an army, and we have an army in the heart of Spain; we have saved Portugal and lived on Spain-we are at present huddled rather piggishly together in mighty dirty houses, but hope for better quarters soon. Adieu.

Almadilla, 25th Nov. 1812.-In my last day's retreat I lost a mule and a horse, with all my baggage on their backs; they were like ourselves, starved. I have no remuneration allowed, so lose 176 dollars at least, besides my kitchen utensils, articles, at this place, invaluable; we continue here as yet, miserable to be sure, with filth, vermin, and smoke; we give up all idea of the most distant approach to comfort, and the articles of life are exorbitantly dear-our pay will not support us, wretched as we are.

Linhares, Dec. 2, 1812.-We have been so banded about since we have reached a place of safety, that it is difficult to collect our ideas; a large body of troops crammed into holes and corners, not only creates confusion but difficulty: certainly a bivouac in tolerable weather in Spain, is preferable to a billet in a Portuguese village or town. Guarda and Celerico are miserable vestiges of what have been admirable towns; but the villages are not to be described, so as to give any person an idea what they are. I declare to you, it has been a daily employment of my servant, the moment I rise from my place of rest, to search my under-waistcoat and shirt for vermin. We cannot get our linen washed whenever we require it, and we are devoured with lice and fleas; and, God knows, the campaigns have not left amongst us much superfluous flesh. We are now dispersing, by divisions and brigades, into the villages bordering the Mondego; and there, perhaps, we may have some little time to refresh our men, and obtain clothing, no doubt a most essential and desirable object; and also to get up our convalescents, who number in all regiments as two to one. I must confess, I felt astonished at the almost sudden change in the face of the country, on entering Portugal. From Cuidad Rodrigo, in the direction to Guarda, you at once advance amidst mounBains of rocks, on the surface of which you continually see immense piles of loose stones, and many of those of an enormous size, to every appearance the effect of irruptions; but which presents such a savage aspect to the view, that when astonishment has ceased, a sensation of horror ensues; conceive that, as far as the eye can reach, from mountain to mountain, over an expanse of valley, you still encounter this rough and barbarous appearance. A few acres, badly cultivated, a few stunted oaks, or the more flourishing chesnut, now and then presents a little relief to the disgusted traveller. On descending from Guarda, a city situated on the summit of a mass of rocks, and which, from its extreme height, is all winter weeping as it were under a dense cloud; you travel for some miles winding down into the valley, which certainly presented to our view the nearest approaches to civilization we had encountered for some time; the opposite side of the mountain was enlivened by two or three apparent neat villages, which was increased by some of the habitations being white-washed; a few buildings are also interspersed on the bank of the river, which the imagination fondly clinging to what it had been accustomed to, readily converted into country-houses, gardens, orchards, &c. &c. but from whatever cause, certainly the eye was delighted. I am led to think, from the quantities of olive trees we observed, that branch of business was carried on this place, as we saw a few well built stone houses, which, though now desolated, gave evident proof of previous oppulence, and conveyed some degree of grandeur. On leaving the valley, although bere and there the searching eye would penetrate for miles around, the general appearance was nature in its roughest state; towns, villages, roads, rivers, and cultivation, all in the most barbarous, savage state-bordering on the idea, that of

being seen once, and that once too much; there seems to us some description of fruit and vegetables-apples and currants, cabbage and onions, potatoes and turnips; goats milk and tolerable bread, so that we can make our broth; but fuel seems scarce, the natives using charcoal: as yet the weather is fine, but should the wintry storms confine us to our uncomfortable quarters, and the luxury of the sun be denied us, I am not clear whether a Hottentot is not more comfortable, no doubt infinitely more so according to his ideas.

