a foursome reel, or showed themselves in the sword dance to be as light-footed as the Spaniards in the fandango. Parade was regularly formed at seven in the morning and at 6.30 in the evening. Inspections in marching order by general officers frequently took place, the men having their blankets and greatcoats neatly rolled and folded, their dress and accoutrements"in the best possible order," "best hose and rosettes" being always particularly mentioned; and on great occasions their purses on; but these they never wore when marching or fighting, being left with the heavy baggage, or were strapped on the back of the knapsacks. The batmen with the ten company mules, the mule for the entrenching tools, and the sergeants' pannier mule, formed part of the parade. Every Sunday, when stationary, the whole division invariably attended divine service.

The battalion furnished its share of the pickets which guarded every approach to Llerena, and remained undisturbed (except by an alarm which kept them under arms the night of the 18th) till the 20th, when they retired to Bienvenita in the morning, and, resuming their march the same evening, arrived at Zafra at sunrise on the 21st. Here they remained. till the 28th, when General Hill marched at midnight with the First and Second Brigades towards Villafranca, where his cavalry were stationed, and which was threatened by the French, who had been largely reinforced. The battalion bivouacked at daylight in an olive grove near Villafranca, about three miles from the enemy, and expected an immediate trial of generalship between Hill and Drouet. In the forenoon a brigade of French artillery astonished them by drawing up on a height opposite their bivouac and firing a royal salute, which the officers at the outposts ascertained was in honour of a victory they supposed to have been gained by Marmont over Wellington at Salamanca. But Sir Rowland Hill immediately afterwards received an express with more authentic intelligence, and at once published the following Order :

Villafranca, July 29th, 1812.-Captain Maxwell's Brigade of Artillery will fire a salute of twenty-one guns at twelve o'clock, being in honour of the glorious and important victory gained over the enemy at Salamanca by the army under the

immediate command of the Earl of Wellington on the 22nd instant. An extra ration of wine or spirits is to be issued to the British and Portuguese troops to drink the Earl of Wellington's health.

(Signed) J. C. ROOK,

Asst.-Adj.-General.

The announcement was received with cheers loud enough to satisfy the neighbouring French outposts of their mistake. They did not await further proof, but retired before Hill, when he advanced and took possession of Fuentes-del-Maestre, where the 92nd bivouacked.

Next morning, however, the enemy attacked our cavalry in front of Villafranca, and the First Brigade was dispatched in haste to their assistance. The day was spent in manoeuvring under a broiling sun, marching and countermarching according to the movements of the enemy, but without bringing him to close quarters; in the evening the battalion went into cantonments at Villafranca.

During their marches the troops were accompanied by the wives and children of the N.-C. officers and soldiers, who received rations; and though they sometimes caused anxiety, both to their husbands and the commanding officer, were of great use in nursing the sick, washing the linen of the officers and men, etc., while their presence gave something of a homelike appearance to the camp or cantonments. They generally had donkeys, which they rode, or which carried panniers with their children and possessions; they were capital foragers, were as full of esprit-de-corps as the men, and bore the fatigues of a campaign with the patient fortitude of their sex. I knew well an old lady who used to tell with pride how, when a sudden order to march came while the linen of the men she washed for was in the tub, she took advantage of the fact that she was billeted on a wood merchant to make a roaring fire, and succeeded in giving every man his dry shirt as he stood on parade, emerging, like Wellington at Fuentes d'Onor, undefeated by the difficulties of the situation. She gave brandy to the wounded in the ensuing engagement, made her husband's breakfast before the fight of the next day, and ended her eventful life as the respected hostess of a hotel in

Argyllshire. Apropos of domestic life in the regiment is the story of a soldier who returned from picket duty just before they marched from Bienvenita to find himself the father of twin boys; gazing at the helpless babes, and overwhelmed at the doubly increased responsibility, he exclaimed in accents of pathetic despair, "Gude preserve me, Betty Watt, what can I do wi' them!"

R.O., July 23rd.—In future, when any officer has occasion to stop the allowance of spirits to any man (as a punishment), the circumstance to be always reported to the commanding officer for his concurrence.

