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THE LIFE OF A SOLDIER.
J. B. Nicholls & Son, 25, Parliament Street.
Ti E
LIFE OF A SOLDIER :
A NARRATIVE
OF TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS' SERVICE IN VARIOUS
PARTS OF THE WORLD.
BY A FIELD OFFICER.
R t	.
The story of my life,
The battles, sieges, fortunes, I had pass'd—
Wherein I spake of most disastrous chances,
Of moving accidents by flood and field—
Of hair-breadth 'stapes th' imminent deadly breach.
Shakspeare.
IN THREE VOLUMES.
VOL. I.
LONDON:
RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET,
tialiobet: in Orbiting to Ail; inateotg.
1 8 31.
-13y32.•8\ic..
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
CHAPTER I.
My military career begins with an ensigncy in a militia regiment—The raising of the corps—Its first mutiny—The route comes down—Second mutiny—March out of town—Quarters at Cork—Fight between our men and another Irish corps—Marched to Granard—I leave the militia.
IN his younger days my father was a cavalry officer, but left the service soon after his marriage; from him, among other qualities, I inherited a predilection for the profession of arms, which began to manifest itself some time before the memorable event of the donning of my first jacket and trowsers. Whenever I happened to be reported absent without leave, during my father's sojourn in any garrison town, the domestics sent in search of me invariably di- reeted their steps to the barracks, well knowing
VOL.
2	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
that they might be sure to find me there, watching with unwearied attention the progress of the drill, and endeavouring to imitate with my mimic gun the various motions of the manual and platoon exercise. At first, indeed, I was occasionally much chagrined by the surliness of sentries, who would refuse to let me pass the gate ; but, as my acquaintance with the world grew older, I learned the persuasive power of a bribe, and, by making to the soldiers well-timed presents of smart canes, which are so indispensable to the complete equipment of an orderly, I secured the entree to the barrack-yard.
In the year 1793 I began my military career by entering a southern city regiment of Irish militia with the rank of ensign. In those days commissions were given to more juvenile aspirants for military glory than are now permitted to hold them ; and I had barely completed my third lustrum, when I wore, or rather, as an old brother-in-arms afterwards said, was tied to a sword for the first time.
The Irish are a people naturally fond of the careless, chequered, errant life of a soldier; and, as one proof of it, my corps was raised volun-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	3
tarily in a single day.	large quantity of
cockades were provided, not alone for the men but also for the colonel's friends—a number of dinner parties were given in honour of the occa-sion—and the festivities concluded with a grand ball in the evening. The next morning our one-day-old regiment assembled, as ordered, in front of their colonel's house, and that officer directed that a shilling should be given to each man wherewith to drink his health ; hut, as his servants proceeded to distribute the money, a general cry arose that the colonel wanted to put them off with a shilling in lieu of the guinea which, on being called out, each was intitled to receive. All attempts at explanation proved perfectly unavailing—never were men so deaf to reason—they tore the cockades from their hats, as well as from the dresses of the ladies and gentlemen—trampled under foot these now valueless insignia—and gave disagreeable proof of the strength of their lungs by vociferating in full chorus, that we were all officers and none soldiers. They were not yet amenable to military law; so that the only check they received, was from sundry applications of the lieutenant-
B 2,
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
colonel's whip, which he laid on with great spirit whenever he fell in with a group of his refractory men, dancing on their cockades.
In a few days, however, the matter was better understood; the corps was called out, and then became subject to military discipline ; not a man was absent, and considerable concern for their past conduct, which had made their officers look so foolish, was clearly observable in the air and bearing of all; the drill proceeded regularly under non-commissioned officers of the line; undress clothing, blue jackets, white trowsers, and forage caps, came down from Dublin, and with it the route.
Early in the morning of the day fixed for our marching out of town, the commanding officer gave directions that half the regiment should proceed to the town-house for the arms, and that every man of the party should bring from it two stand to the barrack-square, the place of muster. Instantly it ran through the ranks, that each private was to be forced to carry two firelocks during the whole march; and a scene of confusion and anarchy, not inferior to that of the cockades, was momentarily expected to
A, SOLDIER'S LIFE.	5
be enacted—" H-11 to the one toe," they exclaimed, " will we move out of this, only with one gun. The d-1 a leg will we stir !" But at length the meaning of the order was satisfactorily explained, and then, running into the opposite extreme, several were heard to declare that for such a distance each individual would cheerfully carry an arm chest. The arms were brought accordingly and distributed ; the band of the thirty-fourth moved to the right of the line ; with some difficulty I drew from its retentive sheath the rusty sword which I had borrowed for the occasion, as our officers' appointments had not yet arrived ; and highly pleased with my warlike appearance, I fell in with my company. " Precisely at my age," thought I, "did the great Marlborough first unsheath his sword on parade with his regiment." True, his sword was not rusty, and his regiment of Guards was most probably superior to mine of raw militia—but no such humiliating reflections crossed my mind at that moment. In a few minutes the whole body moved off in file, for Dundas had not yet appeared : it was then that military pride took possession of me—I marched
6	A SOLDIER'S LIFE,
along exultingly, looking up to the peopled windows, and nodding courteously to my old partners at the dancing school, amid the silent acknowledgments of the waving kerchiefs of those peerless damsels. Human happiness had reached its height—when, lo ! my ear was suddenly assailed by the well-known accents of a voice, inquiring whether any body knew where Master Harry was to be found, and the next instant my progress was arrested by our greasy kitchen-maid, who stood in melting mood before me. She blubbered out, that since my departure the female portion of my family were all in tears, and that I had forgotten pair of stockings; and she forthwith proceeded to thrust these useful articles into my. pocket. Oh ! it was with sore indignation that I snatched at and flung them away, and, while my tormentor stood gazing in mute amazement, hastened to resume my place on the march, but so completely crest-fallen that even my favourite quickstep of Garryowen, which the band had just begun to play, failed to restore my lost equanimity.
In progress of time we were quartered in
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	7
Cork. The Tipperary and Louth regiments had been there before us, and had had some desperate fighting, as one corps was called southern and the other northern ; of course they were immediately separated. We, like the Tipperary, were also placed in garrison with a northern regiment, which, by the way, was the finest body of infantry that I have yet seen in our service ; but neither could we agree. One day, while some of our officers were walking with me on the Grand Parade, we were told that both the militia regiments were hard at work, tearing up the pavement and pelting at each other. We ran at once to the barracks, which then stood on either side of the Bandon road, and found that the report was too true, for both corps were outside their gates and hotly engaged. In the attempt to put a stop to the affray, one of our officers had a narrow escape from being killed by the bayonet of a northern ; I received a blow of a stone on the hip, which broke the hilt of my sword ; several of the men were also hurt. At length our regiment, being the weaker, fell back to the barracks, and, seizing their arms, began to fire
8	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
on their opponents from the upper windows that commanded the road. An attempt made to close the barrack-gates proved ineffectual, owing to the quantity of stones that had been thrown in, and blocked up the way. The northern regiment, imitating ours, rushed into - their barracks to arm themselves, but in the mean time their officers succeeded in- shutting their gates, and keeping them in. Our corps seemed to be sorely disappointed, when they saw themselves thus debarred of an opportu- nity of redeeming their credit after the change of weapons ; as they maintained that, though less numerous, they were more "handy at their arms," than their opponents.
General Stuart soon arrived to inquire into this unfortunate affair, and the consequence was, that we were ordered to get under arms instantly, and marched off to Mallow, receiving as we passed, a volley of .stones, discharged by the northerns from behind their barrack-wall.. We were followed out of town for some distance by the whole mob of Cork, who naturally sided with the southerns. About the middle of the night, to their no small surprise, the-
A SOLDIERS LIFE.	9
good people of Mallow were roused from their peaceful slumbers by our band playing up " the Rakes " through the town, and we received there a route for Granard.
At Clogheen we found the thirty-third regiment, which was then under orders to embark for the West Indies;* they were commanded by the Honourable Colonel Wellesley. He happened to be standing near the bridge, while we were marching over, and I, wishing to come off with flying colours, unfurled mine ; but, unluckily, the wind was very high—I was blown out of the ranks toward the future Duke of Wellington, and, before I could stop myself, my sacred charge was wrapped round him, and his hat knocked off. How little idea I then had, that I should yet be under his command in many a well-contested field ! While we were still some miles from Mullingar, our county regiment, which was stationed there, paid us the compliment of coming out to meet us, and,
4* The 33d sailed with Admiral Christian's fleet for the West Indies ; but, being obliged by contrary winds to put back, their destination was altered, and they were sent out to India.
B 5
10	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
certainly, our interview was most hearty, and truly Irish ; both corps mingled together, embracing and making every demonstration of joy; the preservation of order was altogether impracticable, and we entered Mullingar en masse. Then the festive scene that ensued sets description at defiance ! Parades, or any thing like discipline, were quite out of the question ; mothing but mirth and revelry was thought of ; the first two days we dined with our friends ; on the third they were entertained by us ; and on the fourth we marched out of Mullingar, just as we had entered it, in a most unmilitary disarray, the embracings being repeated on taking leave.
Our stay at Granard had not been of long continuance, when I secretly resolved to leave the militia. One day we invited the ninth dragoons to dine with us, and our chief aim was to floor the cavalry, according to the custom of those Gothic days of hard drinking. A young cornet was the first to fall under the table ; he was quickly followed by me. We were carried into an adjoining room, and thrown on a bed in a state of insensibility. We wore
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	11
our best uniforms, and found at daylight that they could never be mounted again ; but this was of no consequence to me, as since that morning I have never worn a militia uniform.
Having changed my red coat for a plain one, I set off for Ballymahon on foot without apprising any one of my intentions. The distance was seventeen miles, and, while performing my journey, the reflections with which my mind was occupied were far from being agreeable. I had stolen out of the inn before its other inmates had risen, and, in taking my departure so unceremoniously, I felt that I should draw down upon me the censure of the colonel, from whom I had received particular marks of favour, as well as of the other officers, who, I may say, formed a band of brothers, and of whom some were my near relatives; and this reflection caused me much pain : still the resolution to which I had oome I firmly determined never to break, and by making any of my brother officers acquainted with it I should only have incurred the certainty of offending them in a greater degree, by rejecting the advice which they would think my youth and inexperience required, and
12	A SOLDIERS LIFE.
which I knew would be to abandon my purpose. I also sincerely regretted the necessity that existed for my leaving a corps of which the officers were so much my friends, and the men, though once the most unruly of Irishmen, then in so high a state of discipline and efficiency as to reflect the utmost credit on those, who had exerted themselves unceasingly to inspire them with that soldierlike sense of duty, and that consciousness of superiority over most other regiments, which stood them in such good stead during the subsequent insurrection. Under such circumstances, I entered the village of Ballymahon in melancholy mood, and being unable to procure a horse there, had to walk on to Clogheen. Thence I proceeded on a hired hack to Menagh, and the next morning continued my journey on foot to Castle Connell, where I surprised my father's family, who passed the summer in that village, while discussing the important meal of breakfast.
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	13
CHAPTER II.
Reasons for leaving the militia—Join the expedition for the West Indies at Cork—The fleet sails—Storm—Put our commanding officer in Coventry—Crossing the line—My servant drowned—Squall—Flying fish—Dolphins—Anchor in Carlisle bay—Bumboats—Nancy Clarke—Court Martial—Capture of a transport by the French—Sir Ralph Abercrombie —Some account of Barbadoes—Mulattoes—Negroes—Slave market—Missing ships arrive—Notice of rising in St. Do-mingo—Expedition sails from Barbadoes— The voyage—Anchor off the Mole.
THE reasons which induced me to leave the militia also prevented my remaining long idle at home, and I will now detail them. In 1794 extensive armaments were assembled in the English ports, and at Cork; their destination was the West Indies, where they were to assist in the reduction of the French islands ; and their rendezvous at the other side of the Atlantic, was to be at-Barbadoes. The command of the land forces was consigned to Sir Ralph Abercrombie. The portion of the expedition,
14	A SOLDIEE'S LIFE.
which embarked at English ports, was the first to sail, and with it went a regiment in which a near relative of mine, not yet of age, held the commission of lieutenant. This young officer and I were bound by the ties not only of consanguinity but also of strict friendship ; he was indeed my earliest friend, for we had been brought up together from our infancy; he was the head of the elder branch of a family resident in a southern country in Ireland, and as such inherited a large estate, which was held in trust by guardians during his minority. Unfortunately, those persons did not show themselves worthy of the confidence which had been reposed in them, and too easily assented to the .wishes of a spirited youth for a military life. He was suffered to raise men for a lieutenancy, and the West Indies became his destination. The mortality that prevailed there among the troops was so great at this period, that I naturally felt alarmed for the safety of my friend; I saw too the folly of his leaving at such a time an ample fortune, and wished to counteract, if possible, what I conceived to be the injudicious views of his guardians. I therefore formed the
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	15
resolution of proceeding to the West Indies, for the purpose of persuading him to resign his commission and return home.
Some persons may be led to suppose, from what I have said, that I maintain the doctrine, that the friends of a young man do wrong in permitting him to serve his king and country in the army, because he happens to inherit a fortune. On the contrary, I think it both honourable and useful for such a person to do so, when he is to be opposed to a brave and worthy foe ; when he has  a chance of learning the profession of arms, and of reaping the laurels due to the successful exertion of skill and courage—
Send Danger from the East unto the West, So Honour cross it from the North to South, And let them grapple.
If under` such circumstances it be his fate to press a soldier's gory bed, why, let us say with the Frenchman, " fortune de guerre," or " better in battle," with my uncle Toby. But on this expedition a miserable and inglorious end awaited the British soldier—the dreadful fever silently but surely did the work of death, and the free-hearted and gallan sons of the British
1:6	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
Isles sunk, worse than useless to their country, and with sad rapidity, into an tinhonoured and soon-forgotten grave. Was I not then justified in exerting myself to persuade my friend, circumstanced as he was, to quit such a scene, and return to a happy home, where his presence might soon be of the greatest utility ?
In accordance therefore with my resolution, I left the militia as I have already mentioned, and, after the shortest possible stay at my father's, set off for Cove with a purse containing a few guineas, and letters of recommendation to Major-General White, who commanded the troops under orders for embarkation. As soon as I arrived I waited on the General, who received me very kindly, and advised me to join one of the corps, as a volunteer, lest my appointment should not take place bsfore the sailing of the fleet; at the same time he gave me permission to name the corps to which I was to be attached. As I had been acquainted with the Honourable Captain De Courcy at Kinsale, while quartered there with the militia, and now found that he had joined the ninety-ninth, a part of the expedition I consequently
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	17
preferred that corps to any other, and joined it; but I had not been with it many days, when, on taking up an orderly book, I read the notification of my appointment to an ensigncy in a dif ferent regiment, my commission bearing date November 4th, 1794.
I found among my new brother officers, a young ensign whom I had met before. When he joined at Spike Island, he had a rather homespun appearance, and, on going up to his future commanding officer, an Englishman, to report his arrival, he was stopped by a repulsive wave of the hand, and the words, " My lad, we don't take Irish recruits now."—" Oh ! Sir," said Newcome, " I am an ensign."—" I perceive," said the colonel with a sigh, directing his conversation to one of his officers, who stood near him, " that another blood an' ouns has joined
us.	It is too bad ! " He would have been
quite au desespoir, had he then known that he was soon to have another Irish ensign in his corps, in the person of the writer of these pages.
On board the transport in which I now embarked there were three officers ; one of them
18	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
was a married man, and, as I soon learned, a professed duellist. Some slight difference of opinion occurred between this person and one of the party after dinner, upon which Mrs. O'B-, his loving spouse, immediately ran into her cabin, and returned with her husband's pistols. " Look at those little fellows," said she to us, " look at the stocks with the dates carved on them, when O'B- killed his three men with them ! These are the things to keep puppies under !" The next morning an officer of another regiment called on O'B-, requesting him to be his friend in an affair of honour ; and, while he was on shore, he received orders to go on the recruiting service, so that, to the great joy of all on board, we were relieved from the presence of this extraordinary couple.
The fleet sailed on the 9th of February, 1795. My transport had then on board only three other officers, all young men like myself ; for the captain, who was to have commanded, had been taken ill and left at Cork. The consequence was that we were very improvident with respect to our sea-stock, seeing company
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	19
every day during our stay at Cove, and, as we were about to lay in a fresh supply, the order to sail was given most unseasonably. The fleet had got under weigh before another captain was directed to take the command of the transport ; he had to follow us in a hooker, and succeeded in getting on board at night. This gentleman, finding our sea-stock miserably reduced, with much prudence chose to live with the master of the vessel ; and this slight hurt our feelings so sensibly, that, in the height of our resentment, we resolved to place him in Coventry ; but, unfortunately, we were the sufferers by this giddy resolution, for his first step proved tolerably well how little the loss of our society would affect him, and we were ordered to keep watch both day and night during the passage.
On the 11th we encountered such a tremendous gale that the greater part of our ships put back into Cove ; but mine lay to off Cape Clear in a sea of mountains, no vessel in sight, except the Babet sloop-of-war. On the 15th we made sail again ; and, when the effects of the sea-sickness began to leave my companions
20	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
and me, we entered upon a search for the remains of our stock, and found it to consist of two huge rounds of beef and several pounds of tea. We then attempted to barter with the master for sugar, offering him an equal weight of tea for whatever quantity he could spare ; but, much as this proposal was to his advantage, he rejected it; neither would he sell us any of his provisions. The rations were of the very worst description ; the cheese was particularly detestable, being full of long red worms ; and, when we remonstrated with the master, he told us that it was cheese quite good enough for soldiers. Such insolence and such fare went both much against our stomachs, but in the conflict maintained within our breasts between resentment and a sense of military subordination, the latter fortunately prevailed, though endurance had nearly reached its utmost limits. Our next care was to have one of the large rounds of beef boiled : nor was this without its attendant annoyance, for no cupboard in our cabin could contain it, and we had only to suspend it from a hook by means of a cord that we passed through the bone. The round,
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	21
with the addition of a knife and fork stuck in it, formed an ornament of peculiar elegance ; and, by its perpetual oscillation, tended to increase the nausea which young hands feel on their first trip, and which is so much promoted by the sight of any object, really or apparently affected by the motion of the vessel ; consequently, the most important part of our stock, like our commanding officer, came to be regarded as a nuisance rather than as an acquisition.
Nothing now occurred to interrupt the monotony of our voyage, until we neared the line, when the sailors made all preparations for the old and well-known ceremony usuallyperformed in crossing it. Unluckily for us, we still cherished our animosity toward the master, and were induced by it to declare, that we would run any sailor through who should venture to enter our cabin. But the tars were not to be put off so easily ; they removed the skylight, and, arming themselves with buckets of water, fairly washed us out of our berths—a mode of attack which cooled our choler most effectually. We soon found that what we fancied to be our
22	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
stronghold was no longer tenable, and had nothing for it but to come upon deck and make terms as well as we could. The victorious watermen then threatened to practise on each of us the operation of shaving, which is never a very pleasurable one, and was now evidently to become still less so than usual, as the nautical barber made his appearance, wielding a fragment of an old iron hoop in one hand, and with the other, dipping a brush in a very unsightly compound of pitch and other matters, which, it was pretty generally understood, formed his succedaneum for soap. It is almost needless to add, that a threat, which might have been enforced with such ease to the threateners and such pain to the threatened, had the desired effect; and we were glad to make atonement to Neptune and his spouse, by directing that an offering of two gallons of ruin should be made on the part of each individual of our mess.
Two or three days after this occurrence, one calculated to excite very different feelings took place. My servant, how I could never discover, fell overboard; coops, gratings, and every loose
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	23
article on deck were thrown to him the moment that the accident was perceived, but, owing to a heavy swell, he did not see them ; a boat was next got out with all haste, but the men, in their confusion, having forgotten to stop the hole which was bored in her bottom to let off the rain water, she nearly filled, and was obliged to return to the ship without affording any assistance to the drowning man. All further attempt to save him was vain. For a considerable time we could see the poor fellow occasionally appearing on the top of a swell, drowned, his face in the water, but not sinking; nor did we lose sight of him altogether, until we were separated from him by an interval of more than two miles.
We now went before the trade-wind for several days, with all sail set, a smooth sea, and a cloudless sky : but on one unlucky morning our fine sailing was at last disturbed by a sudden squall. A momentary noise was heard, resembling the rattling of peas on a sieve, to borrow a simile from the agriculturists, and in an instant the ship was laid down till the water touched the foot of the mast. This was no
24	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
very agreeable surprise, and, when all hands had set to work and cut tacks and sheets, it was with great satisfaction that we perceived her right again. A frigate from England, about this time, and in the same latitude, was lost with all on board, in one of those white squalls.
Some days before we made the land, I was laughed at for exclaiming suddenly that I saw a flock of sand-larks. I had mistaken for them a shoal of flying fishes, which present very much the same appearance when seen in the air at a distance : they can support themselves out of water until they become dry. The dolphin is their great enemy, and continually in pursuit of them. This fish is the fastest swimmer of the finny tribes, and hence it derives its name of the "greyhound of the sea ;" a bottle, or any shining substance, suspended from the bowsprit will attract them to the ship, and they are then easily struck with the harpoon. The endless variety of hues that blend with or succeed each other on the scales of the dying dolphin are so exquisitely beautiful as to require the language of poetry to describe them, and I feel confident that the insertion of the following lines of Fal-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	25
coner the sailor-bard, will therefore he readily pardoned—
" But while his heart the fatal javelin thrills, And flitting life escapes in sanguine rills, What radiant changes strike th' astonish'd sight! What glowing hues of mingled shade and light I No equal beauties gild the lucid west,
With parting beams all o'er profusely drest. Not lovelier colours paint the vernal dawn, When orient dews impearl the enamell'd lawn, Than from his sides in bright suffusion flow, That now with gold empyreal seem to glow ; Now in pellucid sapphires meet the view, And emulate the soft celestial hue ;
Now beam a flaming crimson on the eye, And now assume the purple's deeper dye. But here description clouds each shining ray ; What terms of art can Nature's powers display ? "
After a passage of six weeks we arrived off Barbadoes. This island, when seen from a distance, seems to be all in motion, owing to the vast number of windmills employed there in the preparation of sugar. On the first headland there is a signal station ; and, in time of war, should more than seven vessels come in sight together, the militia of the island are ordered to get under arms. On rounding this headland, we entered Carlisle Bay, and were quickly encompassed by bumboats2 the crews of which
VOL. I.
26	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
welcomed us to Barbadoes. When we asked them what they had in their boats, the reply was, " Ebbo ting, Massa."— " Have you bread ?"—" No, Massa no bread."— " Have you cheese ? "—" No, Massa; no cheese."—" Butter ?"— " Lor massa, what queer tings you tink of !"—Perhaps the whole cargo might consist of only a few plaintains, bananas, and some dried fish. As my regiment had been in the West Indies a few years before, several of the old sergeants were recognized by the slaves who rowed in the boats, and amongst the rest by one named Hector; this poor fellow was pointed out to me particularly as a man who had given an extraordinary proof of fortitude. He had run away at one time, and when caught, was chained by the leg to some fixture, but at night he released himself from the chain by cutting off his foot at the ancle joint. He did this probably to vex his master, since such a mutilation diminished his value as a slave. It frequently happens that the negro will resolve to starve himself to death ; as he well knows that, next to taking away the planter's life, he cannot be better revenged than by taking away
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	27
his own ; when such sulky fits, as the Barbadians term them, come on, the poor wretch is flogged without mercy, and the combined tortures of hunger and the whip sometimes prove too powerful for his fortitude.
We disembarked on the day that we cast anchor, and went into barracks, waiting the arrival of those ships which had returned to port in stress of weather. Bridgetown, the capital of Barbadoes, is situated at the extreme end of Carlisle Bay ; it was at this time crowded to excess. Nancy Clarke, the well-known mulatto woman, who kept the head inn, charged me a dollar for permission to stretch on the floor without a bed for that night. This amiable creature had become attached to a young British officer; but, unfortunately for one of her slaves, a young female, she suspected that the poor girl's charms had made a more powerful impression than her's on the said gallant; and so violent was her jealousy, that she conceived the savage idea of disfiguring her supposed rival; she accomplished her purpose by pouring a quantity of scalding liquid over the girl's face and neck.
c2
28	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
In consequence of the bad terms on which we had been with the officer in command of our transport, three of our mess were ordered to appear before a court-martial to answer for our conduct while on board. One was acquitted, and promoted to a lieutenancy on the same day ; but another and I were kept in arrest for some time, though afterwards directed to do duty. The commanding officer of my regiment took out with him a there amie ; and her brother and sister were also on board the head-quarter ship, the gentleman having been appointed to an ensigncy in the corps. He was junior to two of us ; but advantage was taken of our arrest, and he was promoted over our heads. "Things are done differently in the militia," thought I. Indeed, I had been led to suppose that the line possessed so many advantages, that the militia could not for a moment bear a comparison with it in any particular ; but, as I kneW that conduct such as I have had to describe would never have been suffered in the constitutional force of the country, I was at a loss to perceive up to this period in what the great superiority of the regulars consisted.
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	29
We had been here but a few days, when an assistant surgeon who had sailed in a different vessel joined us, unaccompanied by any of his party. He informed us that his transport had been captured by a French cruiser and taken into Guadaloupe, and that Victor Hugues, the governor, far from wishing to detain him with the other prisoners, had dismissed him with the flattering remark, that wherever he went he would do much more harm than good with his medicines and flannel shirts.
A strange coincidence resulted from the capture of the above-mentioned ship some years after. The young Irish ensign whom our colonel had mistaken, at Spike Island, for a candidate to carry a musquet instead of a stand of colours, was on board her when she became a prize to the enemy; among the captors there was a Gallo-Hibernian, who was subsequently taken himself by the Russel 74, and carried to England, where by some means he succeeded in getting an ensigncy. Also, on board the Russel, at the time of the second capture, there was another son of Erin, a midshipman, who some time after left the navy, and obtained a commis-
30	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
sion in the army. Now what, in my opinion, is so remarkable is the fact, that a dozen years did not elapse before I saw these three officers all captains in the same regiment of the line.
As Sir Ralph Abercrombie would not commence operations before the arrival of all the dispersed ships, a long delay ensued, during which he lived on board a man-of-war, but came on shore every evening for two or three hours. He was a constant attendant at the parades of a fine black corps commanded by Colonel Malcolm ; it manoeuvred before him, and executed the different evolutions with as much steadiness and precision as any white regiment. In the subsequent attack on the French islands, it carried every thing before it, until Colonel Malcolm was killed ; but they lost their old commander and their former spirit together, and did not seem disposed to act under any other officer.
The island of Barbadoes is twenty-one miles in length and fourteen in breadth. The climate would be insupportably sultry, but for the refreshing breezes that blow from the sea during the day; the trade-wind and the heat of
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	31
the sun's rays increase in strength together; and the land breeze, which blows from the interior toward all points of the coast, springs up at night; but the latter, being considered unwholesome, is carefully excluded from the habitations, as far as is practicable, by closing all the doors and windoW-shutters. The dry season continues usually from January to May, both inclusive. The rains are astonishingly heavy, and to a new comer seem absolutely to threaten a deluge. Frost and snow are unknown to the natives of the West Indies, but they are occasionally visited by severe hailstorms. Fourteen years before, a fearful hurricane swept over this island, and occasioned a sad destruction of both life and property; large trees were torn up by the roots, ships driven on shore, and buildings of all kinds levelled to the ground, while few or none escaped without some injury. The trees lose their foliage by no change of season, and are clad in perpetual green. Provisions of every kind were excessively dear in consequence of the magnitude of the military and naval force assembled there. It was in this island
32	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
that I first saw oysters sold in the branch; the mangroves, which grow by the sea-side, throw out long drooping branches, and to the tops of these, which dip into the water, the oysters adhere.
The planters supported their negroes either by giving each family a small patch of ground, and two days in the week for its cultivation, or by supplying them with daily rations, which commonly consisted of Indian corn, and perhaps some salt provisions, such as fish or pork. They provided them, besides, with blankets, shirts, breeches for the men, and short petticoats for the women. The prices of slaves varied in general from thirty to forty pounds apiece, women being cheaper by two or three pounds than men ; but those who have been taught trades, and are expert at them, sell much higher. A negro, when sent on a long errand, will take in his hand a sugar-cane, which, by his return in the evening, will be much shortened, as he requires no other food on the way than its delicate and nutritious juice.
The Barbadians, or " Badians," seemed to
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	33
be the proudest beings in the world, not excepting the perpendicular hidalgos of Castile. They imagined that the very existence of England, as a state, depended on the preservation of her connection with their island, which they called Little England ; and the people of colour had imbibed no trifling portion of similar pride, and their deportment was as lofty as if they had been the most noble race on earth. The following is a specimen of the conversation of the Mulattoes ; the speakers are two women of that class, meeting in the marketplace :—" How you do, Maum ?" " Ver well, I tank you, Maum ; how do little piccaninny, Maum ?" "Oh ! Maum, poor piccaninny die." " Oh ! Maum, I so sorry ! How he die ?" " Ou can't tink how affectionate he die, Maum ! He turn up he littel eye, an' say, 'D—n ou eyes, Mama,' an' die like a lamb !"
The negroes, like other ignorant people, are prone to attribute every thing that they do not comprehend to supernatural causes. A sloop from Honduras, laden with timber, lay close to Bridgetown during my stay there, and a single slave was left on board to watch her. Some
c5
34	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
thieves on shore formed a plan for robbing her; and one morning, at an early hour, when the black was asleep, one of them swam on board, fixed a hook in a piece of mahogany, and attached to it a rope, by which it was to be hauled on shore ; the thieves began to pull, and the noise they made soon awoke the negro, who, seeing the log move, was so terrified, that he threw himself overboard and swam to shore. Some minutes after, his master' was surprised by his sudden appearance before him, as, in breathless haste, with looks of terror, and dripping with wet, he ran up to him, exclaiming, "0 ! Massa, I see dibble !" " What devil, you black rascal ?" inquired the angry planter, 0 ! massa, dibble in de ship; I look so; stick jump, an' he tan ; look again ; so he jump, an' he tan ; an' I look no more, but jump overbor, an' come tell you, massa." " Did you see any one on board ?" was the next query. " No, no," was the reply, " no dere but dibbel, massa." Before the planter, who feared human much more than infernal agency, could get to the sloop, the piece of mahogany had vanished.
While we were here also, a trial that excited
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	35
much interest, occurred. A slave, who had formed a criminal attachment for his mistress, had concealed himself under her bed in the planter's absence, and at night, when all was quiet, violated her person. A white servant was indicted for the crime, found guilty, and sentenced to the gallows ; but there was a degree of magnanimity in the unfortunate black's disposition, that would not suffer him to see another punished for an offence which he himself had committed, and he confessed his guilt, saying, Buckra hang, no good ; I go missie bed." The white was, of course, reprieved; and, to the eternal disgrace of those who were then in authority, the unhappy :slave was burned to death, the punishment intended for the man whom his confession had saved, being thought too lenient for an ignorant though in some respects noble being. At some distance, I saw the smoke ascend from the fire that was putting a dreadful termination to his miserable existence, but I approached no nearer.
What sensations then, must the first sight of the slave-market at Barbadoes excite within the breast of any man of feeling, in whose
3G	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
recollection such an act of magnanimity on the part of a negro is still fresh ! There he beholds, penned up like sheep or swine, and exposed for sale, his fellow-men, differing by accident of climate in colour, but superior to the whites in the perfection of their senses, and frequently possessed of fine natural feelings, for which we might look in vain among thousands of what the world calls the civilized. There the self-styled Christian purchaser all the while inspects, with as much heartless indifference as though these slaves were cattle, each miserable negro family, trembling lest it should be their fate not to fall to one master, but be consigned to a bondage rendered doubly cruel by separation ; and, when a whole family did not form one lot, it would almost seem that the groan speaking the bitterness of a father's soul, the heart-rending wailing of an agonized mother, and the piercing cries of the terrified children, were music to the ears of the white barbarian. Such a scene of exquisite misery as that slavemarket has presented to me may, indeed, bid the tear start to the eye of the humane spectator, or fill his breast with honest
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	37
indignation against the cruel authors of it ; but his powers of language must be truly great, to enable him to convey an adequate idea of it to the mind of one, who has had the good fortune never to witness any such examples of the wretchedness of one portion of his species and the villany of another.
When the missing ships arrived, we found that one grenadier lieutenant of my regiment had thrown himself out of one of the port-holes of the Hindostan and perished. The other, a fine young man, was sick of the fever on board, and died a few days after he was brought on shore. I went to see him one morning during his illness at St. Anne's barracks; his life was then drawing rapidly to a close; he was quite insensible, and his head was covered with flies. A person, whom I supposed to be a medical man, was standing at the bed-side : " Your poor friend is gone," said he, turning to me, as I entered the room. I did not stay long; and afterwards found that the person, who had been watching the dying moments of the young grenadier, was his own brother, a captain of the fifty-third regiment. Though we did not remain many weeks at Barbadoes, the mortality
38	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
among the troops was very great, and we left many fine fellows behind us to feast the land-crabs.*
Preparatory to our departure, Sir Ralph Abercrombie issued an address to his troops, reminding them of the difficult nature of the service in which they were about to be engaged, exhorting them to display that steadiness and fortitude, which could alone enable them to perform it with honour to themselves and advantage to their country—and warning them not to regard the shouts of the savage foe, to whom they were, in part, to be opposed.
Our force was formed into two divisions; one of them was intended to attack the French islands under the command of Sir Ralph Abercrombie, and the other to proceed with Major-General White to reinforce the British troops in St. Domingo. My regiment belonged to the latter division—a circumstance which I considered very fortunate, as I heard at Barba-does that my friend was stationed at Cape Nicola Mole.
* A species of reptile resembling the common crab in form, except that it has two sharp spikes growing out of the back shell.
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	39
It may not be amiss to make brief mention here of some facts connected with the annals of St. Domingo about this period. An extensive rising of the slaves on the French plantations in that island commenced in the night of the 22nd of August 1791 ; and in a few days the insurgents mustered no fewer than 100,000 men, armed with whatever weapons chance threw in their way. A conflict of the most sanguinary character ensued, and the greater part of the northern district, the most beautiful by nature of that beautiful island, soon presented one wide scene of desolation and horror. A detail of the atrocities committed in the hour of retaliation for many a year of oppressive bondage, could only serve to shock the ear. Suffice it to say, that the wild justice of revenge never prompted the heart of man to the perpetration of more appalling deeds of blood. • No where could the offended eye find a resting place, free from the mournful traces of the firebrand and the knife. Some of the towns and forts alone were successfully defended by the French inhabitants. At length our government resolved to send an expedition against St. Do-
40	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
mingo, thinking that it might prove a valuable acquisition, but it was in an evil hour that they first thought so. The earliest landing of British forces was effected in the month of October 1793 ; they were soon in possession of Je-remie, the Mole, Cape Tiburon, and other places on the north-western coast; but, before our arrival at Barbadoes, the troops in St. Domingo were so reduced by sickness, that several of those places were abandoned by them, and they with difficulty maintained themselves in the remainder.
The necessary arrangements being at length completed, the whole fleet got under weigh, and sailed out of Carlisle Bay together; then the two divisions separated, and shaped their course for their respective destinations : in a few days mine entered the Mona passage, which divides St. Domingo from Porto Rico. A slaver sailed in company, and was often close alongside our ship, so that we could fling to the poor wretches on board a quantity of biscuit, for which they scrambled with great avidity. A more shocking sight than that which this vessel afforded cannot well be imagined ; she was crowded to
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	41
excess, and indeed it appeared to me that the slaves had little more than standing room : they were all naked. I was informed that the traders in slaves found small vessels the most convenient for their purpose (though certainly not for the poor negroes), since, when arrived off the Guinea coast, they could take out their masts, and row them, so lightened, up the rivers with sweeps.
We ran four days with the trade-wind before we reached the Mole, as the island is four hundred and fifty miles in length. We passed very near the island of Samana, remarkable, as I was told, for the multitudes of guanas that breed there ; these large reptiles of the lizard kind, are eaten by the natives, who roast them, and they are said to resemble a roasting pig in flavour. On entering the harbour at the Mole, a fine horse was seen swimming across the bows of the head-quarter ship of the thirty-second regiment; he was taken on board, and became the property of Colonel Mason, the commanding officer, who kept him for a charger up to the day of his death. It was conjectured that the animal wanted to cross to the opposite point of
42	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
land, called Presqu' Isle by the French; this promontory forms the harbour—one of the finest in the world—a line-of-battle ship may lie close to the beach, and such is the clearness of the water that the bottom is visible at a very great depth.
Immediately on our coming to anchor, eager to see again the companion of my happiest hours, and to enjoy his first movement of surprise at my unexpected appearance in St. Domingo, I hastened to the shore, and landed about a mile from the town. One solitary soldier stood on the beach ; he wore the uniform of my friend's regiment; I asked him if he knew any thing of Lieutenant —. His reply is indelibly engraven on my memory :—" I was his servant, sir. He has been dead these three weeks." I bowed with submission to the decree of Providence, and returned to the ship.
Had I been a convert to fatalism, this circumstance would have tended powerfully to confirm my belief in it. That I should have quitted all my friends and relatives but one, merely to join that one on a disagreeable foreign service, with the view of dissuading him from
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	43
a disadvantageous line of conduct, and that, when I had at length landed near the quarters of his regiment, after a long and tedious voyage, the only person within sight should have been his servant, who was to stun me with the sad tidings that my poor friend was no more, has ever appeared to me most strange indeed.
If any man on the expedition felt discouraged and disheartened by the prospects that the nature of the service promised, I think that I should have been that man. The powerful motive, by which I had hitherto been animated, had now vanished; and my feelings, when I set my foot a second time on the shore of St. Domingo, were those of one treading on the grave of his dearest friend : still, I trust, that unswerving loyalty never ceased to lodge within my breast, and to stimulate me to do my duty, as far as in me lay, to my King and my Country.
44	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
CHAPTER III.
Disembark at the Mole—Capture of the Bomparde—Sick-ness—Harassing duty—My first picquet—Attempt to surprise the brigands—They surprise one of our posts—It is retaken—Country surrounding Bomparde—Evacuation of the fort—Shameful conduct of an officer—March to the Mole—Cruelty of a planter—Encampment—Disagreeable duty—Mortality—Alarms—Description of the Mole—Take the yellow fever—My own prescription—Honourable conduct of our men—Cruel treatment of a slave—Negroes—Policy of the brigands.
THE troops were disembarked with the least possible delay. Brigadier-General Forbes, with part of the 13th Light Dragoons, and the 32nd, 5 6th, 67th, and 81st regiments of the line, proceeded to take the fort of Bomparde, distant sixteen miles. We had the option of approaching this point by either of two roads ; the one was crossed by streams in two or three places, while along the other there was no water : and the latter unfortunately was chosen. The General's reason for preferring it I have never heard; all that I can say is, that the conse-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	45
quences were very disastrous, The troops only moved off at nine A. M., and before that time the greater number of the men had emptied their canteens ; for a considerable distance we had to pass through a deep and close ravine, and were half suffocated by clouds of red dusi; we had not advanced above two miles when the serjeant-major and thirteen privates of the 67th expired. Those who had improvidently drunk their grog before moving ofl were soon to be seen sucking the sleeves of their jackets for the perspiration that oozed through them ; the tongues of several were hanging out of their mouths, amazingly swollen, and black with flies ; and in many instances, horresco referens, the men had recourse to the last extremity to allay their thirst; but the Brigadier who commanded us, was fortunately well supplied with sour-sops, " which ever and anon he gave his lips," at the head of the column. All the suffering and loss of life sustained on this short march might easily have been averted by the precaution of taking with us a few mules, carrying barrels of water.
As we drew near to the fort, some smart
46	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
skirmishing took place between us and the enemy ; but the latter were soon driven in, with the loss on our part of a small number of killed and wounded, among whom were Lieutenant Nesbitt and Adjutant Ross, both of the 32nd. We then cut fascines for filling up the ditch, and prepared to storm the place ; but the garrison beat the chamade, and were permitted to march out with the honours of war; they were men of all shades of complexion, from white to black. The fort, of which we took possession, was quadrangular, having a gun mounted at each angle, and surrounded by a tolerably deep ditch, the bottom of which was planted with stakes, pointed and hardened in the fire : there was a village near it.
We posted strong picquets on the different pathways leading to the fort, and at night small parties were pushed more in advance into the woods ; since, in a war with a savage enemy, there is nothing so much to be feared as a surprise, for a successful attempt at which they are peculiarly fitted by their native habits, the keenness of their senses of hearing and seeing, their perfect knowledge of the country, and the
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	47
silence, secrecy, and celerity of their movements. Our next care was to select the best houses in the village for hospitals, which were speedily filled, as the mortality increased daily. We were much harassed by sudden calls to arms that were given almost every night. If a musquet-shot was heard, the works were instantly manned; and the want of rest that we thus suffered, added to the baneful influence of the climate, in a very short time made it apparent that this post would not be long tenable.
