-LlBRARYOc i ^;^IIIBRARYQa 30 ^ >- cc < ' o ^^10SANCEI% o %a3AIN(l:3WV FCAIIFO/?/^ ^OFCAIIFO%: \WE l)NIVER% .v^.lOSANCElfj> o ":^irimNVSPl^^ I ^vWSANGELfjV ^IIIBRARY^^ A^lllBRARY^^ %a3AINn3ftV ^OJIWOJO'^' ^iJOJITVOJO^ % —rC g -n. f naoNvsoi^ ^^lOSANCElfjix, o ^^,OF•CAllFO% ^OFCMIfO/?^ "^aaAiNn-jViV ^: ^^^l•lIBRARY(^c AWEUNIVERSi^ vvlOSANCElfj> o ^ %a3AINn-3WV ^EUNIVER% ^lOSANCElfj-^ ^vjvlllBRARVQ^. <^t-lIBRARY o n^ %a3AiN(]-3\\v ^IKBRARYQr ^IIIBRARYO^ ^JITVDJO't^ ^OJITVDJO'f^ ?%^, 5!- o s O n^ %a3AINn-3WV ^^.OFCALIF0% ,^,OFCAIIFO% •a; «i? ^ )/?,l|^ ^OF CAIIFO/?^ iv^ ^GAavjiaiii^ AWEDNIVERi-Z/^i >» >- < az CO ^ ■ ■ ' O \WE UNIVERS'/A o vKlOSANCElfjv. %a3AINn-3WV** ^lOSANCElfj-^ o %a3AlN(l-3WV^ ?y/A ,s>;lOSANCElfj> .vMllBRARYGr <>MIIBRARY6?/ o PRIVATE JOURNAL THE PEIVATE JOUENAL OP F. S. LARPENT, ESQ., JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL OF THE BRITISH FORCES IN THE PENINSULA. ATTACHED TO THE HEAD-QUARTEES OF LORD WELLINGTON DURING THE PENINSULAR WAR, FROM 1812 TO ITS CLOSE. EDITED BY SIR GEOEGE LARPENT, BART. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. III. LONDON: RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET, iPufalisfjer in ©ritnaro to %]tx fHnjcstg. MDCCCLIII. DC CONTENTS OF VOLUME III. PAGK Chapter I. Movements of the army — Narrow escape of Welling- ton — Anecdote of Wellington at Eodrigo — Novel scaling ladders — Sir Alexander Dickson — Welling- ton's vanity — Operations resumed — Spanish officers — The passage of the Adour — The road to Bayonne — Death of Captain Pitts 1 Chapter II. Passage of the river — Stai-t for Orthes — Effect of the battle — Feelings of the French — Wellington wounded — St. Sever — Church and school — Aire — WeUington on the conduct of the Allies — Indurat- ing effects of war 2b VOL. III. 6 VI CONTENTS. PAGE Chapter III. Reports from the seat of war — The Duke d'Angou- leme — The German cavahy — Misconduct of the Spa- niards — Attacks on our grazing parties — Movement of head-quarters — ^Death of Colonel Sturgeon — Visit to the hospital — New quarters — Skirmishes — Welhngton and the mayor . . . . .57 Chapter IV. Difficulties of the march — Failure of the bridge of boats — The Garonne — Excesses of Murillo's corps — Bad news — ^Exchange of prisoners — Arrival before Toulouse — A prisoner of war — Anecdote of Wel- lington 82 Chapter V. Uncertain intelligence — Capture of Toulouse — Wel- lington at the Theatre — The " Liberator"- — Ball at the Prefecture — The feehugs of the French— Soult and Suchet — BaU at the Cajjitole . . . .124 Chapter VI. Toulouse — Its churches— Protestant service — Libra- ries — Reception of the Duke d'Angoul§me — The French Generals — Popularity of Wellington . .161 Chapter VII. Toulouse — Mr. Macarthy's Library — The Marquess of Buckingham — General Hope — Wellington's duke- dom — The Theatre — -A romantic story — Feeling towards the English — The Duke on the Russian cavalry 196 CONTENTS. Vll PAGE Chapter VIII. Preparations for departure — Bordeaux — Imposition on the English — Greetings from the women — Mauso- leum of Louis XVI 225 Chapter IX. The Opera-House — The cathedral — The synagogue — A Jewish wedding — Strange show house — Wellington and King Ferdinand 244 Chapter X. Country fetes — Brawls with the French — The Due d'AngoulSme — Mademoiselle Georges — The actress and the emperor — French acting and French audi- ences — Presentation of a sword to Lord Dalhousie — Georges' benefit — Departure ..... 264 PRIVATE JOURNAL, &c. CHAPTER I. MOVEMENTS OF THE ARMY — NARROW ESCAPE OF WELLINGTON ANECDOTE OF WELLINGTON AT RODRIGO — NOVEL SCAL- ING LADDERS SIR ALEXANDER DICKSON WELLINGTON'S VANITY OPERATIONS RESUMED SPANISH OFFICERS THE PASSAGE OF THE ADOUR — THE ROAD TO BAYONNE DEATH OF CAPTAIN PITTS. Head- Quarters, St. Jean de Luz, Tuesday, February 22nd, 1814. My dear M As the movements going on give me now a little more leisure, and I know not how soon my opportunities of writing may in a great measure be arrested by a march, I begin my weekly despatch early this week, and write, althougli really almost too cold to hold my pen. Lord Wellington, when he returned from driving the VOL. III. B 2 MOVEMENTS OF French across the Gave, found his expedition here could not leave port from bad wind and tide, &c., though all ready. He instantly set about new arrangements in consequence, so as to be independent in a great measure of the result of this grand bridge. All the divisions of the army, therefore, moved towards the right yesterday, except the Guards and the rest of the first division, which remain in our front backed by a corps of Spaniards at Guethany and Bidart, in advance of St. Jean de Luz, but through which place they did not march. To superintend this movement Lord Wellington was off again yesterday for Garris, near to St. Palais, with most of the head-quarters staff, the Adjutant-general Pakenham remaining here on account of a slight bilious attack. The last move left us in front of the Gave, the French still strong in Sauveterne and on a ridge of hills and strong ground which runs between the two Gaves d'Oleron and Pau. We are now, I conclude, to drive them across both Gaves, and then make good oui- way round to the other side of the Adour and the citadel of Bayonne. In the meantime, as the plan here is still expected to THE ARMY. 3 take effect to-morrow morning early, we arc all alive ; our little bay full of shipping and small ships of war, which cruise backwards and forwards, or anchor there, with carpenters, sappers, soldiers, &c., on board, and all the flotilla ready in Sacoa, and the Admiral superintending. Head-quarters are come home delighted with the country on the Gaves and with their reception. The people in many instances come in numbers to meet our troops instead of offering resistance. The prisoners also many of them say they are ready to serve son Altesse Royale, but this is rather too soon to begin, it is thought, as it may be only to escape and return to their old army. One young man, who was of the country, ran into his father's house as they were marching by, and all the family were found around him. He was separated and marched off; but the story has been told at head-quarters, and General Pakenham has sent the man back (who was on his way to Passages), and means to send him home to his friends. I was talking to General Pakenham yesterday on beginning a French royalist corps out of the prisoners and deserters. It must be done very B 2 4 NARROW ESCAPE OF "WELLINGTON. cautiously, of course, at first, but would, I think, have a good effect and soon increase. At present the idea that all deserters must be sent away from their own country to England, deters many from deserting, who would otherwise be willing. This object would also do away with the disgraceful ideas naturally attached to desertion to an enemy in a soldier's mind. Reports say Lord Wellington had a narrow escape with his staff, whilst reconnoitring on the right in the late move. He is said to have been going up a hill when a French cavaby regiment was coming up the other side. The engineer officer was going round, and he saw the regiment and galloped back to give information, but before he could reach Lord Wellington they were just close to the top of the hill, and Colonel Gordon, who was in the advance, saw some of the French videttes close ; he gave the alarm, and they all had a gallop for it, pursued by some of the Dragoons. Though the English horses were most of them well tired, they were soon out of reach of the French, and all escaped. Lord Wellington confides almost too entirely in the fleetness and excellence of his animals, considering what the loss would be NOVEL SCALING-LADDERS. 5 if he were caught ; he is, however, now rather more cautious. I heard a few days since an anecdote about the siege of Rodrigo, which shows the man. Scarcely any one knew what was to be done; the great preparations were all made in Almeyda, and most supposed, and I believe the French, that everything which arrived there, was for the purpose of defence there, not of attack elsewhere. On a sudden the army was in front of Rodrigo. A new advanced work was discovered, which must be taken before any progress could be made in the siege. To save men and time, an instant attack was resolved upon. Scaling-ladders were necessary ; the engineers were applied to ; they had none with them, for they were quite ignorant of the plans — an incon- venience which has often arisen in different de- partments from Lord Wellington's great secresy^ though the general result, assisted by his genius, has been so good. The scaling could not take place without ladders ; Lord Wellington was in- formed of this. " Well," says he, " you have brought up your ammunition and stores, never mind the waggons, cut them all up directly, they will make excellent ladders — there you sec, each 6 Wellington's vanity. side piece is already cut." This was done, and by the help of these novel ladders, the work was scaled forthwith. At Badajoz, he found so little to be had in the regular way for a siege, from want of transport, and so many difficulties in consequence from the regular bred artillery generals, &c., that lie became principal engineer himself, making use of Colonel Dickson, the acting man, as his instrument. These sieges procured Dickson his majority and lieu- tenant-colonelcy in consequence, and though only a Captain in the Royal Regiment of Artillery, he now conducts the whole department here, because he makes no difficulties. In one instance Lord Wellington is not like Frederick the Great. He is remarkably neat, and most particular in his dress, considering his situation. He is well made, knows it, and is wiUing to set off to the best what nature has bestowed. In short, like every great man, present or past, almost without exception, he is vain. He cuts the skirts of his own coats shorter, to make them look smarter : and only a short time since I found him discussing the cut of his half-boots, and suggesting alterations to his servant, when I went OPERATIONS RESUMED. 