The subjects involving as a rule less difficulty—such as history, French literature, German, and drawing—are spread over the whole year, forming generally the evenings’ occupation.
THE SPECIAL MILITARY SCHOOLS OF FRANCE.
[SCHOOL FOR ARTILLERY AND ENGINEERS]
AT METZ.
[HISTORY AND GENERAL DESCRIPTION,]
[The first French Artillery School] was founded in the time of Louis XIV. (in 1679) at Douai. It had but a short existence: and it was [only in 1720] (under the Regency,) when the Royal Regiment of Artillery received a new organization, that schools of theory were permanently founded in each of the seven towns where there were garrisons of artillery. But no academy properly so called was established before that founded by [D’Argenson at La Fère], in 1756, with a staff of two professors of mathematics, and two of drawing. This was transferred to Bapaume, near the Flemish frontier, in 1766, re-transferred to La Fère, and suppressed, among other schools, at the beginning of the Revolution.
[Of early Engineer Schools] there was only one, the very distinguished School of Mézières, near the northern frontier. This was founded in 1749, also under the ministry of D’Argenson; Monge was a professor there; and it had a very high reputation down to its suppression in the Revolution.
When the wars of the Revolution broke out, Provisional Schools for giving a brief course of rapid instruction was established at Metz for the engineers, and at Chalons-sur-Marne for the artillery. These had to supply, at a great disadvantage, the officers needed for the protection of the invaded frontier.
[It was intended originally] that the Polytechnic, established in 1794, should send engineers direct to the army; but it was quickly found to be a better plan to allow the pupils destined for this service first to spend some little time at Metz; which thus, in October, 1795, became a School of Application for Engineers. The artillery pupils in like manner went to Châlons. This separate system of two Schools of Application continued till 1802, when the establishment at Châlons was united with that of Metz, and Metz became what it has since continued to be, the seat of the United School of Application for the two services. The Polytechnic students who select the Artillerie de terre, Artillerie de mer, or the Génie militaire, enter here to receive the special and professional instruction deemed requisite to fit them for actual employment.