We found a vast number of well-stored beehives in and about the village, and they quickly became an object of plunder; but the bees thus violently expelled from " sweet home," were so irritated as to attempt to avenge themselves with their stings on all persons indiscriminately. Unluckily, one of the first sufferers from their attacks was an old commissary, who had never robbed them at least, and so fiercely did they assail him, that his head became alarmingly swollen from the punishment he received. Half frantic with pain, he instantaneously made a complaint to the commanding officer, with
48	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
whom he had considerable influence, and in consequence an order was issued, directing the troops to leave the bees for the future in undisturbed possession of their hives.
The first picquet that I commanded was posted across a pathway leading to Jeremie, which was then occupied by a considerable force of brigands. A guide conducted us through the woods by a complete labyrinth for two miles, and then left us. The orders, which I had received through the Fort-adjutant, were, " Remain until you are cut to pieces ; but if overpowered, retire on the fort." As the men were quite exhausted, I made them sit on the ground, holding their firelocks between their legs ; and afterwards I directed the rear rank to lie down and sleep for two hours, which they did by word of command ; when their time expired, I roused them and made them watch, while the front rank rested in their turn. As for myself, I was kept on the qui vive all night, vainly endeavouring to extract some meaning from the orders, which seemed to be of a very contradictory nature ; but whatever they were intended to mean, there was little
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	49
probability of our being able to retrace our steps, should the brigands attack us.  However, as it happened, the night passed over without a visit from them.
Our sable enemies were continually on the alert, and at length made an effort to cut us off from the watering place. It was resolved, therefore, to attack them. The force intended for this service was divided into two bodies ; one of these was to attack in front, while the other was to try to get in rear of them by making a considerable detour. I accompanied the latter detachment. After a march of some hours our black guides led us to a large house, near which the brigands were expected to make their retreat when attacked by our main body ; and our plan was to keep the shutters closed until they came near, and then to pour a volley into them. The house had been the property of an extensive planter up to the time of the great massacre. We thought it a strange circumstance that all the planter's furniture, papers, &c. should have remained in the same state that they must have been in when abandoned by the family. The plantations had grown into
VOL. I.
50	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
a wilderness; the cattle had run wild; and the pigeons and other domestics had increased to vast multitudes—a fact easily accounted for, as the blacks live almost exclusively on vegetable food. We put up two beautiful wild horses, whose fine flowing manes nearly touched the ground. With regard to the expedition, it was a complete failure ; for our guides embraced the first opportunity of deserting to the enemy, and, as they would of course give immediate information of our position, it was thought prudent, when we discovered their escape, to retreat at Once ; but this was not to be done without difficulty, since the men were much exhausted and hardly able to move, and had we been attacked as we retired, we could have made no effectual resistance. Fortune, however, who had proved at first so sorry a jade, now befriended us, and, though we passed within a short distance of a strong body of brigands, they only fired a few straggling shots at us, none of which took effect ; so that we reached the fort in safety, but in woful plight.
During this day we were startled by meeting on our route some large black snakes with flat
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	51
heads, but we were alarmed, I believe, without reason, as I have never heard that they injured any person. An officer's servant, as he entered the hut in which his master slept, at an early hour, was much alarmed by the sight of one of these snakes, as thick as a man's arm, hanging by the tail from the roof, and almost touching the sleeper's face ; he was quite at a loss to know how to act, whether to awake his master, and, by so doing, run the risk of irritating the reptile, or to wait and see if it would go away quietly of its own accord. He was only a minute or two, however,in this dilemma, when a couple of negroes came to his assistance, and held out a branch of a tree to the animal, which glided through it, and was thus removed, though not killed, as these people hold the snake in too great veneration ever to destroy it.
Not long after this failure of ours, the enemy gained a second advantage over us,by surprising, one morning before day-break, the post of Pa-lissee, distant from the fort about two miles, and on the road to the Mole. A Captain was stationed there with three subalterns and fifty
D 2
52	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
men of the 32d. It seems that the brigands had crept to the edge of the wood near which the picquet was posted, and, having watched their opportunity, made a sudden rush, burst into the house, attacked our men before they could turn out, and used their knives with such effect that they cut to pieces the whole party with the exception of the Captain and one private, who escaped into the woods. These two, after wandering a considerable time, and fearing that they were only saved from the knife to perish by famine—a death so particularly shocking to an Englishman—by 'great good fortune fell in with a detachment that had been sent out from the fort to ascertain the cause of the firing. The officers killed were Lieutenants Williams, White, and Power.
At this time I was posted with a small party at a coffee-mill, about two miles from Palissee, and I heard the firing. I immediately collected all the farming utensils that were to be found, and began to fortify myself as strongly as my skill in engineering and the nature of the post and materials would permit ; but in the course of the day, a dragoon came out from the fort with an order to retreat, and I was thus de-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	53
prived► of a chance of having the honour to command at a siege.
As the enemy continued to occupy Palissee, it was deemed necessary to retake it without delay. Colonel Hamilton, of the 81st, was intrusted with the command of the force destined for this service, which consisted of the greater part of the 32nd and 81st regiments, together with a detachment of the 13th light dragoons, under Lieutenant Sheares. The infantry were divided into two columns, so that, marching by different routes, they might attack on two points at once.
The enemy were drawn up in the large open space that surrounds the houses, and, as soon as the heads of our columns emerged from the cover, opened upon them a well directed fire ; but, their line being suddenly charged by the dragoons, they fled into the wood with precipitation. They had never seen a body of cavalry before, and were panic-struck at their appearance, which they thought supernatural, though they must have seen horses and mules rode by the whites resident on the island. Some of the fugitives took refuge in the cellars of the houses,
54	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
and were bayonetted; seven others were caught, and set up by the men for marks to shoot at, in revenge for the massacre of the picquet, but the officers interfered, and saved the lives of the poor wretches; they were kept to act as pioneers, and never attempted to make their escape, while their services were required. The brigands were generally naked, with the exception of a piece of cloth, wrapped round the loins ; they wore waist-belts and pouches, and were armed with musquets, but had no bayonets ; some of them carried knives.
We did not find the heat so oppressive at Bomparde as on the coast; the verdure by which we were surrounded not only contributed essentially to this, but was also particularly grateful to the eyes, which suffer considerably when exposed to the glare of the sun's rays, reflected from the bare rocks and smooth sand at the Mole. The commissary provided us with beef, brought in by the negroes, and of the finest quality ; for the deep loam of the pastures of this island throws up the richest herbage. Were it not for the unhealthiness of the climate, the country would be one of the most
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	55
delightful in the world. Notwithstanding the comparatively limited extent of my peregrinations through it, my eye was continually charmed by a succession of the most magnificent prospects. I have stood on the brink of a valley, deeper than the eye could reach, and covered with the most beautiful and luxuriant evergreens, the opposite height rising gradually and forming a superb amphitheatre, while the region between was animated with countless macaws, parrots, and parroquets of the bright est plumage. Sweet showers, as they are called here, are frequent ; they leave a saccharine substance incrusted on the leaves, which the humming-bird sips at sunrise, when it begins to dissolve.
Still, various as the natural beauties of the surrounding scenery were, it was with no little satisfaction that we learned General White's final determination to evacuate the fort of Born-parde. The following reasons were fully sufficient to convince Cm of the propriety of this step. In the first place, the occupation of Born-parde, even supposing it to be practicable for any length of time, could afford no protection
56	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
to the French loyalists, with the exception of a few planters resident in the immediate vicinity of the fort ; in the second, the morality among the troops was increasing daily ; in the third, the brigands were collecting round us in great force ; and, in the last place, it was quite impossible to keep up our communication with the Mole. At the nearest inlet of the sea, about seven miles from us, a platform for guns was laid in order to cover the embarkation of stores and sick, and a ship of war with some transports was sent round to receive them. As there was only a pathway leading from Bom parde to this point, the transport of the sick was very tedious; they were conveyed on hospital stretches, fitted with long poles, and borne on men's shoulders ; hut all hopeless cases, not expected to hold out many hours, were to be left behind. Among the sick so condemned, there was a brother officer and particular friend of mine, and him I was determined not to abandon, befol-e every effort in, my power had been made to accomplish his removal ; but it was with regret that I saw the last fatigue party move off, after having applied
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	57
in vain to the commanding officer, who declared that no men could be spared. My only resource then was to go to a few black prisoners, who were digging graves near the hospitals, and I brought two of them without orders to the sick man's room. He was lying on a stretcher, quite insensible, and swollen to an enormous size, being naturally very tall and robust, and I am confident that four of our men would have found it a very severe task to carry him to the shore. The blacks could not lift the stretcher, but made me understand that they could carry it, if once placed on their heads ; I had this done ; and they moved off apparently with ease. They had no escort, not even a single person to watch them, and might have safely got rid of their burden, and escaped into the woods, nevertheless they conveyed him faithfully to the platform. He was then taken on board one of the ships; and shortly after, his honest heart, poor fellow ! had ceased to beat for ever.
A few hours before our retreat commenced an unpleasant occurrence took place. A billiard-table in good order had been left in the village by the people of colour, and afforded a
58	A SOLDIER'S LIFE,
great source of amusement to the British officers while they remained there ; but, now that it was to revert to its old possessors, the dragoons cut it to pieces with their sabres, as they said, by desire of their commanding officer, a captain. So dishonourable an act produced a remonstrance from Captain B-tt of the 32d, a man alive to all the finer feelings ; the officer of dragoons retorted sharply, and the consequence was a challenge from Captain B. to him, to fight with swords on the spot, which, however, he declined. This affair was to have occupied a court-martial, had not the dragoon died on his return to the Cape. The garrison evacuated the post at night, and had been directed to carry away four field-pieces, which had been mounted on the works, but the roads were so bad that it was found necessary to spike and abandon three of them. My servant had picked up a beautiful pied mule, and it carried my baggage to the Mole, but the simple fellow, conceiving that there was no further occasion for it, when the march was over, drove the animal into the woods, though it was worth at least two hundred dollars.
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	59
The whites of the neighbourhood of Bom-parde, who had returned to their homes after the place surrendered to us, were now destined to become refugees once more, and followed us to the coast. Their case was most pitiable, as they had fully expected that the English would retain possession of their old district; au comble, the notice of the evacuation given to them was so short that they had only two or three hours to prepare—just time sufficient for collecting the few mules and asses they possessed, and providing them with baskets, in which to stow old people, children, and poultry. The strong and healthy of both sexes made the journey on foot. It was alike impossible not to be touched by the misfortunes of the emigrants, and not to be struck by the ludicrous tout ensemble of their march. In a pair of panniers, which had acquired an oscillatory motion from the unusually hurried pace of the astonished donkey, by whose flanks they hung, might be seen the grotesque figures of two antiquated French ladies—next to them another of the long-eared tribe, toiling under the weight of a scolding mother of a family, balanced by
60	A SOLDIER'S LIFE,
her squalling progeny, which she was vainly exerting herself to keep in order—then, seated between two panniers, one of which was tenanted by geese, and the other by their amphi-1)ious 'fellow-birds, an old man might follow, a very picture of resignation, fixing his eyes on his beast's ears, and apparently deaf to the cackling and quacking of his aquatics, as well as to the often repeated remark, " Had you taken my advice, we should not now be in this catastrophe," which proceeded from the shrill-voiced beldame, who with the rest of the poultry rode close at his donkey's tail. After these had passed in review, the eye might light on a mule, more vicious and not less obstinate than the famous one of the holy Abbess of Andouillets, and returning every blow of its enraged guide's cudgel with a violent outflinging of its heels, which caused the pigeons in the off pannier to escape at each flap of the lid, seriously discomposed the corpulent old lady in the near pannier, through an aperture in the bottom of which one goodly leg had already slipped; and likewise excited the alarm of the living burden of the succeeding donkey, consisting of a wi-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	61
thered, wrinkled, sharp-visaged female, whose general appearance, set off by a parrot and a lapdog, plainly indicated that she had " never told her love," and of a black-eyed niece, who certainly-would be convicted of having been more communicative, if the little gage d'amour in her arms could be adduced in proof; it may be added, that the screams of the fat old lady, the lean old aunt, the niece, the child, and the parrot, were very agreeably accompanied by the barking of Fidele, and the lusty sacres of the muleteer—in short, nothing was wanted hut an ambuscade of brigands to complete the charming confusion of the scene.
On the route I conversed for some time with a Frenchman, who had had several skirmishes with the brigands ; in one of these encounters he took an officer of colour, and carried him behind him on his horse. " What became of him ultimately ?" I inquired. " I kept him seven days," said the Frenchman, " and every morning I cut off one of his fingers ; yet the rogue escaped into the woods after all with three." Owing to the number of men and horses that had been killed at different times
62	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
by the blacks, in the attempt to pass along this line, and now lay in a state of putrefaction in all directions, the air became quite tainted ; and habit made us such connoisseurs that we could readily distinguish the dead body of a man from that of a horse by the scent alone.
When we reached the heights above the town, some regiments were directed to encamp, and the remainder to go into barracks that had been recently erected. Parties were constantly employed in building block-houses, planting aloes and prickly-pear plants, to prevent the stealthy approach of the barefooted enemy, and cutting away the timber that limited the range of the guns. The block-houses were built on strong frame work, square, the upper story projecting on all sides two or three feet, and the roof covered with wooden shingles; a gun was mounted at each face of the upper apartment, and the lower was surrounded by a stone parapet, which answered the double purpose of a protection against fire, and a breastwork for the defenders ; the communication between the two stories was by a step-ladder 'fixed in the centre. These block-houses are an admirable
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	63
defence against an enemy wha is unprovided with artillery. Heavy batteries also were erected on all the approaches to the town. In clearing the ground for the camp, we disturbed a variety 'of noxious reptiles, such as whipsnakes of an extraordinary length, but not thicker than a goose-quill, centipedes of a large size, whose backs were plated like a lobster's tail, and scorpions.
Having heard that mice were natural enemies to the two latter, I procured a few, that I might be a witness of their combats. The arena was the space circumscribed by a glass bell ; and upon letting a mouse and scorpion loose in it, a grand display of manceuvering ensued, the mouse trying to bite off his opponent's tail, which terminates in a sting, and the scorpion watching for an opportunity to strike him with it. Should the former succeed in his first object, the latter falls an easy prey; but, if stung, the mouse swells up, and dies in convulsions : however, the mouse is generally the victor. Equal generalship is required in the engagement with the centipede, which defends itself with two small nippers, placed at either side of its mouth near the poison bags; the results are pretty much
64	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
the same as in the scorpiomyomachia. One of our men found a large tarantula on his shoulder one morning, when he awoke, and it suffered itself to be removed without doing him any injury ; he brought it to me, as an amateur, and accordingly I placed it under the bell with one of my hardest-bitten mice. It immediately reared itself on its hinder part, and extending its long arms, remained motionless in this posture, while the mouse ran round the bell, evidently unwilling to face his new antagonist; this continued a short time, and then, as if under the influence of an irresistible fascination, the mouse jumped suddenly into the arms of the tarantula, which quickly seized him with two nippers, resembling the claws of a cat, and situated at either side of the head, and with such deadly effect that the little quadruped instantly swelled up and burst. I next let loose two or three mice at a time on the tarantula, but they all shared the same fate.
We found it requisite to examine our feet daily for a minute insect, called the chegoe, which makes a lodgment under the toe-nails, unperceived, leaving a little white speck on the skin, beneath which it is concealed : the blacks are
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	65
very dexterous in removing them with the point of a needle or other sharp instrument, taking particular care not to break the bag in which the young are secreted, as, should they remain behind, an ulcer would be the consequence. Tobacco ashes are put into the orifice to destroy any animalcuke that might be left. An itching is felt some time after they have got under the skin, when an immediate search should be made ; for I have seen many blacks who have lost not only their toes, but the greater part of their feet, from chegoes.
The burial-ground happened to be near one of the principal batteries, called the Polygon, and the officer of the guard had orders to attend all interments, and see that three shovelfuls of quick lime were thrown into each grave. As the hospital-carts, each carrying three bodies, arrived alnost without intermission during the day, this was both a sad and a wearisome duty. The number of the hospital assistants was now reduced to the ratio of one to a hundred patients, when at least ten times as many were necessary ; the consequences of this alteration to the sick were deplorable—the poor fellows,
66	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
being unable to fan away the flies themselves, and having no proper attendance, died with their mouths full of them, and frequently, as their heads were shaved, they were covered with such swarms that the skin was completely hid. The regiments in camp were the greatest sufferers; as the rain at times, and principally at night, fell in torrents, and soon penetrated the old moth-eaten tents.
I have passed whole nights, sitting in my tent up to my ancles in water, and holding an umbrella over my head. In the morning, when the sun shone out, the camp was enveloped in a cloud of steam. Our living in such damp brought on various fatal diseases, which in a few months reduced strong regiments to skeletons. Sudden deaths also happened occasionally ; I recollect one instance in particular :—I was invited to dine one day by Lieutenant R—t of the 32nd, and at the hour appointed I walked to his tent and asked the servant, who stood at the door of it, if dinner was not ready; the answer was, " Master is dead, sir." It was too true ; for the hospital-cart was soon brought up for the corpse of him who in the morning
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	67
had asked me to dine, little thinking then that he had eaten his last meal !
At the advanced posts the picquets were placed without any shelter behind chevaux de frise; an officer and only three men went on at night, and a sentinel was posted on the pathway that led through the woods. I have often revisited a sentinel after an interval of a few minutes, and found him fast asleep without arms in his hands : the punishment for the crime of sleeping on his post, to which a soldier is made liable by the articles of war, is death; but in our present situation such severity was uncalled-for, as it was not in human nature to bear up against the exhaustion of strength and spirits experienced by our men. The very beasts of this island seemed to have conspired to annoy us ; the large monkeys frequently made so great a rustling in the woods that the sentinels, thinking the enemy were there, fired, and thus caused the whole line to turn out, which was extremely harassing. And then the asses, which were very numerous, would occasionally collect on the flank of the camp, and charge at full speed along the whole length of it, tumblin
68	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
over the ropes, and breaking the poles of the tents; the men used to provide themselves with stout sticks for the better reception of these unwelcome visitors, and did not spare them. We were commonly favoured with this " long-eared rout " whenever a thunder-storm came on ; and what can be more vexatious to a worn-out soldier in a tempestuous night, than to have a donkey or two tumbling over him, snapping his tent-pole, and leaving him rolled up in the wet canvass till morning !
The high hills about the Mole are unfit for cultivation, having but little surface, and are overgrown with low shrubs, the gum cistus, the aloe, and the prickly pear; the latter bears a fruit, which inside is of a reddish or rather deep orange colour, not highly flavoured, but very juicy, and considered cooling and wholesome. The aloe supplies the natives with a succedaneum for soap ; they break off the central shoot close to the root, and find the mucous substance, which has the cleansing property, at the bottom of it. I give myself credit for discovering the cucumber of this island; it resembles a turnip more than the.
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	69
European plant in shape, and has a strong, prickly skin; the leaves of the two cucumbers are also differently formed. I first introduced this vegetable at our mess, where it was highly relished at a time when salt meat constituted the chief part of our dinners. The allicada pear, commonly called the vegetable marrow, but very different from what bears that name in England, grows here in great perfection; in appearance it is not unlike our large winter pears, and it contains a rich substance, which is usually dressed with pepper and salt, and affords very nutritive food. The centre of this vegetable is occupied by a large stone, which is here made to supply the want of marking ink ; it is placed under the part of the cloth that is to be marked, and the letters are dotted in by puncturing the stone through the cloth, with a sharp-pointed instrument.
On a low flat piece of land between the heights and the sea, stands the town of St. Nicholas. In its centre there is a large open space, to which the chief streets lead, and in which the market is held ; the market people attend at a very early hour, and at sunrise clear every thing
70	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
away, for butcher's-meat, fish, &c. would be quickly tainted if left exposed to the rays of the sun. Generally, indeed, fish is bought at the beach, a bell ringing when the boats come in, to give notice to the buyers, to whom the most beautiful of the finny tribes are offered for sale ; some are shining with scales of bright gold or silver, some of a fine rich purple or glowing crimson, and others again elegantly striped with two or more colours, or tinted with changing hues of endless variety; but there is a dark-coloured fish of a most poisonous quality caught here, at which the blacks shudder ; it is however boiled for the oil that it yields. I have seen no fish brought in of the same species as those taken in more northern latitudes, excepting shellfish ; and of these there are many strange and beaut. ful varieties.
The principal house in the town is the
governor's ; it forms one	of the market
place, contains good apartments, and is altogether -a comfortable residence, without being a very remarkable structure. The chief amusement of the inhabitants is billiards; there were sixteen tables in this small town, and all very
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	7
well kept ; the tiled floors were wetted constantly in order to cool the rooms, and refreshments of the best kinds were provided; a light claret was the favourite beverage. The extreme attention to their exterior, that characterized the French of the old school at home, was also observable among their countrymen and their descendants at St. Nicholas, where the petit-maitres kept in employ an astonishing number of barbers and friseurs, all blacks, and very expert in their profession.
Monsieur Planton, the head innkeeper, gave good dinners and breakfasts at his table d'hdte for a half dollar each ; little naked black children attended carrying embers, to light the cigars of his guests, on sheets of tin. The main articles of food were supplied in a great measure by the Americans, whose schooners arrived continually, their decks covered with pied goats and fowls. The masters of these vessels were regular attendants and eager purchasers at the sales of the effects of deceased officers, which were, unfortunately, of too frequent occurrence. The island of Cuba is visible from the Mole before sunrise, when the eye can reach the farthest, and adds to
72	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
the general beauty of the prospect. I have seen thirteen sail of the line, with the flags of Sir Hyde Parker and Admiral Bligh flying, enter this grand harbour together on a delightful morning, and a finer sight cannot be well conceived.
The number of effective officers in my regiment was gradually diminished to two, another subaltern and myself, and for some time we did all the duty ; but at length a few officers from black corps were sent to us. For three weeks I have been on picquet every night. Nevertheless, I continued to enjoy good health for about twelve months ; but one evening at the end of that period, I was attacked by the yellow fever at the mess-table, and rolled up in a blanket at once, and taken to the hospital. There I remained thirty-six days without amendment, though in general the disorder proved fatal in forty-eight hours. At length the medical officers abandoned me to my fate, having sapiently come to the conclusion that a few hours more would terminate my existence. I heard them express this opinion as they walked off, and it had the good effect of rousing me a little. My
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.-	73
servant was at hand, and I had strength sufficient to desire him to dress a salt herring, which was the only thing I felt any inclination to take. I ate it with some appetite, and drank in consequence copious draughts of Madeira and water. I continued on the same diet for several days, at the end of which the fever left me, to: the great surprise of the doctors.
My pay-sergeant of the grenadier company was also in the hospital at this time, and, having seen the dead bodies merely sewed up in blankets before they were thrown into the graves, and feeling great horror at the idea of being buried without a coffin, he took care to buy one, and kept it at his bedside, until he got what is called a " lightening before death ; " he then fancied that he was recovering, and sold the coffin to the patient on the stretcher next to his ; but, relapsing soon after, he died, and was buried without one.
At this time a little circumstance, in my opinion speaking well for our men, occurred.
When I fell sick, I had the payment of the grenadier company, and during my illness the money for that purpose was kept in an open
VOL. I.
74	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
trunk in the hospital, as my pay-sergeant, whom I have just mentioned, was likewise confined to his bed. The soldiers paid themselves, taking what dollars they required whenever they pleased ; yet, when I was afterwards called upon to make up my accounts, these men came forward, much to their honour, and scrupulously acknowledged every dollar they had taken.
The French resident on this Island treated their slaves barbarously ; I saw few of these unfortunate creatures that did not bear evident marks of ill-usage; the commission of the most trivial fault, when discovered by their masters, insured them an unmerciful flogging. On such occasions they were made to lie at full length on the ground, and the punishment was inflicted with a long whip, like those used by waggoners in England. I have seen an axe flung with full force at a poor wretch, because he did not hold a piece of timber exactly as his master, who was chopping it, wished. The recollections of the year 91 were fresh in the memories of the planters. When recovering from the yellow fever in the military hospital, I was disturbed one morning by the pitiable cries of some one
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	75
in distress, and, looking through a window that was close to my bed, I perceived that they proceeded from a small black boy who was passing by; he was heavily chained, and carried a pitcher of water on his head, while a French lad, who walked after him, was lashing him with a whip, and tormenting him with the most wanton cruelty. My servant ran out instantly, pursued the malignant rascal, and, overtaking him near his residence, gave him, a smart blow on the head in proof of a Briton's constitutional abhorrence of such dastardly conduct ; but this interference on the part of one of our nation in behalf of a slave was not to be borne by a vindictive Frenchman, and in revenge the poor black child was burned and lacerated with hot irons. I heard his cries for three days. On the fourth, death came to the little sufferer's aid, and kindly put an end to his misery. During these four days I was kept in such a state of agitation that my recovery was very much retarded, and often did I regret that, my servant had yielded so imprudently to the impulse of the moment, difficult as it was to resist it.
E2
76	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
The negresses may be seen frequently carrying about them two or three of their children, when going to markets and other places ; they have sometimes one on each hip, and a third on the back, suckling, the breasts being thrown over the shoulders. They are most affectionate mothers : I have heard one of them, whose child had died, keep up her dismal mourning howl for a week. The negroes all take particular care of their teeth ; before they go to work in the morning, they are driven to a river to wash, and they rub their teeth with a piece of the root of a tree, which they prepare for the purpose. By their labour upwards of 70,000 tons of sugar was the annual produce of the plantations in St. Domingo.
While I remained at the Mole, the brigands never honoured us with a visit, and in this respect they acted wisely ; our defences were too strong to admit of a successful attack by such a force as theirs, and they must have been well aware that the climate would rid them of our presence before many months had elapsed : had our ministry evinced equal foresight, a fine army would have been preserved, and an enormous expense avoided.
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	77
CHAPTER, IV.
Regiment embarks for New Providence—Narrow escape from shipwreck—Nassau—Sail for England—Land at Liver-pool—Return to Ireland.
IN twelve months my regiment was reduced to a mere skeleton, with the loss of thirty-two officers ; it was then completed by convalescents from other corps, and embarked for the Bahama islands, which enjoyed a better climate than St. Domingo. W/3 sailed immediately.
When we made New Providence, a black pilot came on board. He seemed alarmed at the appearance of the weather, exclaiming, " Qually wedda, massa—bad wedda come ;" nor were his apprehensions groundless. It blew very hard as we entered the harbour, and the Lark sloop-of-war anchoring ahead of us, in such a situation that we could not weather her, we had only to let go both our anchors and endeavour to ride out the gale. We were
78	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
now exposed to a hurricane with a heavy sea, and a ledge of rocks, on which a dreadful surf broke, close to leeward. The Lark touched, and beat out a great part of her bottom, her crew remaining all night in the rigging; while one of our cables was quite cut through, and the other nearly, by the coral rocks, so that we must inevitably have gone on shore, had not a sudden shift of wind come on. We resolved to take advantage of this favourable change without delay, and try to set a close-reefed foresail and cut the remaining cable : but what the issue of this attempt would be was fearfully doubtful. It was doubly apprehended, that the cutting of the cable might give us such stern-way that we must touch, or, if we escaped this danger, that the sail might be blown altogether away; and since either of these accidents was sufficient to cause our instantaneous destruction, it was a moment of breathless suspense, when we saw the carpenter standing over the cable lifting the axe, and only waiting for the word to strike, and the surf close under our lee, boiling and raging, as if with impatience to dash the ship to pieces on the dreadful reef
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	79
At length the word was given—the axe de-scended—the vessel parted her cable—and the head-sail, braving the breeze, checked her stern-way just as we felt the keel begin to grate on the rocks. In a few hours I found myself with my brother officers in Nassau, at the comfortable inn, whose then landlady was a person of the very uncommon name of Smyth.
Nassau is the capital of New Providence ; it is a narrow town, stretching along the shore. The market is well supplied with mutton from the island of Exuma, on which a great number of sheep are fed, and with turtle, which are had here in great abundance ; the green and the hawk's-bill, as well as the loggerhead, which last is eaten by the negroes alone. I have seen one that was supposed to weigh four hundred pounds : it was drawn on its back through the streets of Nassau, by three stout-blacks, with considerable exertion.
My health still continuing to be very delicate, I found the room that I occupied at Mrs. Smyth's establishment too confined, and the noise of an inn was too great for the weak
SO	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
nerves of a convalescent ; and, as I also required more attendance than a person in good health, my landlady and I parted with a mutual want of regret. A small house of two rooms, situated between the fort and the town, was the quarters selected for another sick officer and me ; we had an old woman to attend us, and, but for her, the musquitoes would have rendered it almost uninhabitable ; her method .of keeping away those troublesome insects consisted in boiling bitter herbs at night, the smoke from which they could not bear.
One day my companion, who was gradually declining, fancied that he could eat some pancakes, and I, wishing to indulge this whim, and having some recollection of the process of making them, ordered all the necessary materials, and proceeded to exert my culinary skill ; however, I did not know that it was requisite first to put butter in the pan, and, therefore, I found the tossing of them a matter of too difficult accomplishment for my strength ; so that, wearied by my exertions, and vexed with my failure, I threw myself on the bed; but I had not lain there long, when my companion'•s
A SOLDIEleS LIFE.	81
servant came to tell me that his master was dying, and, a few minutes after I reached his bed-side, he breathed his last.
It being the opinion of our medical officers that there were no hopes of my recovery as long as I remained in this climate, I was ordered to return home, and accordingly obtained leave of absence. I sailed from New Providence for England, on board a West In-diaman, the Fisher of Liverpool, Captain Atkins, with other merchant vessels in company, and under convoy of La Raisonnee and Squirrel frigates, with the Swallow sloop of war ; but, a signal for a strange sail being made on the third day, the three King's ships gave chase, and we saw them no more. As it was war time, they thought cruizing for prizes more entertaining than convoying merchantmen. We experienced a severe gale off the banks of Newfoundland, and shipped such a heavy sea, that another like it would have sent us to the bottom, as our ship was very deep-waisted.
We had a great number of turtle on board, which were kept at first in scuttle butts on the deck, and, when the weather became boisterous,
E5
82	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
were removed to the lazaretti; there they remained without sustenance or fresh air for the rest of the voyage, but their eyes were wiped daily, otherwise they would not have lived.
All vessels leaving New Providence for Europe. have on board pine-apples, which are strung up every where that room can be spared for them ; they are also thrown, sliced, into the casks of rum, which acquires thereby a fine flavour. It is thought, that, in proportion to its extent, New Providence produces more pines than any other part of the world.
The captain deemed it advisable to go north-about to avoid privateers, so that the first land we made was Rathlinn Island ; a few more days brought us to the mouth of the Mersey, where we took on board a pilot, from whom we learned the astounding intelligence that the fleet had mutinied, and that Parker's flag was flying at the Nore since the 22d of May, 1797.
We were moored in George's Dock after a passage of six weeks. During the voyage I experienced the utmost care and attention from the worthy Captain Atkins ; I had entered
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	83
into no agreement with him for messing, and was charged not one fourth of what I had expected. On making my acknowledgments to him for his kindness, before we landed, he said, " I am happy we part good friends ; but it would have been better had you gone on shore at night ; the people will think I starved you." I was certainly a miserable spectacle ; the bridge of my nose had become transparent; and in short I could have been but one remove from the state of leanness of the remarkable Frenchman, who has been exhibited lately under the name of the Living Skeleton.
After passing a day or two at Liverpool with some friends, I set off in one of the packet boats for Dublin, and, strange to say, as I approached my native country, the remains of my old attack began to leave me ; and on landing, I found that I had fairly got rid of it. When I reached home, I was received almost as one who had been raised from the dead, and I do not doubt that my appearance was rather sepulchral. The joy of my old nurse, in particular, was excessive, when she was convinced of my identity, respecting which she was
43 i	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
quite sceptical, until she saw the mole on my foot, that gave evidence as credible to her as the scar on the leg of Ulysses did to the faithful Euryclea. She had paid her priest to say masses for me, and had hung one of my old militia coats on a cross at the foot of her bed, before which she offered up daily prayers for my safety.
As I was the only surviving ensign of my corps, I was promoted to a lieutenancy on stating my case to the proper authorities, and also obtained leave of absence until the beginning of the memorable year 1798.
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	85
CHAPTER V.
Passage from Dublin to Holyhead—Chatham—Irish re-cruits—Fifth Dragoons—Court martial—Russian squadron—Passage to Jersey—Affair of honour—Change of quarters-Irish corps—Launceston—Bridgewater.
WHEN my leave had expired, I set out for Chatham with a renovated constitution, which was destined to be tried by other hardships. I sailed from Dublin in one of the Holyhead packets. It was a rough night, and a violent gale came on as soon as we had crossed the bar ; the cutter began to ship a vast deal of water, and the captain had drunk himself into a state of stupidity ; he had left both his compasses in the binnacle, and a heavy sea swept them off the deck, with several other things ; two sailors were also carried overboard, hut, the end of the boom dipping in the water, they were caught in the belly of the sail and thrown back on the deck. Soon after, the captain was trying to fasten a candlestick to the table in the
86	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
cabin, but, instead, drove a carving fork through his left hand and into the timber, with such force that it required some exertion on the part of one of the passengers to pull it out. We hoped that this accident would rouse him ; but we could perceive no indication of returning reason, except his sucking the part affected with great eagerness. However, fortunately for us, there were three masters of merchantmen on board, and, as one of them had been before at the Isle of Man, they decided upon shaping their course for it *hen the vessel could carry sail. As we approached the land, the people on shore, who perceived our danger, continued to make signals, by which we were saved, for they led us to Derby Haven, where the vessel was run aground on a sandy beach, and left high and dry at low water.
The passengers proceeded to Castletown, where we found comfortable accommodation. As the Manx people paid no imposts at this time, their island was one of the cheapest places of abode in Europe, and an income of fifty pounds a-year would have enabled a single man to keep a jovial board. Castletown consisted
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	87
of about two hundred stone houses ; the country about it has a dreary appearance, for the winds have so much power that no trees will grow there in exposed situations ; the town houses are covered with flags, and the dwellings of the peasants have a net-work of hay ropes over the thatch, to preserve it from being blown away. Douglas, the most considerable town in the island, though not the metropolis, has a good harbour and pier, and about nine hundred houses ; the buildings are respectable, but the streets are too confined. The inhabitants bear the character of being civil and sociable. All the necessaries of life are here cheap and abundant ; water fowl of all kinds congregate in great numbers, and the fat plump puffin, the ortolan of the aquatic feathered tribes, breeds in the rabbit holes, and is considered excellent eating.
The repairs that it was necessary to make in the cutter, were completed in a week, and we then sailed for Holyhead, where we arrived without any further adventures ; and I proceeded forthwith to my final destination.
The Irish rebellion now broke out; the gaols
88	A SOLDIERS LIFE.
were soon filled, and Duncannon fort was converted into a slave market ; • cargoes of our wretched misguided peasants were shipped off from thence for Chatham in every kind of craft that could be procured for the purpose. The nature of their accommodations was un-thought of. As many men as the hold could contain were huddled together, without straw to lie on, or any sea-stock other than potatoes, which could not be cooked in bad weather, and of which even a sufficient quantity was not always provided; and it is a melancholy fact, that several of those unfortunate people have perished of absolute want on their passage. In this manner many regiments on foreign stations kept up their establishments ; and those recruits soon became soldiers second to none in gallantry in the field. It is true that at this eventful period war raged both at home and abroad, and the hands of government were full ; but under any circumstances the nefarious proceedings of Duncannon Fort should have been checked instantaneously.
As soon as a batch of United Irishmen arrived in the garrison, their sticks, clothes, and
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	89
bundles were heaped together and burned : they themselves were bathed in cisterns, put into the barber's hands to have their hair cut close, and provided with new undress clothing; in a short time they would beCome well-looking soldiers. General Fox, whose name must ever be remembered with respect by those who had the good fortune to be placed under his command, was unremitting in his attention to the messing of these men, and to their accounts, kept by the staff-sergeants, as he was determined that the Duncannon system should not spread to Chatham.
I had charge of a fine division of about one hundred and thirty men, all Irish ; and they took it into their heads to salute no officer but
me.	One morning two of them were on sentry
at the barrack gate when General Fox passed, and he observed with surprise that they took no notice of him ; " Do not you know me ? " he said to them, " I am General Fox." The reply was, " Faith, 'tis well for you ; " but it was accompanied by no salute. The result of this act of insubordination was the appearance, in a few days, of an order that they should be
90	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
drafted into regiments on foreign stations, not more than three to each. This order they refused to obey, and sent a deputation to me to say, that they would fight it out, though the garrison at this time was two thousand strong ; and it was with great difficulty that I persuaded them to give up their arms.
Those Irish drafts, coming over in such a wild state, caused considerable trouble at Chatham. They regarded an attempt at desertion as a very venial offence, and the knocking down of a staff-sergeant as a mere trifle; the consequence was a great frequency of courts-martial. I recollect being a member of one, when the charges preferred against the accused were, his being out after hours, and his striking a staff-sergeant. The prisoner was a very powerful young man, and, as some Irishmen, who deal in hyperboles, would say, " so broad in the chest that one might turn a gig on it." While the said grave charges were being detailed in his presence, the expression of his countenance indicated no consciousness of the impropriety of his conduct on the preceding night, and the muscles of his face were relaxed into a constant grin, while, as he
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	91
thought, the sergeant was making " much ado about nothing."
" Well, Patrick Murphy," said the president to the recruit, when the accuser had ceased, " what have you to offer in your defence ? "—" I 'll tell your honour dat ;" replied Murphy ; " as I was taking a bit of a walk wid myself last night towards Ratchister, I meets dis honest man, an' Where are you goin ? ' says I'm goin' to take a bit of a walk,' says I. You'll walk wid me to de guard-house,' says I owe you no discoorse, sir,' says I : an'
wid dat he lays holt of	Take ov me, sir,'
says I, if you plase ; ' an' wid dat what does he do, but draws his sword, an' makes an offer at me ? So I jest raises up my hand, an' gives him a pat wid de backs of my nails, an' down drops de honest man.— Get up, sir,' says I thin, for I'll take you to de barrack, an' complain you for tryin to kill me wid de soord.'—He wouldn't get up for my biddin, nather would he spake a word, jist to show how much he was hurted ; so I puts himself an' his soord under my arm, an' brins him up all de way to de gate ; so I knocks, an' de man at de door says, 'Whose
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dere ? ' says he. —' It 's I,' says I, ' one of Colonel Ogle's boys wid a sergeant.'—So he opens de door, an' calls de guard; an' dey puts me into a place dat I didn't see de blessed light of de sun in since ; an' sure de world knows, gintlemen, dat I could kill de little man, if I liked it."
The 5th Royal Irish Dragoons at this time were dismounted in Ireland, and sent to Chatham to be disbanded ; a few of them had gone over to the Rebels, and it was rumoured that Government had information of the existence of very general disaffection in this regiment. Previous to their being marched to the general parade, the day they were to be disbanded, they were addressed by their commanding officer, Colonel Stewart, who was greatly affected during the delivery of his speech. Officers, and non-commissioned officers, attended from the different regiments of cavalry to receive their respective quota, and the 5th Dragoons ceased to be.
While I remained at Chatham a Russian squadron came up the Medway to be coppered. Many were disposed to think that it was not
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	93
sound policy on the part of our Government, to permit the naval men, of a power of whose rising greatness we should be most jealous, to have free entrance into our dock-yards, and thereby an opportunity of adopting our improvements in the building, rigging, and equipping of ships of war, and the general manage• ment of the arsenal.
The officers came occasionally to sup at the barrack. It was evident they had not been accustomed to polite society; but, though their manners were coarse, they were perfectly good humoured. They seemed to make no distinction between the different dishes set before them ; they helped themselves to whatever happened to be near them, and ate with excellent appetites ; cold and hot meats, preserves and pickles, cheese and confectionery, were all swallowed without the slightest regard to the order in which they came, or what should begin and what end the repast.
Their men were still less disposed to make nice distinctions between what should or should not be eaten ; they apparently saw no difference between soap and cheese ; and, when in the
94	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
chandlers' shops, would pick up and eat any bits of the former article that remained on the counter. Besides, it was remarked some time after their arrival in the Medway, that the lamps in the streets went out earlier than usual, and, at length, some Russian sailors were observed climbing up the posts and drinking the oil. They slept on the decks of their ships, wrapped up in sheep-skin cloaks with the wool inside, which was not very conducive to cleanliness. They were much addicted to the use of spirituous liquors ; and even their priests were not ashamed to be seen stretched across the steps of alehouses in the day time, and beastly drunk; still these reverend gentry were held in such veneration by the crews, that a sailor would never pass one of them, though in such a disgraceful state, without taking off his cap.