7 in upon business. The vanity of great men shows itself in different ways, but I believe always exists in some shape or other. Februanj 22nd, 5 o'clock. — The flotilla has just got out of Sacoa Bay in preparation for to-morrow. A beautiful sight ! Six or seven ships of war, and fifty other vessels — every one alive ! Forty form the bridge ; I hope it may succeed, many doubt it. P.S. Lord Wellington moving on the Gaves with seven divisions. The cable bridge is in the boats, engineers on board. The affair to begin by driving in the pickets, then crossing five hundred men on the rafts, spiking the French battery, burning the French corvette, and then bringing in the bridge ! February 24ith, 1814. — I rose at half-past four, to go over and see the crossing of the Adour yesterday, and the formation of the bridge. At day-light I discovered the whole flotilla had been dispersed by the gale of the night before, and no part was near the mouth of the Adour. Several officers returned in consequence, saying nothing could be done ; thinking otherwise, and that this movement would somehow take place, being connected with Lord 8 OPERATIONS RESUMED. Wellington's on our right on the Gaves, I went on, found all the Spaniards on the road in front of Bayonne, but doing nothing. All was quiet for a very long time ; about twelve o'clock they were ordered to move on, and make a feint, and an attack was made by our great guns and rockets at the same time, on the French armed corvette and gun-boats, to destroy the latter, and at the same time to draw off the attention of the French from the mouth of the river below Anglet, where we intended to cross on the rafts. The Spaniards were not much opposed, and went on boldly enough, as far as intended, and had a few wounded. The sharp-shooting, however, was very slack. The fifth division at the same time, made a show on their side, between the Nive and the Adour, but not with any serious intention. I then went into an empty house with Dr. Macgregor and some others, to make a fire and get some bi*eakfast, which they had with them ; we added our several stocks, and fared very well. We then made our way through Anglet, and across the sands, and through a pine wood, to the river's mouth. A brigade of Guards, another of the King's German Legion, the Light Battalion, (most ex- OPERATIONS RESUMED. 9 cellent men,) and a Rocket Brigade, were there, all ready to pass, but from the immense difficulties which had been met with in the transport of the boats and pontoons over land, only two of the light companies were over about one o^clock, when I arrived, and a temporary suspension of the passage of men had been ordered by General Hope. The order, however, had just come again to pass over as fast as possible, and before I went away from the spot (about three o^clock) three rafts, formed each upon three pontoons, and carrying each about fifty or fifty-five men, were at work ferrying across on a cable, and the six small boats were also plying, so that about five hundred men were then nearly over, and they were going at the rate of two hundred or two hundred and fifty per hour. I left the rocket men, each with one rocket ready in his hand, and three on his back in a case, with three poles on his shoulder, just going to cross. Elphinstone had been quite in despair ; tlie pontoon cars sunk so much in the sand, that at last thirty horses would not move them, and for the last five hundred yards they were conveyed on the shoulders of the guardsmen ; twenty-six men B 3 10 OPERATIONS RESUMED. to a pontoon. At length all his difficulties were thus overcome, and the non-an'ival of the bridge, of which we could see nothing, was not his fault, but that of the weather. I helped the engineering again, a little, by joining the party who were finding the best place to which to fix cables against high-water — as 1 discovered the last tide mark in the sands, and thus found a landing-place and post, clearly above high-water mark — as the springs were past, and of course every succeeding tide would rise to a less height. We then proceeded along the river towards our battery on the bank, which was firing at the corvette, &c. When we had gone a little way through the pine wood, we found all the roads almost stopped by the trees cut down by the French, and the road we took near the bank which was clear, carried us opposite a smaller French corvette and three gun-boats, which had just placed themselves in the river. At first we thought them a part of our intended bridge, but soon found it otherwise, and that we should be fired at, as our small party on the other side the river, had not advanced, and all the opposite bank and village, as well as the boats, were still French. EFFECTS OF ROCKETS. 1 1 We turned, and at last made our way through to the battery. We there learnt that the guns and rockets had sunk one gun-boat, and frightened away the rest, and the corvette, which had all been hauled up close to the bridge under Bayonne, where we saw them, I could not understand that the rockets had done more than cause some alarm, though twelve had been fired at once at the shipping, and from no great distance. Only one, or at most two, had fairly struck, and nothing had been burnt. The heavy guns had struck the corvette, but could not do much damage before she was off, and just at first the corvette and battery on the French side seem to have had the best of it. Count Damas, who was there with the Due d^Angouleme, look- ing on, told me that the artillery had knocked off the colours of the corvette whilst he was there, and that one of the light Germans had jumped into the water, had fetched out the colours, and had presented them to the commanding artillery officer. Others say these colours were on the gun- boat. The French were so alarmed at the rockets that the vessel, when struck, was abandoned. Close to our guns we found the other brigade of 12 NARROW ESCAPE. Guards, &c., making an immense fire with the fir- trees, which had been cut down on all sides, as the day, though fine, was very cold. Dr. Macgregor, one or two others, as well as myself, went up a little sand-hill near, just to look round, when a twenty-four pound shot from Bayonne came close to us point blank. The horses turned right round, and the Doctor losing his hat, I thought at first that he had been struck. Of course we soon beat a retreat, and found we were in a spot where this was the usual reception, and a position of which the French were jealous. Just as I came away, a little before five, I saw a column of French, apparently about seven hun- dred, going very quickly through the wood on the opposite bank from the citadel, towards our men who had passed, to attack them. I knew we had nearly a battalion across, about seven hundred men, and did not feel much alarm at the event. I pitied the men more for the cold night they were likely to pass on the bare sands, without baggage, &c. I have heard this morning an attack was made just afterwards, but that some of the rocket skirmishers were put in advance with the other skirmishers on our side, and the French SPANISH OFFICERS. 13 were so alarmed that, though much superior, they would not advance, and our men beat them off. The flotilla was this morning collected near the mouth of the Adour, and, I suppose, before this the bridge is begun. At any rate we could have crossed as many men as we wished before this. No one is returned to-day as yet, and as I had business, and one of my horses was a little sore in the back, I staid at home. My grey pony started before six yesterday morning, and I was not at home till past seven at night, having ridden above thirty miles, and given him nothing to eat, but he is not the least the worse for it to-day, as far as I can judge now. Some of the Spanish regiments were veiy fine men, and well equipped in every respect, much better than some of our poor fellows; but the officers looked very bad indeed, and when the men advanced they were led on by their officers with cloaks on, folded over their mouths, looking as miscral)le as possible. The men also (like the French) always march with tlieir great coats on over everything, so that our good new clothes were all concealed by their own old threadbare coats. On the other hand, 14 SPANISH NEGLIGENCE. you saw none of our men with their coats on, cold as it was, and every one ahve and in activity. I stood next to Don Carlos d'Espagnc, and heard him receive his directions and information as to what parts we occupied and what the French, &c. General Hope (though not well, and too soon, I believe) came on to take the command, of which the division were very glad. I fear the Spaniards, though better than they were, and though only the best were in advance, will soon begin to do mischief. As I returned here I saw all their stragglers about the houses near the road, and telling every one that in Spain Francesi roban ^ rompen todos todos. They soon dirty our new clothing, and go about with dirty and scowling discontented faces, like some of our good countrymen in Ireland. The industry of the French on the sand-banks had been very great in the cultivation of the vine. The south-east side of the very bank on which the sea beat on the north-west, a pure white sand, was divided with square reed enclosures, and covered with vines. The Anglet wine (which, as a very light wine, is in repute), I believe, is there produced. Many of the inhabitants at Anglet, &c., remained. PASSAGE OF THE ADOUR. 