when the most unquestionable certificate can be produced of the moral good character of the female.

It being considered that complete change of air would be of advantage to the invalids, it was determined to move the battalion to Canterbury, and on the 14th of June they were held in readiness.

Sobriety is not the virtue of northern nations, and in the early part of the century it was more even than now a vice common to the English, the Scotch, and the Irish. Though it was more actively discouraged among soldiers, they, having ready money and spare time, were not far behind their civilian compatriots in their indulgence in intemperance; and the Gordons seem to have found the Saxons' strong ale a very sufficient, though perhaps not so rapid a means of drowning their cares as their own mountain dew. As their regimental poet sang of English quarters, "Far an dhuair sinn leann am pailteas ged bha mac-na-praisich gann oirn."* On the 8th of July, Colonel Cameron tells the men that should he ever observe the drunkenness he had seen that day, he will adopt severe measures, and will also immediately apply to have the battalion put on duty.

On the 11th of July the 1st Battalion marched to Land Guard Fort, where they embarked, landed at Ramsgate, and arrived at Canterbury on the 20th.

R.O., Headquarters on board the "Diligent" Transport, July 19th, 1810.-Lieut.-Colonel Cameron begs leave to return his thanks to the men for their exemplary good conduct upon the march for embarkation, in consideration of which he will forgive the only two exceptions which came under his notice, though they were very glaring ones, in hopes that they will "Where we got ale in plenty, though the son of fermentation (whisky) was scarce to us."

By Act passed 1810, soldiers on the march, in place of having full diet provided by the innkeepers or others, are only to have one hot meal provided, consisting of 14 lb. of meat weighed before being dressed, 1 lb. of bread, 1 lb. of potatoes or its equivalent in other vegetables, pepper, vinegar, and salt, and two pints of small beer. The Government is to pay 8d. for this meal. The horse soldier is to contribute 7d. and the foot soldier 5d. out of his pay and beer money towards this sum of 8d., and the soldiers are to receive the difference between this 8d. and 1s. 4d., the sum formerly paid for full diet, in order to provide themselves with other articles of subsistence.

conduct themselves equally well upon disembarking. He wishes he could thank the officers for their undivided attention to the service upon the march, but he was sorry to observe a greater attention on the part of some to their private concerns than to the service. He will avoid mentioning individuals, but those that marched with loads of household furniture may be aware he alludes to them, and he can only say, next time he marches with the regiment he will have a general inspection of baggage previous to the march. He assures the officers, that he considers the regiment disgraced and affronted by the scramble about baggage, the quantity being more like a regiment of Militia than a regiment of the Line. Officers are requested to be very particular at the landing at Ramsgate as to the men being well turned out. The convalescents to be regularly marched, as many of them as possible in the Highland dress.

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R.O., July 22nd, Canterbury.-As the regiment is to be inspected by Lieut.-General Nicols to-morrow morning, the commanding officer expects every man will be in the best possible order in full Highland appointments. The convalescents that wear the pantaloons will be sent to the hospital to-morrow morning at nine o'clock, there to remain till ordered to join their companies. Those that parade in the kilt will fall in with their companies properly dressed. Pioneers with their pioneer appointments. Regimental officers in Highland dress, jackets open, without gorgets. Field officers and Staff officers in white pantaloons and halfboots. Officers of companies not to pay their men till after the inspection.

24th July. In future at the morning drills and parades the men will wear their white jackets, kilts, and new forage caps, in which dress every man to appear till after dinner, when they will resume their regimentals.*

The battalion was also inspected on the 28th by MajorGeneral the Hon. Charles Hope.

On August 1st, 1810, the number of sick in hospital had

* The usual walking out dress was red jacket, feather bonnet, and kilt without purse. When the purse was to be worn it was specially ordered— either "full Highland appointments" or "the men will have on their purses."

been reduced to 1 lieutenant, 1 sergeant, 3 corporals, and 81 privates, and the sick absent-in England, 8 privates; in Scotland, 3 lieutenants, 2 sergeants, 2 corporals, and 10 privates; in Ireland, 1 lieutenant and 1 ensign.

Colonel Cameron went on leave, and Major MacDonald assumed the command on the 29th, and "is very much mortified at the very shameful excess of drunkenness to-day, and what adds to the impropriety and disgrace is its being Sunday." He calls on officers and N.-C. officers "to mark in the most severe manner" this shameful conduct, and orders a regimental Court-martial for the trial of the principal offenders.

R.O., August 6th.--The commanding officer grants permission to a few men who are in debt, to work in order to clear themselves.

August 9th.-Major MacDonald is very sorry to find some of the men still persevere in irregularity, particularly some men of the Light Company. One word to the N.-C. officers of the Light Company, that they had better look sharp, for this is the second instance within a few days of several men of that company being brought to punishment, which they might have prevented if they had formerly done their duty.