I received this year a most unpleasant command to go to Jersey with a detachment of my refractory countrymen, fresh arrivals from Duncannon, and principally intended for the 88th, the Connaught Rangers. It would have spared me a most disagreeable duty had these
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	95
men been sent with them, for they became very unruly; they whipped up every article of sea-stock laid in by the officers at any of the ports down Channel that was left for a moment on deck; they did not even keep the cabouse sacred ; and, occasionally, a fellow would leave the skin of his hands in a stewpan, while diving for its contents.
On our way we anchored in the Downs, and sent on shore for fresh meat; but it was not long on deck, when a woman burst into the cabin to make a complaint to me, as commanding officer. " Oh ! my sheep's head !" she roared out, " sure I had as good a right as the best of them to get some of the meat ;" and certainly her face, which was streaming with blood, testified that she had defended her right to the last extremity. Upon going between decks I found all hands engaged in a general row, boxing, yelling, and tearing from each other the meat that the officers had provided for their own mess ; and it was with difficulty that I succeeded in restoring something like order and tranquillity. However, when the lights were put out at 9 P. M. hostilities recom;
96	A SOLDIER'S LIFE..
menced, and the battle raged with as much fury as ever; the biting of noses, ears, fingers, and toes, the scratching of faces, the pulling of hair, and the cuffing and kicking, being kept up with much spirit till a late hour. At daylight I went on board a transport bound for Guernsey, with troops of the same class, to ask the advice of the officer in my command, who was my senior, respecting the proper measures to be adopted in this emergency. He told me that his people went on precisely in the same way as mine, until he made up a severe ship-cat, with which he flogged them on their bare legs when they turned out of their births at night to fight, and he advised me to do the same, adding, that their dispositions had undergone a thorough change since they left their own country, as they were now dis-United Irishmen. When I returned to the ship, I followed the directions of my superior officer; with this difference, however, that I employed one of the staff-sergeants on board to make use of the cat.
We experienced a heavy gale in the Downs, and parted from our anchor, which the Deal
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	97
men soon brought on shore, in spite of the remonstrances of the master of the vessel, who had to pay a considerable salvage for it. About the time we made Guernsey we were surrounded by vast numbers of porpoises, larger than any I had seen before, which seemed to take pleasure in rubbing against the ship's sides. I wounded one of them, and the rest, on seeing the blood, instantly chased it and disappeared ; and I am informed that they never relinquish the pursuit until they drive the wounded fish on shore.
We arrived at Jersey after a passage of thirty-three days ; and, having laid the ship inside St. Aubin's pier, distant about two miles from St. Helier, the capital, a naval agent, who had accompanied us, agreed to ride with me to head-quarters to report our arrival. The only horses we could procure, were a very tall one and a pony. I allowed the agent to choose his steed, and he took the low one; " For," said he, " in case of accidents, I shall be nearer the ground. But," he added, " though I have not rode, that is, on horseback, for these sixteen years, I will keep a good look-out
VOL. I.
98	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
ahead as the night is dark." He therefore ambled along the sands before me, but he had not advanced far, when he came to a deep gully, made by a stream that crossed our path, and, the pony stopping suddenly at it, he lost his equilibrium, and was near going over the beast's head. " Keep the shore on board," he instantly roared out, "keep the shore on board, or we are swamped !" He was a thickset, unwieldy little fellow, and, when I came up, was evidently in distress ; for his left heel had drawn up the skirt of the saddle, his right arm embraced the pony's neck, and the hand of the other firmly grasped the mane. When he had righted again, we proceeded higher up the stream, and reached our destination without further accident. I had intended to return to the ship that night, but the agent complained so sadly of pains in his bones, the effect of his ride, that I consented to remain in the town until morning. As soon as I had given up the recruits to Colonel Beresford, I returned with the transport to Chatham.
I found this a most agreeable quarter in summer; one of my favourite haunts was
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	99
Gillingham, where I passed my evenings, sipping perry, and listening to nightingales ; but we had a great annoyance in the dockyard guard, off which I always came with a swelled face, as the guard-room was infested by myriads of bugs ; mice also occupied it in tolerable force.
In a place where there was so great a mixture of officers of all corps in the service, and of course endless variety of character, it might reasonably be expected, that unpleasantries, likely to terminate in an appeal to arms, would occur now and then. I was one evening in the guard-room with a lieutenant M- of the 37th, playing a rubber of whist, when another subaltern, Donald G- of a Highland regiment came, uninvited, into the room, and, without saying a word, drew a chair to the fire and sat down. He preserved silence for about half an hour, and then, suddenly turning to the officer on duty, exclaimed, " By -, Mr. M-, you are a scoundrel !" He walked out of the room immediately after this polite sally, and left us all in no slight astonishment, with the exception, perhaps, of M-, who
F 2
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merely said, "Devilish cool, indeed !" As soon as the guard was relieved, a message was sent to Donald, and arrangements were made for a meeting behind the barracks. It was apparently his first affair of honour, and, though urged to appoint a friend, he refused to do so, saying, " I canna see the use of a second, when a man could tak his ain part." He went directly to a gunsmith's at Rochester, hired a horse pistol, which he loaded with a plentiful charge of slugs, and putting it under his coat, hurried to the place of meeting. He found there Lieutenant M-, and that officer's second; and the latter, having paced the distance, and placed his friend on the ground, then proceeded to act also for the other party; but Donald slipped behind him, and at about half distance, levelled his pistol and discharged its contents at the head of his antagonist, crying out at the same time, "Tak that, you scoundrel !" Lieutenant M-'s hat was perforated in several places, and knocked off by the slugs, which also scored the skin of the top of his head, and cut ridges through his powdered and pomatumed hair; and as he passed his
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	101
hand over the part affected, he quietly repeated his former comment, " Devilish cool, indeed !" The affair ended here, as the old garrison-adjutant, who had been sent to put the parties in arrest, and was directed to the spot by the report of the pistol, came trotting up, and prevented any further proceedings.
There was a Scotch lad here, an ensign in the 81st regiment, whose father, with true nationality, kept a flour manufactory in the land o'cakes, and who was so complete an original, that he afforded considerable amusement to the whole garrison. Unluckily for him, he was one day invited to dine at General Fox's, and, on receiving the card, went off immediately to consult a great wag, Colonel C- of the 47th regiment, respecting the proper form of the required reply, and the manner in which he should conduct himself during the enter-taiment. " I will write your answer," said the colonel, " and provide you with any articles of dress you may want, and also give you instructions that will serve to regulate your conduct from the time you enter the drawing-room until you leave the house." "All's weel then,
102	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
and mony thanks," said the ensign ; " for, as I ha' been maistly brought up in a mill, I dinna ken preceesely the manners o' grand company." When the hour for dressing arrived, the colonel had in readiness for his pupil a pair of silk stockings, well blued, and old fashioned knee and shoe buckles. When the ensign had finished his toilette, the military Chesterfield thus addressed him :—" Well, M—, as far as the tailor makes the man, you are quite the thing; now, therefore, attend to my instructions. The general, you must know, is a jolly good kind of man, and wishes every one to make free with him, and seem perfectly at home in his house."—" The general's aye a weel dispositioned and kind-hearted body," interrupted M—. —" So then," continued the colonel, " the moment you enter the drawing-room, go up and shake him heartily by the hand, and repeat the ceremony with Mrs. Fox, not forgetting to ask her how the children are, and talk away with them about Scotland as much as you please. When you go to the dinner-room, and all are seated, ask the general, the first thing, to take a glass of wine with
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	103
you ; and, as soon as that is down, be sure to be equally attentive to Mrs. Fox ; then eat away as fast as you can. When the dishes are removed, the servants will place a large glass half filled with water near you, and take particular care to drink every drop of it."—" I'll e'en do that," said the ensign, "but wuld I na' put a wee drop of wine amangst it ?"—" Certainly," replied the Colonel„ "fill it with wine." ." An that be a'," rejoined the Scot, "I'll ne'er shirk it ; for sax gude glasses o' Farintosh, as ye ken weel eneugh, is waur nor as mony bottles o' their port and clairet."—" Very true," said his deceitful companion ; " and now remember that, before yeu go away, you shake hands in a friendly manner with the general and Mrs. Fox, and thank them politely for their entertainment."—" My name is na M—." cried the naif ensign, " an I forget ony thing of a' ye ha been sae gude to rede me !" And he kept his word. Every thing was done, as directed, to the inexpressible amusement of the general and his other guests ; but, when he emptied a decanter into the finger-glass, and drank off the mixed contents of the latter, the
104	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
company were irresistibly convulsed with laughter, while poor M. still felt confident that he had in no way transgressed against good manners and propriety.
The finest sight at Chatham was, in my opinion, the portion of the Dutch fleet, nine sail of the line and two frigates, captured by admiral Duncan in the victory gained by him off Camperdown on the 11th of October in the preceding year. Some of the British men-of-war engaged in the action, were also in the Medway during part of my stay ; two of them in particular, the Monarch and the Ardent, were much damaged ; and, in the first-mentioned ship, the divisions between four contiguous ports forward were completely beaten in.
While I remained here, also, the tidings of the destruction of the French fleet at Aboukir by Lord Nelson arrived, which diffused almost unexampled joy throughout the nation; and deservedly did they excite such a sensation, for this exploit not only added a fresh triumph to those already won by the British navy, but also led to the most important results. On the day appointed for a general illumination to
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	105
celebrate this event, Chatham was brilliantly lit up ; but no building displayed such a blaze of light as the Canteen, the proprietor of which laid out a considerable sum on the occasion, saying, that he, having made his money under government, ought to be one of the first to spend some of it when rejoicings were to be made for such glorious successes.
My next change of quarters was to a dull place, distant about fifty miles from town, and to which the skeleton of my regiment was moving from Portsmouth, where it had arrived some days before from New Providence. When it was about to enter the town, all the population sallied out to see it. The first person who appeared happened to be a remarkably corpulent captain, who had been recruiting, and had joined on the march.—" Bless us," said an old farmer, who would have wished to have a few bullocks in such good condition, "this be no skeleton, surely 1" The joke went round, and no one enjoyed it more than the person who was the cause .of it.
Before our arrival, a newly raised Irish corps, and I cannot exactly say, whether it was the F 5
1 OG	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
Carlow Buffs faced with black, or Colonel Matthew's Tipperary Rangers, was quartered here, when not more than half of the men had received their uniforms. The honest burghers, however, being of a peaceful way of thinking, and not all enamoured of military society, in respect to which their sentiments and those of a great proportion of the fair ones of their families were diametrically opposite, did not live on terms of becoming amity with the sons of Mars, and, accordingly, the latter resolved to be avenged on them for their want of civility. For this purpose their colonel one night sent out half the regiment in plain clothes, with directions to go a few miles on the London-road, and return at daylight to the town as a desperate mob come to attack it. Never was order better obeyed. At the time appointed the wildest yells were heard at the entrance from London, and, presently, the boys rushed in, wheeling their sticks, shouting and threatening destruction to the town and its inhabitants, who, in-fear and trembling, awaited the issue of this uproar and tumult, equally alarm-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	107
ing and inexplicable. Only one or two of the boldest ventured to thrust their night-capped heads out of upper windows, to reconnoitre the fearful and unknown enemy ; but a few paving stones, directed so as to skim close by their stations, had the effect of causing them to withdraw themselves rapidly within their shells. The panic was still further increased, when the other half of the regiment, which was drawn up to resist the supposed mob, began to fire volleys of blank cartridge, and the streets became the scene of a mock combat, to which, no doubt, the imaginations of the citizens added piles of carnage and torrents of blood : no business was attempted—not a shop was opened—and sauve qui peat was the cry. However, when the attack was repelled, and the din of battle died away, confidence was gradually restored—the industrious resumed their daily occupa-tions—the idle had recourse again to their usual modes of killing time—and the good people, seeing neither blood nor dead and dying, began, I dare say, to suspect that it was all a trick.
Various minor rows also occurred before
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those unruly sons of Erin were removed ; and, on the day that they marched out, they left one of the spinning girls in a state of intoxication, and stuck through a lamp-iron in front of the head inn—a sight at which the worthy citizens were excessively scandalized : and they now came to the hasty conclusion, that, because the said corps was wild and riotous, all others must necessarily he the same. As we were the next soldiers who did duty in their town, the reception which we met with there cannot well be styled flattering ; but people will run into extremes ; and the good burghers, finding that our steadiness far exceeded their most favourable expectations, soon began to think us even better than we really were. We became very intimate. They were certainly not very gay; fastidious people might call them dull ; but they had a tripe club of great antiquity, and they kindly invited us to join it. The invitation was unhesitatingly accepted, and we were enrolled among the members of this ancient and harmless society.
Every club evening, from time immemorial,
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	109
the standing dish was tripe in a swingeingatureen, placed in the centre of the table. On our first attendance it fell to the lot of an officer who was accustomed to lighter suppers to distribute the contents of this huge wooden bowl; and unluckily, as he was helping one of the citizens for the third time, he suffered to escape from him the uncourteous remark, " I will back you, sir, against any butcher's dog in England for eating tripe." Such rudeness threw the old members into high dudgeon, and they never assembled in club again, until we took our departure from their town.
We had here a sentimental lieutenant-colonel. One morning he was going to punish an Irish soldier for desertion, and the man, who had been advised to desert by a person named Burns, cried out, as they were tying him up, "Bad luck to you, Burns, wherever you be !" Upon which the officer in question exclaimed, " Oh ! do you hear the wretch ? He wishes
me at	bourn ' whence no traveller
returns
Our next move was to Launceston, where we experienced much civility. We now be-
10	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
came a boy regiment with one hundred men to do the duty.
From Launceston we were ordered to Bridgewater. In this part of England the lower classes were suffering from an alarming scarcity of provisions ; a large mob entered the town, and were very riotous. They laid hands on the magistrates, who were glad to escape with only torn cloaks, and we were called out to support the civil power ; but, when the poor people declared that they had been for days without food, our officers gave them, instead of balls, all their spare cash. Soon after, our boy recruits were drafted into regiments serving in India, and the remainder of our corps proceeded to Bristol, where they embarked for Waterford.
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	1 1 1
CHAPTER VI.
Dundalk—Kilkenny—Dublin—Insurrection—Lord Clon-curry—Duke of Leinster—Emmet—Redmond—Change of quarters—Light battalion— Review—Galway—Truro—Kin-sale.
OUR next quarter was Dundalk. On our march to this town, we breakfasted one morning at a small inn by the roadside, distinguished by the sign of the Royal Oak, and where we were attended by a bare-legged girl. An English officer, who was amusedby the to him outlandish air of the whole establishment, asked our waiter by way of diversion, if there was any claret... in the house : "Troth, then, there is and illegant," said she, and tripped off to the binn. She quickly returned with the wine, which, to his astonishment, fully answered her description of it, and pleased our palates so well, that we took with us a quantity of it to the next stage.
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We were sent here to be completed from the English fencible regiments, which were for the most part stationed in the north of Ireland. They had been employed in quelling the Irish rebellion of 1798, and, as civil war tends in a great degree to the relaxation of discipline, it was requisite to hand over the men that came from these corps to a correct, steady, and well disciplined set of non-commissioned officers, who would make them work well together and lay aside their old habits. As an illustration of the high notions of discipline entertained by our sergeants, and of their fitness for the duty that devolved on them, I may relate here an anecdote of this period.
When we received a route for Kilkenny, we were ordered to precede the baggage, and therefore directions were given to have it placed in the store, which was two stories high. I was always of opinion that the less an officer was encumbered with baggage the better; but for such ideas I never received any credit, and my acting up to them was invariably ascribed to want of means to increase it. Be this as it may, my light portmanteau was put in the tackle, and one of
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	113
the men, by a couple of quick hauls with one hand, whisked it up to the top of the store in a moment. The sergeant conceived that this was not done in a respectful manner, and called out to the fellow, " What way is that, sir, to hoist the lieutenant's baggage ? Lower that trunk immediately." And, as soon as this order was obeyed, " Now, sir," cried the exact non-commissioned officer, " clap both hands to it, and hoist away handsomely." The portmanteau was then raised as slowly, and with as much seeming exertion, as if it had possessed the respectable weight of half a ton.
Kilkenny was rather a pleasant quarter. It is remarkable for " its fire without smoke, its water without mud, and its air without fog," according to the well known proverb, and also for its private theatricals, a species of amusement which the people of this town and its respectable neighbourhood keep up with peculiar taste and spirit.
We proceeded thence to the Irish capital.
" Beware of the ides of March," said a soothsayer to Julius Caesar ;—a similar caution might have been of some use to me, as on the fifteenth
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of that month I lost a dinner for eight by an unlucky wager. This spread was given at an hotel ; we drank pretty freely, and some experienced in consequence an exhilaration of spirits. One of my guests walked on before me towards the barracks, and on his way caught a watchman dozing on his post. The temptation was irresistible, and the guardian of the night received a smart tap on the side of his head ; the assaulted instantly sprang his rattle, which soon called a bevy of his brethren to his aid, who hemmed in our hero, and in the scuffle punished him severely, as his cut and bleeding face amply testified. When I came up, my first object was to endeavour to get him away, and take him to the barracks ; but so far was I from succeeding in it, that I was knocked down for my peacemaking intentions, and then dragged to the watchhouse, where I passed the rest of the night, my partner in distress being suffered to find his way home. As my recollection returned, I began to think of the consequences that might follow this adventure, since, on the seventeenth, the day of our patron saint, there was to be a ball at the Castle of
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	115
more than usual splendour; and I inquired earnestly if they could let me have a looking-glass, that I might see whether my face was or was not so marked as to prevent me from appearing at the ball : but the surly charlies refused to procure one for me. However, I was told that my face was not cut, and that the blood on it only proceeded from a blow which had uncorked my smelling bottle, but was of no consequence. Notwithstanding these assurances, I feared, as I felt considerable pain below one eye, that it would turn black, and thus deprive me of all hope of enjoying the amusement that I had . anticipated—an apprehension which added much to the annoyances of the night.
After daylight I was taken in a coach to the sitting magistrate, Sir William Worthington, and I had no reason to regard him as an evenhanded dispenser of justice, for, without listening to anything that I had to say, he informed me that I should be sent either to Newgate, or to the barracks, and that the other officer's sword and mine should be forwarded to General Dunn, as the charges preferred against me were very serious, namely, going about the streets
116	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
armed at untimely hours, and committing assault and robbery on the persons of his Majesty's subjects on his highway. It was to no purpose that I then pleaded that I was knocked down, which effectually prevented me from assaulting any person, had I any such intention ; that officers were directed to wear their swords in the streets at all hours ; and that I could not have stolen a watchman's pike and rattle, first, for the same reason that rendered it impossible for me to commit an assault, and secondly, because from the moment when I was attached by the watch until the present time I had continued in durance vile. " No matter, sir;" said Sir William, " I wait for your answer—to Newgate or to the barracks ?" I did not hesitate to choose the latter alternative, and was released. I instantly hurried to my room, and removed the mud and blood from my face ; I was delighted to find that a very small black mark below one eye was the only discolouration that water would not efface : therefore to the Castle I went, though the general did think that it was rather cool on my part to appear there, as he still retained my
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	117
sword. A day or two after the ball our swords were returned.
I came off duty on the morning of the twenty-third of July, and in the evening had retired to rest at an unusually early hour,—about half past nine,—when my servant came into my room, dressed in marching order, to my great surprise. He was not less astonished at finding me in bed, for he told me that the town was in open rebellion; and that he had heard my name called on the parade, and thought I had gone with a detachment, as the greater part of the regiment had marched off already. I quickly slipped on my uniform, and hurried to the parade, whence I was sent with a party to Thomas Street, which the rebels had made their rendezvous.
At this time Colonel Browne of the twenty-first Fusileers had been killed, while returning to his quarters, as were also Lord Kilwarden and one of his nephews ; their bodies lay in the watchhouse, dreadfully mangled. His lordship was coming into town from his country seat to apprize the government of a danger of which they had so little expectation. Miss Wolfe, who was in the carriage with him, was
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permitted to proceed, unharmed, by the rebels. She fled to the Castle, and made her way to the secretary, to whom she gave the first intimation of the breaking out of the insurrection, that had been received there. All who heard her laughed at the statement ; one said, that she was mad ; another, that she was in love : but a sudden rush made through the gates by the 62nd regiment put an end to their unseasonable jesting. That corps had luckily been quartered in the old custom house, abuilding not far from the Castle, and, on hearing what was doing, hastened without loss of time to the defence of this most important post, and saved it. Had they neglected to do so, the rebels would have been masters of the Castle in a few minutes, but such an unruly rabble acted too little in concert to have any chance of carrying it, when defended by a regiment. An orderly dragoon, sent from Kilmainham with a dispatch, found one of the streets through which he had to pass occupied by a host of rebels ; nevertheless, this brave fellow determined to do his duty, and gallantly attempted to cut his way through the dense mass before him. In this he succeeded for a
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	119
considerable distance, but was at length absolutely lifted out of the saddle on their pikes, and perished, a noble example of the spirit and devotedness of a British soldier.
When the first military parties reached Thomas-street, they had some skirmishing with the rebels ; but, after a trifling resistance, the latter fled in all directions. Mr. Emery, assistant surgeon of the 32d regiment, was in Thomas-street before Lord Kilwarden breathed his last, and the venerable old man died in his arms. This officer took from his lordship's person his rings, some valuable papers, and a ten pound note, which was steeped in blood, and he forwarded them to Mr. Wolfe, his lordship's nephew, who immediately wrote to him to thank him for his attention to his deceased uncle, and to request his acceptance of the note.
We continued in the streets until daylight, breaking open houses, and searching cellars, where the peasants usually put up. Parties of military were then sent off in all directions to the different towns and villages, for the purpose of disarming all suspected persons. Lyons, Lord Cloncurry's residence, was searched, and
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that nobleman's arms were taken away and brought to Maynooth. I accompanied the troops sent to the latter place ; the innkeeper had absconded before we arrived there, so that we should have been badly off for that day, had not his Grace the Duke of Leinster generously sent a single melon to regale twenty officers.
The disaffected in the other parts of Ireland were too much disheartened by the unwelcome tidings, " that rebellion had bad luck" in the capital, to venture to take up arms ; and thus terminated a most ill-advised, ill-concerted, and rash undertaking. The only remarkable feature in this abortive effort to effect the separation of Ireland from Great Britain was the secrecy observed by the rebels. So little idea had Government of any insurrectionary movement, that only the day before the rising, General Fox, then commander of the forces here, issued an order to the troops not to wear side-arms in the streets.
Emmett, the ostensible chief of the conspirators, had been called to the bar, and was a young man of some talent, though totally unfit to act in the capacity of military leader to a
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	121
bofly of men, so wild and intractable as the insurgents whom he headed. I believe that he was honest, and that, in adopting a line of conduct to which others were led by ambition, bigotry, desire of change, or fear of pecuniary embarrassment, he—ever ardent, enthusiastic, and high-minded—listened only to the dictates of what he thought to be the purest patriotism. He seems to have dreamed, rather than reasoned, himself into notions of the practicability of that Utopian scheme, the erection of Ireland into an independent state, maintaining herself on her own resources, and unindebted for protection to any other power. In fact, this rebel of the nineteenth century, had he lived in the days of romance, for he possessed a gallant spirit, a poetical imagination, and a susceptible heart, might have shone in the character of a devoted and fearless troubadour, who passed his days in celebrating his mistress and fighting the battles of his country.
Great numbers of the deluded insurgents, as well as Emmett, were now taken up, and executions took place daily I was present when two young lads were hung at their own doors, at
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Palmerstown near Dublin, and then beheaded ; their parents stood by during the execution, and assisted in placing the bodies in the coffins ; they also took off the shoes of their dead sons, and followed the carts to the gaol for the rest of their apparel; and all this was done without a tear, or a sigh, or any indication of emotion. Many will be ready to exclaim against what they will imagine to be a brutal want of feeling. It was no such thing. Among the faults of the rude and hardfaring Irish peasant, many as they may be, such insensibility cannot be numbered. No ; those parents did not look upon that scene of execution with common eyes—no ignominy was in their minds attached to the fate of their sons—they saw in the cord and the axe nothing but the instruments of their martyrdom—and there was that in their countenances which plainly told how the loss they suffered, of one kind, was met by a counterbalancing gain of another. Still, perhaps, some moment would be found, when no Sassenagh was near, in which to pay, unobserved, the tribute of grief at the grave of the departed ; as well as one in which these poor misguided people would speak
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	123
proudly of the two youths, who died, though unavailingly, in what they considered their country's cause.
I. have to regret that I had not an opportunity of being present at the trial of Emmett, and of hearing his eloquent and manly address, parts of which few heard without emotion, and especially that in which he proudly and earnestly disclaimed any past intention of looking to any foreign power for aid in the struggle he thought to have made for the independence of Ireland.
On the morning of his execution I repaired to Kilmainham, the place of his confinement. I found there several of the staff, and a great number of country-gentlemen, who formed a lane from the cell-door to the prison-gate, at which the sheriff was waiting in a coach. At length the prisoner appeared; he was perfectly composed, bowed to the persons assembled with as much ease as if he had met them in a drawing-room, and, passing on, stepped into the coach. When he arrived in Thomas Street, he requested the sheriff's permission to address the people; that gentleman asked him in what strain he intended to speak. " I mean to exhort
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them," replied Emmett, "to follow up the pursuit in which they are at present engaged."—" Then," said the sheriff, " you cannot he heard." Emmett ascended the platform with a firm step, calmly unloosed his neckcloth, and looked with an upbraiding countenance on the dense multitude that surrounded the gallows; he then desired the executioner to take another turn of the .rope over the beam, and, this being done, the fatal noose was tied, the cap put on, and his station taken on the board which was to be pushed off with him. The cap being now drawn over his face, he was launched off; at first he rubbed his hands together, as if to evince his indifference, but soon became greatly convulsed; his wish to .have the drop shortened caused a miserable prolongation of this, the last of his earthly sufferings. I have witnessed other executions, but never saw a criminal struggle so long with death. Such was the end of the erring, un fortunate Emmett.
On the following day I was called out from the castle-guard by Major Sirr to proceed with a party to the house of a person named Red-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	12,5
mond, who resided on one of the quays ; this' man was deeply implicated in the rebellion : he had taken to flight, and his house was deserted by all his family. We broke open the doors, and, after a strict search discovered in the yard several cases of pikes, formed of the four outside planks cut from large pieces of balk, and put together with such ingenuity that, unless examined most closely, the deception could not be detected : in such cases the pikes for the arming of the _peasantry were to have been sent into the country. Upon this the Dublin yeomanry entered the house, and threw all the furniture and other moveable effects out of the windows into the street, where they burned them in one large heap.
Redmond was arrested shortly after, on board a vessel at Belfast; brought to Dublin, tried, and convicted. As he was drawn towards the place of execution, he passed by the abode of a girl to whom he had been engaged; she appeared at the window, and they exchanged in silence a last look. There are times when one look speaks the passing thought more effectually than a thousand words, and this was one
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of them; it was a bitter moment, and insensi-sible indeed must have been the 'heart of him among the spectators to whom that short parting scene was not deeply affecting. When Redmond arrived in front of his own house, where the gallows was erected, he asked calmly, " Is this the spot where the fire was made ? " and then, mounting the scaffold with perfect coolness, met his fate like a brave man.
The alarm that had spread throughout the country induced several families of distinction to come to Dublin, and thus make an important addition to the society of that city. A military man's appearance at a fashionable rout was a sufficient introduction for the future to the first circles, and his attendance at a levee gave admission to all the public balls at the Castle ; the other viceregal parties were of course more select, and for them cards of invitation were issued. We thus met the first people then residing in the Irish capital; their sprightliness and vivacity, wit and humour, combined with the politeness natural to their nation, gave an inexpressible charm to their society. The Irish cherish the utmost aversion to stiff formality
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and cold reserve ; it is their ambition to place the stranger at once at his ease, and this, in my opinion, is the real test of good breeding. Besides, airy, spacious, and handsome squares ; wide, regular, and well-built streets ; elegant public buildings ; an extensive park; delightful drives; cheerful, pretty, and salubrious suburban watering places ; a site near the mouth of a river which discharges itself into a superb bay, considered inferior to that of Naples alone ; and a vicinity to a beautiful and diversified country, especially the wild mountains, romantic glens, and interesting valleys of Wicklow, where every rock and every stream has its legend, conspire to render Dublin one of the most agreeable cities in Europe.
After my corps left Dublin, the towns of Enniskillen, Omagh, and Kinsale became successively its quarters. Light battalions were now formed of the light companies of the regular and some of the militia regiments in Ireland. I belonged to one of them, which was at first stationed at Mountjoy House in the Phoenix Park. We had been there but a short time, when Lord Cathcart, then commanding the
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forces in Ireland, sent one evening to say that he would see the battalion next morning, and that we were to manoeuvre as light troops. General Rotenberg's treatise on light infantry tactics had been put into our hands only a few days before, and our commanding officer was totally uninformed on the subject ; he therefore determined to divide the battalion into small parties, to serve out to the men a great quantity of ammunition, and to let them fire away from behind the bushes as long as it lasted. The morning came, and so did Lord Cathcart. The light battalion was soon hid among the bushes: our fire was most furious ; and the park seemed all in a blaze; but it would have been difficult for his lordship to discover any plan in this military spectacle. He therefore waited patiently until our ammunition was expended, and then riding, up to the commanding officer, said : " Colonel, I am much obliged to you. Your adjutant's horse is too large. Good morning."
Our next move was to Galway. Besides our battalion this town was garrisoned by a regiment of the line and another of militia; therefore it was never more gay : the ladies wore their silk
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stockings during the whole of our stay ; dry drums, conversazioni, so termed because there were no refreshments, were held every week ; a constant round of tea and card parties also were given nightly; the invitations to them were usually verbal, and delivered by tea-boys, who came into the mess-rooms, saying, " Mrs —, would be glad if Mr. — would take tay with her this evening." Some officers who did not attend these coteries frequently, called out to the messenger, though not with much gallantry, " Your mistress only wants to win their money at cards." One night that I was playing a round game, a Mrs B. and I won all the silver at the table. The lady had swept her great winnings into her lap, and was rejoicing over her good fortune, when the mayor entered, and informed us that he had just received orders from the Castle to cry down the benders—Irish shillings, which were so called from their being cut out of thin silver plates and easily bent, and which passed current until replaced at this time by a new silver coinage, consisting of ten-penny pieces. Poor Mrs B. looked thunder-strucic at this unlucky announcement made by
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the mayor, and exclaimed " Och ! murder, murder ! won't I get anything for my elegant benders." Indeed, she and I were paid for our shillings the next day at a reduction of three fourths of their original value. That remote corner of Ireland in which Galway is situated has so few attractions, that it has hitherto afforded a permanent residence to few strangers, with the exception of persons engaged in mercantile pursuits. The inhabitants are therefore an unmixed people, and retain their old manners, and their rich brogue in all its purity ; like the Scotch also, the better classes are distinguished by the names of their country mansions ; and, were it not for this custom, it would be difficult to find out particular persons, where so many have the same patronymics. Their distinguishing attributes are said to be pride, poverty, and devotion ; hut I found them to be eminently gifted with the social virtues, and ever ready to meet the stranger with a cead mila faltha.
The town is of great antiquity, and many of the old houses are built in the Spanish style ; for Galway at one time carried on an extensive
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trade with different ports of Spain, many of whose natives intermarried with and fixed their abodes among the Irish, or induced individuals of our nation to emigrate and settle in their country. This port is happily situated for the trade with Portugal, Spain, and America; that with the first mentioned country especially, would be very advantageous if properly encouraged. The ancient walls that once enclosed and protected this town have been for the greater part removed to make room for modern buildings, and to promote a freer circulation of air. The streets are narrow, ill paved, not lit, and dirty; and the quarter occupied by the fishermen, and called the Claddagh, is particularly offensive, owing to the quantities of heads and entrails of fish, that are there left putrefying in the lanes. The garrison were remarkably sickly here, and the hospitals were as full as might have been expected at a West Indian station ; this must be partly attributable to the uncleanly state of the town and its vicinity. There were but few Protestants in Galway ; it is the Rome of Ireland, and abounds in convents, chapels, priests, nuns, and friars. At
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the entrances to some of the religious houses are ill-executed figures of saints, which are touched or kissed by the devout, as they enter ; from this constant meeting of flesh and stone, the latter has been so worn away, that the lips and noses of some of the images have almost totally disappeared, and other parts of them are deeply indented. In the days of the commercial intercourse between the people of Galway and the Spaniards, when this town was in a most flourishing condition, and its inhabitants high in character as well as wealth, compared with the majority of their countrymen, thirteen of the principal families were selected, from which a person was to be appointed with a title of Warden; whose duty it was to watch over the religion and morals of the community. Twelve of these families, which were called the tribes, still inhabit Galway, and give it a warden; the other tribe is extinct in the male line, and I believe that the present Sir William de Bathe is descended from it by the maternal side.
In this town there is an ancient house, over the entrance to which a death's head and crossed bones are carved in stone ; one of its old pro-
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prietors filled the office of mayor, when his son, 4 very fine young man, whose talents, -accomplishments, manly beauty, and suavity of manners, rendered him the idol of all classes of his fellow-citizens, was drawn by a chain of events, which I have not room to detail here, into the commission of the crime of murder, His guilt was proved, and sentence of death passed upon him ; however, on the day fixed for the execution of the criminal, the populace assembled, and in the most determined manner insisted that his life should be spared : the rigid and upright magistrate, subduing the feelings of the father, as resolutely refused to comply with their request, and when he saw them ready to have recourse to violence, rather than not rescue their favourite, he had his son led out to his own balcony, and hung there before the awe-struck multitude.
The town, one morning in July during my stay, bore the appearance of unusual bustle, and some chapel and nunnery bells were' ringing violently from an early hour. On inquiry, I was informed that this was owing to the circumstance that a young lady had just completed
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her noviciate of a year and a day, and was in a few hours to be wedded to the church, and pledged to bid a solemn and final farewell to the world. One would have supposed that a ceremony like that which was approaching must have been a novel sight here, if he judged from the interest that seemed to be excited ; for, when I entered the street that led to the convent, I found it thronged with military and well-dressed people, all pressing toward that building, and after I got within its walls, the apartments to which the public were admitted were filled to excess ; and this, on a July day, caused the heat to be most oppressive to all, hut especially to the interesting young novice, who apparently suffered very much from it, the weight of her additional garments, and the agitation naturally felt by one who had to enact the chief part in such a scene. A crown, whether intended to represent a celestial or a terrestrial one, I do not recollect, was placed on her head; over which a long and heavy veil had first been thrown. As the ceremony proceeded, she was taken several times to an open window to prevent her from fainting, but when
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	135
she recovered she advanced again with an air of dignity. She seemed to be proud of thus publicly making the sacrifice on which she had decided, and which most persons of her age and sex would have thought a great one, though they were. taught, as she had been, confidently to expect eternal benefits from this separation from a world for which she had been made. I cannot say whether it was the effect of design or chance that the handsomest young ecclesiastic in the town, a very Ambrosio, was the officiating priest ; he exhorted her in a long discourse to forget all earthly cares and vanities, to retire from this sinful world to her holy cloister, to pass her days henceforth in heavenly meditation and in acts of devotion, and to look forward to the glorious reward that her pious resolution, if persevered in, would win for her hereafter. When the priest at length concluded his exhortation, the admitted sister rose, and retired from the apartment and the world with a slow and solemn step, and a composed and serene countenance. The military spectators entertained but one opinion on the subject,
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namely, that this was the most unchristian exhibition that they had ever witnessed.
One of my morning lounges was a long coffee-room, where we read the papers, and got good breakfasts. The mail was conveyed by a mounted postman. He lived outside the town, and on his arrival at his dwelling, it was his custom to empty the bags into his wife's apron, who brought them in this way to the post-office : and the first interrogation put to Murty the waiter, in the morning, was always, " Murty, is Biddy, the post, come ? "—" Bad luck to her ! she is not. She little cares how long she's Dither keeping the gintlemen waiting for the news," was often the reply. I had there a good opportunity of hearing the Galway politicians deliver their opinions, and it afforded me much amusement.
The following is a tolerably accurate specimen of one morning's coffee-room dialogues. " Well, Thady," said a politician, who had just entered the room, to a friend of his, " is there any news at all on the paper this morning from foreign parts or any where ? " " Deuce a hap'orth strange then," replied Thady, " ex-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	137
cept indeed some talks of the Austrians and Roossians committing a brache of the pace agin the French agin. I wonther now, will they ever get over that devil of a wall, they were at long ago—the wall of the Rhine, you know, they called it, that was between them "—(mistaking what he had read of the river Wall)—" and there's a report that a seventy-four gun ship is dhrownded at the other side of the water. Well ! afther all that's said and done, to be sure the English ships are the ships—Just look at the Aist Ingimin leathering the French men of war ! "—" Oh ! do you know," cried the first speaker, " what Andy Lynch said about that? By this and by that,' says he, `tis a dhroll story that a Frenchman would run away from a Dane ? ' " At another table were two gentle-men—liberals—brooding over the ills of their country, " Our poor people are not sufficiently tied up yet, " said one of them, for at the great meeting of magistrates, it was agreed nimcon that a corps of laws should be inthrojuced to bind the pheasantry of Ireland."—" Whether," exclaimed the other, " tis to be loosened we wont assert, instead of being tied up by them;
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for the Union has played the Puck with us—AiTa now, look at father John," added he, directing the attention of his companion to the spot where an old priest was eagerly devouring the contents of the latest journal, " see, how he's spilling the paper over there. Father John, I'll be obleeged to you for that paper when you're done with it. Your snuff, sir, is dhrop-ping on the paper." I found it often a matter of difficulty to suppress a smile during siich confabulations.
The country immediately about Galway is rocky, and for two miles bare of trees ; the fields are inclosed by loose stone walls, which, being single, were easily thrown down, and consequently the farmers were put to such inconveniences by the manoeuvring of the light troops on their ground, that their complaints became so loud as to induce Brigadier General Hill, who commanded here, to confine our movements to the wild and mountainous districts. This officer, now Lord Hill, endeared himself to all the inhabitants by his amiable and pleasing manners, nor did the military men
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consider themselves less fortunate in having such a person at the head of the garrison.
After some tim e a second battalion was added to each regiment of the line ; I was promoted in consequence to a company, and, leaving the light battalion, went on the recruiting service to Cornwall. In this county I experienced much civility and kindness from the hospitable descendants of the ancient Britons ; my chief quarter was the neat little town of Truro, there called Little Bath.
Towards the close of the year 1805, I came on the strength of the first battalion, then stationed at Kinsale. I sailed on board a Bristol packet for Cork, when ordered to join, but heavy gales drove us to Waterford. As we neared Passage, it was necessary to tack, but in the attempt the cutter missed stays, and ran through a salmon weir, carrying off the nets on her bowsprit; the crew lost all command of her, and the master, despairing of saving her, left the helm, and went about the deck, wringing his hands. In the mean time, she was nearing the rocks, and going head in with considerable velocity, when I tried my hand, and put the
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helm hard a-starboard, which had the effect of throwing her up in the wind, and letting her in sideways on a smooth ledge of rocks, where she lay without suffering much damage : the boats of the guard-ship came to our assistance ; they took us all to Passage, and got the packet off the rocks. I had never been at the above mentioned village, and happened to ask a woman I met near it to tell me its name ; she stared at me at first, and then exclaimed, " Och ! sure the world knows the Passage of Waterford ! " There is therefore no necessity that I should say another word about a place so very well known.
At Kinsale we passed the greater part of our time on the water, fishing and sailing in its fine bay ; this mode of life gave rise to various picnic parties, and one of these had rather a laughable termination. The stout, corpulent, captain, connected with the skeleton story, was of a hasty temper but not at all vindictive; he happened therefore to have a difference of opinion with a gentleman, an inhabitant of the neighbouring city of Cork; and I may add that there existed another difference between them—
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namely, a very great difference of stature, for the head of the militaire did not reach even the shoulder of the citizen, a tall man. Well, the parties were at first to decide their dispute with the pistol, but by the interference of friends the affair was amicably settled. As the offence given on either side was not so serious that it could be washed out with blood alone—it was determined rather to drown all unpleasant recollections in the flowing bowl ; and a grand pic-nic was the consequence. On our return in the evening, the two quondam foes, who had sacrificed pretty freely to the jolly god, were together in the first boat; when it had arrived within about a yard of the pier, the tall gentleman stood up, and, extending his long arms, succeeded in laying his hands on it and tried to draw in the boat ; but his heels perversely opposed this operation, and thrust the boat farther out, so that he could not even regain his standing position, and remained at full stretch with the tops of his fingers resting on the edge of the pier, his feet on the gunwale, and his whole person in imminent danger of a sudden dip in the sea. The little captain, now full of generous
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wine and generous feelings, seeing his tall friend practising this strange extensive motion, hastened at once to his assistance, stood alongside him on the gunwale, stretched out his arms to reach the pier, which they might have done had they been a yard longer, and, losing his balance, plunged headlong into the sea, quickly followed by the other, whose hold was completely loosed by the injudicious attempt made to save him. Neither could swim, and all in the boat were so convulsed with laughter that they could afford them no assistance before they had accomplished a series of the most extraordinary divings and plungings imaginable.