There are plenty of woodcocks, snipes, and hares here, and some wild fowl, but nothing of the domestic sort. We shall shortly be supplied by the suttlers with some articles of consumption, such as tea, sugar, wine and spirits; but as these gentry are at great expence and risk, we, of course, must compound with paying in proportion-but have them we must. By-the-bye, how much more pleasant we should find it, if our festive friends at home, besides drinking our healths, would provide us with something to drink theirs. There is, no doubt, plenty of good old wine in this country, but it is under ground, and out of our reach. We are now speculating on future operations—the length of time we are to be in a tranquil state; that is to say, what depends on the great chief, and what depends on the chief of division. The noble chief is pre-eminent—stands greatly alone; the chiefs of division are some of them pre-eminent in their own way, too, and can throw a heavy beam in the scale, by the weight of comfort or annoyance. When it was said to George the Second, that "Gen. Wolfe was mad," the royal answer was, "I wish he would bite some of my other generals," not that I mean to accuse any of our Generals with that species of mania the king attached to Wolfe. I have neither heard of or seen any symptoms of it; but insanity exposes itself in different shapes—and, as in some instances I have witnessed, and others I have been told of, it has been a service of danger going near one of these Generals when the paroxysm was on them. Now, for instance, meeting a man who from his dress you would suppose a mountebank Commissary, (such there are,) in such a city as Salamanca, where the streets are narrow-I say, meeting such a man, his eyes distorted, foaming at the mouth, uttering a volley of oaths and abuses, driving against one, pushing down another, damning all, and this directed against some poor unoffending officer who was under his command, for some possibly unintentional and slight deviation from an order, or as, in other instances, insulting, abusing, and putting into arrest old and valuable officers, whose military lives have been a series of punctual performance of their duty, and undeviating zeal for the service. Putting such men in arrest, who have passed though life with unblemished reputation, and for what-for disorders that have been occasioned by the General's own ignorance and stupidity; this, my friend, is a very dangerous species of insanity, and I hope these lunatics will not bite any other Generals. There is also another species of insanity, though in itself not of such a dangerous tendency, but without doubt extremely troublesome and tormenting; it almost leaves a doubt in my mind, to which species of madness I would rather subject myself—a restless ambition to inforce men to do what human nature has not given them power to accomplish. Some Generals have expected that men should march, day after day, and watch night after night, perhaps for three or four days, without food or rest. I have known this happen, and the poor fellows have reached their quarters, the spirit of St. Vitus has burst out, and half of the time properly allotted for the repose of their wearied limbs, and refreshment for their hungry bodies, has been devoted to the drill-conceive then, my friend, a division, consisting of 4,000 men, placed under such command, in winter quarters, which is intended by the chief as

a retirement, not so much for the purpose of driving discipline into the men, as for rest, and time to recover strength, &c. But I fear one or two divisions will have to lament the tendency of that species of insanity in the General who commands them. It has happened I believe, perhaps as a most uncommon instance, that a man has proved a good General, without any previous knowledge by theory or practice in the military service-I say, I believe such a phenomenon may have appeared, but I conceive it the height of folly and madness, to intrust a man with the command of 2, 3, or 4,000 valuable men, who himself had no other knowledge of military discipline and duty, than what he picked up while acting as an Aid-de-Camp to a General Officer—a man who obtained rank from family interest—a man who never did any duty under the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel; and this man is put at the head of a division. It is much to be lamented, that as family interest formerly advanced a man into power, it could not, at the same time, advance a little sense into his head. It should seem, that they elevated the fool, to make his ignorance the more conspicuous. I heard an officer the other day, who had been well rewarded for disciplining the Portuguese cavalry say, he would as soon, if not prefer to charge the French forces, at the head of the Portuguese, as the British cavalry. This may pass at home; but all the tactics he and others took such pains to instil into the Portuguese cavalry, have not stimulated them to charge the French yet. The practice obtained in two or three campaigns may put them up to make a charge; and then, like our cavalry, they must have further practice to learn how to profit by it.

Montgual, Dec. 15, 1812.—I suppose some inquiry will be made, why, on the 17th inst. this army was in such confusion and disorder, that Sir E. Paget was taken, and three of our divisions exposed to a tremendous cannonade, destructive enough; but had the ground been dry, horrible. They lay the blame on Col. G.he is gone home, but I am certain he was not in fault.

Dec. 18.-Col. G. has been, and is sadly abused; all the faults under which we date our sufferings, are attributed to his ignorance; he did not understand taking up positions, they said; but although he may not have seen so much of that work, I am sure he can see better with half an eye, than any of the others with both. I fear we shall find forage become scarce this winter. The natives got good crops last season, but they are at once so haughty, infamous, and so indolent, I should not think they have half a crop. The filthy, dirty, beastly way the natives of the villages, and every rank in this part of Portugal live in, is disgusting. The first floor of a wretched habitation, built of stone in the rudest,manner, is generally the place the family live in; below is the stable or pig-stye; perhaps partitions are made to separate apartments. One window usually serves for the whole; the interior chambers get light as they can; the kitchen always a small black dirty room, with the fire placed on a stone from the wall-the smoke escaping how it can. The natives, half naked, squalid, sallow, dirty, and covered with vermin, huddle round the bit of fire, in all the luxury of filth.