15 and most seemed glad the movement was over. One old woman, in a house that was near the river's mouth, said she was most happy to see us, as she had been the last two months in complete misery, not allowed to speak to any strangers by the French, and not even allowed to go to Bayonne to buy a few sous-worth of snuiF. I suppose they feared the spread of information, as this was close to the intended spot of our bridge, of which I understand, and have no doubt, they had a very clear knowledge. Two persons of the better class have come in here by sea from Bordeaux, round by Passages, to pay their respects, and give in- formation to son Altesse Royale. Colonel La Fitte told me they were as anxious there for Lord Wel- lington as the Jews were for the Messiah, so sanguine are the emigres. February 26th. — All accounts now agree that the French have from ten thousands to above eleven thousands in the town and citadel, three thou- sands in the latter, the rest in the town and lines. Another show was made against our people the morning after they crossed, but no attack. Ccm- sidering the French had eleven thousand men, that it was eight or nine hours before we had above 16 PASSAGE OF THE ADOUR. five or six hundred men across, this passage of the Adour and ovir establishment on the right bank is most disgraceful to their troops, or to their General, and as creditable to us. In the evening of the 24th our flotilla crossed the bar and got into the Adour over a most tremendous surf. Several accidents ensued in consequence, and many lives were lost ; some say as many as forty in the whole, of all nations. I believe about fifteen English sailors. None but the latter would have dared to enter at such a time. Five boats were upset, most very near it, and one brig with stores, aground, as well as one small ship of war, a gun- vessel, I believe, and some never got in at all. The place fixed for the bridge was not so wide as was expected and prepared for, so sufficient boats are ready, and last night all but about three were moored in their berths ready, and I should think the bridge would to-day be passable. The loss of the French in the gun-boats and corvettes was greater than we supposed, for the inhabitants inform us, a Captain of cannoniers was killed, and several men^'and the Captain of the corvette lost his arm. The rockets also did mis- chief on shore, one man who is now in here, had ALARM IN BAYONNE. 17 both legs carried off by a rocket. I have been since told^ the French lay down on their faces, and then ran away from them. An order has been issued in Bayonne for all persons who have not and cannot procure six months' provisions to quit the town, and numbers were coming this way along the road yesterday. I went out that way on purpose to meet them, and talk to them. They all agreed in the number of men, about eleven thousands, but said a great part were conscripts and weakly. This I concluded of course, as all those unequal to an active campaign would be naturally left in the walls for quiet garrison duty. The alarm had been terrible in the town, which was expecting an attack two days since. Every householder was ordered to have an immense tub filled with water, ready at his door, &c. Count Reille was gone to the rear, some said ill, and Thouvenot commanded again, and most said Marshal Soult was gone to Paris, some to Mount Marsan, and Count Gazan commanded. A Frenchman, who came yesterday, told Monsieur d'Arcangues, an inhabitant here, that he had just passed through La Vendee, and that country, and that it was in arms again ; that 18 ROYAL CIVILITY. he had himself seen several armed parties ; amount- ing some of them to seven or eight hundred men. This will at the least stop the conscription a little. I communicated this good news to son A It esse Royale, and at the same time made him a little cadeau, by begging, he would let me send him king Joseph^s saddle cloth, which I had picked up at Vittoria, but had never used, as being rather too splendid, (blue with a very broad gold border). He was very civil, and in return lent me a paper of the 11th, which he had just got out with his baggage from England, a second edition of the Courier, containing in the corner a notice of the arrival of the message through France from Lord Castlereagh, a piece of news which alarmed him not a little, though our French accounts still say the negociations are broken off, and the Allies close to Paris. General Harispe had raised about three thou- sand or three thousand eight hundred of his countrymen, the Basques, a fine race of people, but since our late move, most of them have run home, and his corps, as the maire here told me yesterday, is reduced to about five hundred. Our officers remain delighted with their reception on ROAD TO BAYONNE. 19 the right ; they all say that every one talks with horror of making war in an enemy^s country ; but that all they can say from experience is, that they never wish again to make war in a friendly one if this is to be the manner of making war in an enemy's. Nothing, I believe has been done on the right of any consequence yet, only preparations in case this bridge failed, I believe ; if so, I think we should now have Lord Wellington back here directly from Garris, where he has been, and the move will at last take place. I have just got my mules back from Passages, with six days' hay, and am now ready, though my Guardsman tailor has carried half my new clothes with him across the xldour, and I never expect to sec them more, and have a Frenchman at work with some new jobs. Considering your lost box and all contingencies, I think my last suit will stand me in about 35/. sterling ! The ride along the high road to Bayonne, was yesterday an interesting scene. The refugees from the town, several of them very pretty Basques, were all coming this way laden with the little baggage they could carry off. Our artillery all moving up the contrary way ; as well as the Spanish troops ; and 20 ROAD TO BAYONNE. hundreds of Basques, meu and women, with great loads on their heads (like our Welch fruit-women going to Co vent-garden), only their baskets were full of bread, biscuits, &c., and all in requisition for the Spaniards. The bat animals and baggage par- ties of the Spaniards, are not a little amusing, and their led chargers with their tails buckled up, and in swaddling clothes, with dirty magnificent housings, &c., and dancing about half-starved, with their heads in the air. Every fifty yards a dead bullock or horse, but chiefly the former, and every two hundred, an ox dying, and a Spanish muleteer or straggler waiting until the bullock driver aban- doned him, to turn him up, and cut his heart out, before he was dead, but when in a state too weak to resist. The heart alone seemed to be worth the trouble, as nothing else could be cut ofi" from the bones, and bone and all did not pay the cutting up and carriage. The destruction and present price of cattle are tremendous, and I grieve to hear we have been obliged to give the Spaniards a lot of our best Irish cattle, as we had no other at hand. The only meat they seemed to have with them, was a number of ox cars with sides of Spanish bacon ; WRECK OF A SUTTLING BRIG. 21 this, and sardines seemed to form their supply. The men, however, I still say, are very fine men, and I am sure well commanded would make ex- cellent troops. Nevertheless, I was by no means sorry to find we had still an English brigade of about twelve or fifteen hundred men (Lord Aylmer's) between us and the eleven thousand French at Bayonne, as I am sure five thousand French would force their way through the fifteen thousand Spaniards if they chose to try, though we should in the end prevent their return. At any rate we should have early notice, and alarm from the runaways. The French beat our fellows at that, as we cannot catch them, and the Spaniards would not be easily caught by the French. We had a most anxious scene here two nights since. Just as our vessels got into the Adour, a suttling brig, Dutch-built, and very strong, to save pilotage fees, tried to get in (without the pilot boats) to this river. The boats towing missed the mouth, were both swamped, and the men in most imminent danger, as well as the vessel, which was driven in without guidance, aground for an hour, but saved, and at last all lives saved, or at least all but one. When the boat was filled, another wave drove it against the sliij), and three 22 NUMEROUS WRECKS AT caught hold of the ship chains and got in ; the fourth was knocked about in the water between the ship, the boat, and the wall, but at last got his chin on the sinking boat, came up the harbour so, was hailed in and saved. In my morning walk on the sea wall, I found another ship on shore, a large brig with a valuable cargo, a private specu- lation. This will be the third wreck, bvit con- sidering how many vessels have been here, and how they have been all exposed, and half of them absolutely at the mercy of any north or north- west squalls, we have, I think, been most fortunate. Later. — In my ride to-day I met about thirty or forty wounded men of the Buffs and 39th second division ; but this is the consequence of the last move, I believe, as they told me they were wounded at or near Cambo. We have reports of an affair, but here know nothing as yet. We are becoming, instead of being like head-quarters, the centre of all good information, a mere hospital station in the rear, and famous, as usual, for ill-founded reports, which the medical men, I suppose, invent from ennui on these occasions. A large brig has arrived from Bordeaux with ■wine, but, I should think, almost too late for the speculation. Sunday, 27th February, Post-day. — In my walk THE MOUTH OF THE ADOUR. 