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CHAPTER VII.
Embark at Cork—Join expedition at Portsmouth—Ren-dezvous in the Downs—Sail for the Sound—Danish cavalry—Helsingborg — Land near Copenhagen — The siege — Sir Arthur Wellesley—Destruction of property—Capitulation—The prizes—Some account of the City—Fire in the dock-yard Fleet sails—King of Sweden—Land at Deal—Prize Money.
WE remained at Kinsale, Charlesfort, and Bandon until the July of 1807, when we embarked at Cork for Portsmouth, as a great armament was assembling in the English ports. The land force, consisting of thirty thousand men, was commanded by Lord Cathcart, and the naval by Admiral Gambier ; the destination of the expedition was kept a profound secret. My corps was at this time a beautiful one, mustering one thousand strong, and did not leave a man behind, a very unusual circumstance with regiments. On the 16th of July we reached Portsmouth after a passage of eight days ; and on the 17th, all the transports with
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troops on board having arrived, the whole fleet
weighed, and sailed for the Downs. It was then currently reported that we were to attack
the Boulogne flotilla. The transports that had
my regiment on board went to Ramsgate harbour and landed us ; and we were immediately
marched to Deal, where we stayed three or four days, and were then suddenly sent to Ramsgate again to be in readiness to re-embark. It was rumoured here that the fleet was to sail for the Baltic, and to keep open the navigation of the Sound.
On the 27th of July we embarked and sailed with the rest of the fleet, which had rendezvoused in the Downs. We now learned for the first time that the real object of the expedition was to seize the Danish fleet at Copenhagen, though this act of hostility was not preceded by a formal declaration of war with Denmark. The British government had received information of an intended union of the Danish and French fleets, and was determined to be beforehand with at least one of the parties. This departure from the rules generally observed by civilized nations, may not be con-
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sidered strictly honourable, but it was politic as far as good faith and policy can be separated. Had the Baltic fleets, with the Dutch from
the Texel, succeeded in effecting a junction with that of France, we might have found it a a matter of no small difficulty to cope with them, and the conduct of the Danish government was in every respect marked by a decided hostility to British interests.
We entered the Cattegat without accident. The castle of Cronberg, which commands the entrance to the Baltic, and is built on the island of Zealand, fired at the ships within range ; the fleet therefore kept close to the Swedish shore. As we passed, the Danish cavalry patrolled along the beach from Elsineur to Copenhagen; they wore yellow jackets, helmets ornamented with flowing black horse-hair, and broad buff belts, and rode long-tailed black horses. The old master of the transport on board of which I sailed was continually boasting, during the voyage, that with my company he would drive all the Danes before him ; but, when he saw the enemy's dragoons on the shore, at that distance making a very warlike and imposing appear-
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ante, he changed countenance, and, giving his trousers a couple of tugs, exclaimed, " These be rummish chaps, I tell ye—you 'd better not meddle with them." It is needless to say that we heard no more of his heading my company, or of his feeling even the slightest inclination to land. The country looked beautiful, and seemed to be highly cultivated. We anchored on the 8th of August out of range of the defences of Copenhagen.
I crossed the Sound to Helsingborg, in Sweden, to pass a day there ; it is a small town, but had at least one very good hotel. I found a German waggon drawn up at the door of this establishment ; the vehicle, which had two strong long-tailed horses harnessed to it, was without springs, but the seats, which were three in number, hung from leathern straps. A tall, slim fellow, wearing a high-crowned hat with a tin plate to the front, and mounted on a stout nag, was cracking his whip and passaging his steed before the waggon, and seemed perfectly pleased with his figure and equestrian skill. Presently nine British surgeons, dressed in their uniforms, were in possession of the three
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seats, and the carriage set off for a neighbouring spa at a round space, with the tall horseman riding on in front, as avant-courier. I might have visited the spa too, but that I found mine host of the head inn abundantly provided with capital claret—a beverage that has always been more grateful to my palate than any water, however good. The troops in this town were a remarkably fine body of men ; they wore blue jackets, single-breasted, round hats, turned up at one side, and feathers, long gaiters, and the broad buff belts of the time of Charles the Twelfth.
Five days after, we landed, and proceeded to invest the town. The paymaster of the 50th regiment hired a cart, to convey himself, his clerk, and his books, to the encampment ; but the Danish driver, not understanding the directions given to him, drove them into Copenhagen. The drawbridge was not raised for some time after, so that, had our troops advanced at once, they might have entered the city without difficulty. Mr. Montgomery, the gentleman above mentioned, was treated with much civility
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by the Danes, and was suffered to depart with clerk and books, as he had arrived.
Our first work was the erection of batteries. The troops bivouacked in the fields, building wigwams of branches of trees, and thatching them with sheaf corn. The Danish gun-boats and praams threw heavy shot amongst us occasionally, but they did little damage. The royal family retired into Holstein; and the greater part of the country people in the vicinity fled into Copenhagen at our approach ; but we were well supplied with provisions.
About the 25th we began to work day and night, erecting mortar batteries within a quarter of a mile of the city. The weather was sultry, and the dews at night were very heavy. The Danes did not seem to be inclined to venture out ; and the few that shewed themselve§ were picked off by our riflemen. At length they made two sorties ; the first along the lower road near the beach, on the extreme left of our line, where a heavy battery had been lately erected, and two field-pieces placed behind a traverse on the road by the British. Sir George
smith, a zealous and indefatigable officer.
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though in very bad health, had been stationed since the investment at this post, and soon repelled the attack; it was a point of much importance, as the battery covered the landing of our stores. The second sortie was made not quite so much to the left as the former one: the Danish force consisted of detachments of the Danish guards, Norwegian life regiment, and Volunteer rifle corps. The advanced pic-quets of the left wing of our army alone were engaged with them ; and succeeded in repulsing them. The front of the picquets was protected by a sunk fence, which was calculated to afford them tolerable cover, and all, except that of the 50th regiment, took advantage of it; but this picquet, crossing the fence, became of course more exposed than the others, and lost one officer and fifteen men, killed and wounded. There was a shrubbery on part of the ground to which the enemy advanced in this affair, but it gave little security to the troops that occupied it : they left several fine tall men of the Danish guard dead in it. One of the officers of this corps was taken prisoner : he came up to me, after having first surrendered to a sergeant, I think, and not looking
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sufficiently before him, did me incalculable mischief by thrusting one of his long legs through a melon frame, under which I had intended to bivouack. These sorties of the Danes cost them some men, and neither were nor could have been of any advantage to them : their troops did not want for bravery, but were quite inexperienced, and required a campaign or two to make them soldiers.
It was found necessary to destroy a large armed hulk, that was moored across the channel, and annoyed our left : a heavy battery was therefore erected, and a mound of earth thrown up to cover the furnace for heating the shot. One morning that I was employed with a fatigue party at this work, a young officer of the quarter-master general's department rode up to me. He had been inquiring his way to the advanced posts. He accosted me, saying, " I perceive, sir, that you are raising an epaule-ment ; let it be a special observance of yours to make your base equal to your perpendicular." Another morning, that the regiment was in line, a shot rolled slowly along the front; and one of the men, thinking it quite spent, advanced
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one foot to stop it ; but its force was greater than he had imagined, for it broke his leg above the ancle. The limb was amputated, but the man died. Now, if the above-mentioned officer had been present when this accident occurred, in all probability he would have observed to the wounded man, that he was evidently wrong in acting as he did, since the momentum equals the quantity of matter multiplied by the velocity, whereas he seemed to have thought that
it depended solely on the latter. As soon as our battery was completed, we began to fire red-hot shot at the hulk, and set it on fire in half an hour when it burned to the water's edge.
Sir Arthur Wellesley proceeded with the light brigade into the interior of the island, to prevent the militia from assembling. On the 29th he defeated the Danes near Kioge, and took about eleven hundred prisoners. This duty was performed effectually, but the men were guilty of many excesses. The Danes pay the greatest respect to the remains of their deceased relations, keeping the church-yards uncommonly neat, and adorning them with well-executed monuments, chiefly of white marble.
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Some of these were wantonly injured by the soldiers, and several of the tombs were broken open by them, in the expectation of finding money, rings, and other trinkets. Not content with these insults to the dead, they stripped many living females of their necklaces and earrings, sometimes tearing the latter through the flesh; but immediate steps were taken to put a stop to such outrages.
All persons of consideration living in Copenhagen have also neat villas in its environs, standing in the midst of gardens and pleasure-grounds, which are kept in excellent order; a great proportion of them have observatories, as the Danes are a studious people, and particularly fond of astronomy. Those who resided in the country, and had fled when our fleet anchored, abandoned in their precipitate flight all their effects, except their plate, jewellery, and some other easily portable articles. Though every individual of the army, who was possessed of proper feelings, must have regretted the destruction of property that ensued, and exerted himself accordingly to prevent all wanton injury, still the nature of the service required
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	153
that all ornamental improvements of the Danes, happening to impede in the least our progress in the siege, should be levelled or removed. If a fine garden afforded the best site for a battery, one was raised there, and the fruit-trees were cut down to be made use of in its erection; and the crops, which were standing on our arrival, were more effectually destroyed by our bivouacking in the fields than if an immense flight of locusts had descended on them; so that the country within two miles of the walls of Copenhagen was speedily converted by us into a melancholy waste. Among the men there were certainly many addicted to plunder, and I regret to say, that the example set by some few officers showed that they too were not free from a propensity so disgraceful to the character of a soldier. I knew one, who packed in a cask a handsome service of china, with the view of carrying it off on our return ; but he did not take the precaution to fasten down the head at once, and another person, either through dislike to the act of plunder or to the plunderer, placed, unobserved, a nine-pound shot in a tureen that was uppermost. When the
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cask was opened afterwards in England, all the china was found smashed to atoms by the working of the shot.
On the first of September the city was summoned in vain. The batteries were finished on the following day, and, at night, we began to throw shells ; I once counted thirteen in the air at the same moment. On the 4th the town was on fire in several places ; the cathedral was all in a blaze ; the flames ran up the interior of the tall steeple, which looked like a huge pillar of fire, and presented a beautiful though awful sight.
I crept down to the wet ditch, to hear what was going on in the city ; and such a state of horror and confusion as, judging by the sounds that proceeded from it, the inhabitants seemed to be in, is indescribable. Amidst the general din, the shouts, exhortations, and cries of the people in the streets, and the crash of falling roofs and walls, I could distinguish the rattling of the engines, and the noise of the firemen exerting themselves to check the conflagration ; but their labour was endless and unavailing; DO sooner was one fire extinguished than ano-
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ther broke out; at length, the steeple came down with a tremendous crash, and scattered the blazing materials to such a degree that every thing in its vicinity was consumed.
When one third of the town had been laid in ashes, and eleven hundred of the inhabitants killed, a flag of truce came out, and on the 6th it was stipulated that all vessels and naval stores belonging to the king of Denmark should be yielded, and immediate possession of the citadel and arsenal given to the British, on condition that the island of Zealand be evacuated by them within the space of six weeks. It was also agreed that a mutual restitution of prisoners should take place, and that all public and private property, with the exception of the royal shipping and naval stores, should he respected. The drawbridge was then lowered, and the inhabitants rushed out, anxious to ascertain the state in which their houses and grounds were, after an occupation of so many days by the troops of an enemy. A sad sight was to meet their eyes, and realize their most gloomy apprehensions—all their property plun-
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dered and destroyed, excepting the bare shells of the buildings.
One elderly gentleman came up to two or three of our officers, who were standing with me where his villa stood when last he saw that spot, but it had since been razed to the ground. We were not very conversant with his language, but he pointed to the ruins, and then, turning to the ,burial-ground of an adjoining church, gave us to understand, that the only home we had left for him was there. Though he was grieved and dejected, his manners were still composed and gentlemanly ; he neither in word nor look seemed to upbraid the authors of his loss, which he was too old then to think of repairing; and, when he had done speaking, he politely handed to us his snuff-box. We were glad to profit by the opportunity of shutting up in it, unperceived by him, one or two gold pieces ; they might have been of use to him, and I do not think that he could have been offended with the liberty that we had taken.
On board our fleet there were little more
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than fifty men killed and wounded ; and, during the whole siege, the loss of our army amounted to only two hundred and eight men.
Our brigade, having borne the brunt of the siege, took possession of the dock-yard as the post of honour; we were also appointed to go on board the prizes as marines. The grenadiers of the army were stationed in the citadel, to insure the safety of our troops. We found in the basin eighteen sale of the line, consisting of one ship of ninety-six guns, two of eighty-four, twelve of seventy-four, and three of sixty-four, toget:.:_x with fifteen frigates and five brigs, ranged in two lines, with a floating walk between them ; there were, besides, twenty-five gun-boats. The handsome yacht presented by the king of Great Britain to the Danish monarch lay there also ; and the offended pride of the latter led him to send her back to England, manned by English sailors. We were quite astonished at the strength of the works surrounding the dock-yard ; there was one battery of thirty-six pounders, which, the officers of the navy said, would blow any ships to
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pieces ; the guns were mounted on traversing carriages, so that they were loaded with their muzzles to the rear, and the men were kept thereby completely under cover ; in front of the battery a strong frame-work was constructed in the water, to prevent the approach of boats to the works ; and between each gun a cohorn was placed to fire on the enemy when they came near. Admiral Essington and Sir Home Popham had the directions of all matters in the arsenal, and sent in gangs of sailors every morning from the ships of war in the roads to prepare the Danish ships for sea; with one exception, none of these vessels had even the lower masts in, but the fitting out of these was facilitated by the excellent arrangement of a Danish dock-yard, in which the yards, masts, sails, and cordage of the different ships are placed in separate houses, and their respective names painted on the doors. Fresh stores were discovered every day, and Danish prizes made by our cruizers. The greatest bustle prevailed every where.
Our officers were permitted to go into the town .by obtaining tickets ; the Danes were
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very civil to them. The shells and rockets had fallen in every quarter. Several heavy shells went through the roof of the royal palace, which stands in the centre, and that division, which had contained the public places of amusement, was reduced to a heap of ruins. Copenhagen has a population of about 100,000 souls, but I was rather disappointed by its appearance to a spectator within the walls. It is only a third-rate city. The best houses were built of stone or brick, but the meaner sort principally of timber. The streets are not well paved, and there is no flag-way for foot-passengers. The harbour is remarkably fine, and well defended from the fury of the winds or the attacks of an enemy. It was a fortunate circumstance that the royal museum remained uninjured, for it contains some fine paintings, especially the " Death of Abel," and one ingeniously executed, which, from a certain point of view, appears to be a representation of a beautiful girl, and, from another, of a venerable old man with a long white beard; a valuable collection of ancient coins ; another of medals of various ages ; numerous and very curious
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automata, models, and other pieces of mechanism ; two antique drinking horns, the one of gold, and the other, which is called the Cornu Oldenburgiense, of silver, and both of considerable size and weight ; countless mathematical instruments of all kinds ; a cabinet of ebony and ivory, the work of a blind Dane, who displayed extraordinary taste and ingenuity in its construction ; and a great number of curiosities, besides, to enumerate which would be endless labour. A mass of silver, weighing five hundred and sixty pounds, and dug out of one of the mines in Norway, is also shewn here. The external appearance of the king's city residence has nothing particular to recommend it. There is an ancient round tower in good preservation ; the ascent to the top is by a spiral road, up which a carriage and horses may drive, and on either side of it small shops have been built. The view from the town is very extensive, taking in a great part of the Swedish coast, the Copenhagen roads, the islands, and the Baltic, as far as the eye can reach. His Danish majesty has a country palace about a mile and a half from the town ;
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it is a large and ancient pile, situated in the midst of extensive pleasure-grounds ; these are at all times open for the recreation of the citizens. The garrison consisted of the Danish guards, the Norwegian life regiment, the volunteer rifle corps, and some artillery. The guards were the largest men I have seen in any army, and wore long scarlet coats, powdered hair, and long queues. The Norwegians were very able-bodied men also; they wore scarlet jackets, breeches, and gaiters. The volunteers consisted of students and citizens. They were a very strong corps, and dressed in green uniforms. A small pamphlet, containing an account of the siege, was printed in Copenhagen ; it stated, that the first shell which fell in the town killed two of the finest girls in it; and that the first rocket destroyed an infant in the arms of its nurse, who was standing at a window; the writer, after the mention of these accidents, exclaims, " Oh ! England, Queen of nations ! mother of such noble and valiant sons ! is this thy work ?"
The capitulation was not ratified by the crown-prince, and Denmark declared war
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against England ; but our object was gained, and it was not convenient for us to occupy Zealand ; we therefore observed the convention.
The British admirals were indefatigable in their exertions to equip the prizes within the time stipulated. The Woldemar, 74, was the first ship ready; she was laden with copper sheets and bolts; the union jack was hoisted at five o'clock on the day that she was to be towed out, as a signal for the boats to put off from the fleet. A barrier was placed on the drawbridge by which the arsenal is united to the city; one side of it was guarded by two Danish sentinels, the other by two British grenadiers ; their orders were to prevent the passage of any person who should be unprovided with a pass. The cheering of the crews, on towing out the prizes, must have hurt the feelings of the Danes ; but it was really to their advantage that these vessels should fall into our hands : they were thus spared the expense of keeping them up, and also prevented from following up a course of policy that must have been detrimental to their best interests.
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An alarming circumstance occurred, while we kept possession of the dock-yard : a positive order had been issued, forbidding our men to smoke under any pretence whatever, as long as they should continue on duty there ; but a sentinel who was posted near the window of a large store that contained live shells, and the loaded musquets deposited there by the Danes on their surrendering the place, suffered two of his comrades to go in through this window for the purpose of smoking unseen; these men proposed to light their pipes by igniting some powder which they put into the pan of a fire-lock, not thinking that it was loaded ; it went off, and the sparks falling among some loose powder, the shells near it began to explode, and fly up through the roof. The whole building was quickly in flames. We that were in the dock-yard were soon at work, while the troops outside fancied that there was a row with the Danes. The boats from the fleet hurried to the shore, and the captains of the navy were seen every where that their presence could be of service ; the musquetry continued to go off among the men's legs, and a heavy shell would
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occasionally explode ; yet few accidents occurred. The store was completely destroyed, but by the greatest exertions the fire was confined to it. A captain of the navy, half suffocated by the smoke, ran to my quarters for a drink, but our stock of liquor had long disappeared in the confusion : as a last resource he took down some phials of physic, which he perceived on a shelf, and emptying their contents into a cup, drank off the mixture : my apart ments had been previously occupied by the Danish apothecary. When the fire broke out two young officers took a boat, crossed over to the citadel, and told Lord Cathcart that the dock-yard was on fire. His lordship said with great coolness, " Go back, gentlemen, and put it out."
The ship-carpenters were constantly at work on the gun-boats, in order to fit them for sea ; but very few of them reached England. Some of them, after being towed a short time by the vessels, were sent adrift ; and two, manned by sailors from the north of England, who had volunteered their services, were swamped, and all on board perished. The carpenters might have been employed much more advantageously
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in planking up a fine ninety-gun ship, then on the stocks, as she might have been taken into a Swedish port in the winter. On the contrary, it was determined that she should be destroyed ; for this purpose, the shores were removed from one side, and men, horses, and mechanical powers were made use of to pull her down. She withstood their efforts for some time, but at length gave way; and as the stocks used by the Danes in ship-building, are very high, her destruction afforded a most interesting spectacle. When she touched the ground after falling from so great a height, the reaction caused her to spring up at least four feet, but at the second fall her back was broken, though none of the timbers snapped : she was then sawed through in several places and abandoned. The prizes in the dock-yard were all fitted for sea, and filled with three years' stores by the stipulated time, and the troops embarked on the 19th of October.
On the 21st the fleet got under weigh, and presented to the inhabitants of the opposite coasts of Sweden and Denmark the most imposing spectacle that had ever appeared on
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the waters of the Sound and Cattegat. The King of Sweden, Gustavus IV., came to Helsin-borg, where the Sound is about four miles and a half across, to witness it. All the line of battle ships saluted the king of the Goths and Vandals, as they passed in succession. The Swedes were as pleased spectators of this grand scene as the Danes were sorrowful ones ; for the two nations hate each other most cordially. In evidence of this animosity, it may be mentioned, that every device on the public buildings and works of all kinds in Copenhagen is emblematic of some disaster that had befallen the Swedes in past wars.
At the dock-yard I got into one of the Danish. gun-boats with a party of soldiers and a few sailors, to go on board the Princess Sophia Frederica, 74, one of the prizes, in which part of my regiment was embarked. Just before I left, Admiral Essington came up to me, and taking hold of me by the button, said, " Don't go to leeward, whatever you do ; "—but to leeward I went of the whole fleet. It began to blow very hard, and we came to an anchor, firing musquetry as a signal of distress ; the nearest
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ship to us threw out a line fastened to a buoy, which came down before the wind, but it was too short to reach us ; however, a boatswain's mate of one of the men of war, whom we had in the gun-boat, jumped overboard, holding the end of a rope between his teeth, and, swimming to the buoy, succeeded in splicing the two lines.
We were then hauled up to the ship, which, I was glad to find, was the Princess Sophia. This vessel made a great deal of water on the passage, which was rather a rough one, and the pumps were continually at work. The pilot became alarmed, and wanted to desert the ship when off the English coast, but he was not permitted to land, until we disembarked at Deal.
The ships and stores brought off from Copenhagen were valued in England at four millions and a half sterling, and, it was supposed, cost the Danes about ten millions : but, as no formal declaration of war had been made, it was decided that the captors were not intitled to prize-money ; and a sum of only eight hundred thousand pounds was granted, by way of compensation, to that portion of the army and navy which had been engaged in the siege of Copen-
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hagen. A captain in the army received about ninety pounds.
I landed very ill, having had an attack of the measles on board the seventy-four, but, recovering a little, obtained leave of absence, and went up to town with the intention of proceeding thence to Ireland.
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CHAPTER VIII.
Sail with expedition from Portsmouth—Severe gale—Privateer—Plymouth—Falmouth—Gibraltar—Projected attack on Ceuta—Duel—Moorish privateer—Rising in Spain—Transports anchor off Cadiz—Lord Collingwood—French squadron—Sail to the Guadiana—Anchor near Cape St. Vincent's—Return to Cadiz—Santa Maria—Bull fight—Curiosity of Spanish females—Sail for west of Portugal.
I WAS surprised to learn in town that the regiment was ordered to hold itself in readiness for immediate service. I therefore abandoned all idea of returning home, and repaired to Portsmouth, the place of embarkation. There I found considerable bustle; the 26th, 29th, 32d, 50th, and 82d regiments, with some battalions of the German legion, were already embarking. General Spencer commanded the troops.
We sailed in the middle of December, uncertain whether for Portugal or the Mediterranean, and passed our Christmas most drearily in the
VOL. I.
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Bay of Biscay, lying to in most dreadful weather, the whole fleet being dispersed. On the 31st of the month it blew a perfect hurricane, the most vivid lightning flashing round us, the sea running mast-high, breaking over the ship in every direction, and at length pooping us, and bursting in the cabin-windows. One would absolutely have thought that we should have been blown out of the water. We saw at different times ships with signals of distress flying, driving under bare poles.
There is no situation in which a young officer is ever placed so truly uncomfortable—I may even say, wretched—as the being on board of a crowded transport, suddenly ordered to proceed to sea before he has had time to stow away his sea stock, or to make other necessary arrangements, and where he has to encounter heavy gales and mountain-waves, with the nausea, their common concomitant. It is on such an occasion that every little comfort enjoyed at sweet home,' is recalled to his recollection, with its true value set upon it; and, though I will not go so far as to affirm that the presence of these accumulated unpleasantries
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tends in any degree to damp his military ardour, occasionally an involuntary sigh for terra firma escapes him, and reflections the least agreeable disturb his mind. Even I, who at this time considered myself an old hand, found myself not prepared to meet with perfect equanimity some circumstances that attended our voyage —the sudden sailing of our vessel—the want of proper convenience for stowing away our sea stock—the pooping of the ship, when the sea burst through the cabin-windows with such force as to wash one of our officers from his seat, and carryhim under the companion-ladder, (where he remained for some time paddling in the water, with a fur cap that he wore pulled over his eyes, and fancying that he and the ship were going to the bottom)—the consequent destruction of our store, which was collected in the cabin—our hamper of glass and crockery pitched from the locker, and all its brittle contents smashed to pieces—while casks of pickled salmon and smoked herrings, a round of beef, rein-deer tongues, cheese, pickles, eggs, cognac brandy, bottled ale, lemons, oranges, almonds (with pestle and mortar, used in bruising them
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for milk), boots, shoes, slippers, dressing-cases, hat-boxes, bed-clothes, mustard, vinegar, and biscuits, cum multis aliis, were rolling or floating from one side to the other, in a flood of salt water, not forgetting an unlucky half-dressed wight or two slipping and floundering through this heterogeneous mixture—this vast olio. I say that much philosophy, much stoic firmness, must have entered into the composition of that man, who, similarly circumstanced with me, could look unmoved upon the sudden and calamitous fate of all these creature comforts, upon a scene of such utter ruin, waste, and desolation.
However, we weathered the storm, and bore up for the Channel. To the westward of the Scilly Isles, a large lugger, armed with sixteen guns, and full of men, who were mustered fore and aft, and ready for boarding, came down upon us : but we had seen her in the morning, and prepared for her reception, by loading the six eighteen-pound carronades which our transport carried, and keeping the soldiers stretched on the deck in their great coats, in order to deceive the pri-
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vateer. When she ran alongside, she soon saw what we were, and, at our desire, hauled her wind on the other tack. We would have fired into her, had we not thought she might by chance be a Jersey privateer, though we had little doubt of her being French.
We arrived in Plymouth Sound on the 5th of January, 1808, having experienced a succession of violent gales for seventeen days, till the rigging had absolutely become white. We found one of our fleet here dismasted : the pilot who came out to us, said that several of the ships had foundered, but his account luckily proved to be incorrect. We remained at Plymouth a few days, and then proceeded to Falmouth, to wait there for some ships from Portsmouth, in which we were to put to sea again, our destination being the Mediterranean, it was rumoured.
Adverse winds detained us at Falmouth until the 1st of March, when we weighed, had a fine run of five days to Cape St. Vincent, and anchored at Gibraltar on the 9th. We learned here, to our surprise, that three of the transports, with the greater part of our regi-
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ment on board, had arrived safe, and sailed for Sicily. We were also informed that, on our departure from England, it was settled that General Spencer should attack Ceuta, but that Sir Hew Dalrymple, Lieutenant-Governor of Gibraltar, having received intelligence of the growing disaffection in Spain, which threatened to manifest itself in a general rising, had sent the troops to Sicily as fast as they arrived, with the view of protecting that island from an invasion by the French, who had assembled a strong force in Calabria, and that a portion of these troops had since received counter-orders, and were to return to Gibraltar, being replaced by the Germans under General M‘Farlane. Ceuta is on the Barbary coast, and distant from Gibraltar about seven leagues ; it is a fortress of vast strength, and 'has but one landing-place, from which not more than two or three persons can approach the town abreast. It was the general opinion in the army that any attempt to take it would be a failure. Under any circumstances, success being so very problematical, an attack on Ceuta could never be
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justly considered a prudent step, but would be the excess of folly at a time when the Spaniards were so well inclined not only to desert our enemies, but even to join with us against them.
One of the most important matters that a soldier on service has to think of, when he arrives at a new quarter, is the practicability of obtaining his munitions de bouche in sufficient plenty, and at an easy rate : unfortunately, we found, on landing, provisions of all kinds both scarce and excessively dear; beef and mutton, whenever we could procure any, we bought at half-a-crown the pound ; fowls were two dollars apiece. Supplies of this kind were brought from the opposite coast of Africa by the Moors. The rock of Gibraltar is connected with the continent by means of a narrow, sandy, and perfectly flat tongue of land, across which, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, the Spaniards have erected strong works, in order to cut off the communication between the British garrison and the country in their rear ; those works are manned in war-time. Some of the Spanish sentinels are
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pushed a little in advance, and these men brought with them any game that they could procure for sale ; we have frequently bought the red-legged partridge from them, and sometimes a hare. We made our bargains at a respectable distance from each other; the purchaser then advanced, laid down the stipulated price half-way, and retired to his former position ; when the Spaniard came forward in the same manner, left his game in place of the money, with which he in turn retired. But for this military market, we should have been badly off for fresh provisions. The soldiers of both nations also carried on a traffic in tobacco.
The land side of Gibraltar is uncommonly strong; art has done its utmost to bring as many guns as possible to bear on the isthmus ; the ' rock there rises perpendicularly from its base, and has been excavated from the top. The excavations form covered galleries along the side, strong pillars being left for the support of the superincumbent weight, and circular embrasures made through the outer wall of rock, at which heavy guns, planted so
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as to sweep the whole space between the fortress and the Spanish lines, shew their grim muzzles. Stairs are also cut in the rock, leading from above to these extraordinary batteries. This portion of the fortifications must have been a work of great labour and difficulty, and must excite the astonishment of every beholder; yet they have one serious disadvantage, namely, the slowness with which the smoke of the artillery would escape during a long-continued fire, which would be very distressing to the men, and might ultimately force them to quit their guns for a time. But other batteries have beer placed on all available positions, and are alone sufficient to chastise the temerity of any foe who may venture to approach from the land side. The defences towards the sea are also of amazing strength ; so that Gibraltar is one of the strongest fortresses in the world, and, if properly garrisoned and provisioned, might set at defiance any naval or military force that could he brought against it. The harbour is formed by a mole, which is protected by strong works and heavy cannon ; but the road is in-
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secure. The straits are five leagues in breadth, and a strong current sets in through them from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. The Commissioner has a desirable residence, and a beautiful hanging garden, midway between the summit and the base of the rock : over the same side, the western, several pretty villas are dotted; from these there is a superb view of the Bay of Algiers and the shores of Spain and Barbary. At this side, during an easterly wind, the large colony of apes, which have taken possession of the extreme pinnacle of the rock, shew themselves, looking perfectly miserable. The esplanade is of considerable extent; here the guards are marched off, and the general parade held. There is another open space, where all affairs of honour are adjusted. Among the numerous duels fought here, I recollect one particularly, in which two midshipmen were the principals, and the master of the ship their mutual and only friend; the parties exchanged shots, and one fell mortally wounded. Intelligence of this sad termination of their dispute quickly reached the ears of the Governor, who, much incensed,
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commanded the immediate presence of the master, and, on the arrival of the latter, asked him how he could stand by while two boys were trying to murder each other ?—" I assure you, sir," replied the old seaman, " that I acted like a father to both of them." The Governor was doubly enraged by this reply, rendered with the air of a man who is firmly persuaded of the propriety of his conduct, and ordered the nautical second to leave his sight instantaneously, exclaiming, as he retired, that he ought to be hanged.
While we stayed here, I paid a visit to a merchant-vessel, which had an immense quantity of fowls and eggs on board, and had been taken by the Moors from the Spaniards. Her captain told the Commissioner, that if he would make an English frigate of her, he would fight the Prince of Darkness himself ; hut he was informed that, however he might be able to perform the part which he had assigned to himself, the Commissioner found the other totally impracticable. At the same time permission was given him to go into the dockyard, where he might pitch upon any thing he
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pleased, that he thought requisite for the fitting up of his prize as a man-of-war, for it was necessary to keep these people in good humour. The Moor gladly availed himself of this permission, and attended punctually at the arsenal at the appointed hour; but seeing such a variety of stores, he became perfectly bewildered : one moment he would ask for a twenty-four pound carronade, and the next, for a long nine ; then an eighteen-pounder would look well in his bow, and a couple of sixes fit in his stern; in short, he armed his ship with, guns of various lengths and bores, and took a quantity of shot and shells, with the utmost disregard to the probability of their matching his artillery, or otherwise. Such a frigate as he made of her, and such a crew as he commanded, alike set description at defiance. He himself indeed wore a turban, but the seat of knowledge of his first lieutenant was inelegantly covered with a blanket, made tight under his chin by means of a large skewer.
At this time the general condition of Europe, and the particular position of the United
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Kingdom, were truly disheartening to the British politician. The eagle of Gaul had flown triumphantly over many a bloody field, contested by the most powerful armies of the continent; and the imperial leader of the victorious host found himself at length in undisputed possession of the military means of a vast portion of Europe. He beheld, and exulted in the sight, the Frank, the Swiss, the Pole, the Fleming, the German, the Spaniard, and the Italian, marching together, spirited, well tried, and confident in themselves and in him who had so often led them on to victory and renown. France, elated but not satiated with success, was lavish of men and treasure, to promote the ambitious views of her extraordinary ruler. Russia, Austria, and Prussia, were humbled and intimidated. The Gallic legions had passed the barrier of the Pyrenees, and had poured, unresisted, over the vast Peninsula, and, with the sceptres of its two kingdoms in his grasp, the proud and restless usurper looked forward to the destruction of his noblest foe; the only one that still fairly defied his power, and challenged him to
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the death-struggle. But the sun of Britain's glory was not so soon to set, nor had it yet attained its meridian splendour. An unexpected resistance from the people whom the conqueror most despised and least feared led to a series of events, which, though long of doubtful fortune, finally terminated in his complete and irretrievable overthrow.
During our stay at Gibraltar, all accounts from Spain went to confirm the opinion that its inhabitants would not submit much longer to the foreign yoke, without making some effort to throw it off. Patriotism, loyalty, and religion, still maintained their influence throughout the Peninsula, and conspired to unite its people in one unalterable and undying sentiment of• detestation toward the invaders of their land. That land, by perfidy and stratagem, had fallen an easy prey to a nation which they always disliked and now detested; their princes, who, notwithstanding their weakness, were the beloved scions of a beloved stock, were, with a solitary exception, either captives or exiles far from the royal palaces of Spain, and their revered religion was in danger
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	183
of insult and detriment, their churches of profanation and sacrilege, and their clergy of persecution and degradation, from the insolent and triumphant infidels of France. When once the proud, national, and determined Spaniard had taken breath, and recovered from the first shock of surprise and grief, he could not tamely crouch at the feet of the usurper, though surrounded by the victorious and formidable legions of the mightiest monarch of Europe.* Each Spaniard too, felt himself singly to be a match, and more than a match, for a Frenchman; and his uncalcu-lating valour and extreme ignorance led him hastily to overlook the weighty advantages of military talent, experience, and discipline. At length, rumours reached us of the outbreaks that preceded the general rising, of the move-
* The whole Spanish force consisted of 90,000 of what were called the regulars, and 30,000 untrained militia ; of the former, 20,000 were with Junot in Portugal, and 15,000 with the Marquis de Romana, in the north of Europe ; while Napoleon had 120,000 men in the Peninsula, and his troops of all arms in all countries were nearly 556,000 strong, not including national guards. The French had possession of Madrid, Barcelona, Monteiro, Figueras, St. Sebastian, and Pampeluna. They were also masters of Portugal.
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ment at Toledo on the 23d of April, and of the violent commotions at Madrid on the 2d of May. On the 15th, some of the troops stationed at Gibraltar, and among them that part of my regiment which had not proceeded to Sicily, embarked with Major-General Spencer, and steered for Cadiz. We arrived off that port the next day, and found Lord Col-lingwood's fleet there before us ; they had been watching the French Admiral Rossilly's squadron of five sail of the line and one friL gate, which lay in the inner harbour. Three days prior to our arrival, the cries of " Viva Fernando Septimo !" and " Guerra con la Francia!" made the welkin ring throughout the isle of Leon. The exasperation of the insurgent populace against the lukewarm and the timid was excessive, and they barbarously murdered their Governor, Don Francisco So-lano, and his secretary, who were suspected of being in the French interest. A similar fate awaited Governor Filanghieri at. Corunna, the Conde d'Aguilar at Seville, and hundreds of others against whom the cry of " traidor" was directed,
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	185
The British Admiral endeavoured to persuade the new Governor of Cadiz, Don Thomas de Morta, to accept his assistance in taking the French ships, with the view of making them his prizes, but the Spaniard refused, on the plea that those vessels, in case of a reverse of fortune, would serve for the conveyance of his party to South America. We were joined, while yet at anchor, about five miles off this port, by the sixth regiment, from Gibraltar and the parts of the different corps that had returned from Sicily; these last had been on board ship seven months, with the exception of ten days, during which they had been stationed on shore at Palermo.
By this time the insurrection had become very general, under the direction of the Supreme Junta, which consisted of twenty-three patriotic men. On the 10th of June, the inhabitants of Cadiz, the Caraccas, and the neighbouring villages, erected batteries commanding the inner harbour, and commenced a heavy though not well-directed fire on the enemy's squadron. The French Admiral, find-
186	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
ing that there was no chance of escape, and that he must surrender either to the Spaniards or to the British, struck to the former, as he could not clear out of the inner harbour, without suffering much greater damage than had been already inflicted on him, and as there was a better prospect of the final recovery of the ships by his nation, if they remained at Cadiz. The crews of the French men`-of-war were packed on board Spanish gun-boats, from the ends of whose booms little effigies of Napoleon were hung, to increase the annoyances of the prisoners. But we can hardly censure the Spaniards for their desire to display, in every way, their hatred of the invaders of their country, when we recollect the perfidious and cruel treatment that they had uniformly experienced at their hands, and especially the fusillades of Madrid. In consequence of the crowded state of these small vessels, a bad fever broke out among the French prisoners, and carried off numbers of them. Junot sent off some troops to overawe the people of Cadiz, but General Avril, who commanded the detachment, saw fit not to
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	187
continue his march, after intelligence of General Spencer's movements reached him.
On the 12th the fleet of transports got under weigh, and we sailed for the mouth of the river Guadiana, which divides Spain from Portugal. The troops on board amounted to about 5,000 men. On coming to anchor again, we sent an officer up the river, and he ran considerable risk of being taken by the French.
While we remained at the anchorage, a prat tical joke was near being attended by very unpleasant circumstances. One of our old captains entertained an unaccountable antipathy to cats; so strong was this feeling, that he turned pale whenever one of those animals came into a room where he happened to be, and consequently it was often a source of great torment to him. One unlucky though very fine day, when the cabin skylight was taken off, while he sat under the aperture, playing a rubber at whist, and in no wise suspecting a young ensign who was looking down on him from the deck with no peaceful intentions, the arch subaltern, at the instigation of the demon of mischief, suddenly caught a large Barbary cat, and let it
188	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
drop on the veteran's bald pate. The frightened animal maintained its hold for a few moments, fixing its sharp claws in the unprotected skin of the said part, which nodded under the weight like the head of a mandarin; but when the horrified captain recovered from the first effects of the shock, he drew his sword, rushed upon deck like a madman, and would certainly have run the ensign through, had he not, with prudent foresight, perched himself out of harm's way on the mizen top. Fortunately, the injured person's choler was not of a very lasting character : a short time sufficed to cool it; a pardon was granted to the offender, and he ventured to descend from his place of vantage.
The Algarves were now in a state of insurrection. Our presence contributed to inspire the patriots with confidence, and induced the French colonel Maransin to retreat with his force of 1,600 men to Mertola. The insurrection in Portugal commenced at Oporto, in consequence of the prompt conduct of General Bellesta, who commanded the Spanish troops in garrison there, and immediately marched for Spain, carrying off the French staff as
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	189
prisoners. The proud Spaniard however made no effort to rouse the Portuguese ; but they quickly followed his example, by declaring against the French. The Bishop of Oporto was the principal leader there, and he opened a correspondence with the British government, but all his statements were gross exaggerations, The armed peasantry had various encounters with the French troops, and were, of course, invariably defeated, and often with great loss.
Since the breaking out of the insurrection in
Spain, the Central Junta had sent deputies to England, where they had been received in the best manner; the enthusiasm that prevailed there in favour of the Spaniards, now engaged in a noble struggle for liberty, was unexampled, and the government made promises of money and material for their army, and directed Sir Hew Dalrymple, the governor of Gibraltar, to give them every assistance in his power. On the 4th of July, his Majesty issued a proclamation, declaring that Great Britain was at peace with the Spanish nation.
