first division of our troops approached the place, the whole town appeared as if it were one mine, every yard throwing out bombs, cannon balls, &c. &c. grape-shot and musket-balls flying also in every direction. On the fire-balls striking near us, we moved out of the road to the greensward, but the cannon-balls hissed by us along the grass, and the musquets-balls flew like hail about our heads; we iminediately began, therefore, to run forward, till we were within about a hundred yards of the bridge across the first ditch, and then the balls came so thick that, as near as I can judge, twenty must have passed in the space of a minute, within a yard of my head.

While we were running on the grass one or two men dropped every minute, and were left behind; but now they fell faster. When we came to the bridge, which was about two yards wide, and twelve yards long, the balls came so thick that I had no expectation of getting across alive. We then began to ascend the hill, and were as crowded as people in a fair. We had to creep upon our hands and knees, the ascent being so steep and rocky; and while creeping my brother-officer received a ball in the brain, and fell dead! Having got up this rock, we came to some palisadoes, within about twenty yards of the wall; these we broke down, but behind them was a ditch three feet deep, and just behind that a flat space about six yards broad, and then a bill thrown up eight feet high. These passed, we approached a second ditch, and then the wall, which was twenty-six feet high, against which we planted six or seven Jadders.

The hill is much like that at Greenwich, about as steep and as ligh. Just as I passed the palisadoed ditch, there came a discharge of grape-shot from a twentyfour pounder, directly into that flat space, and about twelve fine fellows sunk upon the ground, uttering a groan that shook the oldest soldier to the soul. Ten of them never rose again, and the nearest of them was within a foot of me, and the farthest not four yards distant. It swept away all within its range. The next three or four steps I took, was upon this heap of dead! You read of the horrors of war, yet little understand what they mean!

When I got over this hill* into the ditch, under the wall, the dead and wounded lay so thick that I was conti. Dually treading upon them. A moment

The Escarpment.

ary pause took place about the time we reached the ladders, occasioned I appre hend by the grape-shot, and by the numbers killed from off the ladders;--but all were soon up, and formed again in the road* just over the wall. We now cheered four or five times! When we had entered the citadel, which was directly after we had scaled the wall, no shot came amongst us; the batteries there had been silenced before we were over, and we formed opposite the two gateways, with orders to let no force break through us." I was in the front rank!

As soon as Philippon heard that we were in the citadel, he ordered two thousand men "to retake it at all events;" but, when he was told that the whole of the third division had got in, "Then," said he, "give up the town.""

One battery fired about two hours after we were in, but those near the breach were quiet in half an hour, part of the fifth division which got in on the south having silenced them. The attack upon the breach failed; it was renewed a second time; and again a third time, with equally bad fortune, which made Lord Wellington say, "The third division has saved my honour and gained the town.”

We continued under arms all night. About fifty prisoners were made in the citadel. Philippon withdrew into Fort St. Christoval, and most of the cavalry escaped by the Sally Port. By the laws of war we were allowed to kill all we found, and our soldiers declared they would do so; but an Englishinan cannot kill in cold blood!

Our regiment did not fire a gun the whole time. I saw one instance of bravery on the part of the French, just before the grape-shot came; eight or ten Frenchmen were standing on the battery, No. 32, one of our regiments fired and killed one or two of them, but the rest stood like statues; they kept on firing till there were but two left, when, one of them being shot, the other jumped down.

The town is about the size of Northampton; all the houses near the breach were completely battered down, and most of the others damaged.

In the morning I returned to the camp, and by day-light retraced my steps of the night before. In every place I passed a great many wounded; I saw eight or ten shot through the face, and their heads a mass of clotted blood, many with libe shattered, many shot through the body,

and groaning most piteously? I found the body of my brother officer on the hill, his pantaloons, sword, epaulet, and hat, taken away: the dead lay stretched out in every Jorin, some had been dashed to pieces by bombs, many had been stripped naked, and others had been rolled in the dust, with blood and dirt sticking all over them!

When I came to the spot where the grape-shot first struck us, the bodies lay very thick! but even there they bore no comparison to the heaps in the breach, where they lay one upon another two or three deep, and many in the ditch were half out and half in the water!

I shall now give you my feelings through the whole affair, and I have no doubt when you read this you will feel similarly. I marched towards the town in good spirits; and, when the balls began tó Come thick about me, I expected every one would strike me: as they increased, I regarded them less; at the bottom of the hill I was quite inured to danger, and could have marched to the cannon's mouth. When the grape-shot came, I suffered more for those who fell than for myself; and, when I first trod upon the dead heaps, it was horrible! In the next twenty or thirty steps I trod upon many more dead, but each impression became less terrible!

You see then that I have literally been within a few inches of death,-upon the very verge of eternity! With you, when two or three of your acquaintance die, you say, "These are awful times,death has been very busy!" Here he was busy in deed!! Of three officers, with whom I dined that day, one was killed and another severely wounded, yet not a hair of my head has been hurt! I am indeed in better health than ever I was in my life.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

HROUGH the medium of your fa

be prevented from offering those fragments of history, for no better reason than because some other person might have performed something better. This being presumed, Mr. Editor, and con scious that you will foster every species of useful information, I have ventured, as far as opportunity would permit, to give a short sketch of the former and present state of Lambeth and its neighbourhood.

It was at Lambeth, as historians relate, that Canute, in a state of intoxication, breathed his last; and it was this Danish monarch, who, through Lambeth Marsh, and Saint George's Fields, made a canal to turn off the course of the Thames, that he might bring his vessels to the west side of London bridge.

At Kennington was anciently a palace, or royal mansion; and Smollet describes a Roman entrenchment near Vauxhall turnpike; and another where urns, coins, and tessellated pavements have been found, near the ducking-pond of St. George's Fields; and observes, that lines and forts were continued from the Thaines at Lambeth to Deptford. The Surrey Theatre, and Mr. Astley's Amphitheatre, as well as several pleasant squares, may be ranked among the em bellishments of what might now, with much propriety, be termed, South London. Formerly, Hughes's riding-school, (the origin of the Surrey Theatre,) was a very insignificant building near Christchurch; and Mr. Astley has assured me, that his place of entertainment was originally a similar one situated near the White Horse public house: and not far from this spot, by the windmill, stood the rural retreat of Mr. Palmer, the comedian, which he used to call " Frog-hall," a wooden building now gone to decay, and the piece of water opposite nearly choaked up; a neat small engraving of this place, in its former state, is sometimes to be met with. Near this spot, formerly called "Float-mead," (considered the lowest land in Lambeth

believe much might occasionally be communicated and learned of the history of particular districts, parishes, or neighbourhoods; which, no doubt, at least contains one person competent to this agreeable task; were they encouraged to give those sketches to the public, or not deterred by anonymous misrepresentation, or illiberal attack. From these local observers, county historians might derive uch information: nor should any one

former dwelling, of the famous Dr. James, which are still on the left hand visible to those passing from the middle of the "New Cut" through a road to the intended Strand bridge, and may be said to be the last remains of undisturbed ver dure in the neighbourhood.

Cuper's Gardens-The Apollo Gardens-The Dog and Duck-The Temple of Flora-The Perpetual Oven-The Thatched House-as well as the Bear Gardens,

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