23 this morning I saw another boat swamped, trying to get out of the river over the bar. It was ac- tually worked by the surf into this position, with the stern stuck into the sand of the bar, and fairly went over, with the five men. For some time all five were visible, two swimming, and three cling- ing to the keel of the wreck, which was bottom uppermost. Another boat, which had intended to follow this one out, was fortunately close at hand, just out of the reach of the surf, and by this means the two swimmers were saved by giving them a rope's end, and also one of the three from the wreck, as it floated inwards. There was a struggle between the three, when a wave came, and two appeared no more. The relations of the two men witnessed their loss, as well as myself, standing on the edge of the wall within ten yards of the men, but unable to help them. The distress you may conceive. We become in some degree hardened by seeing death so continually, and in so many forms, as we do here. I have also this morning met with five English seamen, part of the crew of one of our })rovision ships, which were lost some months since on this coast. The master and four men, being from St. 24 DEATH OF CAPTAIN PITTS. Andars, and the French having heard of the fever there at that time, they were put under quarantine on the coast, about forty miles on the other side of Bayonne. Afterwards they escaped, and lived about among the inhabitants, who, they say, treated them well, as the master had money. At last, hearing from the French that we had crossed the Adour, they made through the woods this way, and fell in with our cavalry about three leagues the other side of Bayonne, General Vandeleur being on that side of the Adour, with two regiments. They mention that they saw on the road going to Dax a number of the wounded French from Bay- onne, and also troops retiring that way, the people told them, to the amount of fifteen thousand, but the number must have been exaggerated, I think, and that considerably. The servant of Captain Pitts, of the Engineers, came in yesterday with an account of his master's death. Captain Pitts was one of General Cole's staff, and a most spirited, zealous, skilful, and promising young man. He was killed on the right a few days since, when our men had driven the French over the Gave d'Oleron. He went down to reconnoitre, and take a sketch of the banks, GENERAL PICTON WOUNDED. 25 and make observations with a view to a bridge. His servant says he had finished, and was looking round just before he came ofi*, when a ball struck him on the head. General Cole's staff have been very unfortunate this last year, and indeed the loss of officers in his whole division has been very con- siderable. I used to think that it sometimes aflfected his spirits, though it never induced him to endeavour to diminish it, as he always was and would be foremost in danger. Count Damas has just informed me, that Lord Wellington has now crossed both the Gaves, and is near Orthes ; but we have no authentic news from him. All accounts agree that General Picton was wounded in the affair on crossing the Gave ; but, it is said, not badly. I picked up this morning a Spanish paper, and, on making it out, found it was a letter from a Spanish officer in camp, near Bayonue, telling some friend in the rear that Murillo and Mina had beat the French across the Gave, and were in pursuit along with two English divisions, having taken forty guns, &c., and then saying the inhabitants were muy malos, but that we treated them as well VOL. III. c 26 LORD WELLINGTON AT ORTHES. as Spaniards, and that they, the Spaniards, were ordered to do the same, but that we should see, &c. Head-Quarters, St. Jean de Luz, February 28, 1814. — Lieut.-Colonel C- is now returned here, and we have at length some authentic accounts of what has passed. Lord Wellington was at Orthes, where he left him, intending to stay there a short time to arrange communications with General Hope's column, &c. Our men forded the Gave de Pau, and drove the enemy from Orthes. As they made some stand in that town, it was a little rompe'd, as we call it. General Picton was not wounded, and our loss has been inconsiderable upon the whole. Colonel C returned by my old road through Peyrehorade, Ramons, and across the Adour, at Port de Lanne, and so to Bayonne, and then across the new bridge here. He found the first division driving the French from the heights above the citadel of Bayonne, close into the town last night. This was done, but with some loss and much firing. Those hills are important, as in some measure commanding the citadel. To-morrow we march to join head-quarters. I believe we shall not pass the new bridge, as a Spanish army crosses REPORTS FROM THE INTERIOR. 27 that way, and will occupy it all day, and the road also. In addition to which, we have, as yet, only cavalry patroles along the road, and the French have halted a force at Dax, or Acks, or Ax (in the different maps). I understand we are to go by Ustaritz, Hasparran, Garris, Sauveterre, and Orthes. This is a roundabout bad road, but will, to me, be a new country. Our weather, most luckily, con- tinues fine as yet. Our accounts from the interior are, that Tou- louse and Bordeaux are both ready to hoist the white flag, and only wait for our sanction and de- claration. This point of etiquette may spoil all. I think we should declare our readiness to support them the moment they declare publicly their readiness to take that part. It is a critical mo- ment. Many are alarmed at Schwartzenburg's not having made more progress; he seems to have hung back, as his army was stronger than Blucher's, and was forwarded six weeks since, and yet we only hear of Blucher near Paris. I must now prepare to '' romj)er de march" as Jack Por- tugoose calls it. So adieu. c 2 28 INCLEMENT WEATHER. CHAPTER II. PASSAGE OF THE RIVER START FOR ORTHES EFFECT OF THE BATTLE FEELINGS OF THE FRENCH WELLINGTON WOUNDED ST. SEVER CHURCH AND SCHOOL AIRE WELLINGTON ON THE CONDUCT OF THE ALLIES INDU- RATING EFFECTS OF WAR. Head-Quarters, St. Sever, March 5th, 1814. My dear M- Here I am again with head-quarters, and within two leagues of my old quarter, Mont de Marsan. We have had a most unpleasant, and for the baggage animals, a most laborious joui-ney, from the terrible state of the weather — hail-storms, rain storms, with violent south-westerly winds al- most all the time. By warm clothing and good living I have escaped with only one day's return of rheumatism, which has now gone off, and I feel in very tolerable repair. On the 1st of March we left St. Jean de Luz, PASSAGE OF THE ADOUR. 29 and passed tlie grand bridge below Ba3ronne, in sight of, and I really believe within gun-shot of the walls. We all filed over in safety, and then along the sea-wall for half a mile, with water on both sides, to Boucaut. I was surprised that the ani- mals were not more alarmed. The bi-idge answered perfectly ; it consisted of thirty-six two-masted vessels, with anchors across all the way at the head and stern of each; a strong beam across the centre of each, between the masts, to which the cables were fastened, to form the road, so that each formed a separate bridge, and the destruction of one cable only affected one space. The boards were then fixed on these cables, and were interlaced all the way by small cords, through notches in the boards, and thus we went safely along between the masts, in a road about twelve or fourteen feet wide, differing, however, from a common bridge, for the arches between the boats, from the stretching of the cables, formed concaves instead of convex arches, some of them descending nearly to the water^s edge. It answered, however, perfectly, and will continue to do so, un- less the Spaniards suffer the French to come and destroy it. Of this I have my doubts. The crews 30 START FOR ORTHES. were living in their vessels at the head and stem, cooking away and going on as usual. Five or six gun-boats were moored about it, then came the boom and boats ready to tow ashore any fire- ship. At Boucaut we found Sir John Hope and his staff, so we were ordered to the next village on the road. Our managing Quarter-Master clumsily went to a bad village of a dozen houses, out of the road, when there was a very good one on the right road, only a few miles further. Several of us had no houses, and were told we must find them for our- selves. After waiting some time until my baggage came, I determined to go on the right road until I found a quarter vacant, trusting with full confi- dence to the good disposition of the inhabitants, which towards the English is most excellent. After looking into five, I found a vacant one a mile and a-half ofi", no of&cer within half a mile, and no English troops within two miles, and none at all towards the interior of France on that road. The people expected some one, and a bed was ready and a complete welcome I received. In my way I went round by the picket, within about eight hundred yards of Bayonne citadel. FRENCH ROYALISTS. 31 where ray tailor was on fatigue duty in the works, and I thus recovered my pantaloons and waistcoat. I was just going to bed at eight o^clock, when a violent cannonading and sharp musketiy com- menced sounding close by us. I did not think it prudent to go to bed until it ceased, as we were within about a mile and a-half of a garrison of eleven thousand men ; but suspecting what was the case, that it was only our people driving the French out of a field-work on the hill, and hem- ming them in closer to the citadel, I was scarcely at all alarmed. My host and his family were great royalists in their professions, as they had for the last six months been more than usually oppressed by the French. He had a house and ten acres of land ; the house worth about 10/. a-year in England, as I should think. His rent of the land was one- half the produce of corn and maize ; the taxes on his house had been already that year sixty francs, and his contributions fifteen bushels of maize and I think ten of corn. He said no one could live if this went on, and all the young men were carried off. He had one quarter to pay still, but expecting us every day, he put it off from time to time. 32 PEYREHORADE. though much threatened, and now thought himself safe. From thence we started early for Peyrehorade, a largish place, nearly as large as Kingston-upon- Thames. It was market-day, and the people of the country on business crowded in as usual. They all stared at us, most saluted us; all were civil, and we got our quarters with much more facility, and met with ten times the civility we had ever done in Spain. I never witnessed a single quarrel, though the town was crowded as it is at an election time with you, and we had only about twenty dragoons to protect all the one thousand two hun- dred animals and baggage of head-quarters. My host was peculiarly civil, and gave me a very good apartment and an excellent dinner — some roast beef a VAnglaise all red with gravy, a duck, and a fowl. The whole family dined with us, wife, mother, and two daughters. The eldest son, who had been intended for an attorney, had been taken as a conscript, and was wounded at Leipsic — since that time they had not heard of him ; I comforted them by suggesting that he must have been left at Mayence. The next son was sixteen, and at school at St. Sever ; next year it became his turn to take ORTHES. 