Our present movement was to cover, in some degree, Castanos' rear, as he was at the head of
190	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
a body of troops in Andalusia, and was daily increasing his numbers, and making preparations to attack the French corps that had marched into the province for its subjugation, and was commanded by General Dupont. The subsequent surrender of the latter, with 1G,000 men, to Castanos and Reding at Baylen, on the 19th of July, is well known as the most decisive achievement of the patriots during the campaign. However, Major-general Spencer prudently declined to give them any more active support, or to unite himself with their still tumultuary force. We remained at this anchorage only a short time, and again set sail, as we thought for Lisbon, to assist in capturing the Russian squadron in the Tagus ; but, meeting adverse gales off Cape St. Vincent, we came to anchor near it, and continued there for a few days. We went on shore occasionally, and had some rabbit-shooting : the Portuguese were very friendly, and joined us in the sport, armed with guns that seemed to have been coeval with the substitution of the flint for the match. We also had some good pigeon shooting. The wild pigeons build their nests in the
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	191
caverns of this rocky coast., We approached their haunts by water, throwing stones into the openings, and making all possible noise ; and the birds, scared by this mode of attack, flew out in all directions, and were shot from the boats.
When we weighed from Cape St. Vincent, we steered eastward again, and returned to our old anchorage off Cadiz. During our former visit we could perceive from the transports the firing that preceded the surrender of the French ships ; and, now that Cadiz was open to us, we were desirous to see what damage they had suf. fered. We therefore got into the boats, and proceeded to the inner harbour. Its entrance was defended by strong forts, called the Puntals and Matagorda ;* the basin is magnificent, of vast
The fort of Matagorda was dismantled and abandoned by the Spaniards when Victor blockaded Cadiz in February 1810 ; but as it was an important work to the defenders of that city, it was re-occupied by 150 British immediately after the landing of General Stewart, and maintained against the French in a very gallant manner for eight weeks. Captain M`Lean of the 94th commanded the detachment, and did not evacuate the fort until the parapet was destroyed, half of his men hors de combat, and the Spanish ship of war and gun-boats that had assisted him, compelled to withdraw.
192	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
extent, completely land-locked, and secure from all winds. We pulled round the French squadron; they were six splendid ships, and, to our astonishment, showed no traces of injuries received from the Spanish shot, heavy as the fire had been. The French officers were permitted to remain in them ; they saluted us frankly, and we would have gone on board, had not an order been issued forbidding us to do so.
We could now visit the superb city of Cadiz, and did not fail to profit by the opportunity. The inhabitants received us with much politeness ; but our light infantry officers, who wore bugles on their caps and breastplates, were not a little chagrined at their being mistaken for musicians. The red cockade, with the words " Fernando Septimo " in centre, was generally exhibited ; we afterwards wore it, adorned with spangles. Cadiz is the principal port of Spain, being the most conveniently situated for the trade with the West Indies and South America, which was the most advantageous in the world when this city became of so great importance. It is built on the Isle of Leon, which is separated from Andalusia by the strait called the
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	193
river Santi Petri; the land on either side of this strait is very marshy, and the only communication between the isle and the mainland is by a single bridge, connecting a causeway. The rocky spot immediately occupied by Cadiz is so situated that it may be detached from the rest of the island with inconsiderable labour, by cut, ting a channel across it. There are two other towns on the Isle of Leon, where there are several buildings for the use of the army and navy, belonging to the government. The streets of Cadiz are narrow, but the loftiness and solidity of the buildings, all of stone, give them a grand appearance. The roofs of the houses are flat ; a very convenient construction in a fortified town, where space is so valuable, as the citizens make them supply the want of large house-yards, keeping their poultry, rabbits, &c. and washing and drying their clothes on them. In time of siege, also, they may be made in a great measure bomb-proof, by covering them, with layers of sand or earth.
This place became subsequently of the greatest importance during the war in Spain. It was here that a regency was appointed after the de-
VOL. I.
194	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
position of the Junta at Seville, at the period of Victor's advance, and of the prompt and happy movement of that fine Spaniard, Albuquerque, to the Isle of Leon; and it was here that the national Cortes of Spain assembled on the 24th of September 1810. The French were never able to make themselves masters of Cadiz, but its citizens treated with base ingratitude the virtuous and gallant patriot who saved them. However, Britons may look nearer home for instances of ingratitude toward men who have rendered their country truly invaluable services.
The last packet that arrived from England brought out the wife of the paymaster of one of the regiments under Major-general Spencer, and this lady soon after presented her husband with a fine chopping boy. As the infant was to be brought up in the Roman Catholic persuasion, he was taken on shore to be formally admitted by baptism into the Christian church. The christening of an English child by a Spanish priest was a new event in the annals of Cadiz, and the day appointed for the ceremony was observed as one of jubilee. The Spaniards were at this moment full of sanguine hopes of
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	195
victory and deliverance from the invader, and therefore in the highest spirit and best humour. Immense crowds assembled; young girls, attired in snow-white garments, and bearing large bouquets of flowers, formed a long and interesting procession. The clergy appeared in their richest sacerdotal robes; the child was carried in a sort of religious triumph through the streets ; and, in short, nothing was omitted that could add solemnity to the performance of the sacred rite on this extraordinary occasion. When the procession had entered the sacred edifice, the child was taken to the font, and the priests proceeded with the ceremony; in the course of it, I observed that a gilt door was opened near the altar, and that the young Christian was passed through, being kept out of sight for a few minutes. This, I was told afterwards, denoted his reception into the bosom of the church. He was named Ferdinand, in compliment to the Spaniards. As the assemblage left the building, the paymaster scattered a quantity of small coin among the people, according to the custom observed here ; and in the evening he entertained his friends at
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dinner. One of the guests was an English priest, an Oxford man. This ecclesiastic made himself very agreeable and useful during our stay at Cadiz, and was sufficiently candid to admit that, when he and his confrres were not immediately engaged in the discharge of professional duties, and had doffed their canonicals, they acted as other men ; but of this fact we were perfectly aware beforehand.
A handsome young officer of my regiment became acquainted here with a Spanish family, and, among the members of it, with a tall and interesting looking girl, whose fine black eyes made a sudden and powerful impression on the susceptible heart of the gallant Irishman; nor did the figure of the militaire displease the senora. The old gentleman, the lady's father, perceived the growing attachment of the youthful pair, and it did not meet his disapprobation; on the contrary, he offered the hand of his daughter to my friend, and with it a portion of one hundred and thirty pipes of sherry. I was consulted on the occasion, -and gave it as my opinion—an opinion, it is true,4ttle tinctured with romance—that, as the wine in question
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	197
sold for only sixpence a quart at Cadiz, the fortune would be very limited, unless the old Spaniard would pay the duty in London, but that, if he would consent to do so, it would not be imprudent to let the match go on. My proposal was not relished by the old man, and so the affair terminated ; but, had we not left Cadiz two or three days after, I am strongly disposed to think that inclination would ultimately have have triumphed over prudence, and that gold would not have been long a bar to the union of the lovers. The young ladies will say that they are certain I must have been a horrid, disagreeable, mercenary, hard-hearted creature, to have advised my friend against the projected match ; but I knew him to be thoughtless and extravagant, and totally unfit for "love in a cottage :" besides, there is no time much more inconvenient for matrimony than the eve of a campaign.
Poor K	 is now no more. He met a
soldier's death, and was laid in a soldier's grave, before the enemy's lines at Bayonne.
My regiment and another disembarked at and occupied Santa Maria, a town nine miles from Cadiz, and on the opposite side of the hay.
198	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
We had excellent quarters, but the heat was excessive ; yet our people walked about at all times of the day, as if they were in their own country, to the surprise of the Spaniards, who said that none but Englishmen and dogs would expose themselves to such a sun. We found the Alameda, or public walk, under the shade of large trees, a most agreeable promenade ; it is much frequented in the evenings by persons of every grade, for whose convenience chairs are placed at regular intervals. The Plaza de Toros is capable of accommodating three thousand spectators. It was intimated to us that, should our stay be prolonged, some bulls from Arragon, where the fiercest are bred, would be procured for our amusement ; but we were anxious, being uncertain of our future movements, to see a fight without delay; accordingly, they selected from the herds on their own pastures such of those animals as were most likely to afford sport, and a day was fixed for the spectacle. When the seats of the amphitheatre were filled by the assembled native and British amateurs, a tall, gaunt Spaniard, armed with a lance, and mounted on a small grey steed, en-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE,	199
tered the arena amidst general acclamations. This caballero was to receive twenty dollars for playing the part allotted to him in this exhibi-tion—unlike his ancient predecessors in this national combat, who willingly sought its dangers to win a smile, each from his own ladylove. Then we heard the bull begin to give vent in loud roars to his rage, excited, as it afterwards appeared, by sticking small darts ornamented with flags into his skin. Two toreros, who fight on foot, made their appearance, carrying scarlet mantles on their left arms; and, a moment after, a door opened, the bull rushed in wildly, and, without checking his speed, made directly at the horse, which trembled with fear. The toreros interposed instantaneously, and, trailing their mantles on the ground, attracted the attention of the infuriated animal, which followed them eagerly, making frequent lunges at the scarlet cloth ; when hard pressed, they stepped behind wooden screens about five feet high, erected purposely for their protection. In the mean time, the picadore was on the alert to seize the first favourable opportunity of making an attack, and he at length fixed his lance's
200	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
point in the neck of his unwary antagonist ; but he would have been quickly rolled over, had not the active toreros effected another diversion in his favour. The combat continued in this manners until the poor brute, panting for breath, stained with his blood, and exhausted by the pain of hiS wounds and the violence of his unavailing efforts to avenge himself on his tormentors, was too distressed to afford any more sport; he was then turned out, and succeeded by one of his fresh brethren ; and when the second bull was likewise placed hors de combat, a third was let in, and after it a fourth, which was the last. Neither picadore, steed, or torero suffered the slightest injury; nor did any of the bulls receive a mortal wound, the mata-(lore not discharging his merciful office. But this was not a fight of the first order, having been got up merely to give us an idea of the favourite diversion of the Spaniards. When the bull is killed, it is generally by a wound in the spine, which of course produces instantaneous death. In the grand fights, the greater the slaughter of those animals the louder is the applause,
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	°W.
" And he shall win the noblest spouse,
Who widows greatest herds of cows."
The occasional death of a man or a horse serves to vary the amusement, and is generally considered very entertaining. In combats fought between men and beasts of a species so useful to us, originating in no real necessity, and attended by so much suffering, I see extreme barbarity; and never, in my opinion, do the brilliant black eyes of the ladies of Spain lose so much of their magical power, as when, beaming with unfeminine pleasure, they gaze on the savage spectacle of a bull-fight. And, for my own part, I must acknowledge that I did not regret the termination of -the exhibition in the Plaza de Toros de Puerto Santa Maria.
We were given to understand while here that the nuns of the convent wished to see the British officers, and with this wish we very readily complied, in the expectation of beholding in turn the fair sisters ; but when we came to pay the desired visit, and were admitted into the convent-parlour, the only female that appeared to receive us was the aged abbess, who
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entertained us with a variety of confectionery, while the nuns, invisible to us, reviewed los valorosos Inglesos from the lattices. This dealing did not accord with our notions of the fairness of reciprocity. The lady of the president of the Junta of Seville also came to see the English troops ; she was of the blood-royal, and was received accordingly. Our brigade drew up in front of the house which she had made her abode, and, while she took her stand on a balcony, we executed various evolutions on the green.
The celebrated vineyards of Xeres are distant only six miles from Santa Maria; we got a bottle of the best sherry for about four-pence. Paeretta is one third dearer; it is a sweeter wine than sherry, and derives its name from the fact, that the sparrow, by the Spaniards called paer, is particularly fond of the grape. The poorer classes drink much less wine here than in those less favoured districts where. it is of an inferior quality and consequently cheaper; but in no part of the country are they addicted to the intemperate use of intoxicating liquors.
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When we had been on shore for the space of ten days, we received orders to re-embark, and two other regiments landed to occupy our quarters. On the 22d of July they returned to their ships, and in the course of the day, all the transports weighed and proceeded to sea.
'}0`;•	A SOLDIER'S LIF*L,
CHAPTER IX.
Sir Arthur Wellesley sent with troops to Portugal—General Spencer sails to join him—The army lands in Figueras Bay—Skirmish at Obedos—Battle of Rolica—Important alteration in our personal appearance—Battle of Vimiera—Convention of Cintra—The French troops embark at Lisbon—Liberation of Spanish prisoners—Surrender of the Russian squadron—I sail for England—Reception of Sir Arthur Wellesley there—The army returns home from Corunna.
EARLY in the summer, a force of 9,000 men was assembled at Cork, under the command of Sir Arthur Wellesley, an officer who had gained much reputation by his services in India and Europe. The public were not then informed of the plans which the Government had in petto for the employment of those troops ; but it now appears that they were to have been sent out to South America, and to have joined General Miranda. This project was at once abandoned, when intelligence was received of the breaking out of the Spanish insurrection, and Sir Arthur Wellesley was directed to proceed with the ex-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	205
pedition to Corunna, for the purpose of cooperating with the insurgents. On the 12th of July the fleet sailed from Cork. Sir Arthur, who outsailed it, reached Corunna on the 20th, and heard there of the total defeat of the Spanish generals, Cuesta and Blake, on the 14th, at the battle of Medina del Rio Seco. He found the Junta of Gallicia, too, more anxious for money and arms than for men from England ; he was therefore induced to alter his plan, and he determined upon a campaign tin Portugal. He then repaired to Oporto, and, after some communication with the Portuguese leaders and British agents, decided upon landing near the mouth of the Mondego. He had previously sent orders to Major-General Spencer to join him with his division, but that officer anticipated them. We were off the rock of Lisbon on the 5th of August; and an officer from Sir Charles Cotton's fleet, then cruising near the mouth of the Tagus, brought us directions to go on to the Mondego, eighty miles to the northward, where we should meet the troops under Sir Arthur Wellesley. On the 8th we anchored in Figueras Bay, into which the river
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Mondego empties itself. The surf on the bar was then so great, that the disembarkation seemed to be impracticable. Some boats that made the attempt were swamped, and about twenty men and a few horses were drowned. Captain Malcolm, who commanded a seventy-four, had the direction of the debarkation ; having some particular business to transact with Sir Arthur Wellesley, who was at the camp, he pulled off from the ship in his gig to go on shore, and, running in on the top of a sea, was upset, and driven, boat, crew and all, a considerable distance up. the beach without sustaining any serious injury : the instant that he got on his legs again, he made for a horse that was near him, mounted, and gallopped off, as if nothing had happened, to the camp. At length it was observed that a certain rock broke off the surf in some measure, and it was thought that the troops might be landed inside it from the flat-bottomed boats. As many as the boats could safely carry were then ordered into them, and they pulled off in succession to the rock. The Portuguese on this part of the coast were very zealous, and, being expert swimmers, ren-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	207
dered great service during the whole operation. They swam about the boats, diving under the heavier waves, and reappearing in the hollow of the sea, ready to pick up any soldiers whose boats might be swamped. According as the flat boats reached the rock, the Portuguese placed our men across their shoulders, and carried them, their arms, ammunition, and three days' provisions in perfect safety to the shore. No people could have behaved better, and very few would have behaved so well ; they were full of enthusiasm ; they regarded us their future deliverers from the insolence and oppression of the French, and they certainly adopted a handsome method of giving us a welcome to their land.
The debarkation was completed during the day, and we proceeded to the camp by a deep and sandy road, about two miles in length. The British troops that passed that night together on Portuguese ground, mustered 12,500 strong. About 20,000 French were stationed within the confines of the country, and masters of the most important points. The Portuguese general, Freire, had only 6,000 men under his
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command at Coimbra, and they were wretchedly organized and not to be depended on in case of a general action; still they were not in want of arms, as Sir Arthur Wellesley himself supplied them with 5,000 stand and a quantity of ammunition, and the whole population wished us success. We had now to contend with a gallant, well-tried, and long victorious enemy, and the most prescient could not foretell the duration of the approaching struggle ; but we were now engaged in a noble cause, far more grateful to our feelings than our northern expedition of the preceding year had been, and we enjoyed a fair opportunity of showing to the world, that, notwithstanding our insular situation, the sons of our sea-girt lands could fight as well on terra firma as on the briny-wave ; nor will many who are capable of judging venture to assert that the proposition has not been proved to a demonstration.
On the 9th the advanced guard took the road to Leira, where the Portuguese had collected a magazine of provisions ; they entered that place on the following day, but General Freire's people appropriated the provisions to their own
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	209
use, although intended, it was stated, for the British. On the 10th the main body moved off in the same direction, marching from ten to twelve miles a day, and at night making wigwams of the branches of the fir-trees that crowned the hill-tops. The valleys produced olives and grapes in abundance, besides other fruit's, corn, and a variety of common vegetables. We entered Leira on the 11th. The Portuguese general behaved very unhandsomely, not only in seizing the magazine, but in declining to join us with the force under his command. It was with great difficulty that Sir Arthur finally prevailed on him to give him about 1,600 men, horse and foot, and, of course, it was important that Portuguese troops should take part in the first action fought by us for the deliverance of their country. Our fourth day's march brought us to the splendid monastery of Battalha, erected in memorial of a victory gained by the Portuguese over the Spaniards near its site. Sir Arthur Wellesley and his staff were entertained there by the ecclesiastics. I had some conversation with one of the priests, a native of Tipperary; he
210	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
was liberal in his praises of the country, of the wine, and, probably forgetting himself, of the women also ; his brogue, untravelled as Goldsmith's heart, was truly rich and genuine. But, although there may have been more bon vivants among the religieux of Battalha, than an equal number of the monks of La Trappe could exhibit, it is only just to say that we found them both friendly and hospitable. I think it was here that the intelligence of King Joseph's flight from Madrid reached us.
Our first affair with the enemy was a trifling skirmish at Obidos on the 15th, between five companies of British riflemen and the French outposts, in which some lives were lost on both sides without results. The force at this time opposed to us was a body of about 6,000 rpen, who had advanced from Lisbon under the command of General Laborde. This officer had intended to effect a junction at Leria with General Loison, who was marching from Abrantes, but his plans were defeated by our movements on the 9th and 10th. The 16th was passed in making inquiries and arrangements, and reconnoitring the position taken up by the enemy; the choice
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	211
of such a position, and the manner in which it was subsequently defended, do equal credit to the military genius of the French general.
The villages of Celdos and Rolica are built opposite to each other at the extremities of a large valley, and nearly equidistant from the small town of Obidos, which is remarkable for its fine aqueduct and ancient castle. The French were posted on an elevated but level space in front of Rolica ; the rear was covered with low trees and close underwood, and several passes led from it to the neighbouring mountains, of which a remarkably strong ridge offered an excellent second position at an easy distance. The advantages presented by the nature of the ground in a great measure compensated for the disparity of numbers ; and, circumstanced as Junot and Loison were, it was of considerable importance to the French that Laborde should resist our progress here.
On the morning of the 17th, at day-break, we broke up from our bivouac. Flank movements were made to threaten the enemy's rear with a portion of the British and Portuguese; but it appeared to some officers that sufficient time
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was not allowed to give those movements the desired effect, a circumstance tending to occasion a great and unnecessary loss of lives; since, by acting on his flanks with strong bodies, he could not have maintained his position without incurring the risk of being assailed both in front and rear. We continued to advance in three columns. As we approached the enemy, the utmost order was preserved, and the columns were increased and diminished with as much regularity as if we were at a review. When within musquet-shot of the enemy, the line was formed, and we advanced over the uneven ground, doubling when an obstacle presented itself, and moving up when we had passed it, with great exactness. The enemy appeared at the foot of the position outside the wood, but retired under cover as we advanced ; this we had reason to expect from old soldiers, who knew how to take advantage of their ground. The columns pushed on, surmounting every obstacle, and drove the enemy before them to the second position. Here the mountain-passes were defended with great pertinacity. The 29th British, with the Hon. Lieut.-Colonel Lake at their
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	213
head, were obliged, by the nature of the ground, to climb a height in single files by a goat-path. On the summit, the 70th French were drawn up to receive them, and when Colonel Lake gained it, the summons to him to dismount, and surrender, his refusal, and his death were the work of a minute, and thus a void was made in that regiment which it was not easy to fill again. The grenadier company, and a splendid one it was, had followed their commanding officer closely; they were very much blown, from the exertion of climbing the steep and from the heat of the weather, and all of them, with the exception of fifteen, were killed, wounded, or taken; but the rest of the regiment continued to ascend with the utmost gallantry, and finally succeeded in dislodging their opponents. This regiment, supported by the 9th, performed wonders. The enemy, being now forced from the passes, commenced his retreat, formed in column, and moved off in perfect order with his cavalry in the rear. We were unfortunately weak in that arm, having, thanks to the wisdom of government, only 200 men of the 20th light dragoons, and 250 Portuguese horse ; accordingly
214	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
Laborde retired unharassed by us. lie himself was wounded in the action, and about 600 of his men were killed and wounded; he also lost three pieces of cannon. The British loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners was 500, and of this number 15 officers and 205 rank and file belonged to the 29th regiment. The prisoners from this corps were sent off without delay to Lisbon. On their march thither, those men never ceased to lament the loss of their gallant commanding officer, and to extol his many virtues. When one of their escort understood this, he immediately stepped forward and declared that he deeply regretted his having been the person who had shot such a man, that it was the colonel's obstinacy which had caused so unfortunate an event, and that he never would have fired at him had he known his worth in time. The fighting was over before four P. M. Sir Arthur Wellesley followed as far as Villa Verde, but, hearing that General Anstruther was off the coast with reinforcements, he altered his route. The heat during this day was excessive; and one or two of our soldiers died from the effects of drinking cold
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	215
water; arid as our men found some precipitate in the French knapsacks, it spread directly that the wells were poisoned. The use of the precipitate was to destroy vermin.
The army rested for the night some distance beyond the field of battle. The next day we marched to Lourinha. On the morning of the 19th Sir Arthur Wellesley took up his position at Vimeira, a pleasant village in a fine valley, which is watered by a small river called the Maceira. The land surrounding the valley is very high, especially on the left bank of the river. Within two or three miles of the village the sea runs up in a sandy bay, into which the Maceira falls, and there General Anstruther was directed to land the troops and stores. The surf was high, and during the debarkation some boats were upset, and a few men drowned. On the 20th, the whole were landed; and with this addition our army amounted to 16,000 men.
As a great alteration was effected here in the personal appearance of our troops, I cannot leave it unnoticed. The short queues that were worn by both officers and men, were cropped on the field this day, in obedience to orders that
216	A SOLDIER'S LIFE,
had arrived from England. When I joined the militia in 1793, all military men wore their hair clubbed, that is, each had a huge false tail attached by means of a string that passed round the upper part of his head, and over it the hair was combed and well thickened with powder or flour ; a plastering of pomatum or grease was then laid on; a square bag of sand was next placed at the extremity of the tail, rolled up with the assistance of a small oblong iron until it touched the head, and tied with a leathern thong and rosette so as to confine it in a proper position. After the arrangement of the tail, the officers' foretops were rubbed up with a stick of hard pomatum— a most painful operation, especially on cold mornings, and often calling the " salt rheum " to the eyes; when this was over, the friseur retired a pace or two for the purpose of frosting, which was effected by means of an elastic cylinder, filled with powder, and so constructed as to expel, and let fall upon the hair, a light shower of it; and lastly the powder-knife prepared the head for parade, by arching the temples and shaping the whiskers to a point. In this agreeable manner half an hour of every
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	217
morning was consumed. The men powdered only on "dress-days," as Sundays, Thursdays, and days of duty were called. Each dressed his comrade's hair, so that an hour was lost in dressing and being dressed. The year 1796 was most auspicious for the army, as false tails and sand-bags were condemned, and the pay was doubled." But so wedded do many persons become to old customs, that some corps were to be seen dressed in this manner in '97. The Clare regiment were quartered that year at Waterford, and still continued to wear their hair clubbed. At length the general commanding there sent for one of the grenadiers to come to his room, and, as soon as the man made his appearance, the following colloquy commenced : " My lad, how long does it take to dress your hair in this manner ? "—" An hour, plase your honour, to tie an' be tied."—"And does it incom mode you in doing your duty ? ' —"Very much, sir; I can't turn my head without moving my body along with it, an' I'm afraid to eat after my hair is dressed, for fear of its getting creased on me."—" Go," said the general to his aide-de-camp, " and get my dressing-case." The scissors
VOL. I.
218	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
were immediately in requisition, and the general cut off the grenadier's false tail, as well as the wings that projected over his ears. Major O'Brien, who commanded the corps, "was then sent for, and ordered to have all his men trimmed in the same style without delay. In the course of the day, some washing tubs filled with false tails and sand-bags were conveyed to the banks of the Suir, and their contents consigned to the stream. Hair-powder was used by the army as late as 1806. The flank companies wore the hair turned up behind, and made to rest on • pieces of glazed leather, which were called flashes. The 29th, which, on the day of our landing at the mouth of the Mondego, was the finest regiment of the line that I ever saw, continued to wear the skirts of their coats hooked up in the old way, and their hats square, instead of fore and aft.
It was announced on the 20th that Sir Harry IBurrard was in the offing, and before night he came into Maceira roads. It was Sir Arthur Wellesley's wish to have moved on to Mafra, and to turn the enemy, who, it was supposed, had taken up the position of Torres Vedras, about
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	219
ten miles off; but Sir Harry positively objected to this, because he should be thus placed at a distance from his supplies. He was in want of cavalry, and in daily expectation of the arrival of Sir John More with a force of 10,000 men, which had been employed up the Baltic, and would now be an important reinforcement to the British army. In the mean time, Marshal Junot called in all his garrisons and detached corps, and, having made the necessary arrangements, advanced towards Vimeira.
The greater part of our infantry were posted on the high land on the left of the river. The village of Vimeira was occupied by cavalry, artillery, and commissariat. Major-general Bowes's brigade, consisting of the 6th and 32d, was posted in the rear of the village, on a sugar-loaf hill. The riflemen and the 50th, under General Fane, occupied the right of a table-land before Vimeira, a General Anstru-ther's brigade the left, at the extremity of which there was a church. Those officers had six guns, six and nine pounders. The western range of heights that rather commanded the centre were at first occupied by picquets, but immediately
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220	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
before the action three brigades crossed over to them.
On the morning of the 21st, about eight o'clock, Junot's army was first observed advancing along the road from Torres Vedras to Lourinha. The action commenced an hour after. The French force was divided as follows ; one division of infantry, consisting of 6,000 men, commanded by Laborde ; another of rather inferior strength, led by Loison ; a third, weaker still, under Kellerman ; and 1300 cavalry with Margaron at their head. The whole were more than 14,000 strong, and the artillery amounted to twenty-three pieces. The British were superior in numbers, but inferior in point of guns and cavalry. As the enemy approached the British position, they subdivided their columns so as to make simultaneous attacks on several points. The table-land occupied by the brigades of Generals Fane and Anstruther was attacked in greatest force. Laborde led his division against it with great resolution, driving our skirmishers before him, but suffering from the well-directed fire of our artillery. The head of his column appeared within twenty or thirty
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	221
yards of the 50th regiment, who, being drawn up in line, poured in a most destructive volley, and charged with the bayonet. The enemy stood for a moment, and then broke and fled ; but many of them fell. The cool and intrepid conduct of the 50th in this battle was beyond all praise. It was necessary that they should bring their right shoulders forward, in order to give their fire with full effect, and this was done by a simultaneous movement of the men with the greatest precision, though the enemy were within so few yards of them. Had this corps given way, our commissariat and military chest would have been in danger. The second battalion of the 43d was hard p.,:essed in the churchyard and vineyards it occupied by Kellerman's grenadiers, but after a bloody struggle it repulsed the attack. General Fane's brigade was equally successful, and, as the troops that had been opposed to it retired, the squadron of the 20th light dragoons increased their confusion by a dashing charge; but, continuing the pursuit with inconsiderate eagerness, they were encountered and driven back with loss by Margaron's more numerous cavalry, and their colonel, Taylor,
222	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
lost his life in the vain combat. General Kellerman repeated his attack on the centre, but with no better success. Generals Breunier and Solignac also failed in all their efforts to dislodge General Fergusson on our extreme left. At one time six guns were taken from Solignac, and the 71st and 82d were left in possession of them, while General Fergusson followed up his advantage over the broken troops ; at this moment Breunier made a sudden attempt to retake them, and with temporary success, but those two regiments quickly rallied and drove back the French. Junot, though completely beaten, drew off his infantry in fair order under cover of his cavalry, as we were so weak in the latter arm. His troops fought bravely in this action, and suffered a loss of more than 3000 killed, wounded, and taken; General Breunier was among the prisoners; thirteen guns and twenty-three waggons, laden with ammunition, also fell into our hands. The British had 783 killed and wounded, and only one man missing. Sir Harry Burrard was in the field, but honourably refused to take the command. Upon the final defeat of the French, Sir Arthur Wellesley urged the
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	223
necessity of following up our advantage, and moving with the utmost celerity on Torres Vedras ; but in vain. Had his advice been taken, the French should have either made a most disastrous retreat, or seen themselves cut off from Lisbon.
When the firing had ceased, I walked over a part of the ground, where the action had been most severe :—
" The field, so late the hero's pride,
Was now with various carnage spread,
And floated with a crimson tide,
That drench'd the dying and the dead."
Upon entering the church-yard of the village of Vimeira, my attention was arrested by very unpleasant objects—one, a large wooden dish filled with hands, that had just been amputated —another, a heap of legs placed opposite. On one side of the entrance to the church lay a French surgeon who had received a six-pound shot in the body. The men who had undergone amputation, were ranged round the interior of the building. In the morning they had rushed to the combat, full of ardour and enthu-
224	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
siasm, and now they were stretched, pale, bloody and mangled, on the cold flags, some writhing in agony, others fainting with loss of blood, and the spirits of many poor fellows among them making a last struggle to depart from their mutilated tenements. There is no time more fit for reflection than an hour of calm succeeding the stormy moments of a great battle—no place more fit than such a spot as that on which I then stood. Amid the excitement of the fight, the din of arms, the absorbing desire of victory, the soldier sees with an unshrinking eye the blood of friend and foe poured out around him—his own may soon mingle with it—and his sharing cheerfully the same dangers, and his readiness to revenge the fall of his comrades, must supply the place of less stern feelings. But when the thunder of the cannon has ceased, the roll of the mus-quetry has died away, the smoke has cleared off, and the trampling and shouts of combatants in the mortal strife are heard no more, while the only sounds that reach the ear are the cries and groans of wounded men, and while the eye wanders over one scene of
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	225
carnage, then does the mind become painfully alive to the horrors of a field of battle.
A great number of the 43rd lay dead in the vineyards, which a part of that regiment had occupied ; they had landed only the day before, and they looked so clean, and had their appointments in such bright and shining order, that, at the first view, they seemed to be men resting after a recent parade, rather than corpses of the fallen in a fiercely-contested engagement. This corps, which suffered so severely, had passed us in the morning in beautiful order, with their band playing merrily before them. How many gallant fellovcs that we then saw marching to the sound of national quicksteps, all life and spirits, were before evening stretched cold and stiff on the bloody turf !
Immediately after the action, an officer of my regiment happened to pass near an old French soldier, who was seated by the road side, covered with dust, and desperately wounded; a cannon-shot had taken off both his feet just above the ancles, hut his legs were so swollen that his wounds bled but little. On seeing the officer, the poor fellow addressed
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226	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
him, saying, "Monsieur, je vous conjure donnez moi mes pieds," and at the same time pointed to his feet, which lay on the road beyond his reach. His request met with a ready compliance. The pale, toilworn features of the veteran brightened up for an instant on receiving these mutilated members, which had borne him through many a weary day, and which it grieved him to see trampled on by the victorious troops that passed ; and then, as if prepared to meet his fast-approaching fate becomingly, by the attainment of this one poor wish, he laid them tranquilly beside him, and, with a look of resignation and the words, " Je suis content," seemed to settle himself for death.
During the attack on our left, the 71st were ordered to oppose the enemy with the point of the bayonet. The pipers of the regiment, in the advance to the charge, struck up a national Scottish air, as is generally their custom, and in the middle of it, one of them, a Highlander named George Clerk, received a severe wound in the groin, which brought him to the ground ; but he supported himself in a sitting posture,
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	227
exclaiming, with apparent indifference, " The deil tak ye, if ye hae disabled me frae following, ye winna keep me frae blawing for 'em," and he continued to play and encourage his comrades until the enemy fled. This gallant soldier recovered from his wound, and was promoted to the rank of serjeant and piper-major by Colonel Pack ; the Highland Society in Edinburgh also presented him with a pair of very valuable pipes.
It was here, too, if I mistake not, that the 71st were opposed to the French 70th, and that after the action a soldier of the first-mentioned corps, looking at the buttons of some men of the other that lay dead near him uttered the bon-mot, " I well knew we were one too many for them."
The three Lieutenant-Colonels that fell at Rolica and Vimeira, namely, Lake of the 29th, Stuart of the 9th, and Taylor of the 20th light dragoons, were highly esteemed and deeply regretted by their respective corps.
Sir Harry Burrard being immoveable, the French retraced their steps without molestation, and we waited at Vimeira. On the 22nd,
228	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
Sir Hew Dalrymple arrived from Gibraltar, and took the command of the army. These bungling changes of officers, and the unaccountable detention at home of our cavalry regiments, with the exception of a part of the 20th light dragoons, were equally discreditable to the judgment of the ministry, injurious to the interests of the country, and provoking to the feelings of the army in Portugal. On the evening of this day, a body of the enemy's horse was observed ; and the troops in advance stood to their arms ; but a flag of truce, with the trumpeters, was soon distinguished. General Kellerman had come out to make terms. He was conducted to Sir Hew Dalrymple, and, having declared Junot's disposition to evacuate the kingdom of Portugal on honourable conditions, and demanded time for the arrangement of a suitable convention, he and the British general agreed to an armistice for forty-eight hours ; and now, to use the expression of Sir Arthur Wellesley, it seemed that all we had to do was to prepare to shoot red-legged partridges.
It has been said that it was a common ob-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	229
servation of the same officer's, that twenty words of Portuguese were sufficient to enable one to pass comfortably through the country ; but few of our officers, at this time, knew half that number. The inconvenience consequent upon such ignorance of the language was particularly felt in the commissariat department, the members of which were necessarily placed at once in close communication with the natives. One day I saw a commissary sadly perplexed through inability to make some muleteers comprehend that he wanted them to he ready at the same place on the following morning; at length, he turned to a group of officers that were standing near him, and requested their assistance as interpreters, if at all acquainted with the vernacular tongue of the equally puzzled peasants. One of the persons to whom this request was directed, instantly stepped forward and offered his services, saying, in a confident tone, " I think, Sir, that I can explain to them anything you may require."—" Then, Sir," rejoined the pleased commissary, " he so kind as to tell them that they must be here early in the morning with their mules."
230	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
Upon which the interpreter, addressing himself to the muleteers, proceeded thus, " Portu-guesios, the commissario—wants the 'mulos—to-morrowo—presto—la, la ;" pointing to the village of Vimeira.—" 0, Sir !" cried the commissary in a tone of disappointment, " I feel much obliged to you ; but I can go as far as that myself." The said officer bore the sobriquet of " Jack the Interpreter," for a long time after this unlucky attempt to display his acquirements as a linguist.
It was about this period, if my memory does not fail me, that Colonel Pack, who commanded the 71st, directed his quartermaster to take out a party to get some vegetables, as otherwise the men would ramble about in quest of them. In obedience to this command a serjeant was called, and the quartermaster said to him, " It is the colonel's orders to parade three men a company immediately, to steal vegetables." The colonel, who was more precise than Irishmen generally are, happened to be still within hearing, and the word " steal" grated so harshly on his ear, that he exclaimed, very much vexed, " Pooh ! pooh ! Mr. Fr—r. I did not say, sir,
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	231
to steal vegetables, but to procure pompions." However, as there was no intention of paying for the articles required, this was very much like a distinction without a difference.
The disgraceful Convention of Cintra was concluded and signed on the 30th of August, in the palace of the Marquis Marialva. Sir John Moore's force had then disembarked at the mouth of the Maceira, and our part of the army occupied Torres Vedras, and a position in the rear of that town.
It was stipulated, in this treaty, that the French army should not be considered prisoners of war ; that transports to convey them, their horses, artillery, and baggage of every kind to France, should be provided at the expense of Great Britain ; that, on their arrival in their own country, they should be at liberty to serve in any portion of the globe ; and that all Portuguese who had espoused in any way the French cause were to be protected from all persecution on account of their traitorous conduct. The intelligence that such a Convention had been acceded to by our three chiefs was received by the army with one feeling of indig-
232	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
nation. The Portuguese were equally incensed, and with still greater reason ; they had seen the French army march into their country without baggage ; they had since seen them laden with the plunder of their towns, villages, and churches ; and they were now to see their despoilers, though beaten in the field and in most difficult circumstances, suffered to depart with their ill-gotten store, freely and on board British ships ; their allies were to provide means of transport for their enemies, with all their arms, horses, and booty, to wish them bon voyage, to send them to amuse themselves at home as long as it should please them, and then to return and fight with renewed vigour on the same theatre of war. I myself have seen the large cases containing the plunder of the churches and dwellings of the Portuguese, as they were conveyed to the transports provided for the French, and some of them were so well filled as to require the united strength of eight men for their removal. It is a matter of regret that a general so distinguished as the present Duke of Wellington, should have attached his signature to the Convention of
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	233
Cintra ; but it must be borne in mind that he was only third in command, that he objected to different parts of it, especially to the fifth article, by which the plunder of Portugal was secured to the French, and that he had had sufficient proof already of the obstinacy of at least one of his seniors.
There was some little delay before the French garrisons evacuated the frontier fortresses, owing to the interference of Portuguese politicians and Spanish officers, but they were finally shipped off. The garrison of Almeida was marched under a British escort to Oporto, and embarked there. While their effects were being removed, a case filled with church-plate burst asunder. The rage of the populace at this sight knew no bounds ; they flew to arms, and would not suffer the French to embark, unless as prisoners of war ; they also plundered the baggage of those troops, seized their arms, and would ultimately have taken away their lives, but for the great exertions made by the authorities and the British officers to prevent this last act of violence.
The French at Lisbon embarked in three
234	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
divisions, the embarkation of the first being covered by the second, and that of the latter by the third, which was in turn protected by the British. The first division embarked on the 15th of September ; Sir John Hope, who commanded at Lisbon, took possession of the citadel three days before, and adopted other precautionary measures, lest any serious tumult should be excited by the inflammatory appeals made to the public on the subject of the Convention.
At this period, thinking that our army would remain for some time in a state of inaction, I obtained a letter from one of Sir Arthur Wel-lesley's staff to Colonel Clinton, the adjutant-general, and, proceeding to Belem, near which Sir Hew Dalrymple had established headquarters, I procured leave of absence, to return to England. The day was far advanced before I could effect this, and my way lay through the principal part of Lisbon. We had embarked at Portsmouth in such haste that there was no time to provide ourselves with saddles, and I was mounted on a raw-boned horse, across whose back some bread bags were thrown, and
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	235
over them a rope, in which, as a substitute for stirrups, my feet rested; and, to make the matter worse, the streets were crowded to excess, it being a Sunday evening. To avoid the public gaze I turned off into the country, and trusted to chance for finding the camp, which was about six miles off. It was dusk when I reached a comfortable-looking country house, built close to the road on which I was moving, and, as I perceived the owner of it looking out of a window, a mutual salutation took place, the Portuguese addressing me in good English; we then entered upon other topics, and it appeared that he had passed some time in those parts of the West Indies which I had visited. As it was nearly dark, I made certain that an invitation to pass the night would follow from this conversation, and therefore I prolonged it as much as possible ; but my expectations were wofully disappointed, for he at length wished me a good night, and, saying that I should have considerable difficulty in finding out the camp, drew in his head and closed the window. I am no advocate for corporal punishments, but I must confess that at
236	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
the moment I should have had no objection to his receiving one hundred lashes, well laid in, for his inhospitality. I continued to ride on for some time, and in a narrow lane two ill-looking fellows, armed with long guns, came up to me ; they said something that I did not understand, and I was not sorry to hear them afterwards direct me to go forward. I had not left them long when I reached the great aqueduct that supplies Lisbon with water, and, it being then very dark, I seated myself under an arch, and, tying the horse to one of my legs, invoked the drowsy deity, Somnus. At the first glimmering of the morning's light, I proceeded in search of the camp, and, on coming to a peasant's house, was shewn the proper direction to take. Some of the officers thought it would have been an enviable thing to procure leave of absence, had there been a vessel going to England, but, as they did not know of any means of transport to he found at Lisbon, they pronounced my application for leave of absence to be unwise.