The above Order was probably occasioned by a story of Captain Dugald Campbell (the handsome sergeant-major of 1799), a gallant officer who had been in every action with the regiment, but who was as "drouthy" as he was brave, and liked at least double allowance; at some bivouacs, however, no liquor was to be bought. The stopped grog was supposed to be taken to the surgeon for the use of the patients, but Dugald, thinking himself as good a judge as a doctor of its disposal, applied it to assuage his own thirst. On one occasion his company was in such good order that he had difficulty in finding any fault, but he pitched on a quiet young fellow, and stopped his spirits for having his belts dirty. On the parade being dismissed the quiet young fellow marched straight up to Colonel Cameron, who, surprised at being approached in such an unusual manner, asked what he wanted. With your leave, sir, I want you to inspect me." The Colonel asked what he meant, and the lad told him his grievance, saying that he did not so much mind losing his liquor as his character as a clean soldier. The Colonel investigated the matter, and it was understood that "Dugald had a very bad quarter of an hour with his stern chief.

During the hot weather the troops were, when practicable, cantoned in a town during the day, "but must invariably be out of the town at night." "Staff officers to make themselves acquainted with all the roads so as to be able to conduct troops in whatever direction they may be ordered to march without going through the town.” Rice and barley were issued daily to the men for their use.

On August 16th, Brevet-Major Ewen M'Pherson, 92nd, was appointed Town-Major of Lisbon.

At Villafranca the battalion remained for nearly a month, Hill having been directed to act on the defensive, but at the same time to prevent Drouet from succouring King Joseph. The French outposts were close by, and five companies of infantry bivouacked every night two miles from the town, with Light Companies in advance, and cavalry in advance of them, their orders being not to engage in anything serious, but merely to give time to the troops in the town to turn out in case of attack.

One evening, when the right wing of the 92nd was on this duty, irregular firing was heard in their rear, the troops stood to their arms, and Colonel Cameron, who was in command, took every precaution, thinking the French had eluded the vigilance of the outposts; but an officer with some men being sent to obtain intelligence, it turned out that the disturbance was caused by the Spaniards firing off muskets to show their loyalty to King Ferdinand, and their joy on hearing that King Joseph Bonaparte had fled, and that the Marquis of Wellington (this title having been conferred on him after Salamanca) had entered Madrid in triumph on the 12th of August. In consequence of Wellington's successful movement on Madrid, Soult raised the blockade of Cadiz, and moved towards Grenada. King Joseph had retreated to Valencia, and Hill received orders to follow and fight Drouet.

Accordingly, on the 28th of August, Sir Rowland's Corps, including the 92nd, left Villafranca and advanced to Usagre, and next night bivouacked near Villa Garcia. On the 30th the battalion proceeded to Maquilla, leaving Llerena to their right; on the 31st they entered El Campillo and spent the day in the houses, but bivouacked near it for the night. The enemy were retreating, and on the 1st of September the troops had a very fatiguing march of fourteen hours over a parched, waterless country, under a scorching sun, and entered Zalamea, where they took possession of great stores of grain left behind by the French. Here they met with a flattering reception from the in

habitants, and the wine casks of the town apologised to the thirsty soldiers for the want of wells in the country. Marching by Quintana and La Hava, the battalion occupied Don Benito on the 4th and halted. Here there were great festivities in honour of the raising of the siege of Cadiz, the town was illuminated, and the troops had a merry time.

I find in Regimental Orders about this time an expression of the commanding officer's "mortification at the disgrace attached to the regiment from the desertion of Kelly of the 6th Company and Wellbank of the 2nd Company," adding that "he does not dread a repetition of so infamous a crime."

*

A pensioner of the 92nd used to tell of two men of such bad character that none of their comrades would speak to them, who finally deserted to the enemy. Some time afterwards one of these men found himself in the front rank of a French battalion, within hail of the 92nd; for the French, not trusting the deserters they employed, were accustomed to place them in front, where, not daring to be taken, they were bound to fight. It happened that the regiment had lately been served out with hose tartan; the deserter, in bravado, stuck on his bayonet the piece of red and white cloth which he still retained, and impudently waved it at his old corps. The colonel's attention being drawn to it, turning to the men he said—“Will someone send a pill with my compliments to cure that scoundrel's impertinence!" Norman Stewart and another crack shot knelt and fired, the "pill" went home, and the deserter's flag was lowered for ever.

Some men of the First Brigade had taken melons from the gardens, and "safe guards" were posted in the gardens and melon grounds near cantonments.

Colonel Cameron expected all his men to show an example of soldier-like bearing and good conduct, and considered the misbehaviour of even a few as a slur on the whole. He was "much concerned" at the misconduct of some men of the 1st Company at Don Benito, and tells the battalion that a continuance of such behaviour will ensure their being sent "to

French deserters do not seem to have been allowed to enter British

regiments.