advantage of the liberal disposition of an Englishman, and what is more, an ally, deserving all my gratitude.

"Noble Sir, I kiss your hands,

"And may you live many years, to be served by, Your obsequious servant,

"DON PEDRO VELASQUEZ DE MERIDA."

It is scarcely necessary to observe, that the Englishman treated this inflated epistle with the contempt it merited; but it may not be quite useless to observe, that Don Pedro had not been much mistaken in regard to the English character, as in a very few days he sold his two ponies for 90 dollars !-When shall we cease to be the dupes of the rest of the world?

Before quitting the subject of horses and mules, it may be proper to relate another instance of British munificence, or ostentation, leaving the public to decide as to its real characteristic:Lord H wished to procure the finest mules in Corunna, to which end, he caused it to be notified in the city, that he would pay any price that might be demanded; in consequence he was charged 300 dollars per mule, for such as he might have had, by doing the thing quietly, for half the money at farthest. This dash did a great injury to Government and individuals, as the market could never afterwards be brought down to any thing like a moderate standard. Surely such conduct as

this deserves to be laid open to reprehension, more particularly as his Lordship will, most likely, be one of the first to decry the ruinous expences of the expedition.

On the 16th November 1808, we were ordered to proceed towards Astorga to join head-quarters; we were overtaken at Betanzos by Lord Paget, who directed an officer, (by order of Deputy Commissary-General Coope,) to accompany or precede the first division of the cavalry, consisting of 300 of the 7th Light Dragoons, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Kerrison.

On the 19th of November, while at Betanzos, Lord Paget arrived, full of anxiety and effort, to press the cavalry forward; his zeal for the cause, induced him to be rather severe on the Commissariat. The people were truly provoking, and in such a state of apathy and indolence, that even money failed in stimulating them to exertion; bluster and violence were the only methods to bring them into any thing like efficient action; but as to exhibiting any signs of friendship towards us, it was assuredly out of the question.

On our arrival at Castilliana, the army began to have a true specimen of winter campaigning in Galicia; as the only quarters for officers and men, at this place, were barns, hovels, and stables, which, having a plentiful number of apertures in the roofs, &c. let in the rain, which then was falling in torrents. The straw on which they slept, was so thoroughly drenched, that every man became eager for the hour of march, to keep his be

numbed joints in play, with the hope of not losing the use of them, which, however, many of them in the course of a few days did.

An Officer, who arrived late at night, and who, from want of room at the officers' quarters, was put in a hovel with seven dragoons, gives the following sketch of it: The building was about 40 feet in length and 14 in breadth, occupied at one end by the Spanish family, consisting of three generations, and comprising nine persons, five of whom were children, in almost a state of nature. The others were covered with rags, and much more indebted to the filth with which they were besmeared for keeping them from the inclemency of the weather, than to the texture of their gaberdines. This groupe sat in a semicircle before a blazing fire of wood, made on the ground, the smoke from which ascended on a voyage of discovery among the tiles, to procure egress; but effected it by such slow degrees, that there usually remained enough behind to blind the inmates of the hovel, and keep them in a constant cough the other portion of the fire-hearth was taken up by the dragoons, who were accommodated with a wooden bench, on which they sat amusing themselves with abusing the French, and drinking the King's health in vin éventé. In a nook, near the fire, were three pigs, and the two youngest children had insinuated themselves close up to the animals, and were snoring and sleeping with them.

The other extremity of the hovel served as a stable for the dragoons' horses, and three others, belong

ing to the officers; a small space in the mid-way remained unoccupied, exactly fronting the door, behind which a poney of the peasant's was fastened, on this spot a luxurious bed of clean straw was made for the officer, who slept very soundly on it, until he was awakened in rather a rude manner, by some one invading his couch; but this little alarm soon subsided, on his finding, by manual scrutiny, (for then all was darkness) that it was only the family poney, who had broken his halter, and stole to bed to him; but, as the immortal Shakespear says,

"Necessity makes us acquainted with strange bed-fellows."

On the 29th, we arrived at Lugo. This place had been better named "lodo," or mud; for never sure was there a more complete receptacle of congregated and obnoxious dirt. The troops were, however, tolerably well off here, both in regard to quarters and provisions, and the officers were well lodged, and treated with much hospitality by several of the most respectable inhabitants. To many of our officers the mention of " Las de Prado," will recal grateful recollections; and it is but a just tribute to benevolence and urbanity that the name of this amiable family should be recorded, as pre-eminent in kindness and attention to the British army.

to

It would have pleased me to have been enabled pass the same compliment on the Spaniards in general, but it is too well known by the troops, that they have not deserved one eulogium from us. For though the conciliating manners wisely

dictated by general orders, were closely adhered to in the commencement, by the troops, and that they evinced the best disposition to act regularly: no bearing (unless accompanied with menace or force,) could induce the Gallicians to bring forward supplies with alacrity, even when paid at the most exorbitant rate for them. They seemed sulky, reluctant, and dissatisfied, when the intreaty was accompanied by an almost limitless offer of money. No wonder then that the soldiers soon departed from a system which exposed them to the privation of every little comfort.

The stupid malignity of the people towards us was such, that, in the march forward, as we approached a wine-house, the host, who was on the alert, would quickly shut it up before we could reach it; and retire with his family into the fields, or out-houses, to avoid the trouble and perplexity of serving us heretics: though sure to be paid at least half as much more as they would receive from their own countrymen! When Buonaparte, in his bulletins, accuses us with pillaging and abusing the peaceable and harmless inhabitants, let him point out what sort of treatment he would bestow on such kind and hospitable allies!

As Major was wandering on the skirts of Lugo, he was civilly accosted by an aged Spaniard; when the first salutations had passed, the stranger thus expressed himself:-"I am a native of Leon, where I practised physic; but I have been in England, and was in the suite of Prince Massareno. Since that, I went to Paris,