33 his chance as a conscript. And you may well con- ceive that we were considered as welcome guests — independently of the expectation of having coffee and sugar cheap for grandmamma, and English linens, muslins, &c., for the two ugly misses. On the 3rd of March we started again for Orthes, the scene of the famous battle, which you will have heard before you receive this letter, and of which we received several imperfect accounts as we went along. The reception all along the road, and at Orthes, was the same as at Peyrehorade; Dr. M and Major G just stopped in the stable of a chateau for shelter, and the owner came out and took them in, gave them cold turkey and champagne. At Orthes I got an excellent quarter at the Juge de Paicc's, who w^as very hospitable as usual, and as the weather was so excessively bad, and my Portuguese almost dead with their walk of twenty miles in the rain and mud, I stopped the night there, notwithstanding the head-quarters were regularly eight miles further at Sault. I knew the latter was a miserable place, and this was another inducement. At Orthes I found about two thousand wounded, one thousand English, and the others French and c 3 34 EFFECTS OF THE BATTLE. Portuguese ; the latter had behaved well, as usual. I found the Adjutant-general, Pakenham, confined to his bed, ill at the inn, but, at nine at night and this morning, very much better. The hospitals all established and in full activity. Lord March was shot in the chest, but the surgeon hoped he would do well, and thought so; he could not, however, find the ball, but had reason to think it had not passed the lungs. Colonel Brook's brother (a schoolfellow of George's) was shot through the lungs, and there is little hope of him. The afiair at Orthes was quite unexpected; as they had suffered our army to pass all the rivers, no one expected this desperate stand, for such I am told it was, the French having seldom fought better. They stood some time, even when they had ceased to fire, and it is therefore concluded had no ammunition left ; and after our cavalry (who be- haved well) was in the midst of them cutting away. At last they gave way, and then fled quickly. Their loss no one knows, as the wounded got off to the villages round, but all say their army is actually reduced above eight thousand men, as the con- scripts are all running home as fast as they can ; above twenty had come back to Peyrehorade, and FEELINGS OF THE FRENCH. 35 one gentlemanlike young man, I met at my quarter there, was a convalescent conscript, and such he said he should now always remain, unless affairs took another turn again. Our state here is most curious ; all riding about singly, entering every house we please, well re- ceived everywhere, and baggage straggling all over the country ; every one saying one man had caused all their misery for the last three years. The Bourbons are almost forgotten, and few, even of the better sort of people, know who the Due d^Angouleme is. All want peace, and therefore Vfdshed him well. The French people are just now humbled to a most astonishing degree. I could scarcely have believed it possible. I went everywhere talking to the people, and explaining a little who om- "royal tiger^' is, and wliy he came as he did. At Flagenan I found the maire and townspeople waiting to pay their re- spects to him in form. This was bolder than at most places, and I was sorry to mortify them, by telling them he had already passed. At Peyreho- rade, when the French army went by, every place was shut up ; when we came, every place and all the shops were opened. 36 FEELINGS OF THE FRENCH. The horror of the Spaniards is, however, very- great. Still the people would take no active part; tliey remained quiet, hoping for peace. At Orthes Marshal Soult ordered the inhabitants to arm and assist, and the action was so close on a formidable position on the hills above the town, that several balls fell into the houses ; instead of doing so, they all shut themselves up, and there waited the event. He vowed vengeance, and that the town should be pillaged in consequence. Of course they wished us success, as you may well conceive. In many places the French have done much injury to the inhabitants as they went off, burning mills, bridges, forage, and the suburbs of Navarens, on military accounts, but plundering also, very considerably, on private accounts. The people now fear we are too weak, and begin to tremble. It is a trying time for them. The schoolmaster here has rubbed out his College Imperiale. This may be his ruin if matters change again. At Mont de Marsan we have found immense stores, as I ex- pected. This place, St. Sever, is larger than Or- thes, or Peyrehorade, and is said to have had much emigree and ancienne noblesse. The reception, however, as to quarters, &c., has not been quite LORD WELLINGTON WOUNDED. 37 SO good as hitherto, more from alarm, I believe, than anything else. It was curious that Lord Wellington and General Alava were close together when struck, and both on the hip, but on different sides, and neither seriously injured, as the sm-geon told me who dressed them. Lord Wellington's was a bad bruise, and skin was broken : I fear his riding so much since has rather made it of more consequence, but hope the two day's halt here will put him in the right way again, as all our prospects here would vanish with that man. From this vicinity the French took the Toulouse road, and, as you will see, made another stand near Aire. The Portuguese, I am sorry to say, ran at that place, and we were at first repulsed, but General Barnes's brigade came up, and set all to rights, by driving the French on again, and taking some prisoners. Our way here has been in some degree difficult and dangerous, from the flooded rivers and broken down bridges which, as yet, are only shghtly repaired, so as to be just passable. At the Adour, we have here actually been delayed two days, I understand. At Port de Lanne, we passed it on two large rafts, and two ferry-boats, with 38 MISHAPS ON THE MARCH. some risk; my boat was nearly over, from two spirited horses on board, and my little mule with his panniers on jumped into the water. This put my linen and sugar, &c. in a pretty mess, as you may suppose, and drowned the live fowls on his back. At Peyrehorade I also lost a mule, and had to overload the rest in consequence. At this place I last night recovered my mule, and lost nothing on the road, except the drowned fowls, which can now be replaced here. The his- tory of all the mishaps on a march is curious. I dined at the ferry-house, and did not go away till I saw all my own nine animals clear over. Some persons have never heard of theii* baggage since, and are now here without it : it will tm-n up soon, no doubt, at least in great part. My old host at Mont de Marsan has sent to inquire after me. One feels now quite strange in an enemy^s country, meeting deserters around on the road, gens-d^armes, the same conscripts going home, and a stout peasantry with great Irish bludgeons, all very civil and friendly; and Lord Wellington by proclamation ordering the maii'es to form an armed police and protect their own dis- tricts themselves from stragglers, muleteers, &c. PROSPECTS OF THE ROYAL CAUSE. 39 I always expected that Soult would retire to- wards Toulouse, to fall back on Suchet, and either hang on our flank, if we go on to Bordeaux, or draw us from the sea and our supplies if we follow him up. I think we can push on to Bor- deaux and the river, and then sweep on before us towards Toulouse. Time will show Lord Wel- lington's plans, which no one can do more than guess at. In the end I was right as to his crossing the Gaves in force. I have just met with the Baron de Barthe. He tells me all prospers with the royal cause, and that the French provinces of Poitou, Guienne, Brittany, &c., are all in open insmTcction, and the white flag flying. P 's account of the state of France on his side coincides, as you must observe, almost precisely with mine, as far as I have yet seen. The people are all at market here to-day, just as if nothing were the matter, and we were not here. As yet there is only hatred in many of the lower classes and a few of the higher to Bonaparte, but no effort for the Bourbons, and much alarm in the purchasers of national property. The ancienne noblesse is beginning to talk and to 40 DISARMING OF THE ITALIANS. stir a little, and the nouveaux riches ai'c by some laughed at. Public opinion begins to dare to vent itself, and the minds of the people at large are, I think, veering fast. Many think us too weak at present. It is said we move to-morrow to Aire, on the Toulouse road, but nothing is fixed. I went to inquire after Lord Wellington to-day; he was busy wi-iting, and said he was better, and looked well enough. The Due d'Angouleme has sent to INIont de Marsan as his agent, a professeur, who was despised there, and this has given ofience. The truth is that he does not know where as yet to find men of weight and talent. St, Sever, March 6th, 1814. — The mail, I un- derstand is to be despatched to-day, so I add a few lines, as we halt here again .to-day, and I be- lieve to-morrow, from the flooded state of the river and the enemy having destroyed the bridges in their retreat to Auch, where we are told they now are. Marshal Soult, it is said, finding the Italians also now beginning to desert since ^Murat's new alliances, has ordered all Italian soldiers to be disarmed. Another story about, but not so much to be relied on, is, that Bonaparte has been WELLINGTON AND GENERAL ALAVA. 