D.O., Canterbury, 18th August 1810.-In consequence of the very precarious state of the weather, Lieut.-General Nicols directs that every possible assistance should be afforded by commanding officers of corps throughout the Kent district for expediting the getting in of the corn harvest.

In consequence of this Order, 3 sergeants and 128 rank and file of the battalion were allowed leave of absence to work at the harvest.

D.O.-Lieut.-General Nicols finds it necessary to remind officers that one of the first things they are informed of on joining their corps, viz., that by His Majesty's Orders officers while present with their corps are to appear only in their regimentals.

At Canterbury twenty-one invalids were sent to Chelsea to go before the Pension Board for discharge, their greatcoats, purses, belted plaids and new forage caps being received from

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them and taken into store. They are all given characters as "good"-"a good man and a good soldier," "a very good man -except one, "very indifferent," presumably a German musician named Ferdinand Vicarmann.

The foregoing extracts from Orders and letters give a sketch of the life of the Gordon Highlanders on home service at this period.

The 1st Battalion had, as we have seen, been employed during the last two years in Denmark, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, and Holland. It was destined soon to proceed again to the Peninsula and to take an active part in the campaigns of the next four years in Portugal, Spain, and France.

The climate of Kent restored the health of the men, and they were now fit, not only for duty at home, but for active service abroad, though the effects of the Walcheren fever and ague were afterwards felt by many when put to the test of exposure and hardship.

Since the embarkation of Sir John Moore's army at Corunna in January 1809, the French had possessed themselves of that important fortress and of a great part of Spain. The Spaniards had been defeated at all points; Saragossa and Gerona, after heroic defence, had been obliged to capitulate. The Spanish Junta took refuge in Cadiz, which, in February 1810, was invested by a French army, and 6000 British troops assisted in the defence. Marshal Soult had invaded Portugal and stormed Oporto. The small British force left by Sir John Moore, when he advanced into Spain, was concentrated under Lieut.-General Sir John Cradock for the defence of Lisbon.

The Government felt that the fate of Britain was inseparably connected with that of the Peninsula; that so long as the war was maintained there, it would be averted from the shores of Britain; and determined to stand by Spain to the last. Large reinforcements were sent to Portugal; Portuguese troops were raised by conscription, taken into British pay, and commanded by British officers. In April 1809, Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley was appointed to command the army in the Peninsula.

By the famous passage of the Douro he compelled Soult to

retreat from Oporto-a retreat which was much more disastrous to the French than was that of Sir John Moore to the British six months before. The French disgraced this retreat

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by the most savage cruelty, and their discipline and conduct were infinitely worse than that of Sir John Moore's army. Their losses amounted to about a fourth of the whole troops that were attacked on the Douro, besides all their artillery ammunition and even a considerable part of their muskets.† The advance of Marshal Victor obliged Sir Arthur to desist from the pursuit of Soult and join the Spanish General Cuesta, who in March had been totally defeated by Marshal Victor at Madellin. The combined forces under Wellesley were attacked at Talavera on the 27th and 28th July 1809, + and the French army, commanded by Joseph Bonaparte, was defeated. For this victory Sir Arthur Wellesley was raised to the peerage by the title of Viscount Wellington.

In

After the battle of Wagram (July 1809), Napoleon had reached the height of his greatness, and the peace with Austria enabled him to throw into the conflict in the Peninsula the veteran troops which had been employed on the Danube. April 1810, he had espoused Maria Louisa, daughter of the Austrian Emperor. He now proposed to subjugate Portugal, as well as Spain, and the army of Portugal, 90,000 strong, under Massena,|| threatened to carry out the proposal.

Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida were captured by the French; and Viscount Wellington was obliged to fall back on the strong mountainous position of Busaco, where, on the 27th September 1810, with his British and Portuguese troops, he gallantly repulsed the French under Massena and Raynier,

Private John Steuart of the 92nd appears in regimental returns as killed July 28th; he was probably one of the corps of detachments mentioned by Napier as having done good service in this campaign.

§ On the day after the battle General Crawfurd, with the 43rd, 52nd, and 95th (Rifle) Regiments, arrived. Having been falsely informed that Wellington had been defeated on the 27th, Crawfurd, withdrawing fifty of the weakest men from his ranks, pressed on with the utmost expedition, arriving on the morning of the 29th, these gallant men having in twenty-six hours covered sixty-two English miles, carrying from 50 to 60 lb. each. They left only seventeen stragglers en route, and immediately took charge of the outposts.

Massena, a Marshal of France, Prince of Essling, and Duke of Rivoli,