its ends points towards the North; and, if removed from this direction, will, when left at liberty, invariably return to the same point. The magnetised needle also possesses the power of attracting iron, and of communicating this power to another piece of iron or steel, similar to that of the Loadstone itself, in proportion to the intensity of the magnetic property which has been imparted to it.

The magnetic power can also be imparted to iron or steel, without the intervention of either a natural or artificial magnet. If a bar of steel or iron is held in a slanting direction, thus

N.

S.

the upper end of the

bar S leaning to the south, and the other end N, to the north, and while in this position it is struck

smartly at the lower end with a hammer, the bar itself resting against an anvil or other piece of iron, it will be found to possess the properties of a magnet, and if nicely balanced upon its centre, the end N will swing round until it points to the north.

Another very curious property is this. If the end of a needle pointing to the north, be brought near to the end of a second needle, pointing in the same direction, they will move away from each other; but if the north end of one is brought near to the south end of the other, they will be mutually attracted and approach each other. That end of the magnet which points to the north, is said to be its north-pole, and the opposite is called its south-pole.

The magnetic power can be given to either iron or steel iron receives it more readily, but very soon

parts with it; steel on the contrary is not so easily magnetized, but when once that end is gained, it becomes a permanent magnet. The powers of either a natural or artificial magnet may be destroyed in several ways; by a red heat, by a stroke of lightning, or even by being laid by in an injudicious position.

These are a few of the principal laws of the power called Magnetism, but the cause of this power we may never be able to discover. The most plausible theory is, that the earth itself contains, or is in fact, an enormous magnet; that one of its magnetic poles is situated somewhere in the north, and the other in the south. The principle on which the Mariner's Compass is formed may, from a knowledge of the above facts, be easily understood.

A magnet made like the hand of a clock, with that end which points to the north shaped like the head of an arrow, is carefully balanced on a steel point, and placed inside a circular box and to this is attached a card, on which the divisions of NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, and WEST, (or, as they are called, the points of the compass,) are printed, and which is made to go round along with the needle. By simply looking at the position of the needle, the mariner can see the direction in which the vessel is sailing, and regulate his steering accordingly.

About the middle of the sixteenth century, it was discovered that the needle did not point directly to the north, but that its direction was somewhat to the east of that point, and this has since been called the variation of the compass. To account for this, it was supposed that the magnetic pole of the earth did not coincide with that of the axis on which the globe itself turned. Subsequent observations appear to have confirmed this theory, and the northern magnetic pole is supposed to be situated in the north-west extremity of Baffin's Bay.

Captain Parry, in his voyage of discovery to the North Seas, discovered that when he had passed to the north of a certain spot, to the westward of Hudson's Strait, the needle, which had previously been varying to an extreme degree, absolutely went half round the compass, away from its proper direction towards the north; that is, the north pole pointed due south, and this continued to be the case until he had sailed considerably further north. Whether this powerful local attraction had any reference to the real magnetic pole, further observations will perhaps determine.

A very remarkable circumstance attends the variation of the compass, and the cause of it has hitherto eluded the researches of philosophers.

When it was first noticed, the magnetic needle in London pointed some degrees to the east of the true north; this variation gradually became less, till at length, in the year 1660, it agreed with the north pole of the earth: it then gradually began to vary to the west, till in the year 1828, the variation amounted decreased, being, at present, about twenty-four to nearly twenty-five degrees; since that time it has degrees of a circle of three hundred and sixty.

The following engraving is a representation of the compass now in use among the Chinese. The inner circle represents the four Cardinal Points, North, East, South and West, and four intermediate points, North-East, South-East, South-West, and NorthWest. These eight points are all that in former times were marked upon this useful instrument; but, at present, the compass employed in Europe indicates with much greater accuracy the variations in the course of a ship, as may be seen by referring to our engraving of the card of the common compass. The needle of the Chinese seldom exceeds an inch in

length; that of the nations of Europe is frequently as much as six inches long. The numerous characters upon the Chinese card, refer not only to the points of the compass, but to the seasons of the year, the days of the month, and the hours of the day, forming as it were a kind of almanack; on this land as at sea. account it is a very common pocket-companion on