41 badly wounded, and desired General Macdonald to put him out of his misery, and that the latter took him at his word, and shot him. The Due d^Augouleme was at high mass again to-day, at which some hundreds of the new levy attended, as my host tells me, known by their short cropped heads. We are here so different from what we were in Spain, that it is quite droll. I have a general invitation from my host whilst I stay. To day I go to Lord Wellington's. Later on the 7th. — We stay to-day, as the bridges are not repaired and the floods have not quite subsided. I walked down to the bridge with Lord Wellington yesterday, and found him limp a little, and he said he was in rather more pain than usual, but it was nothing. At dinner yester- day, he said he was laughing at General Alava having had a knock, and telling him it was all non- sense, and that he was not hurt, when he recei^•ed this blow, and a worse one, in the same place him- self. Alava said it was to })unish him for laugh- ino; at him. At dinner we had the new Swedish tiger, the Prince's aide-de-camp, who has been here a few days, covered with gold. His pantaloons 42 GENERAL DESIRE FOR PEACE. are most niagnifique. He seemed a good-tem- pered man^ but I did not think very much of him. Two of the Bordeaux people were also there, who are to return to-day, and General Frere's aide-de-camp from Peyrehorade, as he is marching up that way by Orthes. The people in office at Pau sent to say they were ready to declare for the King, and Count Damas boldly enough went over there to see the state of things. He has come back safe, and reports them ready, but that they cannot take any public step until we are in force there. Amongst other opinions and feelings here, we, the English, have our partisans. Many say they should like an English government, and Lord Wellington told me, laughing, he believed we had almost as many friends and partisans as the Bour- bons. Peace certainly is by far the most popular project of all. I am excessively hurried with business to-day, and must prepare to see Lord Wellington. Head-Quarters, Aire, March 11, 1814. — By a sudden order we moved from St. Sever to this place yesterday, so far on our road to Toulouse, and the scene of the affair a few davs since, when ARMY OPERATIONS. 43 the Algarve brigade (all Portuguese) took to their heels, and the English brigade of General Barnes behaved so well. We are now playing a bolder game than usual. The French, as I suspected, went the Toulouse road from St. Sever, and have a column in our front on the road to Auch, I believe, and another near or towards Tarbes. This leaves Bordeaux open. To take advantage of this, we have also divided two divisions under IMarshal Beresford ; the seventh and the fourth are gone to Bor- deaux, and must be by this time close to the town, which is said to be ripe to join us, and declare for the King. The Due d'Augouleme is gone that way. In front here we have Sir Rowland Hill's corps, the second and sixth divisions, and also the third and light divisions ; and General Frere's Spanish army of twelve thousand men, to be fed by us, is on its road up, to be, I understand, at St. Sever to-day ; and to support this main movement against Soult, who is said to be near Auch. In the meantime. General Hope remains with the first division, including all the Guards and German Legion (and, of course, the choice men, and in high 44 PREPARATIONS FOR THE SIEGE OF BAYONNE. ordcrj and undiminished by service nearly), and also with the fifth division and General Don Carlos d^Espagne^s Spanish brigade, and, I believe, also Lord Aylmer's British one, to blockade and take Bayonue. It is most unfortunate that so large a force should be required for that object; but we dare not trust, I conclude, the bridge and our communications to the Spaniards' keeping. Great preparations are making against Bayonne, and the garrison have been driven in very close to the citadel ; but no steps have been as yet taken for the actual siege by regular approaches or batteries. Our army is thus very much divided just now, and the communications would be diffi- cult, except that the country is with us. All the French posting establishment has remained, and everything nearly goes on as usual. The people quietly let us take our own measures, and give no opposition, though not openly declaring or helping us. It is remarkable that we go about as if in England, and yet no mischief has been done either to officers, men, or baggage. If the country people had been like the Spaniards and against us, what we are now doing would have been out of the question. Half our army, by straggling FEELINGS OF THE PEOPLE. 45 about, would have been knocked on the head. We have, fortunately, just now plenty of money, and pay for everything; and the English ai'C in the highest repute. In general, also, we have behaved well. There are, however, many instances to the contrary ; and many more, I am sorry to say, amongst the Por- tuguese. When the Spaniards come, I am much afraid things will be much worse. The mischief done by, and injury arising from, the passing of the very best disciplined army is considerable. The people feel that, and are ready, in general, to submit to much, especially as the French army has been so much worse than ours, and does not pay for anything, whilst, on the other hand, we enable many to make almost little fortunes against quiet times ; and Lord AYellington begins upon a plan, which I only hope he will have funds to continue, of paying for all damage done when well made out. Indeed, some most exaggerated and unreasonable demands have been made to him in consequence. Guineas are already spread all over this province, and pass most readily. "^ I am at an apothecary's here, who was, I am sorry to say, robbed by our men just after the 46 ST. SEVER ITS CHURCH attack. General Hill offered to send him the money, nearly 15/. and a watch ; but he declined taking it. Lord Wellington has a cold, but rode here yes- terday in his white cloak, in a tenibly cold day, with the snow right in his face ; for we have now got another little winter here, which is unusual. I have had some fever and cold, but am better again ; indeed, much as usual, after a little dis- cipline at St. Sever. At the latter place, there was a large church built by the English. In general, it is exactly in the style we call Saxon or old English, circular arches and Saxon ornaments. I suspect, however, it must have been built just as the Gothic style was beginning to come into fashion, as the side aisle arches and part of the body of the church were pointed or Gothic; and this did not appear to have been, like some of ours, a subsequent alteration. A handsome small old Corinthian fa9ade was inserted within the large Saxon heavy arch which formed the original entrance of the front of the church. In the town was a very good school, called Le College Imperiale. About ninety- two boys were then in the school, who all re- AND SCHOOL. 47 mainedj and were very civil to our officers when- ever we went there. The boys seemed to wish us well, I thought; and they do not usually conceal their real opinions. The establishment was in an old Benedictine abbey, and was exceedingly good. The lower cloisters and the great church, gutted at the Revolution, formed excellent play-places ; and the great corridors above were all half enclosed by small wooden rooms for the boys, each having one to himself about eight feet by five, holding his bed, his chair, table, and box ; and, by being all open at the top to the gallery, they were airy and yet retired and private. The expense of this school is about 400 francs, or 20/. a-year. For this, Latin, writing, French, geography, music, dancing, and a little mathematics were taught. Some boys could read Livy, Tacitus, and Cicero. The dinners and other arrangements, are cleanly and good. Na- poleon gave them the building. The funds were all private, no foundation, lands, or allowances from government. The road from St. Sever here was through a rich flat bottom near the Adour, with a high bank all the way on the south side, with several chateaux. We crossed the Adour to come here at 48 APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY. Sever, over our newly-made bridge ; came along the great road on the north bank, and re-crossed again at a ferry at this place, this for the fourth time since we left St. Jean de Luz. The country seems well cultivated, and in appearance not un- like parts of the Bath road, in Berkshire — a flat corn country, with wooded, rising grounds and villas at some distance, which formed the valley. We passed Grenade, a largish village about eight miles from St. Sever, and a large chateau at about six miles off, belonging to the Marquis de St. Maurice, the chateau taking his name. We also, about four miles further on, passed a small village, called Cageres ; and four miles more brought us here. The bridge at Barcelonne is about a mile and a half high up, over the Adour, and has not been destroyed by the French; they only broke one arch of wood, w^hich we have repaired : we were to have crossed there to get hither, but I came almost the first, found a ferry just re-established, and came over; most followed the same way. Aire is not so large a town as St. Sever or Orthes, — it is about the size of Epsom. It is close to the river, is old and dirty, and haK deserted. Several good houses gutted, or, at least. AIRE. 49 without furniture; and the ruins of a very large modern-built bishop's palace, destroyed during the Revolution, when, I believe, this place suffered much. At Upper Aire, which stands well on a hill half a mile above this, is a celebrated school or college, or rather two united. It was first formed about sixty or eighty years since, a handsome building erected for the purpose, and well con- trived, in plan much like that at St. Sever. It was in great repute before the Revolution, but was then destroyed, and almost completely gutted, Within the last ten years, the professors and clergy have, by