In the course of the day I repaired again to the city. I experienced the greatest difficulty
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	237
in getting a place to pass the night in ; all the hotels were crowded with French officers and soldiers, who were to embark the next morning, for they were well aware that it would be unsafe for them just then to separate into small parties. The last house that I went to was the Lion d' Or, and there I was informed that it was quite impossible to find accommodation for me ; but, as I had heard that the proprietor was a Canadian, I asked him if he knew a relative of mine who resided in his country; his reply was in the affirmative, and he then got me something for dinner, and expressed his regret that he had only a garret in which he could put me. He concealed my cocked hat, and, observing that I wore a great coat, said he thought I might pass over the French dragoons, who lay stretched on the stairs, without being recognized as a British officer. He also told me that the French officers owed him such heavy bills, that he must proceed with them to France, as his only chance of obtaining payment. When the house was perfectly quiet, he took a lantern and led the way up stairs to my apartment, stepping cautiously
238	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
over the sleeping troopers ; at length, we came to a small room with a wretched bed at one end of it, and my conductor, having shewn me into it, retired. My first care was to place every article of furniture there against the door ; and then I stretched myself on my humble couch, but had no sooner done so, than I was assailed by such myriads of bugs, that I did not for a moment venture to dispute the post with them. In a few minutes more I heard some persons attempting to force the door, and as I had a considerable sum of money about me, and as the attempts to effect an entrance were renewed repeatedly, though without success, I passed the remainder of the night standing opposite to the door with my sword drawn. At daybreak I was relieved from this unpleasant situation by the sound of the sabres clattering from step to step, as the dragoons descended the stairs. The next night I was more comfortably lodged.
The French were embarking at Belem, and I saw there about eight thousand of them in column ; they were highly appointed. General Kellerman happened to pass near the spot where I was standing, and saluted me ; so did
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	239
all his staff. On my return to the Great Square, a landing place, I perceived an unusual commotion among the people, and found that it was occasioned by the sight of the large packing cases, and the officers' baggage, that the French soldiers' were conveying to the boats : the mob carried stilettos in their sleeves, and proceeded to stab every straggler they met. The British officers took all the single Frenchmen that they saw under their protection, and thus saved the lives of several. The baggage of many of the officers of the embarking army was seized, and trunks, valises, cases, and hampers of sea-stock, were broken open, and their contents speedily demolished. Among other matters the populace laid their hands on some bags of Brazil sugar, for which they scrambled with uncommon eagerness ; in the melee the hair of some of them was so well powdered with sugar, that their heads began to turn from black to white, and the eyes of others received of it so abundantly, that they left their owners in total darkness. Some boats, carrying French cavalry appointments and a few dragoons, and rowed by English
240	A SOLDIERS LIFE.
sailors, happened to pass near the quay, and soon became objects of attack. Showers of stones were flung at the soldiers ; but the Portuguese not unfrequently took such unlucky aim, that they hit friends as well as foes, and our sailors feeling this very sensibly, began without delay to give our allies a wider birth.
At this time a great crowd was collected not far from the citadel, and I was informed that it was preparatory to an attack on a few French soldiers who still remained in that quarter : another British officer immediately hastened with me to their rescue. On reaching the spot, we found a serjeant and twelve dismounted cavalry seated on a wall, with their arms piled in front of them, and gazing with contempt on the mob. We told them that we had come to their aid. They thanked us, but said that they only despised the Portuguese, and that they were guarding some of their appointments, which they would not leave until carts arrived to remove them.
The army of Junot originally consisted of above 27,000 men, but, owing to losses in battle, by sickness, by desertion, and by ship-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	241
*reek, only 21,000 returned to France; soon after their landing, they joined the troops then marching for Spain, and re-crossed the Pyrenees.
When Junot received intelligence of the insurrection that followed the popular movements Tol edo and Ma drid, he promptly, and with little difficulty, disarmed and made prisoners of about 4,000 Spanish soldiers that he had under his command at Lisbon. These men were confined on board hulks in the Tagus, and, of course, one of the results of the Convention was their liberation from durance. On the welcome day of their landing from their floating dungeons, they assembled in the principal square, and were addressed by General Beresford. This officer was also deputed to present, at the same time, a handsome sword to their general, Caffarelli. The Spaniard, on receiving this soldier's gift, delivered an animated speech, at the conclusion of which the air was rent with vivas. After the parade a grand entertainment was given ; the Spanish officers on this occasion sacrificed pretty freely to Bacchus, and, under the exciting influence of joy and wine, danced and sang all night.
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242	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
In the accommodating spirit which at this period possessed our military chiefs, it was agreed that the Russian squadron in the Tagus, commanded by Admiral Siniavin, should be permitted to depart unmolested ; but Sir Charles Cotton was less facile, and refused his sanction to the agreement. The matter was left therefore to be settled by the two admirals; and it was finally arranged that the Russian ships should be taken to England, and detained there until six months after the conclusion of a peace between Great Britain and the Northern autocrat. They put to sea, accompanied by a few of our men-of-war. Some of them were totally unserviceable, and bound with cables.
Though I had obtained leave of absence, it was still not very clear to me that I should soon be enabled to get away from Portugal ; for, as yet, no regular communication with England had been established. My only resource was to wait on Sir Charles Cotton, with the request that he would give me a passage in the next man-of-war sailing for any British port. I found the admiral on the quarter-deck of the Hibernia, bowing to their boats a depu-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	243
tation of the first people in Lisbon, who had been waiting on him. When this ceremony had ended, the lieutenant on duty made my request known to Sir Charles, who immediately, and with the utmost affability, desired me to come to the gangway, and, pointing to the Plover sloop-of-war, said, " She is the first vessel for England ; and if you go on board, and tell Captain Brown that you have been here, I dare say that he will not refuse you a passage." The officers of the Plover received me with much politeness ; they told me that they were making preparations to receive Sir Arthur Wellesley, General Fergusson, and a numerous staff, who were also about to return home. Of course my request was granted, and a time appointed for me to repair on board.
Another captain of my regiment also obtained leave of absence at this time ; he took the road to Oporto, where he had a brother, a wine-merchant, who had freighted a ship for Dublin. When he arrived at the former place, a letter from his wife was handed to him in the street. It contained a lock of his infant son's hair, for he had never seen the child, as he had not been
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married many months previous to the embarkation of the regiment for the Mediterranean ; but the moment that he opened the envelope, the little souvenir flew out, and was carried out of sight by a sudden gust of wind. The loss of the lock was regarded as an evil omen; and indeed, the father was destined never to see his son. He embarked; and neither he, nor the ship was ever heard of from the day of their departure from Oporto. Not very long after this another of my brother officers found a watery grave. He was an excellent young fellow, and of the most gentlemanlike manner and exterior. He had gone to England a little before we joined Sir Arthur Wellesley, in the expectation of being united to a fair relative of his, to whom he had been betrothed; but, upon landing, he discovered, to his bitter disappointment, that in his absence the false fair one had bestowed her hand and her fickle affections on another. This was a severe shock to a man of his sensibility, and he at length embarked for the Peninsula on board the Primrose sloop of war, with a fixed resolve never to return; and fate but too readily seconded his determination, for the vessel, in
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	245
eating down Channel, ran on the Manacles off Falmouth, and went to pieces. All on board perished, except a small boy, who was rescued from the waves by some fortunate accident, but ould give no account of the wreck, or the manner in which he had reached the shore.
On the 21st of September, Sir Arthur Wellesley, General Fergusson, &c. came off to the ship. She was very much crowded ; it was even found necessary to dismount six guns in order to make more room. We sailed late in the evening. Outside the bar of Lisbon a large Algerine frigate ran alongside, with lanterns over her guns, and her crew at their quarters, showing their ebony visages at the ports ; she looked more like a ship in the service of his infernal majesty, than any thing of this world: she was watching for vessels belonging to Portugal, which was then at war with Algiers. She sailed past us quietly, and we were not displeased to get rid of her so easily.
We had rough weather, and a good deal of sea, the landsmen suffering very generally from nausea. Captain - had some of his sails on deck
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every day; he was continually making alterations in them, and apparently they had the desired effect, for the Plover sailed remarkably fast. We came up with the Russian squadron off Scilly, though they had sailed ten days before us; and on the 4th of October we let go our anchors at Plymouth.
Mr. W-m, one of the staff, amused himself during the passage by firing at his cocked hat, which was suspended from the point of a yard, and of course he succeeded in piercing it in many places with balls ; when we landed at Plymouth the people imagined that the various perforations they beheld in the covering of this officer's head had been the work of the enemy's bullets, and were filled with amazement at the hair-breadth escapes which, they concluded, he must have experienced.
The inhabitants of Devonshire were so incensed by the Convention of Cintra that they seemed to have forgotten Rolica and Vimeira, and consequently received Sir Arthur Wellesley with every mark of disapprobation ; indeed, hissings and hootings greeted him at every town
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	247
and village of that county, through which he had to pass on his way to the metropolis. But the people of England should have considered that, had he been left to follow up his victories, there would have existed no necessity, in the opinion of any person, for such a Convention, nor for anything more, very probably, than the fixing of the hour on which the troops of Junot should lay down their arms.
Before leave of absence had expired, my regiment returned to England from Corunna. Our corpulent brevet major, already mentioned as captain, carried his pinguid bulk miraculously through Sir John Moore's disastrous retreat from Sahagun to the coast ; but during the battle of the 16th of January he was so overcome by weariness, that it was no longer possible for him to keep pace with his corps, if ordered to execute a movement ; under such circumstances he was advised to go to the rear, an advice which he disdained to follow, for he was perfectly brave, and scrupulously nice of his honour. The men then procured a large elbow-chair for him, and he remained seated on
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it while the firing lasted. His covering serjeant, when standing behind the chair, had the staff of his pike broken by a musquet-ball, which passed close to the major's head.
The regiment on its return home was quartered at Horsham, and there I rejoined it.
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	249
CHAPTER X.
Sail with expedition to Walcheren--Attempt to surprise Ter Veere—Surrender of that place—Enter Middelburg—Invest Flushing—A doctor's revenge—French tirailleurs—A sailor —Our little Major—Inundation—Attack by the fleet—Surren-der of Flushing—Part of British force sails up the Scheldt, and sails back again—An unlawful prize—Some account of Wal - cheren—Our Wig Club—The fever—Preparations for evacuating the island—Am sent home with sick—The voyage.
IN July, 1809, a most extensive armament was collected in the Downs, the army consisted of upwards of 40,000 men, and the fleet of thirty-nine sail of the line and thirty-six frigates, besides numerous gun-boats, bomb-vessels, and other small craft; the latter was cDmmanded by Lord Gardner, and the former by the Earl of Chatham, the son of the great statesman of that name, but "no more like his father than I to Hercules." My regiment formed a portion of the land force. The destination of the expedition was at first kept a profound secret, and an embargo was laid on the shipping in all the parts of Great Britain and Ireland, to continue
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until we should sail. The troops were embarked on board the ships of war as well as the transports ; and government made a handsome allowance to the officers of the navy, in consideration of the increase of the numbers at their mess. Each seventy-four took a regiment. The object of this expedition was two-fold ; it was only at the moment of sailing that it was said, that a diversion in favour of our allies and an attack on the French fleet near Antwerp were meditated. We sailed from the Downs on the 28th of July, and were off the Dutch coast in the morning, nearing the island of Walcheren. The fleet soon came to anchor, and immediate preparations were made for our landing, which was effected without opposition at a point about ten miles distant from Flushing. That place was strongly fortified, and garrisoned by French troops.
The 71st regiment was the first to land, and pushed on towards, Ter Veere, detaching Captain Ness to the left with his company, to attack a battery which was situated on the shore, and had begun to fire on the shipping: this work was carried in a very handsome manner, and some prisoners were taken from the enemy.
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Captain Ness having secured the guns, &c. joined the left wing of his regiment under Colonel Pack, who were warmly engaged with detachments from the garrison of Ter Veere : the latter retired into the town at night, closely followed by their opponents nearly to the gates. In this affair there were several killed and wounded on both sides, and the French lost not a few prisoners ; but by some fatality the right wing of the 71st did not come up. Colonel Pack learned from the deserters, who were numerous, that the garrison was much weakened, a. part having been withdrawn to strengthen that of Flushing; pursuant to this information, lie determined to make an attempt to surprise Ter Veere that night, and with this view he again detached Captain Ness, with a serjeant and a few men, to reconnoitre the approaches. This officer and his party passed a French pic-quet unobserved, and had nearly reached trie drawbridge, when a dog, which had followell them, began to bark, and alarmed the sentries on the ramparts, who challenged. A brisk fire was quickly opened on the reconnoitring party and the support, which was then moving up to
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them, and had already surprised and taken prisoners a picquet of the enemy's. As the alarm now became general in the place, the fire increased, and the British detachments retired along the dyke, suffering severely. In the morning Ter Veere was regularly invested, and it surrendered in the course of the day. It is a small town in the north-eastern part of the island.
All the enemy's posts outside Flushing were also driven in ; and we entered Middelburg, the capital of Walcheren and an open town, without opposition, having first promised to respect property. As we were approaching Flushing, the general commanding our brigade met one of our assistant-surgeons in his proper place at the rear of the column, and at once cried out to him, " Sir, why are you not with your company ? "—" I am an assistant--surgeon, sir," was the reply.—" Go directly, sir, to the Colonel; " said the general, " and desire him to place you in arrest." The next morning the general was seated in the garden belonging to his quarters, when a spent ball happened to hit him in the jaw. The nearest medical officer was
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	253
quickly sent for ; and the first that the messenger came to was the above-mentioned assistant-surgeon, who was then in the act of dressing a soldier's wounds. The doctor hastened to the general, determined to take advantage of the opportmaity now afforded him of being avenged on that officer for his unreasonable conduct on the preceding day ; his hands were covered with the soldier's blood, and, before there was time to desire him to wash them, he popped his fingers sans ceremonie into the general's mouth. The doctor always related this circumstance with great seeming satisfaction.
A strong division of sailors was landed, when we appeared before Flushing, to assist in the erection of batteries. Their station was on the extreme right ; they threw up a considerable work, armed with twenty-four pounders, and their fire from it soon became so incessant as to excite general astonishment. One morning that I happened to be at the advanced posts, I perceived some smoke issuing from a house on the line of picquets, and directed my steps towards it, with the view of causing the fire from which it proceeded to be extinguished, as it was
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drawing the attention of the enemy on the ramparts to this point, and heavy shot were continually passing through thebuilding, and close to the spot where we were posted. When I reached the house, I found inside it one of our sailors boiling some potatoes in the midst of the rubbish, part of which had fallen into the pot. " You must put out your fire directly," said I to him, "you are drawing upon us the fire of the garrison." "Well," he replied, with a ludicrous assumption of an air of wisdom, " that is foolishness ! However can them fellows in that there town, know that I be a boiling on my taties here ? " And, though stones and mortar were tumbling about his ears every moment, he would not give up his point, until I threatened to have him confined.
The picquets continued to skirmish with little intermission. , The 32d regiment was much engaged, and behaved with distinguished spirit ; Sir Eyre Coote expressed his high approbation of the conduct of this corps, and said, that when the 32d was at the advanced posts he could sleep sound. At this time the French understood irregular firing much better than
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	255
our men; the file did not separate; one fired at random, knowing that a British soldier would pop up his head to see from what point the shot proceeded, and the other, being at the present, was ready to fire at the first person that should show himself. We lost several men by this stratagem. On one occasion I dined with Major Johnson of the 32d, and one or two other officers, behind some hurdles at the advanced posts. His old cook had prepared the dinner and laid it on a table which he had procured, when he said that he would take a peep at the French, who were within a few yards, and " have a crack at them ; " he went accordingly and stationed himself some paces off, out of sight of us ; but he must have exposed himself incautiously through the desire to observe the effects of his fire, for he was shot through the heart. We quickly discovered his fate. An attempt was made to bury him under an apple tree, but so many balls came whistling through the branches and knocking the leaves about, that it was found necessary to bring him to our dining place, which was sheltered by the hurdles, and there we made his narrow home, at the spot
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on which he had set our table. When this task was performed, we replaced the table, and dined over the old cook who had dressed our meal. One morning, before a part of the line of advanced posts had been relieved, the old picquets belonging to it, by some mistake, moved off, and our vigilant and active enemy had nearly profited by this occurrence to our annoyance. The 32d regiment was to take the outpost duty there on that day, under the command of Major Johnson ; this officer was proceeding to the place of his destination by the usual, but circuitous, route, when he observed that the picquets had quitted their ground, and that the enemy might make a sudden attempt to occupy it. Accordingly, seeing that there was no time to be lost, he procured some planks in an adjoining house, passed his men by means of them over a deep ditch, and thus was enabled to take a shorter way and reach the important point before the French. They were, however, in motion and creeping on, when they were checked by a sharp fire, which they returned, though finally compelled to fall back to their original station.
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On the 7th of August the garrison made a sortie, the greater part of them were drunk, and they were easily driven back. A laughable occurrence took place, in which our fat brevet-major was concerned. He happened to be posted in an advanced position, and, having a quiet moment, took advantage of it to perform the operation of shaving behind a haystack. His wig was off, and only half of his task accomplished, when a party of French sallied out and attacked his post. The alarm was given, and he rushed instantaneously from his toilet, just as he was, and razor in hand, to head his men. He soon repulsed his assailants ; but had the fortune of the fight gone against him, and he been taken prisoner, his extraordinary figure, without coat, hat, or wig, his face half covered with soap, and his hand armed with a razor instead of a sword, would, no doubt, have excited much merriment at his expense among his lively and sarcastic captors.
On the 10th there was a dreadful thunderstorm, and GeneralMonnet, who commanded in Flushing, ordered the banks to be cut, and the sluices to be opened, and thereby caused a con-
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siderable inundation. The greater part of the ground about the town was laid under water. One evening I was posted at the bottom of a garden, and, being in no apprehension of an attack, I promised myself a comfortable night's rest, and procured a piece of tarpaulin to shelter me from the rain, which now began to fall heavily. I certainly did sleep very sound, but when I awoke early in the morning I found that the inundation had increased during the night, and that the water had risen to my knees, yet I never experienced any ill effects from this cool night's rest.
On the 13th the bombardment commenced, and the town was set on fire in several places. Lord Gardner in the Blake, sailed up to the town, followed by the other line-of-battle ships; each as they passed in succession fired a broadside, and, the facing of the parapet being of cut stone, the splinters flew about to such a degree, that the French artillerymen deserted their guns. On the 14th the capitulation was arranged. The hour appointed for the garrison to march out was six the next morning; hut Lord Chatham wished to see them defile before
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	259
him, and, as his lordship was not an early riser, it was one P. M. before he made his appearance. This argued very reprehensible selfishness in that nobleman, for by his laziness, the unfortunate French troops were thus kept under arms seven extra hours on a remarkably warm day. They were five thousand strong, and there was a considerable number of Irishmen among them.
After the fall of Flushing, a part of the army proceeded to South Beveland, and some regiments embarked and sailed up the Scheldt towards Antwerp. We arrived within ten miles of it, and came to an anchor in sight of the French fleet. But while we were occupied with the siege of Flushing, the French, who were at first in some consternation, quickly recovered from it, and made preparations for defence, and Fouche hastily mustered 40,000 of the National Guard in Paris, and sent them into the Netherlands under Bernadotte. The latter, riot imitating the dilatoriness of the Englishmen, but resolving to profit by it, was soon at Antwerp, which, as well as Fort Lilo, he provided with strong garrisons, having in and about those
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places a force of 30,000 men. Heavy chains were thrown across the river; the broadsides of the French ships were brought to bear so as to sweep the entire channel; strong batteries were erected on the banks of the river; and the surrounding country was laid under water. Under such circumstances the Lords Chatham and Gardner thought that any attempt to destroy the French ships and naval stores must prove unsuccessful, and therefore wisely resolved to make none. The fleet soon dropped down the Scheldt, and we were relieved from the tantalizing spectacle of the noble prize that we lost through supineness and incapacity.
One morning at sunrise I heard an unusual noise, and looking up through the skylight I observed the mainyard of a seventy-four between the masts of the transport on board of which I then was ; the former vessel had been tiding it down, and as our brig, very improperly, lay in the centre of the channel, could not avoid us. Her anchor was let go, but it did not bring her up before she was placed in the situation in which I first saw her. Had there
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been the least delay to the king's ship anchoring, we must inevitably have been run down. Some gun-boats came out from Cadsand and threw heavy shot at the transports, but did no damage. This roused the indignation of the master of letter V. transport; he paced his quarter-deck with as pompous an air as if he were an admiral, and at last, pulling up his trowsers and turning to his mate, gave the following fearful order—" Mr. Fountain, give them our gun." This was a four-pounder that would not go off.
One night when the boats of the Imperieuse were rowing guard in the Scheldt, Lieutenant
T	s of that ship came up with a schuyt
which was dropping down the river; she had on board some comforts for General Sontag, whose friends at Antwerp contrived to evade the vigilance of the French naval officers, and in this manner sent off some choice wines, liqueurs, &c. for his use; but the lieutenant seized the vessel, and, turning a deaf ear to all her master's representations, dispatched invitations to his military friends on shore, requesting
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them to come on board the next day to dine with him. It is needless to say that they did so, and discussed the merits of the capture.
We disembarked at Flushing, and thus terminated the main part of an enterprise, which was grandly conceived but wretchedly attempted. Upon his arrival off Walcheren the admiral should have sailed up the Scheldt without delay, and Lord Chatham, leaving a few thousand men to mask Flushing, should have pushed on with the remainder of his force to Fort Lillo, of which he could have made himself master. Antwerp, which was defended only by a burgher guard and the French fleet, would have fallen an easy prey to our army and navy. Still, it had been well for us had our ill-fortune left us after this signal failure; but by some fatality our government determined to hold the island of Walcheren. For this purpose twenty-one regiments were stationed there : the rest of the troops returned to England.
Flushing presented a sad picture of the effects of a bombardment. All the streets at the land side were reduced to a heap of ruins, and there
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was not a house in the town that had not sustained some damage. We found a seventy-four, a frigate, and a brig on the stocks. The harbour, shut in by a floodgate, is a very fine one, and, as the tide rises twenty-four feet, very large vessels can enter it. A broad paved road, three miles'in length, leads from Flushing to Middel-burg. The latter, once the emporium of the Dutch East India merchandise, is a city of the second class. It has fine quays and wharfs, extensive stores and warehouses, and well-paved, wide, handsome streets, which are kept particularly clean. There is nothing remarkable in the appearance of the churches, as the Dutch Calvinists do not approve of rich decorations in places of worship. The congregations sit on chairs, placed in rows, and facing the pulpit ; the ladies take with them to prayers square boxes, filled with hot embers, and provided with perforated lids; these chaufferettes are laid between the feet, and covered by the petticoats. The warth that they occasion the Dutch ladies think very comfortable in a cold and damp church.
The surrounding country is flat, as is indeed
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the whole island of Walcheren,which has chiefly been an encroachment on the sea, and is six inches below its level at high water. As a sudden breach in the embankments might cause a dangerous inundation, the Dutch take care to keep them in excellent repair. The fields are intersected by deep cuts, which the peasants cross with the aid of leaping poles ; those drains retain stagnant water, and decayed grass and weeds, from which noxious exhalations arise, attended by a disagreeable smell that is particularly offensive at night. The humidity of the atmosphere is extreme. Although the floors of the house in which I was billetted were matted, and every precaution was adopted to exclude the damp, still my boots which had been taken off the preceding night, and left by the bedside, were in the morning green with mould. But the climates that are the least favourable to the human constitution often appear to be the most so to vegetable productions ; and on .this island crops of all sorts are uncommonly luxuriant : wheat and beans attain the height of six feet, and lettuces grow as large as our cabbages ; various other
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plants are proportionally gigantic in comparison with ours, so that Walcheren is a perfect Brob-dignag of vegetables. The pastures throw up the richest herbage, and the dairy cattle yield a great quantity of milk, the butter from which also is considered excellent. The natives pay much attention to their dairies, which are vaulted for the sake of coolness, have tiled floors, and are kept remarkably neat. The cleanliness of their houses too claims the admiration of every stranger : those occupied by families of the higher grades at Middelburg, are always provided with a water-engine for the purpose of washing the roofs and windows ; the purifications of these parts of the buildings are performed weekly. It rarely happens that one meets with a spider, for the children of Arachne are here a most persecuted race, and only safe on the tops of the highest trees. But, in a climate naturally so humid as that of Walcheren, it cannot be prudent to create so much artificial damp by those frequent washings of both the interior and the exterior of the dwelling-houses.
Notwithstanding the unwholesomeness of the air they breathe, the boors are, generally speak-
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ing, able-bodied men ; but a florid complexion is seldom seen among them. Their apparel is chiefly of dark-coloured cloth, the inexpres-sibles being very wide and large, and the waistcoat long, without a collar, and adorned with several rows of buttons, which are commonly of silver, and attached to loops; they wear long-quartered shoes, and huge buckles that cover the greater part of the feet; the hat is very low, and furnished with a brim that serves for a parapluie. They are excessively fond of tea, and will sit drinking it out of small cups, like those seen in England in children's babyhouses, for two or three hours at a time ; they also take a considerable quantity of spirits, which may be requisite in such a country. Their principal places of amusement are the wine-houses, where they pass their time between dancing, tippling, smoking, and playing their favourite game of draughts, on drinking tables chequered for the purpose. The women are clumsily formed, and their costume gives their figures a still more heavy and awkward appearance than they have by nature. The upper part or body of their dress sits close to the
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shape, and is generally made of brown cloth or stuff; the petticoats are very short, but the latitude of these garments is increased in the same proportion that the longitude is diminished, and they puff out abruptly from the waist, so as to form resting places on the hips. The coverings of their heads are commonly very high caps, or black hats shaped like those worn by the men ; they also wear long ear-rings, as many chains about the neck as they can afford, and large silver shoe-buckles. Their countenances are open and good-natured, their visages round, but too flat, and their teeth decay at an early age, which may be occasioned in a great measure by their love of sweetmeats. We found the Dutch always obliging, and they gave ample proof of the generosity of their dispositions by their kind attentions to the sick officers who were billetted in their houses. Their funerals are conducted with great decency. When a death occurs, an undertaker goes round to the dwellings of the friends and relatives of the deceased, and, standing in the halls, announces the melancholy event with a loud voice : every person that attends the obsequies appears
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dressed in black, and wears a long streamer of crape hanging from one corner of his cocked hat. The invitation to an evening party is given viva voce by a servant, who enters the hall of the intended guests' abode, and, like the undertaker, without seeing any of the inmates, bawls out his message, which is sure to reach the ears of some one of them. The invitation generally runs thus :—" The Herr and the Frow Van Pluck compliment the Herr and the Frow and the Cliny Frow Montendam, and request the pleasure of their company to-morrow evening at half an hour to seven, to drink tea and coffee."
In all respectable dwellings there are large house-dogs, which in winter are harnessed to their mistresses' sledges. The butchers and bakers also employ them in drawing meat and bread to their customers ; the shafts of the carts to which they are put, are bent downwards toward the points, so as to keep the load off the dogs' backs when they lie down, which they do whenever their conductors stop at a door. I was surprised to see the very heavy loads which those animals would draw. I have seen a single
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one take six dead sheep in his cart through the streets, and another a quarter of beef and two sheep. During the investment of Flushing, a very large dog of this breed followed an officer of my regiment to the bivouac, and remained in his wigwam during the day. The officer was highly pleased with it, and came to tell some of us that he had just got the finest dog he ever saw, and would not take any money for it. He remarked, in addition, how strange it was that the canine species should always seem so much attached to him. Having been on some duty during the remainder of the day, he only returned to his wigwam after nightfall, but as he drew near to it, the dog stt up an angry growl, and disputed the entrance with so much ferocity, that no alternative remained besides shooting the surly occupant or leaving him in quiet possession ; the latter was adopted, and the officer went to seek a shelter elsewhere. In the morning, the value of the dog had undergone a serious diminution in his estimation, and he declared that on no account would he keep such a brute a moment longer.
There were a great number of old gentlemen
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at Middelburg, and we were rather surprised to see so many persons living to an advanced age in this unhealthy climate. They were, it is true, quite emaciated, and scarcely able to support their immense wigs and cocked hats. They seemed to walk out more for the pleasure of giving and receiving salutations than for any thing else. Their tenaciousness of etiquette, and adherence to the strictest rules of the old school, were remarkably scrupulous. They still wore the large frills and ruffles, and the gold-headed cane was never missing. If the hat was taken off to a stranger, it was never replaced before he appeared covered ; the contrary practice would have been regarded as a gross infraction of the rules of good breeding. On passing the house of an acquaintance, the polite man uncovered, although none of the inmates should be visible at the windows. An arch wag of the 6th regiment, whose notice this punctilious observance of forms did not escape, used to take his stand about the centre of the principal street, awaiting the approach of some respectable old gentleman. As soon as a proper subject would make his appearance, the
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officer would take off his hat with a grave air of politeness, and of course instantly receive a return of his salute. He would then walk in the opposite direction, remaining uncovered, and looking over his shoulder; the Dutchman's rigid notions of etiquette would not permit him to do otherwise, and in this manner the well-bred pair would march until they gained their respective ends of the street, and lost sight of each other. No sooner had one martyr to etiquette and decorum been disposed of in this manner, than the tormentor would re-occupy his old position, and play the same game with another. If the wind happened to be high, the sport was better, for iii that case clouds of powder flew from the unprotected wig, and the tormented found himself under the necessity of returning home to have it re-dressed.
The good old lady, at whose house I was bil-letted, would not allow me to provide anything, saying that she hoped I would be satisfied with their mode of living. The first thing that was given to me on my leaving my room in the morning was a glass of gin or cordial ; this was followed by a cup of coffee and a pipe : dinner
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was served at one o'clock, and consisted of an abundance of vegetables, with little meat, and less wine : at six a pipe, a cup of coffee, and a glass of liquor were taken : at nine we sat down to supper, the principal meal, and had wine, grog, and smoking. Such hours did not suit me, and besides, like most British officers similarly circumstanced, I felt a disinclination to subject those friendly people to any additional expense, as they had been placed under heavy contributions by the French, who insisted upon being provided with every thing they required, without payment; I therefore joined eleven other officers of my regiment in forming a mess. We discovered a store that contained, among other matters, some casks of good English beef, excellent bottled porter, and prime claret, and hiring the room, above it, we made ourselves very comfortable. The great market also was very conveniently situated, and on Mondays well supplied with the requisite munitions de bouche. We provided ourselves with enormous wigs, which by the first rule of our mess we were enjoined to wear during dinner; the president and vice-president sported
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three-deckers, as those which had three tiers of curls were called. The novelty of our club attracted hundreds of people every evening to the space in front of our windows, and, when we appeared at them, they greeted us with immense cheering and loud bursts of laughter. We had a tolerably strong proof, that nothing is so conducive to the health of persons residing in this climate as good living, in the fact that not one member of our club was for a moment unwell during our stay in Walcheren, although our sick list had amounted on the 4th of September to 9,000.
The mortality was truly dreadful. The 23d, 81st, and 91st regiments were struck off duty on the 1st of October, as on that day they had no men out of hospital. An order to bury the dead at night was issued, with a view of concealing the frightful extent of the daily ravages of the fever in our ranks. All the carpenters in Middelburg were fully employed in making coffins for the British. In one day the 81st buried twenty of their men, and on the 24th of September, the 6th, who had come out one thousand strong, had lost one hundred men,
N 5
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and had seven hundred in hospital, while of the twenty-one regiments there were only 5,500 men fit for duty ; in the course of the following week, this number was again reduced to 3,000. By the 14th of November we had sent to England 8,000. sick. The Dutch physicians were quite adverse to our system of treating the sick, and very fairly proposed to take charge of one hundred of the soldiers in hospital, and to allow any of our medical men to select an equal number, in order to see which could effect a majority of cures out of their respective lists of cases. This offer was rejected; but why remains to be answered.
It now became evident that we should he shut up in Flushing, unless a reinforcement of 10,000 men was speedily sent to us from England, as the French commander was pouring troops into the Bevelands. General Don had arrived in the room of Lord Chatham, who had returned home, and at length it was made known that his duty was the superintending of the evacuation of Walcheren. All the French property found on the island was sold, with the exception of the brass guns and stores,
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	275
which were shipped off. The frigate and brig were launched, and the seventy-four was destroyed on the stocks. Every man who was unable to march into Flushing in case of alarm, was ordered to England. A short time previous to the general evacuation of the island, I was sent home with sick. We had on board our transport detachments from different regiments, with several officers, and our medical man was an hospital mate, who had never lived out of London, before he left it, in all the might of a Hippocratian champion, to combat the formidable fever. He was a fat, smiling, good-humoured little fellow, and spoke very sensibly on all matters connected with his profession, but in other respects betrayed almost incredible simplicity and ignorance of the world. Here was a man educated in the first capital in Europe, possessing fair abilities, well acquainted with his profession, and yet more incapable of thinking for himself and acting with judgment, when placed in circumstances at all new to him, than the most illiterate peasant of the rudest district in his country. He drew the most extravagant inferences from
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many even of the ordinary occurrences of his new life, gave implicit credence to every thing he heard, however jestingly told and however improbable, constantly expressed his serious alarm lest we should fall in with a privateer and be captured, and in every possible manner exposed his peculiar fitness to become the butt of every lover of mischief. There are few situations in which such a character can fail of attracting the immediate and particular attention of many a tormentor, and our circumstances were then very unfavourable to the permanence of the worthy doctor's quiet; we had just escaped the pestilential air of Walcheren, we felt the invigorating influence of the fresh sea-breeze, the weather was remarkably fine, the water smooth, and all we seemed to want was a little fun. It was morally impossible, therefore, that one so well qualified to afford this desideratum as our medical friend indisputably was, could long be suffered to remain undisturbed.
The first thing done was to increase, or at least to confirm, his dread of privateers ; a sail never came in sight that he was not persuaded
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	277
that it looked very suspicious ; the danger of our situation was a favourite topic whenever he was present; and often was the desire expressed that we might reach the shores of England in safety, though the desponding tone of the speaker evinced how faint were his hopes of " a consummation " so " devoutly to be wished : " it was not surprising then that, be-wilderedby his apprehensions, this singularly unsuspecting and undiscerning person readily consented to keep watch day and night, during the passage. Of course his activity and devotedness secured to him an equipment befitting the arduous office he had assumed; he was provided with a waist-belt, a brace of pistols, and a cutlass, which were never for an instant laid aside, and also a spy-glass and a speaking trumpet, one or the other of which was generally in requisition ; and, to render the use of the latter instrument, when in his possession, as great as possible, he was taught a useful selection of sea-phrases. The master of the transport, too, to carry on the joke, put a blank cartridge into one of the guns, and declared that he depended on the gallant doctor alone
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for the preservation of the ship. It must be confessed that our protector performed his duty in the most exemplary manner, and was constantly on the qui vive, while free from the improper interference of others; when tired of standing or walking, he would rest himself by sitting on deck, but he never visited the cabin until late at night, when the officers, by sending up to him a series of tumblers of punch, had led him to drink so freely, that he was carried down in a state of unconsciousness : still, the rising sun saw him at his post again, and he always apologized to the commanding officer for his having been found below.
After a day or two had passed, a small Welch brig edged down to us to hear the news from Walcheren, and, as she came within hail, the Welchman saluted the master of our vessel in the usual seafaring manner—" How are you, sir? How are you ? " Upon this the doctor, who had been watching the stranger with much jealousy, at once put his trumpet to his mouth, and cried, " If you don't sheer off directly, I will fire into you." The old Cambrian gave his trowsers a tug, not knowing
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what to make of such incivility ; but, as he did not instantly comply with the doctor's orders, the poker was ordered out hot from the Ca-bouse fire, and the before-mentioned gun discharged at the brig. This was too much for our new acquaintance, who, undoubtedly con _ eluding that we were all mad, was heard to call out to his helmsman, " Port !" and shortly after, " Hard-a-port there ! " being evidently in a violent hurry to part company. The following morning it was intimated to the warlike son of Esculapius, that he was to board the next privateer that should approach us by night, and to have a sufficient party to accompany him. This service he agreed to undertake to a certain extent, declaring his readiness to exert himself to the utmost of his power, hut adding that he should never be able to climb up a ship's side, and could only remain in the boat, to take care of the wounded; he then proceeded with the drummers to the cabin, to instruct them in the art of applying tourniquets and bandages. He selected the worst of his shirts to break up for lint, others for bandages, and a few of the strongest for
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muffling the oars ; but, as his own vessel might happen to be boarded, he knew not how soon, he guarded against the rapacity of the enemy, by packing his dollars in his neckcloth, and cutting the chain of .his watch with his scissors, lest its ticking should discover that he had one. That evening the commanding officer sent up a message to him, with permission to come off watch for a short time to join in a rubber at whist. The proposal was accepted ; but our trusty protector did not leave the deck before he had appointed a person to act in his stead, with strict orders to keep a good look-out. According to a pre-concerted arrangement, and before he had done playing, a cry on deck announced that a privateer was alongside. The effect was electric. The doctor dashed down the cards, sprang from his seat, snatched up his arms, and rushed toward the cabin-door; but, before he could reach it, a body of sailors, disguised, and armed with cutlasses, burst in. They seized and pinioned him in an instant, forced him up through the skylight, and from thence expeditiously transported him into the boat
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on the booms, where he lay lamenting his hard fate, that, after all his past vigilance and toil, he should at last be surprised and taken prisoner. For a short time he was suffered to remain in that disagreeable situation, but as he might lose his dollars were he to be too long in the hands of his captors, it was thought fit to relieve him, by driving the privateer's men overboard. On being released, he thanked us all for our bravery, and declared that no consideration should ever induce him to quit the deck again; but he was soon so well primed with punch, that he passed the night in the cabin as usual. On such occasions his mattress was spread on the floor, and he lay stretched on it until daybreak. But these frolics had nearly ended fatally to the innocent and confiding object of them, for on that night the weight of the dollars so oppressed the organs of respiration, that he was almost suffocated, and would inevitably have perished, had not some one, by great good fortune, observed that his face was turning quite black. As we approached Portsmouth, he discovered that he had lost his certificate
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from the senior medical officer at Middelburg, and his advisers at once warned him of the hazard of venturing on shore under such circumstances, unless in disguise. They suggested two modes of effecting his escape from the transport ; the one was packing him in a hogshead, the other, dressing him up as a soldier, with knapsack and firelock. The latter was speedily rejected, because no person of his figure would have been taken as a soldier, and his appearance in the garb of one might very probably excite suspicion; but the former was approved of, the principal only stipulating that, during the process of his removal, the officer on whose carefulness he placed greatest reliance should attend, and see that the bunghole was kept open, in order to prevent any risk of suffocation. But while these matters were in agitation, the anchor was let go in Portsmouth Harbour, and so anxious were the officers to get on shore there that the doctor was forgotten, or left unnoticed. I returned to the transport the morning after we landed, and found the poor fellow sitting dis-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	283
consolately on a chair in the middle of the cabin; he told me that this had been his position .all night, but that he had enjoyed no rest, as an unlucky mouse had encaged itself in a round wire-trap, and the cat had been rolling this engine along the floor during the whole night ; he also mentioned his fixed determination not to leave the ship until he should receive an answer to a letter which he had dispatched to London.
My first day's march was from Portsmouth to Havant, and I found the convalescents already so sensibly benefitted by their native air, that there was no necessity for procuring waggons to convey them. The landlady at the head inn requested me to inspect the dinner she had provided for them, as soldiers were too apt to grumble at their fare ; I did so, and told her that I did not think it possible that they could consume all the eatables on the tables, especially as they were only recovering from the effects of the Walcheren fever. " Bless you, sir !" said she, " I have been on this here road these five and thirty year, and never yet seed a sick sodger at dinner-time."
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Horsham was named as the future quarters of my regiment. On my way thither, I turned off to Brighton, the head-quarters of the district, and procured leave of absence from Lord Charles Somerset. The island of Walcheren was evacuated by the last division of our troops on the 23d of December, after having blown up the fortifications of Flushing. The disastrous consequences of this ill-conducted expedition created considerable discontent at home, and certainly with perfect justice, for, in addition to our failure before Antwerp, the mortality that thinned our ranks could not have been equalled in the most sanguinary campaign, and the services of nearly half the men of whom the army of Walcheren consisted were lost for ever to the country. Lord Castlereagh and Mr. Canning themselves quarrelled on this unpleasant subject, and finally fought that duel in which the latter was wounded.
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CHAPTER XI.
Hailsham—Review at Brighton—Bexhill—Guernsey—Sir John Doyle—Some account of the island—Royal African corps—Precis of military operations on the Peninsula.
IN the spring of 1810, I joined the regiment at Hailsham, from leave of absence. The immediate vicinity of this town is remarkable to Hibernian travellers, as being the part of Sus-sex where potatoes were first planted. The person who introduced these vegetables there was a clergyman ; he began to cultivate them in his garden about eighty years prior to my visit to Hailsham, and from this circumstance he was subsequently designated " the potatoe parson."
