total number of the various corps, owing to sickness, absentees, and various contingencies: the following is a correct extract from the Adjutant-General's reports.

Effective Soldiers who marched from Portugal, under the command of Sir John Moore.

N. B. The 2d Regiment, except the Grenadier Company, being left to

715

keep up the communication with Portugal

From Portugal

18,638

On the 21st of December, the head-quarters were advanced to Sahagun; the weather was severe, the roads bad, and covered with snow; and as the soldiers had suffered a great deal from forced marches, the General halted, that they might recover.-A cooperation was also completely concerted here between the British and Romana, who was collecting the wreck of Blake's army at Leon. They were in a miserable state-badly armed, and worse clothed; but they might still occupy the attention of a part of the enemy's force, and, if they were defeated, would prove active in completing his destruction.

Soult had concentrated his troops, to the amount of 18,000 men, behind the river Carrion: every arrangement was made for attacking him, and orders were issued accordingly-never more welcome to a British army. The convents in Sahagun were prepared for the reception of the wounded, and the soldiers confidently anticipated a glorious victory.-Would to God their wishes had been consulted, and the sad disasters which afterwards befel this gallant army might never have happened. But the sentiments of

"The

the general were not in unison with his brave troops. movement I am making," he said to Mr. Frere, "is of the most dangerous kind. I not only risk to be surrounded every moment by superior forces, but to have my communication with Galicia intercepted. I wish it to be apparent to the whole world, as it is to every individual of the army, that we have done every thing in our power in support of the Spanish cause, and that we do not abandon it until long after the Spaniards had abandoned us." The truth of the matter was, that the army were perfectly sensible nothing whatever had been done by their leader for the Spanish cause-from the beginning he had viewed the passing events in a sombre light; he was disgusted with the misconduct of the Spanish government, and he had no faith in the patriotism of the people: his own judgment would have led him to fall back from Salamanca; and he only advanced because he knew what would be the feelings of the British nation, if its army had. retired without attempting any thing. Offended with Mr. Frere, for having given his opinion, when he himself had asked it, he did not deem the wise suggestions of that minister, as to making a stand at Astorga, worthy of consideration. It was at once rejected as futile; and he advanced against this detachment of the French, "bridle in hand," as he himself expressed it," and expecting to have a run for it," not thinking that any possible benefit could result from a victory, but seeking an excuse which might appear valid to the people of England for evacuating the Peninsula, and leaving Spain and Portugal to their fate.

(To be continued.)

MILITARY CORRESPONDENCE.

LETTERS OF INSTRUCTION TO OFFICERS, CIVIL AND MILITARY, GOING OUT TO LISBON, OR ON FOREIGN SERVICE. [Continued from page 160.]

My Dear Friend,

LETTER VI.

Off the Lizard, 3d May, 1812.

I CAN now resume my pen-the hurry and bustle of embarkation being over, and our voyage having been accompanied by fine weather and a six-knot breeze from the North.

First, I will again revert to the management of embarking the military of every description at Portsmouth.-As a family man I have been particularly unfortunate.-After a detention of seven weeks for the ostensible purpose of being well accommodated, 1 was ordered on board a horse-transport, and immediately repaired to the ship, and fixed upon my birth.--As the vessel was one of the largest and most commodious of the kind, 1 felt grateful to the Agent of Transports for this pleasing mark of his attention to my convenience.--Officers embarking in transports must understand, that government having provided them a birth, find nothing further than a most miserable mattress and blanket, which being all that is between the body and the hard bottom of the birth, those unaccustomed to sleep on the ground, will not find this accommo dation very agreeable.-The ship allowance of provisions, which is tolerably good, is delivered out at the caprice of a ship's steward; and an officer is obliged to provide himself with every utensil for cooking, eating, and drinking, and, unless he has a servant, must be his own cook, waiter, chamber-maid, &c. for the masters of transports refuse all accommodation whatever.-After being once embarked, there you must remain, even if the ship should stop a month, for although the men are in a great degree unemployed, you are not permitted to use the ship's boat.-It appears that the Transport Board supports them in this unaccommodating custom, but they are not aware, I should suppose, of the inconvenience and expence officers are unavoidably put to, or that by giving the masters of transports power, how insolently they exercise it.-I had been embarked a few days, and took the opportunity when I saw the boats (three) unemployed, to request being put on shore, my daughter's health requiring medical aid-I was refused-and it cost me 10s. 6d. for a boat.

Are the Gentlemen Commissioners of the Transport Office married? or are they strangers to the great difficulties officers labor under from the scantiness of pay, that they consider it sufficient to give them a wooden birth, and subject them to the insolence and brutality of masters of transports?

An officer having received a written order from Captain Patten for a passage in a transport, goes on board, and shews it to the master of the ship--the reply is" very well"-the fellow turns away, and the officer takes his quarters where he can, and, as I

have already mentioned-a wooden birth, a flimsy mattress and blanket, are all that our generous government allow to a gentleman going out to fight his country's battles-to maintain her independence, and even her existence-nor will the captain of the vessel provide him with accommodations for cooking, &c.

I must remark on what is certainly an oversight somewhere, and leads to much unpleasantness.-A variety of people obtain passages in these vessels, and frequently there are a dozen allotted to one cabin, perhaps men in very different situations.-If a horse ship, and the officer who commands the troops embarked is acquainted with his duty, and performs it as he ought to do-'tis well—but, if as in an instance that came under my own knowledge, that of a Lieutenant of Cavalry, who, uniting insolence with ignorance and presumption, not only assumed the command of the vessel in which he was embarked, but would, if not timely checked, have turned a young lady, anʼinvalid, the niece of a Field Officer, out of her cabin.-This man, either from ignorance or idleness, totally neglected the party, consisting of fifty men and fifty horses under his command, during the whole voyage: and to interfere with this man, an officer, though superior in rank, will forfeit his own quiet, and probably be led into much expence: but it was a -duty incumbent on him.-Rules and regulations should be made for the express purpose of this service, which might benefit officers, and establish an understanding amongst those embarked in the same vessel, though on different services: for, strange as it may appear, there are many of the cavalry officers who indulge their vanity in supposing they are on no occasion to be commanded by infantry officers; and, consequently, being thus ignorant of their duty, the service suffers.

To return to my own situation, I had not been embarked one week before ten gentlemen came on board, with orders for their passage from Captain Patten, chiefly Commissaries and Hospital Mates, and this, to my astonishment, when there were five or six ships which, had not one officer on board, consequently, comfort and convenience gave way to confusion and disorder, and I have to return my acknowledgments to the Agent of Transports for having detained me seven weeks, at a heavy expence, for the purpose of giving me a convenient birth, and afterwards crowding thirteen into the same cabin.