20th Dec.-Lord Wellington very justly, in his dispatches, speaks handsomely of the two German Light Regts, under Colonel Halket. His Lordship, kindly shaking hands with him, candidly observed, "I am obliged, Colonel, to you and your regiments for having, by your very resolute and steady conduct, saved the division of Light dragoons from being taken by the enemy."

Colonel Halket, being ordered to support the cavalry, by forming two squares in Eschellons, drove back the French cavalry, 2000 in number, three different times, and killed and wounded 200 at least. He is most deservedly placed on the Stat

GAZETTES,

Military Dispatches,-Promotions, &c. in the Army.

(Regularly continued from our last No.)

Extruct of a Dispatch from the Marquis of Wellington, dated Cabecon, October 28, 1812.

SINCE I wrote to your Lordship upon the 26th, I have had an opportunity of seeing the enemy's whole army, as they placed themselves opposite to us, on the Pisuerga, yesterday. They are certainly in very great strength. The army of Portugal has received a reinforcement of 10,000 men, including cavalry, from France : and I have reason to believe that there are two divisions of infantry now with this army, belonging to the army of the North. The cavalry of the army of the North is certainly with the army of Portugal, and they have at least 5,000 good cavalry.

No event of importance has occurred since I addressed your Lordship on the 26th. The enemy formed their army in the plain in our front yesterday. They have cannonaded different parts of our line without doing us any injury, excepting that Lieut.Col. Robe, of the Royal Artillery, was wounded severely, but not dangerously.

Rueda, Oct. 31, 1812.-The enemy crossed the Carrion on the 26th and 27th, and formed their army on the heights near Cijales, on the last of those days, opposite our position on the left of the Piserga, and their advanced guard about two miles in front of their main body, and half that distance from Cabecon.

On the 28th they extended their right, and endeavoured to force the bridges of Simancas and Valladolid, the former of which was defended by Col. Halkett, with his brigade of the 7th division, and the latter by Lieut.-Gen the Earl of Dalhousie, with the remainder of the 7th division. At length Col. Halkett, being hard pressed, blew up the bridge. He at the same time detached the Brunswick Oels' regiment to Tordesillas, towards which quarter the enemy detached troops on the evening of the 28th. As soon as I found that this was the case, I thought it proper to break up from the Pisuerga, and to cross the Douro, which object was effected without difficulty on the 29th inst. by the bridges of Puente Douro and Tudela.

The bridge of Tordesillas was destroyed on the enemy's approach to that town, on the evening of the 28th, and I had sent orders to the regiment of Brunswick Oels to take post on its ruins, in such manner as to prevent the enemy from repairing the bridge. I had the mortification, however, of learning, on the night of the 29th, that this regiment had been obliged to abandon its post; and as I had seen the enemy's whole army in march towards Tordesillas on that evening, it was obvious that no time was to be lost. I therefore marched the whole army, at an early hour yesterday morning, to their left, and posted the troops on the heights between Rueda and Tordesillas, immediately opposite, and near the bridge of Tordesillas. We found the bridge nearly repaired on our arrival, but the enemy had made no attempt to pass it, and they have now no large assembly of troops in this neighbourhood.

I learn that some of them marched last night towards Valladolid, and others towards Toro.

I have received letters from Lieut.-Gen. Sir Rowland Hill of the 29th. The Tagus was every where fordable, and the enemy had passed a small body of troops over at Fuente Duenas.

Sir Rowland Hill had collected his troops on the Jacamah. He was likely to receive my orders to move upon Anvalo on the 29th.

Rueda, Nov. 3, 1812.-I take the opportunity of the return of the messenger Myers to Corunna, to inform you that the army have continued in the position in which I placed them on the 30th of October; and the enemy have made no attempt to pass the Douro. The bridge of Tordesillas is repaired, and they are employed in the repair of that of Toro. Their troops are extended along the Douro, from the latter place to Valladolid.