The anniversary of the Prince of Wales's birth-day was to be celebrated this year with great splendour, and 13,000 men were to be reviewed on the downs in the neighbourhood of Brighton. My regiment was one of those
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which received orders to repair thither. On the day of the review, the Prince came on the ground, attended by his royal brothers, Sir David Dundas, the commander-in-chief, who rode on his right hand, and a grand cortege. There was so numerous an assemblage of the nobility present who wore stars, and of foreign officers who appeared in their uniforms, that much confusion was the consequence. Several officers, in marching past, saluted different persons before they had come near the Prince, and among those so honoured, an old Austrian general received by far the greatest number of salutes. The staff gallopped about, exclaiming to the blunderers, " Gentlemen, you are saluting the wrong person—the Prince is farther on, dressed in the uniform of the 10th Dragoons." One of the subalterns of my company was a confused little fellow, of dwarfish proportions, with the exception of his nose, which was large enough for a giant. It was impossible to teach him to march past, as he ought, and he always dropped his point with the wrong leg ; when, therefore, it came to our turn to salute, the Prince and Sir
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	287
David Dundas, observing his extraordinary appearance and performance, vainly endeavoured to suppress their risibility, and actually laughed aloud. The commanding officers of corps were desired to dine at the Pavilion, and were presented to the Prince by the Duke of Kent.
We were afterwards stationed at Bexhill. We found here the 1st and 2d light regiments of the German Legion. Our infantry are much indebted to them for practical information relative to outpost duties, which, notwithstanding their great Importance, British troops at one time discharged in the most negligent manner. Our allies in Flanders complained very much of the deficiency of the Duke of York's army in this particular ; and in the earlier peninsular campaigns, our people, both cavalry and infantry, betrayed an unpardonable absence of vigilance and professional knpwledge.
The barracks at Bexhill were temporary, and consisted of a number of small .unconnected houses. The building-mud, for that was the material of which the walls were con-
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strutted, was pounded down in a low wooden frame of the required breadth ; when the first layer had become sufficiently dry and firm, the frame-work was raised, and the elevation continued by a repetition of the process. The roofs of these houses, which were occupied by both officers and men, were thatched, and the whole barrack stood within an inclosure of palisades.
After some time we proceeded to Guernsey, which we found to be a very pleasant quarter. Sir John Doyle was then the lieutenant-governor, and his presence greatly contributed to make Guernsey so agreeable. He was an officer whose conduct, whether regarded as that of a commander, a soldier, or a gentleman, has always elicited the warmest praise from all who knew how to appreciate real merit. Talented, brave, and courteous, he conciliated the esteem of all classes ; his popularity with the people of the island was unbounded ; and the kindness and benevolence of his disposition deservedly obtained for him the distinguishing title of " the soldier's friend." Few men were possessed of superior
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social qualities, and most delightful parties were frequently given at the Government House. The society in Guernsey is incomparably better than that which is usually found within so limited a space. The young people are educated at the best English schools and at the universities ; and, from the common intercourse of the islanders with France, they have the double advantage of an acquaintance with both French and English society ; consequently, they are remarkably well-informed and well-bred. A mixture of the different grades in society can never take place here easily, as they are regularly classed : the "a thin class of sixties," as it is called, consists of the inhabitants of the highest degree, and they refuse to associate with persons of an inferior one ; but, should an officer of the army or navy marry a fair thirty or forty, she gains a step or two of rank by this union, and is admitted into the highest circle. In Guernsey, differently from all other places in the world, it is on a dark night that one can best distinguish the rank of per-sons.passing through the streets; the cause of a fact apparently so strange is simply this, the
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first-rates have the exclusive privilege of burning three lights in their lanterns; the second-rates are allowed only two, and the third, &c. must contrive to find their way with the aid of only one. The Norman laws are still observed here, and some families enjoy particular privileges; for instance, the Le Marchants are the only persons who have a right to keep a dovecote. The better classes of the inhabitants speak both English and French well, but the language of the lower is a vile patois. The Peasants are neat in their appearance, the women particularly.
The island is about thirty miles in circumference. The climate is fine ; the face of the country level, and the soil fertile, producing in the greatest perfection all kinds of fruit and vegetables that are to be found in France or England. The strawberries are remarkably large ; the aloe thrives in the natural earth, without protection ; and several plants which will not bear the rigour of our climate flourish here in the open air. From the produce of the orchards a great quantity of cider is made; and the Guernsey butter is the finest, perhaps,
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in the whole world. As we were at war with France, the markets were very high ; our principal supplies of butchers' meat were brought by the Weymouth packets, which arrived twice a week ; but wines and groceries were so reasonable, that altogether we could live at as cheap a rate here as in England. The chief town is St. Pierre, which has no claim to beauty, the streets being narrow and crooked, and the buildings irregular. The entrance of the port is defended by Castle Cornet; and the coast is surrounded by rocks. Guernsey is well situated for trade, and the commercial people here and at Jersey have found priva-teering very profitable. Th€ quantity of what is called wine exported hence to London exceeds the total importation into the island, in an extraordinary great ratio ; and, as there are no vineyards in Guernsey, this can only be accounted for on the supposition of an extensive adulteration of the genuine juice of the grape.
The Royal African corps was stationed for some time on this island, as an insular situation renders desertion more difficult of accomplish.. o2
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ment, and this regiment is composed of deserters and bad characters removed from other corps. They are intended, as their name denotes, to be employed on the coast of Africa, and were at this time in daily expectation of an order to proceed to Sierra Leone. They were inspected, preparatory to embarkation, by a general officer (not Sir John Doyle), and he, feeling confidence in his oratorical powers, did not express his approbation of what he had seen to the commanding officer, as is usual, in a. whisper, but ordered the battalion to form square, and then spoke nearly as follows : " Royal African corps ! Your appearance this day — your military appearance, I mean —demands my warmest praise. You are a credit to the corps to which you belong." This part of the speech excited the risibility of the unconcerned spectators. " You are going to a place where there is an abundance of vegetables, and I am very sure that you will do justice to them." Here the oration ended; and the general and staff moved off the ground, leaving the soldiers in doubt whether he had addressed them jestingly or seriously.
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Towards the close of the spring of 1811, it began to be suspected that my regiment, which was now effective, was to go out again to the Peninsula, as well as other troops, to reinforce Sir Arthur Wellesley on his third campaign since the retreat to Corunna.
When the French had no longer any British troops to cope with in Spain, they directed their attention once more to Portugal, and Soult? entering that country at the head of 23,000 men, took Oporto by storm on the 29th Hof March, 1809. Victor threatened Lisbon by ti e line of the Tagus, and signally defeated the Spaniards, under Cuesta, at Medellin on the 27th of March. There were also 10,000 French between Ciudad Rodrigo and Salamanca, so that Portugal was at this time in danger of being invaded by 35,000 men, besides the force under Soult. Sir John Cra-dock, who commanded the British troops, about 14,000 men, in that country, was preparing to embark, and would have done so immediately had Soult advanced. But in the mean time our government changed their plans, and sent out General Hill, and after-
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wards Sir Arthur Wellesley, with reinforcements, in the month of April; the latter arrived in the Tagus on the 22nd, and took the chief command of both the British and Portuguese armies. General Beresford, who was nominated field-marshal by the Regency of Portugal, was intrusted with the management of their troops ; our officers were invited to enter their service, with the understanding, that they were to obtain a step of rank, and the Portuguese soldier thought himself fortunate when he belonged to the company of a British captain. The system of speculation, so universal in the Portuguese army up to this period, was effectually checked, and the greatest attention was paid to the clothing, cleanliness, and comfort of the men. The re-organized force soon attained a high state of discipline, and became formidable to the enemy, who had hitherto entertained the notion that it was impossible to make a Portuguese a soldier.
On the 5th of May, Sir Arthur Wellesley concentrated his force at Coimbra. Sir Arthur Wellesley now marched for the north, effected
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the passage of the Douro in the most able manner, and compelled Soult to evacuate Oporto with precipitation. The French retreated into Gallicia, with the loss of their guns, stores, and 6,000 men. The British commander then directed his course southward, and finally reached Placentia with 22,000 men, from which place he effected a junction with the obstinate old Spaniard, Cuesta, who had 38,000 men near Oropesa. The French, Victor's army, retired behind the Alberche, -and on the 24th of July moved still farther to the rear. On the 26th, King Joseph, Victor, and Sebastiani had assembled 50,000 men behind the Guadarama, and Cuesta, who had pursued Victor on the 24th, contrary to Sir Arthur Wellesley's advice, was compelled to retire in his turn, and fell back behind the Alberche, with a loss of 3,000 men, being saved from a still greater by a timely movement of the Duke del Albuquerque at the head of a body of Spanish horse. On the 27th and 28th, the allied army were attacked in their position at Talavera by the enemy, but they maintained it with perfect success. The British
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loss on those two days amounted to about 6,500 killed and wounded; the Spaniards stated theirs at 1,200; and that of the French amounted to 10,000. Seventeen guns were captured in the battle of the 28th by the British. Sir Arthur Wellesley remained at Talavera until the 3d of August, but the march of Soult, who had advanced from the north on Plasencia, at the head of a formidable force, and the misconduct of the Spanish generals, induced him to retire, and cross the Tagus at Arzobispo. In consequence of this movement, 1,500 of the British wounded, whom it was impossible to remove, were left at Talavera, and they fell into the hands of Victor, who advanced again to that place. The British army and the Spaniards then occupied a defensive line on the left bank of the Tagus. During these proceedings, Sir Robert Wilson, with a body of Portuguese and Spaniards, penetrated to the neighbourhood of Madrid. The Spanish forces in different parts of the Peninsula sustained many defeats this year. Sir Arthur Wellesley's conduct was freely canvassed in Parliament, and many of the speakers, in their utter ignorance
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of military matters, were delivered of very absurd orations on the occasion. Mr. Windham, indeed, though one of the opposition, handsomely defended the army from the aspersions endeavoured to be thrown upon it. The British commander had to contend not only against a strong and experienced enemy, but against the wrong-headedness and ignorance of his Spanish allies, and the want of provisions, forage, means of transport, and money. If those amateur tacticians who, forgetting that soldiers and horses have mouths as well as legs, fancy that troops can be moved with the same ease as men on a chess-board, and those orators who were so lavish of their eloquent censures, could only have taken a peep into futurity, they would hardly have committed themselves, as they did, by accusing the British general of incapacity, and his army of being beaten and unable to face the legions of France. However, the Spanish government appointed Sir Arthur Wellesley to the rank of captain-general, and our own rewarded his services by elevating him to the peerage.
By the beginning of September, the British o5
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army was in cantonments near Badajos, on the Guadiana; and in the middle of December they broke up from them and moved toward the Coa. Within another month Lord Wellington's head-quarters were established at Viseu; the army, with the exception of General Hill's corps, which observed the Alentejo,
being cantoned in Beira.	In the spring of
1810, the British troops were under 22,000 effective, and the Portuguese, of whom some regiments were yet in the first stage of training, amounted to about 30,000 men. At this period the French forces in the Peninsula were strongly reinforced, and Massena, at the head of three corps, marched for the confines of Portugal. He invested Ciudad Rodrigo on the 4th of June; it surrendered on the 10th of July. The garrison consisted of 7,000 Spaniards, and the governor, Don Perez de Herrasti, made a brave resistance. Lord Wellington, whose force consisted of only 28,000, British and Portuguese, remained near during the siege, but could not venture to strike a blow for the relief of the place, as Massena's army exceeded 60,000 men. On the 24th of
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June, General Crawford, who was detached with 5,000 men, was attacked by an entire corps of the French army, commanded by Ney, and compelled to cross the Coa ; but the loss sustained by the assailants greatly exceeded that of the allies. Lord Wellington began now to withdraw his forces from behind the Mondego, leaving one division at Guarda. On the 4th of August he directed, by proclamation, that all the population of such parts of the country as he was unable to protect, should abandon their homes, taking with them their moveable property, and destroying of the remainder what might serve for the use of the invaders. On the 15th of August, Massena laid siege to Almeida ; it was defended by Colonel Cox and 5,000 Portuguese. Lord Wellington again advanced ; but, on the 27th, principally in consequence of the accidental explosion of the great magazine, the place surrendered contrary to all expectation, and he again retired behind the Mondego with his main body.
On the 21st of September Massena was at Viseu. On the 23d his main body passed the
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Criz, and Lord Wellington took up the position of Busaco, on the right bank of the Mondego, and was joined by Generals Hill and Leith. The British and Portuguese troops were nearly equal in number, and formed a total of 50,000 men; the French army was little short of 70,000 effective. On the 27th Massena attacked the position, but was repulsed with the loss of 5,000 killed and wounded, and some hundred prisoners. The allies lost only 1,200 men. In the evening of the 28th, Massena manoeuvred to turn the left of the position, and accordingly it was evacuated during the night. Lord Wellington retired without loss to the lines of Torres Vedras, a distance of 200 miles. Massena arrived before this famous position on the 10th of October, and to his surprise and vexation found it inassailable. This position had been fortified with great skill and labour, and extended for thirty miles, from the Tagus to the Atlantic; it was planted with six hundred pieces of cannon, and the right was flanked by British gun-boats in the river. Besides the regular British and Portuguese force, there were numbers of the Ordinanya within the lines,
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and two Spanish divisions, that came up with the Marquis de Romana. Three days after Massena had left Coimbra, Colonel Trant, with his Portuguese, took there 5,000 sick or wounded French soldiers. The only fighting was some smart skirmishing on the 14th; and the French army bivouacked before the formidable lines until the 15th of November. On that day, Massena, at an early hour, and favoured by a fog, secretly withdrew his forces to Santarem, where he, in his turn, took up a well-chosen position, which he had caused to be strengthened with much care and art, and in which Lord Wellington could not venture to attack him. Great consternation prevailed in England at the time when the British commander retired to Torres Vedras; and it was predicted by many politicians and senators, that not one British soldier would ever escape from Portugal; so little could they appreciate the Fabian strategics of Lord Wellington.
In February, 1810, Sir Thomas Graham landed at Cadiz with 5,000 British, and 1,000 Portuguese troops. In September the Spanish Cortez met for the first time, and within the
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walls of Cadiz. On the 5th of March, 1811, Sir Thomas Graham, who had landed in Alge-siras Bay with a body of troops of the three nations, defeated a superior force of the blockading army, under Victor, at Barossa. The allies lost 1,200 in killed and wounded; the French 2,500 in killed, wounded, and prisoners, besides six pieces of cannon, and an eagle taken by the 87th regiment.
On the 5th day of the same month Massena began his retreat. The next day Lord Wellington was at Santarem. On the 11th the British troops came up with the enemy at Pombal, and caused them some loss. The following day the French rear-guard, under Ney, made a stand at Redinha, but was dislodged. The firmness of Colonel Trant's force prevented the enemy from retiring through Coimbra. The enemy being restricted to one inconvenient line of retreat, by a series of skilful movements, were compelled to destroy a quantity of stores and baggage, and lost 500 men in crossing the Ceira. The British and Portuguese were much delayed now by the want of sufficient supplies, occasioned by the
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inadequacy of their means of transport; but the French had contrived to secure a proper supply of rations, and, by sacrificing their incumbrances, they were also enabled to move with greater rapidity. On the 3d of April there was a smart affair at Sabugal between the British light division and Reynier's corps, in which the former highly distinguished itself. The following day Massena re-entered Spain. His retreat was masterly; and his rear-guard was ably commanded by Ney, although a serious misunderstanding existed between these two marshals. Throughout the whole of the retreat the French were superior in numbers, but especially after Lord Wellington found himself under the necessity of detaching a portion of his troops to reinforce Marshal Beresford, on the 14th of March, in consequence of the disgraceful surrender of Badajos four days before. The pursuit was conducted, under many disadvantages, with great ability. The loss of the enemy is supposed to have been about 3,000 killed and wounded, and 2,000 taken ; the casualties in the allied army amounted to nearly seven hundred. Lord Wellington's force was then can-
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toned in Beira; he himself repaired to the Alentejo, but was soon after recalled to the North.
On the 16th of April, Olivenza surrendered to Marshal Beresford, who was at the head of 22,000 men. On the 3d and 5th of May, Lord Wellington was engaged by Massena at Fuentes de Honor; the latter endeavouring to relieve Almeida, and the former to defeat the attempt. The French were 45,000 strong ; the allies could barely muster within 10,000 of that number. The loss of the former in the action more than doubled that of the latter, and Massena finally retired across the Agueda, not having accomplished his object. On the 10th Brennier escaped with the greater part of his garrison from Almeida, and not a French soldier remained in arms within the confines of Portugal. So much for driving the British leopard into the sea !
In the first week in May Marshal Beresford invested Badajos ; but he was compelled to raise the siege on the 12th, and on the 16th Soult attacked him near the Albuera. The contest was remarkably fierce and bloody.
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Marshal Beresford's force consisted of about 29,000 men, of whom nearly 8,000 were British, the remainder being Portuguese and Spaniards. Half of the British troops engaged were placed hors de combat. The whole loss of the allies amounted to 6,000, and that of the enemy to nearly 10,000. Marshal Soult failed in his attack, and retired two days after, followed by his opponent.
Lord Wellington now undertook the siege of Badajos a second time; but it became necessary to raise it on the 11th of June. Soult and Marmont, who had succeeded Massena in the command of the army of Portugal, had effected a junction, and were advancing for the relief of the place at the head of 70,000 men. The British commander could oppose to them only 56,000; but he took up a defensive position on the frontier. The French declined the challenge ; and in the middle of July the two marshals separated, Soult returning to Seville, and Marmont marching toward Salamanca.
306	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
CHAPTER XII.
My regiment sails for the Peninsula—We land at Lisbon—Join the main army—March to the North of Portugal—The army goes into cantonments—The Spaniards and Portuguese—The colonel's dragoman—Marmont advances—Affair in front of Guinaldo—Lord Wellington offers battle—Marmont re-tires—The campaign ends—Our winter quarters—Almeida—Trout-fishing— Don Julian Sanchez—General Raymond—Movements of the troops—French surprised at Arroya—Siege and capture of Ciudad Rodrigo—My regiment moved to Marialva—Army marches to the southward—Elvas—Field of Albuera—The siege of Badajos—Attempt to surprise the enemy at Llerena—Badajos stormed—Marches and counter-marches—Sir Rowland Hill's exploit at Almarez.
AT length we received orders to go out, and sailed from Guernsey on the 24th of June, 1811. During the passage two or three of our subalterns, being yet unacquainted with the truth of the Italian proverb, "Giuoco di mano, giuoco di villano," amused themselves by performing practical jokes to the annoyance of some of their brother-officers. One morning their pastime consisted in throwing every article
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	307
within their reach from their births into that of our major, the worthy representative of the Tunbelly family, and the person most frequently marked out for their butt ; nor did the shower of missiles cease before the supply was quite expended. Still, to their great surprise, the object of the attack gave no indication of his usual irritability, and, on the contrary, appeared to bear the unprovoked aggression with perfect good-humour. The cause of this unexpected calm was soon disagreeably elucidated : the major had a porthole at his birth, and, as fast as the missiles came, he, by means of this aperture, slily made offerings of each and all of them to old father Neptune. The disconcerted air of the playful subalterns was very laughable, when they began to be aware that the tables were fairly turned on them, and that books, hoots, slippers, dressing-cases, eyeglasses, with various other articles too numerous to mention, had all disappeared " at one fell swoop."
After a fine passage, we anchored in the Tagus on the 4th of July, and disembarked without delay. The men were sent into barracks, and
308	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
the officers were at first billeted, but subsequently moved into the citadel. The rooms in our new quarters were infested by myriads of fleas when we received orders to occupy them ; but, before that was done, we took care to drive some sheep into them, and the troublesome insects, lodging themselves in the warm fleeces, were transported in great numbers to the pastures.
The situation of Lisbon on the noble Tagus is remarkably beautiful, and, considered in a commercial point of view, most advantageous. The harbour is spacious and secure, and accounted one of the finest in Europe ; the river is constantly covered with innumerable boats, which are generally large and well built, and pull uncommonly fast; it is protected by the forts of Cascaes, St. Anthony, St. Julian, Belem, and the citadel on the right bank, and by fort Bugio, nearly opposite to St. Julian's, with the fort of Palmella, which crowns a height, on the left : but an enemy in possession of the highlands of Almada would command the harbour, and could even bombard the city itself, The population of the capital of Portugal ex-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	309
ceeds 250,000 souls, and the surrounding district, part of which is very fine, contains nearly as many more. The streets that have been built since the destructive earthquake of 1755 are wide, regular, and tolerably well paved ; but the old ones are wretchedly narrow and crooked : all, however, were insufferably offensive in the hot month of July, every sort of filth being thrown at night into the middle of the streets, and the indolent, apathetic inhabitants taking no trouble to cleanse them again. The wild dogs that prowl about this neglected city alone act as scavengers, and a more disgusting sight cannot well be imagined, than a pack of them, the parias of their species, gorging and growling over their loathsome and putrescent food ; these brutes have been known to fly at passengers in their nocturnal perambulations of the streets, and have bitten many persons severely. Yet we were told that Lisbon had improved considerably in cleanliness during the last half dozen years, though I fancied that it would be imposible to find a more dirty town in any part of the world than it appeared to be at that time. It is very certain, nevertheless, that no
310	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
place could be kept in a state of cleanliness more easily than Lisbon ; for it is situated on rising ground, that presents a gradual slope to the Tagus, to which many of the streets run at right angles ; and if it were so kept it would be one of the most delightful cities in Europe, as the air is naturally pure, the climate milder than that of Spain, being tempered by the soft breezes from the Atlantic, and the site and environs of the city very desirable.
The streets are crowdedwith mendicants, who solicit alms from all whom fortune seems to have furnished with the means of being generous as well as just; and, although it certainly is very teazing to be stopped by them so often, even in the same street, I have never seen a Portuguese turn from his unfortunate countrymen in a rough or unfeeling manner. As both rich and poor wear cocked hats, the mendicant, upon encountering a passenger of promising exterior, uncovers, and asks charity for the love of God ; this salutation is returned by the person accosted, who perhaps demands change, at the same time unpocketing a half vintin, a coin equal in value to a halfpenny ; the beggar, upon
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	3 1 1
receiving this, draws forth a long purse, that I have often seen well-stored with different coins, and presents the other with ten rez ; the charitable donation then follows, usually to the amount of a tithe of the change ; the donor is desired, in return, to live thirty thousand years, and the parties separate, each taking off his hat, as at meeting.
Our nights here were rendered still more uncomfortable than our days by the incessant attacks of whole hosts of bugs, fleas, and mosquitoes, that hardly allowed us a few minutes' continued rest. Luckily, we were soon ordered to quarters where we could enjoy an untainted atmosphere, and on the 19th proceeded up the Tagus in boats as far as Villa Franca. Thence we marched to Abrantes, and, crossing the Tagus by a bridge of boats, advanced to Nize, where we found Lord Wellington.
The army was in motion, directing its march to the north of Portugal ; and it was rumoured that his Lordship had ascertained the separation of the forces of Soult and Marmont, and the retrograde movement of the latter, leaving the garrison of Ciudad Rodrigo to defend them-
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selves as they best could ; that it was now thought a favourable opportunity to make an attempt on that fortress ; and that on this account the British cantonments between Elvas and Campo Mayor were now broken up, after being occupied only six days. We recrossed the Tagus at Villa Velha, and marched to Castello Branco, where I remarked particularly the fine episcopal palace, and the beautiful gardens attached to it. Thence we continued our march northwards, hutting almost every night, and relieved by few halting days. When the army bivouacked, the space occupied by each regiment was limited to the ground immediately in the rear of the spot where we halted ; and all trees came to be regarded as billets, being taken possession of according to rank. They were of use to us, not only for the shelter they afforded, but because we could tie our mules and horses to them, and establish at them places for unloading our baggage. It not unfrequently happened that some one of us, after his cattle were released from their burdens, and other prepa-tions made for the night, would be obliged to shift his quarters, on account either of the
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	313
arrival of a senior officer, or of an encroachment on the ground by another regiment.
At Nave d'Aver we joined the sixth division. commanded by Sir Henry Clinton. There was
a. i
a great scarcity of fuel here, and the inhabitants
preferred constant complaints against our men for burning the little timber that was to be found. Colonel B- of the 36th, who had the command of the brigade pro tempore, issued positive orders that neither officer nor soldier should attempt to use for firewood any part of the materials of the dwellings in the village. On the day after this injunction had appeared, the colonel observed some of our men busily employed in unroofing a house, and, irritated by this proof of disobedience, he directed an officer who was with him to go and make prisoners of the whole party. The officer went ; but he soon returned, with the intelligence that the roof of the building on which they were at work was about to be removed for fuel to the colonel's own quarters.
Lord Wellington's head-quarters were at Fu-ente Guinaldo on the 10th of August. We had reached, on the 17th, the miserable village of
VOL. I.
314	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
Barquilla in Spain, distant about four leagues from Ciudad Rodrigo, and thence we moved to Villa de Porco.
The British and Portuguese army, with the exception of Sir.Rowland Hill's corps of 14,000 men, then in the Alentejo, went into cantonments on the line of the Agueda. Our infantry were about 38,000 strong, and our cavalry under 4,000, Lord Wellington being, as usual, weak in that arm.
We now began to feel the want of money severely ; the commanding officer and I lived together, and a wretched mess we had. We were miserably unprovided, having nothing to eat besides rations of the worst kind. One of our officers, a very tall and handsome young Englishman, could not satisfy his appetite with the quantity of rations allowed him, and, having no money to purchase any additional food, wasted away gradually. He died at length, absolutely through want of nourishment.
It was with great difficulty that the commissariat cattle could be brought up, as they were procured at a considerable distance from our present quarters ; and, when they did arrive, the
A SOLDIER S LIFE.	315
mind was irresistibly struck by the strong similitude they bore to what we fancy the lean kine of Pharaoh to have been, for they were so hungry, and so nearly in a state of starvation themselves, that they seemed much more likely to create a famine than to prevent one. • The tough, stringy, and carrion-like flesh that the commissariat bullock afforded, was rendered doubly unwholesome by over-driving, which caused the poor animal to enter the camp in a burning fever. I have often seen the Portuguese drivers hold a little corn in their hands, near the mouths of the wearied and famished beasts, to coax them a few paces further. As soon as the skin was whipped off, the meat was served out, and constituted, with the addition of ship biscuit, our regular fare. The colonel was at one time half-starved, for he suffered from so sharp an attack of rheumatism in the face, that his jaws could ill contend against the tough nature of our food. One day, in particular, he quite despaired of being able to eat his dinner, preferring the pangs of hunger to the torture of masticating a piece of gristle that the commissary had sent
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us, when behold ! our cook entered, bearing in triumph a dish, on which a fine roasting pig appeared, dressed in the best style; and, placing it before us on the table without uttering a syllable, touched his forage cap and withdrew. We had stared at him in amazement, and now exchanged a couple of inquiring looks, which asked very intelligibly, " What is to be done ?" But our eyes did not long remain fixed on the doubtful visages opposite, for, as if the pig were a basilisk, they were irresistibly attracted towards it. The smoke that curled up from the inviting dish was most grateful to our nostrils ; and the visual and olfactory organs communicated so effectually agreeable sensations to the palate and mouth, that our teeth began to water, those of the colonel seeming even to forget the rheumatism. The internal contest between some qualms of conscience and the inclination to gratify a useful sense, was of short duration. The pig was killed, and we could not restore it to life ; if we could, perhaps we would; if we did not eat part of it, Robert, who was so much in fault, being guilty of the plunder and the murder of the little pig, would be rewarded, and
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	317
not punished, by having it all to himself ; and to cause him to suffer the severe punishment awarded by military laws would strongly resemble ingratitude on our part. We therefore concluded that it was as well not to send back the roasting pig ; though, at the same time, wd could not suppress the feeling, that our denying ourselves such a gratification as the enjoyment of the feast before us would be an act of the most exalted philosophy, and well worthy to be recorded in the annals of Villa de Porco, independently of all allusion to any appropriateness of the incidents to the name. But we trusted to no further reasoning, lest the pig, pendente lite, should grow cold ; and accordingly we discussed the delicious little animal, perfectly agreeing, however, in the opinion, that Robert was one of the greatest scoundrels in the army. I have a faint recollection of such an event as payment made subsequently for the stolen pig, and think that it might have been occasioned by our conscientious qualms resuming the offensive with fresh activity, when hunger had become quiescent.
No two nations in the world, not even the Danes and Swedes, hate each other so cordially
318	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
as the Spaniards and Portuguese. The one holds in contempt what he calls the servility of the other; and the latter, in turn, detests what he thinks the arrogance and vain pride of the former. Portugal, too, was once under the domination of Spain, and effected her emancipation only after a fierce and bloody struggle ; and such circumstances cannot but tend very powerfully to confirm the jealousy which so frequently exists between the people of two neighbouring states. The difference of manner and costume is very perceptible, even between the higher classes of both nations. The Portuguese gentry are much more supple and complaisant in their manners, and more gaudy in their taste, than the Spanish : but we had now more opportunities of observing the peculiarities of the bordering peasantry. We were barely within the confines of Spain, and, nevertheless, the cultivators of the soil we had left were as unlike those among whom we had come as they well could be ; and even the dwellings of the villagers of Leon are superior in construction, cleanliness, comfort, and general appearance, to those of the province of Beira. At one side of the stream are heavy wooden shoes; at the other, nothing
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	319
but light sandals. The Portuguese peasant appeared clad in coarse brown cloth, his uncombed hair hanging loosely about his shoulders, his gait listless and lounging, and his whole air indicative of helplessness and indolence ; and although he met us with viva, and in his general demeanour was civil and obliging, yet it was impossible to respect him. On the contrary, the Spaniard's costume was tasteful, and calcu-culated to display to advantage the symmetry of his figure; his hair neatly combed and plaited; his step firm and measured ; his attitudes manly and graceful; his manner besppaking gravity and self-possession; and his whole deportment lofty and commanding, suiting well with his naturally proud and haughty spirit : in fact, the peasantry of Spain have in appearance a decided superiority over the same class of the natives of any other country with which I am acquainted. They have often told me that a Spaniard was either one of the best or one of the worst men in the world. They received us without enthusiasm, - yet they were not uncivil; they gave us for our money what they had to dispose of, but evinced no zeal, no strong desire, to promote our views ;
320	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
it grieved them to the heart that the aid of strangers should seem necessary for their deliverance from the tyranny and usurpation of a detested race. Nor did this reflection lose any of its bitterness because the troops of Portugal stood in the ranks of their allies ; indeed, they could never be brought to confess that they needed any assistance from us beyond supplies of money and arms ; but the Portuguese candidly admitted that men were also wanted.
The next move of the sixth division was to Gallegos and its vicinity ; but it was subsequently stationed more to the right. The villages in this part of the country are inhabited by none but the peasantry, who never live in detached houses, but, seeming in this respect to depart from their general character, congregate for their mutual support and society : accordingly, the tillage lands are found always in the vicinity of towns and villages.
The people live frugally and temperately ; their food consists chiefly of bread, salt pork, dried fish, onions, garlic, pulse, oil, and wine. A cigar or a pipe appears to be one of their greatest luxuries ; indeed, so prevalent is the custom
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	321
of smoking throughout the Peninsula, that the Spaniard must contemplate the probable loss of the Havannah, and the districts of whose fragrant produce it is the magazine, with a feeling of unusual dread.
On our entering Spain, my friend the colonel, who was an indifferent linguist, felt himself so much at a loss, when addressing or addressed by the natives, that an interpreter was deemed to be an indispensable addition to his establishment. The fellow whom he appointed to this office had been taken by the French on the retreat to Corunna, and detained by them in the country for several months before his release was effected ; and during that time he had learned to speak Spanish with fluency : he was therefore kept in constant attendance. While we remained within the Spanish border, the colonel frequently suspected, from the gestures and manner of several of the inhabitants, that they had complaints to prefer, and he was always most anxious to remove every just cause of dissatisfaction; but he was never able to elicit from them, through the medium of his interpreter, any statement of grievances. The
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looks of the landlords of houses in which he happened to be billetted were particularly discontented, and it excited his surprise beyond measure to see them depart, after each conference, apparently with increased dissatisfaction at his manner, which he had intended to be perfectly conciliatory. A considerable time elapsed before the solution of this mystery. The interpreter was a young man with a most amiable and prepossessing countenance ; innocence and simplicity seemed to be so strongly depicted there that a stranger would never imagine it possible for any guile to lurk beneath. But never were appearances more deceitful. There was not a worse character in the whole army. He pilfered every thing that came within his reach, and took the lead in all acts of plunder and outrage that were supposed to have been committed by the regiment ; yet be had the address to conceal his guilt for a very long period. When a complaint was made, the colonel would call this man, and ask him what the complainant said. Perhaps the Spaniard might declare that the interpreter, with others of the servants, had broken open his
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	323
store-room and robbed him of his wine, his onions, his garlic, and his money, and request that a search might be instituted for the recovery of the stolen property. " What does he say ?" would be the colonel's question. " He only wishes you, sir, to make free with everything in the house, and begs that your servants will call for whatever you or they may want," would be the arch-rogue's reply. " He is a remarkably civil man," the colonel would observe, " tell him that I feel much obliged to him, but that it was always my wish to pay for anything I am provided with." " Yes, sir ;" the interpreter would say, adding, in Spanish, as he turned to the plundered host, " The colonel desires you will quit his presence directly, and he does not believe one word that you say." This deception was finally detected through the interpreter incautiously attempting it in the hearing of an officer who understood the language.
While we were thinking of laying siege to Ciudad Rodrigo, the French force in Spain was considerably augmented by the arrival of rein-forceMents from France, a great part of which
324	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
consisted of troops long inured to war. Several thousand men joined Marmont; and Count Dorsenne commanded a separate corps that kept the Asturians and Galicians in check. The French at first evidently hoped, though in vain, to induce Lord Wellington to advance to Salamanca. They then determined to advance against him, and we soon heard that Marmont had collected an army of 60,000 men, between Placentia and Salamanca. At this time our effective force was little more than 40,000 men, British and Portuguese. The next intelligence that came in was that the French marshal was actually on his march; the ground occupied by our army began to be narrowed ; and we were prepared to see the enemy soon make his appearance, and to give him a warm reception whenever he did. It must be confessed, however, that some of our regiments were in rather bad fighting order ; but others were very well, and the four regiments of infantry and one of light cavalry that had arrived in July, were remarkably strong and effective.
Up to this period a trifling affair would now and then occur, with various success, between
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	325
our people and the enemy ; but the garrison were in as great danger from want of provisions as from our attempting to besiege them. On the 24th of September, a part of the French army made its appearance in considerable force, and convoying a long train of waggons and mules, laden with supplies, which entered the fortress in the evening. The next morning two large bodies of the enemy were observed to approach, the weaker marching on Espeja, and the stronger on Guinaldo, where a defensive position had been selected by Lord Wellington for the whole army, if necessary. In front of Guinaldo, on some bare and extensive heights, General Colville was posted with the 5th, 77th, and 83d British, and the 9th and 21st Portuguese infantry, a few pieces of Portuguese artillery, two squadrons of the 11th light dragoons, and an equal number of German hussars. The other brigade of the third division was at some distance from them, on their right.
The artillery, which were on the summit of the same height with the 5th and 77th, and in front of them, opened a smart fire upon the cavalry of the stronger division of the enemy,
326	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
who rode across their ravine and up the ascent, while their infantry were still far behind. The grape and canister of the Portuguese did considerable execution upon the assailants as they advanced ; but at length the battery was taken and the gunners sabred. Still the bold dragoons were not to have it all their own way ; for the 5th, the regiment nearest to the guns, charged them in line with the most daring courage, first punishing them severely with a well-directed fire, and then rushing forward with the bayonet, and throwing them into such confusion by this unheard-of mode of attacking cavalry with infantry, that they gave way and fled. After chasing them down the slope, the 5th returned to their ground with the guns in their possession.
The enemy's squadrons made various charges at other points, but, notwithstanding the disparity of numbers, they were uniformly repulsed by ours. However, to avoid being cut off, it became necessary for the third division to retreat. This was done in the best order by both brigadiers ; though followed by the French cavalry and horse-artillery, and having to tra-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	327
verse an open plain. The infantry, protecting the cavalry, formed squares, and so destructive was their fire to the enemy, who at first charged furiously, and so steady their conduct, that they soon kept them at a respectful distance, though constantly threatening to renew their attacks, and causing us some loss with their horse-artillery. At the same time, after sharp fighting, particularly between the cavalry, some of our outposts on the left flank were driven in.
General Picton's division halted on the lofty ridge of the position of Guinaldo, where General Cole's was also posted. From the Agueda, on the right, to the steep termination of the ridge on the left, was a distance of about three miles ; and the ground in front was a wide plain, where the French appeared in great force. In the night there was a general movement of the different divisions of the British army. It was Lord Wellington's intention to retire at once to a strong position on the Coa ; but he was prevented from carrying it into effect by a mistake made by General Crawford, that officer having attempted to join the main body with his division by a wrong route, and being in conse-
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quence compelled to retrace his steps, by which means much precious time was wasted. My division was marched from Gallegos and Espeja, and took post more to the right ; and it was generally expected that Marmont, with his superior numbers, would endeavour to force us into an engagement.
During the whole of the day of the 26th, the Marshal contented himself with making a grand _ display of his force, and threatening the position of Guinaldo ; but while he was thus employed, the light division crossed the Agueda, and joined the army. In the morning he had 35,000 infantry, and a splendid body of cavalry within gun-shot of Picton's and Cole's divisions, and early in the evening he could muster 60,000 bayonets and 120 pieces of cannon ; yet he left us in undisputed possession of our ground. After dark, the British commander thought it prudent to fall back; and he effected his purpose without the slightest confusion, or the most trifling loss, either of prisoners or baggage.
On the morning of the 27th, the enemy appeared on botji the roads by which the right wing was retiring. On one of these, the road
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	329
to Aldea de Ponte, they followed very briskly, and attacked the fourth division and General Pack's Portuguese on the heights between that village and Nave d'Aver; but they were repulsed after a smart contest, and driven back with our light troops at their heels : our men, indeed, continued the pursuit too long, and were compelled to retire in their turn before a fresh column of the enemy's infantry. It appeared to be Marmont's intention to drive us either into the Coa, or across it, without delay, as if we were a frightened flock of sheep ; but, to borrow a phrase from the fancy, " he had all his work to do yet :" at least, Lord Wellington thought he had, and, to convince him of it, halted this night at Rendoa, where our division was posted, and took up a strong position, with the Coa in our rear and on both our flanks. Here he offered battle to the marshal, but the challenge was not accepted. Perhaps it was a fortunate circumstance for the British arms that no engagement ensued; for although our position was formidable, and in all probability would have been defended triumphantly, there still remained some chance that Marmont
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might succeed in forcing it, through his great numerical superiority; and, if such an untoward event did occur, the allied army, placed as it was, with such a river in the rear, and not a single bridge within its reach, would be in imminent danger of total annihilation.
The campaign was now over. The French retired in three separate divisions ; and on the 29th we crossed the Coa and went into cantonments, having left two divisions to watch Ciudad Rodrigo. Lord Wellington's headquarters were at Frenada. My regiment occupied Chiras.
The wet season now set in ; and we had woful experience that the roofs of such houses as we tenanted were far from being proof against the heavy rain, which fell incessantly.
We had neither money, books, good provisions, nor any kind of amusement, and passed a most dreary time; and, what made matters still more disagreeable, the army was so very unhealthy that considerably more than one-fourth of our number was on the sick list. As the Portuguese have no fire-places in their rooms, except the kitchens, our officers were
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	331
compelled by the dampness of the weather to build some. We found the recesses of such windows as happened to be glazed the most convenient for this purpose, for we easily supplied the place of a chimney by taking out a pane, and running a tin tube through the aperture ; but where the windows were only provided with shutters, which was generally the case, we had to make the fire-place in some other part of the room, and run the tube through the main wall.
Of all bad winter residences a Portuguese house is the worst. The natives themselves looked very pictures of misery at this season, as they sat, wrapped up in their large cloaks, in wretched, gloomy, unfurnished rooms, through the doors and windows of which the cold wind whistled, while the rain dropped, dropped eternally, from various parts of the old boarded ceilings ; they seem not to know what comfort means, and the filthiness of their abodes is insufferable. What inestimable service a visit from a colony of Hollanders, well provided with their brooms and water-engines, would render to Portugal ! The people are also very dis-
332	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
gusting in their persons ; none of them in this part of the country could be free from vermin, and numbers were absolutely covered with them; of course, their beds were stocked with myriads. I usually slept on the large chest, an article of furniture always to be found in a Portuguese house ; and by doing so, I avoided rats as well as the other annoyances. The Barrosa bed was of the greatest utility; it consists of a case, made of tarred canvass, and lined with ticken, which, when filled with straw, may be laid on the wet grass without any danger that the damp will penetrate, and when empty it may be rolled up into a very small compass.
