It was therein stated, that, in future, the order of Notre Dame du Mont-Carmel, should be reserved for such students belonging to the royal military school, as had been approved of in every respect, conformably to the prescribed instructions on that head, for the purpose of being admitted knights of the order. The mark by which they were distinguished consisted of a small cross similar to the one, already described, which was formerly worn by the students.—The candidates were obliged to prove four degrees of nobility on the father’s side, and to produce the certificates required by the different colleges. Three out of the six received the cross, and became entitled from the day of their admission to an annual allowance of 100 livres, or twenty dollars, which they continued to enjoy as long as they remained in the service, and after they quitted it, provided they retired from the causes already stated. If a knight of the order of Notre Dame du St. Carmel, did any singular act of bravery, or discovered talents of superior military knowlege, on a proper attestation being produced of the same, signed by the general under whom he served, and countersigned by the minister of war, he became knight of the order of St. Lazarus, and by thus uniting the two orders, preserved an uncontestable proof of the service he had rendered.
This regulation, however, did not interfere with the ancient forms and rules of the royal military school, as far as they concerned those students who had already been received into two orders. It only went to restrict the number of such as might lay claim to the particular marks of distinction, &c. which were thereby granted to the newly admitted.
In these schools, and in those of the artillery noted below, is to be found the true foundation of the military triumphs of France from 1792 to 1810.
The great military school of France is now established at Fontainbleau by Bonaparte.
The French had likewise a marine school, (école de marine), which was kept at the expence of government, and was regularly attended to, in one of the departments. There was also a ship, distinguished by the name of school, (école) which was regularly manned and equipped for the instruction of young marines.
There were several schools of artillery, écoles d’artillerie, distributed in different parts of the kingdom, and supported at the public charge. The five principal ones were at La Fêre, Metz, Grenoble, Strasburgh, and Perpignan.
They were under the direction of an inspector-general, who had the rank of a lieutenant-general in the army. Each school was superintended by three commandants, and was composed of ordinary and extraordinary commissaries belonging to the artillery, of officers who had the immediate direction of the levelling and pointing pieces of ordnance, and of volunteer cadets.
These schools were open throughout the year; advantage being taken of occasional fine weather during the winter months to practise and exercise. They were divided into schools of theory, écoles de théorie, and into schools of practice, écoles de pratique.
The theoretical establishments were for the immediate instruction of all officers belonging to the engineer and the artillery departments.
The practical schools were open indiscriminately to all officers and soldiers. There was also a particular school for the information of those persons who directed their attention to mining and sapping; this school was called L’école des Sappeurs. The miner’s school. There was likewise a school established at La Fére, to which none but artillery officers could be admitted. The students consisted of one company, whose number never exceeded 50. They had the rank of sub-lieutenants, and received a monthly subsistence, amounting to forty French livres, a little more than seven dollars.