In the mean time, the troops under Lieut.-Gen. Sir Rowland Hill will arrive this day and to-morrow on the Adaja. The General received my orders to break up from his position on the Jacama on the 29th, and he intended to carry them into execution on the morning of the 30th. He had intended to destroy the Puente Larga, but the mine failed; and the enemy having collected a large body of troops between the

bridge and Aranjuez, they immediately attacked our post on the bridge, but were repulsed with considerable loss by the 2d battalion 47th regiment, and a detachment of the 95th, under the command of Col. Skerret. I have not received the return of our loss upon this occasion, but I understand it is about forty men. No officer was touched. Lieut.-Gen. Sir Rowland Hill mentions in high terms the conduct of the troops. These circumstances delayed the march from the right of Lieut.-Gen Sir Rowland Hill's position till the evening of the 30th, and he has since continued it without being at all molested by the enemy.

The building called La China, in the Retiro, and all the guns, stores, &c. which that work contained, which had not been carried away, were destroyed before the troops were withdrawn from Madrid.

The Spanish divisions of Don Carlos d'Espana, and Compte de Penne Villemur, are with Lieut.-Gen. Sir Rowland Hill.

A small body of the enemy's troops were at Valde Moro on the 31st, and entered Madrid at 10 o'clock on the morning of the 1st instant.

I have accounts from the North stating, that Longa has taken a convoy, escorted by three hundred men, near Victoria.

North Hants Regiment of Militia-William Sorly, Gent. to be Ensign. Dated October 24, 1812. Loyal Greenwich Water Fencible Volunteers-Lieut. George Slaney to be Captain, vice Slaney, resigned. Dated Oct. 7, 1812.-Lieut. Thomas Jackson Bell to be ditto, vice East, resigned. Dated as above.-Thomas Chapman Raine, Gent. to be Lieutenant, vice Smith, resigned. Dated as above. Samuel Slaney, Gent, to be Do. vice Penniall, resigned. Dated as above.-Charles Moore, Gent. to be Do. vice Slaney, promoted. Dated as above.-Thomas Lettsom, Gent. to be Do. vice Bell, promoted. Dated as above. Portsea Battalion of Volunteer Infantry-Lieutenant Henry Ploughman to be Captain. Dated June 5, 1812.-Ensign James Shier to be Lieutenant. Dated as above.-Ensign William Stroud to be Do. Dated as above.-Ensign William Atfield to be Do. Dated as above.-William Skean, Gent. to be Ensign. Dated as above.-Giles Hoad, Gent. to be Do. Dated as above.-William Ellis, jun. Gent. to be Do. Dated as above.

War Office, November 24, 1812.

2d Regiment of Dragoon Guards-Ensign Edward Ruffo, from the 29th Foot, to be Cornet, by purchase, vice Dyer, promoted.

2d Regt. of Dragoons-Lieut. John Hall to be Captain of a Troop, by purchace, vice Johnston, who retires.-Cornet James Wemyss to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Hall.

11th Regiment of Light Dragoons-Lieut.J. A. Schreiber to be Captain of a Troop, by purchase, vice Jenkins, who retires.

12th do.-Lieut. W. C. Coles, from the 4th Dragoons, to be Captain of a Troop, by purchase, vice Clark, who retires.-James Bennett, Gent. to be Cornet, by purchase, vice Trevor, who retires.

21st do. Ensign A. A. M'Conchy, from the 50th Foot, to be Cornet, without purchase, vice Leeson, promoted.

1st Regt. of Foot Guards-Ensign J. H. Hutchinson to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Clitherow, promoted.

1st Regt. of Foot-Lieut. J. Fowler, from the half-pay of the 54th Foot, to be Lieutenant, vice Brookes, who exchanges.-Surgeon William Roberts, from the 46th Foot, to be Surgeon, vice Forster, who exchanges.

5th do.-Ensign

without purchase.

Mitchell, from the South Devon Militia, to be Ensigu,

11th do-Ensign and Adjutant T. Smith to have the rank of Lieutenant.

To be Lieutenants.

Ensign J. O'Kelly, vice Donovan, deceased.-Ensign W. Dunkley, vice Turnbull, deceased. Ensign J. Duff, vice Rynd, deceased.-Ensign J. M'Mullen, vice Pridham, deceased.

14th do.-Ensign...... Woodford, from the South Devon Militia, to he Ensign, without purchase.

VOL. I.

Nn