The Portuguese peasant fares worse than the Spanish; the latter commonly uses wheaten bread, which, though close and heavy, is made of excellent flour, and well tasted. The former makes his bread of Indian corn : this is rather sweet, but it is also heavy, and as brittle as a barley-cake; he has less meat too for his table than is to be seen beyond tie border, and lives chiefly on bacalhao or stockfish, salted sardines, and vegetables.
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Agriculture is yet in a very rude state in Portugal. The principal produce of the soil is Indian corn, grapes, and olives. They stir the ground about the Indian corn-plant with mattocks, an operation required to be performed three times before the harvest. The leaves of this plant are used as fodder for the cattle. The plough, the harrow, and the cart are all equally ill-constructed and cumbrous ; they are drawn by oxen. The wheels of the last mentioned implement are solid pieces of timber, and the wdetree revolves with them. The roads too are dreadfully bad, and our wounded men have had painful experience of what such vehicles are, as they have been jolted in them over rocks and ruts from some scene of action. The olive-presses are worked, and the corn trodden out, by oxen. The breed of asses is good, and these animals, which are here very numerous, are found extremely serviceable. The privileges possessed by the fidalgoes and the clergy operate very injuriously to the interests of the peasant, who is besides cruelly oppressed by the exactions of the agents of the wealthy proprietors of the soil.
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Before we left Chiras, an officer's wife, who was coming up from Lisbon to join her hus-
band, met with a provoking adventure. She
was a person of rather masculine appearance, which was increased by her wearing a habit and
a black hat; she rode single on a mule, and was approaching Celerico, when the Ordenanca, or armed peasantry, apprehended her upon suspicion of being a spy. She was taken to a place of confinement, and neither her entreaties first, nor her threats afterwards, availed aught to effect her liberation. They declared their conviction, judging from her costume, and, as they said, suspicious appearance, that she or he, for they entertained strong doubts of her sex, was certainly a spy; and accordingly she was marched hack to Lisbon as a prisoner, and there given up to the proper authorities. Fortunately for the captive lady, the assistant-surgeon to the regiment happened to be in the Portuguese capital at the time ; he was sent for at her request, and his appearance and testimony in her favour sufficed to relieve her from her very distressing situation.
Early in October, Lord Wellington saw fit
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	335
to repair the works of Almeida sufficiently to make it a place of arms, though not to restore it to its former strength, and four hundred men of our division were constantly employed there. The fatigue parties were relieved every fourth day. On the 14th I was sent to the fortress on this duty, with a detachment from my regiment. I found half the town a mere heap of rubbish, for General Brennier, previously to his escape from it with the greater part of his garrison, having blown up three of the bastions, and we the others, the explosions had also destroyed the neighbouring houses, and the firing of the great magazine in the centre of the town in the year 1810 had been attended by still greater destruction. The inhabitants were consequently reduced to the extreme of wretchedness, and several squalid, shivering, and apparently half-famished beings, were to be seen wandering about the ruins of their former habitations. Accounts of victories and conquests, of battles won, and cities taken, read well in the newspapers at breakfast, while the politician sits in his easy chair, and sips his chocolate by a comfortable fire at home ; but one who has
336	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
witnessed the horrors that a field of battle or a stormed city presents, must ever receive such tidings with mingled sensations, joy for the success and pity for the sufferers.
Almeida served also as a place where our commander could collect heavy artillery and other matters required for a siege, without suspicion, as they would be considered necessary for the defence of the fortress itself; and he took advantage of it for this purpose, never losing sight of his project against Ciudad Rodrigo.
While walking along the banks of the Coa, in this neighbourhood, I have sometimes witnessed a curious mode of fishing practised by the Portuguese. They make balls of certain ingredients, with the nature of which I confess myself to be unacquainted, and, diving with them to the bottom of the river, they rub them on the sides of the rocks ; soon after the trout are seen to rise to the surface, apparently in a state of stupefaction, when, of course, they are taken without difficulty.
But the best day's sport that came to my knowledge, while I continued here, was enjoyed
A. SOLDIER'S LIFE..	S37
by a Guerilla. Don Julian Sanchez, a most active chief, constantly kept flying parties of his cavalry in the vicinity of Ciudad Rodrigo. One morning the governor, General Regnaud, happened to ride out with a slight escort, and incautiously crossed the Agueda ; but he did not pass unobserved by the watchful Spaniard, who quickly issued at the head of his men from a place of concealment, and, rushing on him, took him prisoner. At the same time Don Julian had the good fortune to perceive the cattle of the garrison grazing at a greater distance from the walls than usual, and, by a second rapid dash, he succeeded in capturing them also. This was indeed a good day's work, and he did not delay to appear in triumph at head-quarters with his prizes, of which the French general formed no unimportant part.
On the 24th of October the army made a movement in advance. My regiment marched to Gallegos, but, when we reached Fuentes d'Honor, I was sent back to Almeida with another working party. I remained there five days, after which I returned to Chiras, the
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army in the mean time having taken up their old quarters.
As we were unable, to prevent the introduction of supplies into Rodrigo, and as the difficulty of conveying our own such a distance was considerable, and the scarcity of forage very great, a portion of the army was ordered to fall back. The fifth and sixth divisions moved towards the Douro and Mondego, leaving Chiras on the. 2nd of December. The transport of provisions and stores was at this period materially facilitated by Lord Wellington having caused six hundred waggons to be made, which were far superior to the Portuguese carts. We crossed the rich valley of the Mondego at Celerico, and were gratified on our march by a succession of beautiful views, the effect of the landscape being much increased by the contrast between the green of the olive and the dark brown hue of the chesnut trees.
Three long marches brought us to Musque-tilla, a very small village, which scarcely afforded room for our regiment. My quarters had been the seat of a Fidalgo, or person of
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	339
gentle blood. The rooms were very large, but had neither furniture nor fireplace; and the weather was cold and frosty. Our only resource was to wear our warmest clothing, and to place the lids of camp-kettles, filled with hot embers, under the tables, to serve the purpose of foot-stove s.
The head-quarters of the brigade were at Mongualdo, where there was a good market. One of the residents was a wealthy Fidalgo, named Don Miguel Paez, and he often entertained our officers with much hospitality and in the best style; his board was graced on those occasions by forty or fifty dishes, which were cut up and handed round to the guests : the knives and forks for the dessert-service were all of gold. The officers had also free leave to make use of his billiard-tables at all times.
The cork trees that grew in this neighbourhood were of an extraordinary size, and the peasants make various household utensils 'of the bark, closing up the seams of such as are intended to hold fluids with pitch.
Here the arrears of the army were paid up, to the 24th of October, and we were enabled• Q2
340	A SOLDIER'S LIFE:
in consequence to provide breakfast-messes for the men; they were also well clothed, and the sick list began to exhibit a rapid decrease.
But I must not forget to mention a piece of good fortune that attended our arms in the meanwhile, namely, the capture of more than fifteen hundred French, horse and foot, being a part of Soult's army, which had been detached under General Gerard to Spanish Estremadura, in. order to prevent the re-organization of Cas-tanos' battalions, and to seize his supplies. General Hill, who, with his separate command, was covering the Alentejo, was directed to march against this detachment from Portalegre. The French, .who had moved northward toward Aleseda and Caceres in the middle of October, retired when they heard of the advance of our troops, which took place on the twenty-third ; but the British general determined to come up with them if possible. On the 25th the Spanish cavalry overtook the French at Arroyo del Puerco, and retired through Malpartida that night. General Hill reached the latter place early the next morning, and, having learned the route that Gerard had taken, continued the pur-
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	341
suit. The enemy were at Arroyo del Molina in the morning of the 27th, but they would not have passed the night there so contentedly, had they known that their pursuers were then halted within four miles of them. Early on the following morning, as they were preparing to proceed on their march, they found themselves suddenly attacked, and hemmed in. by their more vigilant foe. The number of prisoners has been already mentioned ; three guns, and all their baggage also fell into our hands. Luckily for them, their first brigade marched in time to get clear off; and Gerard, with a feW men of the surprised brigade, also succeeded in making his escape. The loss of the allies was very trifling, as the enemy offered but a slight resistance. Gerard's whole force was about 3,000 men, and only one half of them returned. Indeed, the able manner in which the whole enterprise was planned and conducted reflects infinite honour on the judgment and military skill of the British general.
An order was now issued for the employment of the troops in making fascines and gabions,
342	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
which left no doubt oil our minds that Lord Wellington intended once more to undertake the siege of Rodrigo ; and one of his reasons for placing Almeida in a state of defence became also apparent, as, in the event of his being compelled to raise the siege, he could leave his battering train there safe from a coup-de-main.
On the 5th of January, previous to which the weather had been very severe, our army, with the exception of the 6th division, was set in motion. It was on this very day, too, that Marshal Victor, in the south, retired after his unsuccessful attempt on the weak town of Tarifa, which was defended by only two British regiments, the 47th and the 87th, and 900 Spaniards. A bridge 400 feet in length, that had been constructed secretly in the arsenal at Almeida, was thrown across the Agueda at Marialoa. On the 8th our troops crossed that river, and completed the investment of Ciudad Rodrigo. Four divisions were appointed for this service.
In the mean time General Hill advanced
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	343
from Merida, and a French corps under General Drouet retired before him, abandoning a quantity of stores.
On the 14th the 6th division marched for the vicinity of Penhel, and arrived there on the third day, the weather clear, and hard frosts at night. We now learned that the siege was pushed on with great vigour. On the night of the 8th, Colonel Colborne of the 52nd, with detachments from his regiment and the 95th, stormed an outwork on one of two eminences pear the fortress called the Tesons, with great gallantry, and took the troops that defended it prisoners. Twenty-four hours after the first parallel was established, but the fire of the place and the sharpness of the frost were so annoying to the workmen, that their progress was exceedingly slow. On the 13th the Guards took by surprise a fortified convent, on the north west, that impeded our operations to the right of the outwork. Lord Blantyre's men, with some Germans, repulsed a sortie of the enemy before any serious injury was done on the following day; in the evening of which also, our first battery, a very heavy one, opened on
.344	-"A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
-the town, and the 40th regiment took possession of the north-eastern suburb of San Francisco. On the 17th a breach was reported practicable, and our artillery, twenty-five pieces, continued to play without intermission, the garrison having sent a spirited refusal to our summons to surrender. A new battery of seven guns was erected; a second breach was made, and the evening of the 19th was fixed for the assault. This service was to be performed in the following manner : the third division was to attack the greater breach, and the light division the lesser, while Majors Sturgeon and O'Toole, with five companies of the 95th, and the light companies of the 83rd and 94th, should endeavour to divert the attention of the enemy to the right of the first breach, and General Pack's brigade of Portuguese should make a feigned or real attempt to escalade, according as circumstances should warrant, on the opposite side of the city.
When all was ready, a little after seven P.M., the whole of these troops, pressed on to the attack at the same instant. General M`Kinnon's brigade of the third division, consisting of the
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	34t
-45th, 74th, and 88th, with half a battalion of the 60th, were soon at the foot of the breach, though exposed to a murderous fire, and, with irresistible impetuosity mounting to the top, drove the enemy from the main wall; but, in the attempt to carry fresh defences that had been constructed in the rear of the breach, and presented a most formidable obstacle, they suffered severely from a hot fire of musquetry; and many: of them, together with their brave leader, were blown up by the springing of a mine. The contest here, therefore, was protracted ; but the assailants maintained them-selves, with great gallantry and perseverance, and had turned the entrenchment before the arrival of the light division, who, led on by Crawford, had gained the lesser breach in the mean time, and driven the enemy before them after a sharp struggle. The Portuguese also succeeded in scaling the ramparts on their side, and Ciudad Rodrigo was quickly in our pos7 session.
As it generally happens when a town is taken by storm, the victorious troops were guilty of dreadful excesses ; but all acknowledge that, Q5
'346	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
amid the excitement of the moment, the cry for quarter was never disregarded. Our loss in killed and wounded during the siege was ninety-three officers, among whom were four generals, and 1,217 men, General Crawford, who commanded the light division, was mortally wounded at the storming. He was an excellent officer, and deservedly regretted by the whole army, About 1,500 -of the garrison were made prisoners ; and three hundred and twenty-one pieces of cannon, with a great quantity of small arms and military stores, were found in the place.
The first intelligence of the fall of Ciudad Rodrigo, after a siege of ten days, seemed incredible to Marmont, who was advancing to the relief of that fortress at the head of 60,000 men, under the persuasion that he had ample time to effect his purpose : and he had the additional satifaction to learn that the victors had already placed it in a defensible condition. The reflection that Massena, at the head of a most powerful force, had succeeded in reducing the same place only after a siege of threefold duration, compared with the recent one, and at a time
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	347
when the garrison consisted solely of Spaniards, must have been sufficiently painful and humiliating to the proud Frenchman ; and, to increase his vexation, he saw the impossibility of drawing the British commander into a general action, by which to retrieve the honour of the French arms, and was compelled to remain inactive in the neighbourhood of Salamanca.
In consequence of this brilliant and important success, the Cortes gratefully conferred on Lord Wellington the title of Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, and the British government raised him to an earldom, for the due support of which Parliament settled on him £2,000 a year.
When the damaged works of the capturdd fortress had undergone a thorough repair, it was confided to a Spanish garrison, and General Vivas was appointed governor.
The sixth division remained in their cantonments until the 1st of February, when it broke up from them to make a retrograde movement. My regiment marched to Nave d'Aver, and on the third day reached the village of Marialva, where we were to take up our new quarters. It stands on the summit of a craggy mountain,
348	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
and in ancient times it had been a stronghold of the Moors, but we found it a miserable place. Several of the houses had been unroofed, and the timber used for fuel, of which there was a great scarcity in this neighbourhood. The colonel, however, had the good fortune to get an excellent billet at the house of the Capitan Mor, Commandant .of the Ordenanca : this functionary supplied us with an abundance of milk and oil, and occasionally added to our messing by making us presents of game. One day, in particular, I recollect his sending in to us a brace of woodcocks, which our cook began soon after to prepare for the spit, according to our mode of dressing those birds; but the Capitan Mor, who happened just then to enter the kitchen, and to observe these preparations, would not suffer his game to be so treated, and hastily took the management of them into his own hands. He commenced by chopping them into small pieces, and then, throwing them into a panella with herbs of various sorts, stewed all. together. When they appeared at table he looked for our approbation with much confidence, and of course we rewarded him for the trouble he had taken,
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	349
by warmly applauding his skill in the culinary art.
It was currently reported that we should shortly move towards the Alentejo ; the firsts division had already proceeded in that direction, and it was understood that several heavy guns from Almeida had been sent down the Mondegu to Figueras, and there shipped for Lisbon ; but the intentions of Lord Wellington with respect to any attempt on Badajos were known only to confidential persons. Our expectations of - march to the southward were soon realized ; and on the 21st the sixth division was in full march for the Alentejo. The city of Guarda, the most elevated in Europe, lay on our route ; it is approached by a zig-zagging paved road, which is kept in good repair ; we found its market well provided, and the whole place superior to any that I had seen since I left Lisbon. The 24th was passed in the clouds, which hung considerably below the summit of the mountain. We next came to Alpedrinha, a very comfortable village, and as remarkable for the excellence of its wine as for the spirited resistance offered there by the armed peasantry to a. body- of French troops under Loison. A great number
850	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
of the brave but undisciplined defenders of their homes, including their leader, the Capital! Mor, perished in the unequal conflict. My billet was at the dwelling of an apothecary, a man whose hospitality knew no bounds. He produced his best wine, and I do not deny that I made rather too free with it ; but he did not think so, for, before daylight appeared, he was at my bedside in his nightcap and dressing-gon, armed with another magnum of this generous beverage, and he recommended me by all means to join him in emptying it, in order, as he said, to fortify my stomach for the march. The people along this line were uncommonly civil and obliging, and our billets much better than those we had hitherto met with.
On the 29th, the regiment arrived at Castello Branco. Up to this date we had laboured under so great a scarcity of forage, that our baggage animals would never have performed the journey, but for the fineness of the weather, We proceeded from Castel Branco to Villa Velha, where we crossed the Tagus ; and then, ascending the lofty mountains on the left bank of that river, we soon enjoyed a
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	351
grand view of the level country of the Alen-tejo, which lay before us. The difference between this fine province in its general aspect, and the other districts of Portugal that we had traversed, was truly striking. Here the face of the country was both beautiful and well-cultivated, intersected by good roads, dotted over with villages of neat whitewashed cottages, and ornamented with groves of the orange and the lemon tree. After a march of fourteen days, we at length entered Estremos, a large and handsome town, and made a halt of a week, which was very necessary, as both men and hotses were much jaded. During our stay, a grand religious procession took place our band and grenadier company assisted at it, and, after it was over, the priests gave our men an entertainment, and distributed among them a sum of money. The most remarkable object exhibited in the procession was a finely executed figure, as large as life, representing our Saviour in the act of bearing his cross. I formed an acquaintance with one of the priests, who showed me every thing that he thought worth looking at. While taking me through
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the church, which was, of course, one of the lions of Estremos, he explained to me the manner of interring such bodies as are honoured with a narrow house within its walls, a distinction granted only when the deceased persons have belonged to the higher classes. They are committed to old mother earth in their clothes, without coffins, and should they be larger than usual, the dimensions of the grave are never altered for them, but they are made to fit it, being pounded down with heavy mallets; nor does the disrespectful treatment of the remains of the dead end here, for they are suffered to lie inside the church only as long as all others, for which surviving friends are inclined to purchase places, can be accommodated without disturbing them ; and the moment that this ceases to be the case, the old occupants of the graves are unceremoniously ejected in favour of the new-comers, and cast into vaults outside the edifice. My cicerone conducted me to this unfashionable end of the Necropolis, but I had reason to wish that his civility had not carried him so far. I never beheld a. more loathsome spectacle; the eye,
'A. SOLDIER'S LIFE.	353
wherever it turned, was offended by the sight of numerous half-consumed • bodies, and the stench they emitted was intolerable. The ground adjoining to the vaults the padre had converted into a potato-garden, and the stalks were then beginning to appear among the blanched human bones that served to manure the soil.
We arrived at the camp, near E] vas, on the 15th of March. A pontoon bridge was laid down on the same day over the Guadiana ; and two barges were made to serve a similar purpose at another part of the river. Every preparation for the approaching siege of Badajos had been made in and about Elvas ; the battering train, such as it was, appeared on the glacis; tools and stores had arrived; the Portuguese soldiers had collected a quantity of fascines and gabions ; and the investment of the hostile fortress was immediately to take place. We had once more, therefore, exchanged the drowsiness of the cantonment for the excitement and busy speculation of the eve of a bold and important effort. However scientifically the operations of war may be con-
354	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
ducted, there exist so many circumstances over which the most skilful can have no control, and which the most prescient cannot foresee, that there are few undertakings, with regard to which success can be calculated on as absolutely certain, and, in our present attempt, the chances seemed hardly to be in our favour ; but even so, that the prize proposed was well worth the risk of contending for it none could deny. On the one hand our recent success at Ciudad Rodrigo offered encouragement to the sanguine ; on the other, our former failure before Badajos diminished the confidence of the more desponding. Our army was very insufficiently prepared for the business of a siege ; there was much of ignorance and inexperience ; there were no miners ; no adequate number of heavy guns ; no mortars ; and the strength of the place had lately been increased by different alterations and repairs of the works ; it was also better garrisoned than it had been before ; and its governor was as able an engineer as any in the whole list of French generals. It was, besides, expected that Mar-mont, taught by experience, would hasten
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	355
without delay to raise the siege and rob the British commander of a second triumph; an attack, therefore, made in strict accordance with the regular rules of military science was completely out of the question. But, if our time was limited, we had a leader who knew how to economise it ; if fortune seemed alternately to smile and frown, our directing mind was constant and decided; if our sappers were inexperienced, our officers were zealous; and if our materiel was incomplete, the bayonets of our men were sharp, their minds willing, and their hearts firm.
The town of Elvas is walled in, hut it is commanded by several eminences. Wherever one of the two nations of the Peninsula has built a fortress on the common frontier, the other has jealously erected a similar defence to bridle it; thus Ciudad Rodrigo is watched by Almeida, and Badajos by Elvas. The houses here are built of stone, and their exterior bears an appearance of comfort and respectability. The aqueduct, a stupendous work, supported by fine arches, and measuring at some points about a thousand feet in height, and three miles in length, is the most remarkable object
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of attention; by it the water for the use of the garrison is conveyed into a vast cistern, which, as I am informed, will contain a supply sufficient for six months. Fort la Lippe is also very deserving of notice. I could not spare time to ascend to it, but, from the view that I had, it appeared to me to be impregnable by force, and reducible by famine alone. Its site is the pinnacle of a very steep and tall mountain, that commands every height in its vicinity, and has the town at its foot ; so that previous possession of Fort la Lippe is necessary to the occupation of Elvas by any force. It was a matter of very great regret to me that I could not accomplish a closer inspection of this work, as well as of the aqueduct along its entire length ; but, on the morning of the 16th, General Graham, with the 1st, 6th, and 7th divisions, and the cavalry brigades of Generals Slade and Le Marchant, crossed the Guadiana by the bridge of pontoons, two miles below Badajos. The distance between that fortress and Elvas is only three short leagues, and the intermediate space is a dead flat..
In the course of the day we arrived at Santa Martha, under incessant rain, and the men had
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to pass the inclement night that followed, with-out cover, by which they suffered a great deal. The French had left this place the day before, carrying away with them two hundred mules, laden with corn. The enemy's troops that were stationed in this province continued to retire as we advanced. Our route lay through the ruined village of Albuera. It consisted of a single street, with a church, and an inconsiderable river winds by it and under two bridges, one of which connects the main road from Badajos to Seville. The position occupied by the allied army on the 16th of May, 1810, consisted chiefly of bare and gentle slopes ; on the British right, the ground did not present the slightest cover ; and the enemy had the great advantage of holding a large and very open wood, where both cavalry and infantry could move with ease, and conceal themselves until the moment for action. The rising ground on the right was the key of the position, and there, after the Spaniards had lost it, the struggle between the British and the French was particularly severe. The village and the bridges were occupied by the
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German light infantry, and well defended. The number of bones, both of men and horses, seen whitening on the fields, and the scattered fragments of arms and accoutrements, gave certain indication of the sternness of the combat.
On the fourth day of our march, we entered Mafra ; five hundred French had quitted it on the preceding night. It is a well-sized town. The alternate visits that the inhabitants received from the troops belonging to the two hostile armies did not appear to excite the least alarm, and we even found the markets well supplied. The colonel and I made ourselves very comfortable at a merchant's house. Our host brought in his eight children, that we might see them, drawing them up in line, according to seniority. The good man felt proud of his progeny, and it was no wonder that he did, for I have never beheld a finer family. We left this town with regret, and continued our march to Almandralejo, a large, but straggling place, built in a low, swampy situation, about seven leagues distant from Badajos and four from Merida.
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In the mean time the siege of Badajos had been commenced, and was already considerably advanced. The day that we marched from Elvas, Marshal Beresford also crossed the Guadiana with the light, third, and fourth divisions, about 12,000 men, and he immediately invested the place. Our movement under General Graham was intended to cover this force and to enable us to watch Soult's army. General Hill's corps also advanced with the same object, as it was reasonable to expect that the two French marshals would now act in concert, and make a grand effort to raise the siege, when we considered the importance of Badajos and the magnitude of their force. Soult's army, which was by far the weaker of the two, amounted to 5,000 men. We could hear the firing distinctly, but were left in the dark respecting the results.
On the 25th, we marched with the intention of making an attempt to surprise two thousand of the enemy, then at Llerena. That place, by the Spanish account, is seven good leagues from Almandralejo, and here the length of a league varies from four to seven miles. We
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halted mid-way, until eleven at night, when we moved off again, so as to reach Llerena about day-break; but the birds had flown. An unfortunate accident occurred also this morning. A party of the Chasseurs Britan-piques, that had been pushed on in front, mistook the advanced guard of the 51st regiment for the enemy, and fired on them. The paymaster and surgeon of the latter corps happened at the time to he riding before the column, in order to avoid the dust; the former was killed, and the latter very badly wounded ; four of the men were likewise hit. General. Graham himself was doubly unlucky at Lle-rena, for he first failed in his enterprise, and then by some mischance he lost his pistols. We continued the pursuit for two days, as far as Usagre, where we caught a glimpse of the rear of the enemy's column. The light companies disencumbered themselves of their packs, and endeavoured to come up with them, but in vain. We now commenced a retrograde movement, and on the 4th of April re-occupied our quarters at Almandralejo.
The siege of Badajos was then drawing to a
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close. The second night after Marshal Be:-resford's force crossed the Guadiana was wild and rainy, and ground was broken unperceived at a short distance from an outwork called Fort Picurina. A heavy fire was maintained by the enemy during the following day, but with little loss to the workmen. On the 19th the garrison made a sortie, which was quickly repulsed. The rain fell heavily, with little- intermission, and considerably retarded the labours of the people in the trenches ; another of its unlucky consequences was the sudden rising of the waters of the Guadiana, which swept away the pontoon-bridge, so that the flying one of the two Spanish boats, which in so rapid a current could work but slowly, was all that the besieging force had to depend upon for the transmission of stores and provisions ; and thus the inclemency of the weather had very nearly occasioned us a third failure before Badajos.
In the forenoon of the 25th, six batteries being ready, their fire opened on • Fort Pi-curina, and Lord Wellington gave orders 'for the storming of it that very night. Major-
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General Kempt was directed to perform this service with five hundred men of the third division. They moved on to the assault at ten P. M. and carried the fort by escalade, after a desperate struggle. Of the garrison, which originally consisted of two hundred and fifty men, eighty-three were taken, and the remainder, with a few exceptions, were either drowned in their attempt to escape or slain in the conflict. The loss of the assailants was considerable, owing to the very slight effect that the fire of the batteries produced on the defences of the work, and the consequent greatness of the obstacles which presented themselves.
The fall of Picurina enabled the besiegers to make great progress in their work, which was particularly desirable, as Soult was already on the advance, and Marmont threatened to enter Beira. Sir Rowland Hill retired slowly before the first-mentioned marshal from the neighbourhood of Merida.
A very heavy fire was directed from the batteries on the walls of the fortress, and on the 5th of April two breaches were reported
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practicable; but the assault was deferred until the evening of the following day, as it was suspected that the breaches were strongly retrenched, and thought advisable to make a third between them by the united fire of all the batteries. On the 6th of April, the third breach having been easily effected, the storming parties moved off simultaneously at 10 P. M. Two divisions, commanded by General Colville and Colonel Barnard, were directed to assault the breaches. This they did in gallant style, clearing the ditch, and gaining the summit of the ascent, in spite of a murderous fire, aided by the explosion of shells, grenades, and various combustibles, and an unfortunate error made with respect to the position of the main breach. But their progress was here arrested by an obstacle which no troops in the world could have surmounted. The retrenchments, from behind which the defenders poured incessant vollies of musquetry, were of the most formidable kind ; the space in front was strewed with spiked planks, and bristled with chevaux-de-frise of pikes and sword-blades, which the assailants could neither
R 2
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pass nor remove. Some adjoining buildings also were loopholed, and occupied by sharpshooters. Philippon's disposition of his troops was in all respects very skilful. For two hours after the two divisions had advanced to the assault, they maintained the hopeless struggle with their accustomed bravery ; but then Lord Wellington directed that they should be withdrawn. Fortune, however, had not deserted the British arms. At this critical moment arrived the welcome intelligence that General Picton's gallant division had taken the castle. This division, the third, had received orders to make a diversion on that side, while the fourth and fifth stormed the breaches, and they were to make a real attack by escalade, if circumstances should warrant it. The ladders of Major-General Walker's brigade were soon laid against the castle-wall, amid a shower of heavy logs, stones, and loaded shells, and a sharp fire of musquetry and grape; and, after many brave fellows had fallen in the attempt by the missile and the bayonet, the summit was gained with unflinching resolution. Here the 45th and first battalion of the 88th covered
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themselves with glory ; they had escaladed the high and entire walls of the castle, after a desperate struggle ; they now pressed on from defence to defence, with irresistible impetuosity, and, giving the astonished enemy no breathing-time, were masters of the place at a time when Lord Wellington almost despaired of success. It is said that, when he received the account of this bold achievement, he expressed his exultation by throwing up his hat—a gesture that spoke more forcibly than any words.
The fifth division, which had lately arrived from the province of Beira, also succeeded in effecting an entrance by the bastion of San Vicente, with great intrepidity, and, after sustaining a slight check from a fresh party of the garrison, advanced towards the breaches, which the enemy quickly abandoned. The fourth and light divisions then made their way in ; it happened very unfortunately for them that none of them succeeded in reaching the ascent to the third breach, where it was possible to force a passage.
General Philippon, seeing that the fate of
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Barlajos was decided, retired across the river to Fort St. Christoval with a small body of men, and surrendered in the morning. The remainder of his garrison were taken in the town, through which they were dispersed. The whole number of prisoners amounted to 4,000 ; and 172 pieces of artillery, with a large quantity of stores, fell into our hands. The British loss during the whole siege was 5,084 killed and wounded. The slaughter at the breaches was dreadful ; though hopeless of success, the obstinacy of the assailants did not suffer them to give way, and they were murdered. The 88th regiment also lost a great number of men in the attack of the castle, and after that had succeeded, in the attempt to force open the iron gate that obstructed their passage into the town. They made a rush at this impediment, and vainly exerted themselves to drive it in with their shoulders, while the French at the other side kept up a galling fire on them through the grating ; but at last an officer, aided by a few men, turned round a gun that happened to be near, and blew the gate open. The Rangers
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	367
then dashed in, and all resistance quickly ceased. A part of them also engaged in a bloody struggle with a portion of the garrison for the possession of a round tower; the spiral stairs, from the very foot to the summit, were sternly contested; blue and red coats were stretched together on every step ; and when the assailants had at length fought their way up, the slaughter of the ill-fated defenders was completed, by flinging all of them who had escaped the bayonet over the battlements. It is proper to add, however, that of the French soldiers found in the town none are known to have sued for quarter in vain.
It were well, indeed, that our men had been as temperate in other respects, as they generally were where only revengeful feelings were to be gratified; for the pillage and excess, usually consequent upon the capture of a town by storm, were here carried to a deplorable extent. Such a scene of drunkenness has rarely been witnessed. The garrison had kept their spirits in a deep cistern, cut out of the solid rock, as a precaution against fire ; and, when it was afterwards emptied, two soldiers and a drummer
368	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
were found drowned at the bottom of it. An officer of my acquaintance had been one of the first to enter the town, and, as he passed under the windows of a respectable-looking house, an aged couple, who appeared at them, loudly and earnestly implored his protection. He instantly flew up stairs, and entered an apartment just in time to save their daughter, a girl of exquisite beauty, from the violence of some soldiers. He succeeded for the moment in clearing the house of the intruders—a task of no little danger at such a period, all discipline being then suspended—and he placed a cen-tinel at the door of the apartment, engaging to reward him handsomely if he would only protect the family from further insult. The fellow promised readily, and the officer hastened away to attend to some requisite duty ; but, on his return, which he delayed as little as possible, to this family, who had excited within him so lively a feeling of interest, he was greatly shocked to find those respectable persons in extreme tribulation : for the soldier, whom he had intended to be their protector, had proved the very reverse, and, joined by some of his
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	369
comrades, had faithlessly plundered them of money, plate, and other valuables ; but, even so, they would have cheerfully borne this loss, had it purchased for them exemption from a cruel pang to which their paternal feelings were subjected.
It was with great difficulty, and after the lapse of many hours, that anything like order was restored in the streets of Badajos. It is painful to contemplate so rapid an alternation of light and shade in the soldier's character ; to behold him one hour a hero and the next a brute.
When Marmont heard that Lord Wellington was employed at the siege of Badajos, he advanced from Salamanca to Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida, on both which fortresses he cast a longing eye, but the garrisons were too well prepared for him. He left a division before Rodrigo, and crossing the Coa directed his course southward. The unwelcome tidings of the fall of Badajos reached him at Castello Branco. Thus he had the mortification of seeing himself bereft, through the address and decision of his great opponent, of two most im-
R 5
370	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
portant fortresses within the short space of eleven weeks. He retreated immediately, and re-entered Spain ; and Lord Wellington was in motion for Beira with the greater part of the army, as early as the 13th of April.
Soult, who was at Villa Franca and Llerena, also fell back as soon as the report of our success on the night of the 6th came in. Our cavalry followed him, and, in an affair on the 1 1 th, his rear-guard was roughly handled by Major-General Le Marchant's dragoons, and driven in some confusion into Llerena. After this we began our march for the north of Portugal.
On the 16th we entered Portalegre, where we halted for one day ; the weather was very had, and the livers which we had to wade were much swollen, so that a little rest was necessary for the men. This place was sufficiently .extensive to accommodate the first, sixth, and seventh divisions. The cathedral is a fine structure and richly decorated. I was present during the celebration of high mass there, and, although such a ceremony is not consistent with our notions of a simple and pure religion,
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	371
I confess that for the moment I was struck with its imposing though artificial grandeur. The magnificence of the interior of the cathedral, the solemnity of the rites, the fine, full voices of the ecclesiastics, pouring along the lofty and echoing Gothic roofs, and the penitent and deeply devotional air of the congregation, bending in the attitude of prayer and adoration, conspired to produce a powerful, but only momentarily powerful, effect. The feelings may be strongly excited by the representation of a deep tragedy, when supported by the talents of a Siddons or an O'Neill, a Garrick or a Kemble, yet how very short-lived is the effect so produced, in comparison of that which attends the witnessing of any little affecting incident in real life! In like manner, if, with the permission of schoolmen, a soldier may here hazard an opinion, it has ever appeared to mt, that the simplicity of our religious worship is far better calculated to make a lasting impression, than the imposing splendour and theatric allurements of that of the Latin church.
We continued our route to Castello Branco. Marmont's troops had burned down two of the
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principal houses, and demolished all the furniture in the town, during their short stay. When we had marched six leagues beyond this place, we received an order to return to Escaldos de Cima, which is situated two leagues to the northward of it.
The troops were now very sickly. My regiment did not muster on parade more than half its number. Lord Wellington's head-quarters were fixed at Fuente Guinaldo, and a part of the allied army was cantoned between the Agueda and the Coa; but our march northward was postponed, and we turned our faces once more to the Alentejo, re-crossing the Tagus at Villa Velha. Had the fall of Badajos been delayed, Marmont would undoubtedly have pushed on to this place and destroyed the bridge. We occupied Castello de Vide for a week. This town is built on an eminence, and encircled by an ancient wall ; the streets were kept clean ; and 1 had the good fortune to find a bed perfectly free from the numerous and detestable tenants that are commonly discoverable in such articles . of Portuguese furniture.
Our next move was to the village of Azuma.
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We passed through Portalegre, but made no stay there, in consequence of a bad fever that raged among its inhabitants ; and the quantity of good forage that we were enabled to procure at the village reconciled us to the quarters it afforded. The sixth division were now minutely inspected by General Clinton ; and my regiment received a draft of one hundred and forty men from the second battalion. On the 12th of May, we marched to Aronches, where we halted for a week, to the great ease of ourselves and our animals, and then we proceeded to La Palla, in Spain, crossing the Guadiana by the fine old bridge of Badajos.
I felt much gratification at having an opportunity of visiting this place, for the memorable manner in which it was carried on the 6th of April was alone sufficient to render it remarkable. It is an ancient town, and seemed to be more airy and pleasant than the generality of fortified places. The Guadiana flows majestically by the walls, and meets no interruption in its course either from shoals or rocks. The bridge has a great number of arches, and is about two hundred yards in length ; it is
374	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
defended by a tae-de-pont, opposite to which brigadier-general Power was stationed during the siege, to create a diversion. There is a broad walk between the town and the ramparts, by the river's side, which forms an agreeable promenade, and the houses near it must be very desirable residences, owing to the twofold advantage of a good view and cool air.
We were now quite elated with the expectation of a march to Seville, of which the Spaniards say those who have not seen it have seen nothing. But our hopes were not to be realized, and we were soon ordered to return, with some slight deviations from the road by which we had advanced. Our route lay through Albuquerque to our old station at Castel de Vido, in Portugal, where we expected a long halt ; as rest would have been very acceptable to us, after the tiresome marches and excessive heat by which we had been lately harassed : but we were allowed only one day. On the 31st of May we entered Povo, on the route for Castello Branco, and on the 3rd of June we reached the latter place. Thence we continued our march without check, until we
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	375
crossed the Agueda three miles above Ciudad Rodrigo. This town appeared to have suffered in the late siege in a much greater degree than Badajos ; more than one third of it was in ruins. During the wars between Spain and Portugal, in former times, Ciudad Rodrigo underwent repeated sieges.
The want of money was much felt at this time. My purse was not lighter than that of most other officers of the army, and yet all it contained was a half-doubloon, a gold coin worth eight dollars. The division moved one morning before daybreak, and as I was in the act of mounting my horse to proceed with it, my treasure slipped out of my pocket, which was also my purse, and fell in the muddy lane ; but its escape was not unobserved. I dismounted instantly, and stood motionless, until the whole division had passed, and a glimmering twilight appeared ; I then began to squeeze the mud in my immediate vicinity with my hands, but to no purpose ; and having passed nearly three hours in this spot, I at length relinquished the search in despair, and told two drummers who happened to come up at the
376	A SOLDIER'S LIFE.
moment, that I had lost a half-doubloon, which they might think it worth their while to look for. When I was once more in the saddle, I cast a lingering look on the spot which bore the impression of my feet; and, to my inexpressible consolation, but to the disappointment of the drummers, I beheld the picture of his most Catholic Majesty shining brightly in a frame of mud, which had been well defined by my right heel; in the next moment it was securely deposited in my pocket; and in the third, I was cantering along merrily to overtake my regiment.
Lord Wellington having hastily broken up his cantonments on the 13th, the rest of the troops also moved into Spain ; and, according as we advanced, Marmont. retired. The distance from Rodrigo to Salamanca is between sixty and seventy miles, but, as the army marched together, we did not cross the Tormes until the 17th. We waded through that river two miles above the town, for the works occupied by the French commanded the bridge.
I may now stop to mention an important exploit of Sir Rowland Hill's. There was a
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	37T
bridge of boats on the Tagus at Almarez, by which the armies of Soult and Marmont had an easy and convenient communication at all times, and of course Lord Wellington was desirous to have it destroyed before he attempted to move against the last-named marshal. He therefore directed Sir Rowland Hill, who remained in Spanish Estremadura with more than 11,000 men, to attack the works at Almarez, which were strong and in a complete state of defence, and to destroy the communication that they were intended to protect. The necessary preparations for this undertaking having been made, Sir Rowland's force marched on the 12th of May from Almandralejo, and on the night of the 16th he intended, with a part of his force, to attack the fortified pass of Miravete, in a mountain-range immediately above Alma-rez ; while another by a considerable detour, should attempt to carry a strong redoubt which the French had erected on a height, arid which, together with a Mte-de-pont, formed the defences of the bridge on the left bank of the river ; but Miravete was too formidable to justify an assault on it, and the approach of
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day caused the column that had moved for Al-marez to retire. The British troops passed the whole of the 17th in the mountains, and the transport of the artillery across the range was found to be impracticable, as the pass of Miravete could not be forced. However, the British general was not a man to give way to such difficulties, and he formed a new plan of operations. Between the hours of seven and eight on the morning of the 18th, he contrived to have one brigade formed, unperceived and unexpected by the enemy, within half a mile of the bridge. In the mean time, the attention of the French was directed to a false attack that another part of the British force was making on Miravete ; but on a sudden the garrison of the works at Almarez found those on the left bank assailed by the brigade before mentioned. The redoubt was quickly escaladed; the interior defences were as quickly carried; and the defenders, between four and five hundred men, fled to the tete-de-pont with the British at their heels, and the whole immediately became a confused mass of red and blue. Some of the fugitives escaped over the
A SOLDIER'S LIFE.	379
bridge, many were drowned, and more than half their number were taken. There was a very strong fort on the right hank, but it was not defended, all the French on that side making a hasty retreat. Sir Rowland Hill then destroyed the works, pontoons, and stores ; threw the guns into the river ; and returned to his old station. This successful enterprise was executed with the loss, on our part, of only one hundred and seventy-seven killed and wounded.
Soult made an unsuccessful effort to intercept the British force on their return, and Marmont was late once more in an endeavour to prevent the capture of an important hold.
END OF VOL. I.
J. B. NICHOLS AND SON, 25, PARLIAMENT-STREET.
				
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