degrees, by charities, charity ser- mons, and great exertions, nearly restored the whole again without government assistance; and, before this late attack, there were above two hun- dred boys there. In one building there are above a hundred boys, all destined for the church ; in another, above a hundred for lay employments. An old church built by the English, but much altered, and in a much later style than that at St. Sever, stands between the schools, is for their use as a church, and unites the two establisli- ments ; the whole having a good broad play terrace on the brow of the hill above the river. VOL. III. D 50 FRENCH PHILOSOPHER. Education is here cheaper than at St. Sever, though there are no government funds at either. The yearly cost is about three hundred or three hundred and fifty francs. I rather think clothing was, however, included in the estimate at St. Sever, and that would make the two much alike. The studies are the same. It put me in mind of May- nooth College, near Dublin, and seemed what our colleges were three or four centuries ago. My patron or host at St. Sever, was a sort of small landholder and noble, with his house in town and villa two miles oflF, which dated, as he took care to tell me, 130 years, as the builder^s mark and his ancestor's name proved, and therefore, " C'est clair, mats ce n'est rien pour moi, c'est Hen vrai maintenant que mafamille est sup^rieure a celle de M. le Maire de noire villej" &c. M. le Maire had made most of his money by dabbling with national property during the revolution, and suc- ceeded better than many others here ; " but,'' con- tinued my host, " as I have always been considered (me of the noblesse, I have suffered accordingly, mais n'importe, I am grown a philosopher. I never can see such times as Robespierre's again ; so I see English, Spanish, Portuguese, and all with in- INTERCHANGE OF CIVILITIES. 51 difference, and remain quiet. At the same time I am now English (he always said nous autres, which often puzzled me) and I wish the cause wellj and would contribute much to its success." He seemed surprised that his contribution of maize for our horses was all paid for instantly, and that in gold, and at a fair good price, even though M. le Maire who managed it (no one knew for what) detained eleven sous out of every eighty from all to whom he made payments. M. La Borde de Menos was my host's name, he was veiy civil, and I dined with his family, his wife, two daughters, and a sou, whenever I was not engaged, which happened only twice, at Lord Wellington's. He also gave my men wine, &c. ; in short, I believe he rejoiced much at the change he had experienced in having me instead of a whole company of officers, men and all, which he had one day when we first came. In return for his treatment I bought toys for the lad ; gave some tea to ]\Iadame in case of sickness, and a pretty cadeau to Mademoiselle. In a word we parted excellent friends. The many stories he told me of what had passed in Robespierre's time were curious. M. La Borde was obliged to act with the Representant, and attend all meet- 52 ANECDOTE OF THE REIGN OF TERROR. ings, to be only pillaged and abused by every one, and to bow and say, " Thank you all," with his hat in his hand; and this was to prevent their having an excuse for guillotining him, as thirty of the principal people were put to death in the small town of St. Sever. The living alone and staying away was of itself a heinous offence, and every requisition of a cart for a day's use was called for sous peine de mort. That was the form of all de- mands. A ball was given by the Representant. Every one must go or be suspected. Madame went. She had a valuable gold watch-chain; but not daring to show it, she went with a cut steel one. The Representaut said, " Mais oil est done votre chaine d'or? Le puhlique en a besoin." She was obliged to swear it had been stolen, and to hide it ever afterwards. The Representant seemed incre- dulous, and the risk of this fraud was great, but it answered. Monsieur was not so lucky; he had a valuable ring, he attended one of the meetings with it on. The Representant said, " Tu F Noble. donnez moi ta bague,ce n'est par pour desgenscomme toi ; le puhlique en a besoin.'^ He took it off and gave it up, and some months after saw it on the finger of one of the Representant's relations. Wellington's opinion of the allies. 53 I have now a will to draw up in case of accident, for Sir N. P , Bart., to secure 10,000/. to each of his younger children. He is here with his regiment -, so adieu. Lord Wellington abuses the Allies for having been beaten, when they had the game in their hands; and says, one ran his head against the Marne, and the other against the Seine, and the whole was ill-managed. We have the further news of a French column having made its way from Lyons to near Geneva again ; but a report still later, that the Allies have, under Blucher, got into Bonaparte^s rear. These checks are, even if they end in nothing, of the greatest use to him. They deter people from de- claring their opinions; may make eveiy difference in that way here and at Bordeaux ; and I should not be surprised if they encouraged ]\Iarshal Soult to make another stand near here, on this side the Garonne, which I do not think he would other- wise have done. I am told he is in a position at present from Tarbes to Plaisance, on a ridge of hills, and that the country is full of positions. My news is from M. D , the husband of my young Spanish 54 AN INTRIGUING GENTLEMAN. Bilboa lady, who came to me to-day. They have left Bayonne from fear, and are waiting the events of the war at Pau, whence he came over hfere, — and like a true placeman, thinking matters were about to change, he insinuated to me that he should like an appointment under the new order of things — under the direction of the Bourbons or the English. He also wanted a passport for his little wife^s brother to go back to Bilboa, from General Alava. I have got him that; but on condition that the civil authorities are written to, and the brother examined on his arrival, as to his conduct, &c. M. D — ■ — ■ was Colonel F 's friend and not mine; and I own I had no great opinion of him, but thought he was only attentive to Colonel r to serve his own purposes, and seemed to be rather an intriguing gentleman. It is, how- ever, quite my principle that every one should be allowed to go home, and go about his busi- ness; and I am sure that Spain will profit by the residence of any one who has lived at all with the French, and acquired some notions of what mankind are capable of, and of human exertion. MUTUAL ACCOMMODATION. 55 In my walks to-day, I met a poor gentleman who told me we had taken all his forage, and that his oxen were starving, and that he must sell them ; he was going to a contractor for that pur- pose. I advised him to go to our Commissary Haines, and took him, and introduced him, as I thought each would gain by a bargain direct. His oxen are to be inspected to-morrow. During our conversation, he told me he was the brother- in-law of Dulau, the French bookseller in Soho Square, and that the latter had no nearer relation, but that he could never hear of him, or write to him. I undertook to send his letter. If such a letter is enclosed to you, therefore, you will know all about it, and my poor man may get a legacy or something by it, from the great Mr. Dulau, for such he must be. Saturday, March 12th. — We remain here to day, and I think shall do so for a few days, unless the French move off. AVe seem to be moving up. A brigade of artillery and some troops were yesterday taking the direction of Pau, to secure that town, I conclude, as we have now only artillery there, and also, perhaps, to turn the left of the French position at Tarbes. Lord AVelling- 56 INDURATING EFFECTS OF WAR. ton is better ; his hounds go out to-day, and 1 should not be surprised at his being out with them. As a proof how savage war makes everyone, even an English soldier, I may tell you that poor H 's body was stript by the English soldiers of his own division, to which he was acting as Adjutant- general, and almost before his body was cold. I believe two or three fellows have been flogged for this. By degrees we all get hardened to anything. I find the same sort of custom here as to letting and, as near Bayonne. The landlord puts a peasant into a little farm, furnishes it, pays the taxes, and finds the necessary cattle, beasts, and horses, &c., for the cultivation of the land; in re- turn, he receives the full half of the clear produce as rent, but in kind, and very little money is seen. Before we came bread was three sous the pound, which would be about sixpence three-farthings the quartern loaf. A goose has been five francs of late, but that is dear. Fowls are now only half-a-crown or three shillings each, and veiy good even to the English. If we remain long in a place, we soon raise the price. MARSHAL BERESFORD AT BORDEAUX. 57 CHAPTER III. REPORTS FROM THE SEAT OF WAR — THE DUKE d'aNGOULEME THE GERMAN CAVALRY MISCONDUCT OF THE SPANIARDS ATTACKS ON OUR GRAZING PARTIES MOVEMENT OF HEAD-aCARTERS DEATH OF COLONEL STURGEON VISIT TO THE HOSPITAL NEW QUARTERS SKIRMISHES WELLING- TON AND THE MAYOR. Head-Quarter Aire, March IG, 1814. My dear M Here we remain still, and I think sliall do so for a few days, as the French Marshal not only keeps his position near Conchez, across our road to Tarbes and Toulouse, but does not seem to be disposed to go beyond demonstrations, and cannot muster courage to attack us, and we, I believe, are not quite prepared to attack him. The glorious reception IMarshal Beresford met with at Bordeaux, and the spirited and decided conduct of the man-c, &c., there, you will have heard by the last mail, as the news came after my letter, but before Lord D 3 58 Duc d'angouleme. Wellington's bag was despatched. We have all sorts of reports from the vicinity of Paris, as to the battle at Meaux, as to a large French corps having gone over to Bernadotte. There are reports from Bordeaux, but all uncertain ; I think, however, that the niaire must have had some good intelli- gence to induce him to take the line he has done, which must be his ruin, and that of all his friends, if we make peace at last with Bonaparte. The Duc d'Angouleme, at first, I am told, de- clined a burgher guard, and preferred an English one ; this will not do, he must show confidence and spirit, and rely upon his French friends, and give no offence by English partialities. I think it was bad advice in some one about him, as I under- stand he personally has always wished to take a decided Hue, and risk his personal safety for the cause. We hear the Royalist party are beginning a la lanterne again, but I hope this is not true. The inhabitants of Bordeaux must arm and protect themselves. We shall leave but a small force there. The river and their own people must be their chief reliance. Lord Wellington has sent for the fourth division from Marshal Beresford to help here. THE GERMAN CAVALRY. 59 Canning went off at four o'clock, on the 14th, with these orders (as I understand) ; he was sent from Gartin by Lord Wellington, eleven miles from this in front, and was here in an hour. Whilst he was dressing and getting a fresh horse, I got him his money from the Paymaster, and he was off, re- mounted, for Roquefort, twenty miles; and from thence he was to post the other seventy miles all night to Bordeaux. He was heard of at Langon, about three or four in the morning, so that by nine o'clock on the 15th, he would be in Bordeaux, and as the fourth division would march that day from Langon (where they were), in about two days more, they will be here by that time. All our eighteen-pounders and some other reinforcements will arrive, and then Soult must be off, or I hope get another beating. The heavy German Cavalry (for by this name they wish to be known, as it carries credit with it), went through here two days since in admirable order, the horses in particular, but the latter are already too slight for the men, who are all large bony heavy men of a certain age, and all ex- perienced heroes. It will not be easy by a royal order, and light jackets and caps, to transform 60 MISCONDUCT OF THE SPANIARDS. tliese gentlemen into light Germans, nor do the corps like it at all. Ponsonby's heavy brigade is also close by, fresh from Spain, hke the Germans, and in the same excellent condition. Nearly ten thousand Spaniards are also two miles from this, at or near Barcelona, very fine-looking men, and in good discipline. Hitherto they have also behaved in general much better than was expected on the march ; but we feed them, as they have no transport. If they w^ill but fight a little in return, and take their share of loss, we should do famously. Murillo^s Spaniards, I am sorry to say, have begun very ill . in our front. The day before yesterday, Soult made an advance against them, they were ordered to fall back a little to a rivulet, and there defend themselves. Once with their backs turned, however, away they went, and never stopped until the Buffs were ordered up to stop the Fi'ench, who, the moment they saw the red coats coming on, were off home again very quickly, but not quite so rapidly as the Spaniards had run from them. The Portuguese cavalry had a little affair, and behaved well. The 14th Draaioons had also an ATTACKS ON GRAZING PARTIES. 61 affair the day before yesterday. Half a squadron under Captain Babbiugton were ordered by Colonel Harvey to drive off a French half squadron, and then halt until he came up. They upset the French, saw another whole squadron beyond, were tempted to go on by their first success, and suc- ceeded, in a great measure, again, but Captain Babbington was taken. The wounded French dragoons brought in here prisoners are all very fine men, of the 5th regiment, and the whole regi- ment are said to be the same sort of men. They came in much cut about the head and hands. The forage animals of head-quarters were yester- day very nea'rly getting into a terrible scrape — about two hundred and fifty animals, and two of mine of the number. They foolishly went in front of our pickets, or nearly so, though regularly under com- missariat directions. Whilst they were loading at a farm, one peasant slipt away, and it is concluded, told some French dragoons near what was going on, whilst the other in the house gave some of the party wine. There were four artillerymen, mi- armed, in the house, and about six Portuguese, one of whom was mine, when a French officer of cavalry, with his sword drawn, came to the window, 62 ATTACKS ON GRAZING PARTIES. told them all to come out, and that they were prisoners. When out, seeing he was alone, and that his party was three or four hundred yards off, they mounted their mules, and were all off nearly, with the loss of, I believe, only one man, and two or three mules. Some fellows galloped all the way here without their loads or cords, and at first spread an alarm that all were taken. They ariived home in the course of the day, and my Portuguese brought home a load of good hay and two deserted ropes in triumph. It is thought that the party should have brought off the officer prisoner, but most are satisfied with having got their own property back again. He cut one of the artillerymen on the finger, who put up his arm to save himself. Another party of muleteers with stores from Mont de Marsan to Bordeaux, with supplies for the seventh division, to which they belonged, were attacked three days since on their road, near Roquefort, quite in our reai', and on our com- munications, by some French partizans, a sort of guerillas called La Bande — these now, as I am told, are employed by Soult — formerly a set of douaniers, or smuggler catchers. Several mules were killed and wounded, and, I believe, some MOVEMENT OF HEAD-QUARTERS. 63 muleteers killed, and some of the money taken. I am much afraid the Spanish muleteers will begin to be alarmed at this. We have cavalry, however, on the road, and they will now be on the look out more in future. We are now much crowded here. Three new Generals came in yesterday and to-day, — Sir Sta- pleton Cotton to-day, with about a hundred animals belonging to himself and his staff. I was turned out of my stable in consequence, though but a very bad one, and am now in a back kitchen turned into a stable. At Barcelona the Spaniards turned out the cavalry with much less ceremony. It is said a company, with a Captain at their head, gallantly charged Captain S 's horses and batmen (General C 's aide-de- camp), and were very successful. One little blood horse kicked about, broke loose, and made a good defence without injuring himself; but another horse not so quick in his retreat, received two slight bayonet wounds, and a slight cut with a sabre, and the Spaniards carried the day, behaving like heroes ! Our people are all moved in consequence, and I hope these valorosos and blood-thirsty gentlemen 64 MOVEMENT OF THE FRENCH. will soon be allowed to contend with a more glorious enemy, and will behave with equal spirit when the opportunity shall arrive. Our Swedish (Bernadotte's) aide-de-camp is, it seems, to campaign with us ; he is buying horses, &c., and preparing for the field. He is a great talker, and I understand, of this country. He seems, from his conversation, to have served against us under Massena, in Portugal, but how he is what he is, I do not exactly understand. Our weather is still very cold. Lord Wellington would not even condescend to-day to go and look at the French. He only sent Colonel Gordon to go on to Gartin, and report, Head-Quarters, 17 th March, Aire. — About three o'clock yesterday we learnt that the French were off, and filed through Conchez, apparently on the way to Tarbes. I think they will not venture to go too near the mountains, but must make for Toulouse. If not, our fourth division, which, it is said, will be here to-night, will make us strong enough, I hope, to push a column through Auch straight to Toulouse, while the rest follow Soult, and we should then be at Toulouse first. I con- clude he will turn that way from Tarbes. General SCENE AT BORDEAUX. 65 Hill moved a little after the French yesterday to keep them in sight. The rest of the army will, I think, get in motion to-day or to-morrow, and head-quarters move on very soon afterwards. About fifty prisoners were sent in here last night, mostly dragoons. We are all alive again as to the Allies, and the stories from Bordeaux are most animating. In addition to this, we move after Soult to-morrow. Head-quarters to be at Viella, three leagues in advance, nearly, towards Auch. I fear we shall, as part of head-quarters, see neither Toulouse nor Bordeaux ; for if my generalship corresponds with Lord Wellington's, I think Soult will cross the Garonne, and that our right will go by Toulouse, and that we, as part of head-quarters, shall pass the river by some bridge to be laid down below near Agcn, — more towards the centre of our move- ments. The scene at Bordeaux I much regret to have lost, and we already hear of disturbances at Toulouse, and even reports of Louis XVIIL being proclaimed at Paris. From the want of a popular Bourbon cry at Bordeaux, I hear they have set up "Henri IV." and " Gode sav de King." Our weather to-day delightful : I only hope it will last. 66 TIRESOME MARCH. We are told that Suchet has offered to withdraw all his garrisons from Spain into France, and give up the towns in their present state ; this has been referred, it is said, to Lord Wellington, and by him refused, as only releasing so many men for present use, who must sooner or later, if we perse- vere, be prisoners. This is quite right for the common cause, no doubt. Viella, 18/A. — I have just time to add a few lines at this place, which is about nine miles from Aire, on the road to Tarbes, and our head-quarters to-day. It is a small scattered village, so much so that I am at a farm at least two miles or more from the main village, and nearly by myself at the last house in the commune. I have, however, a doctor and a commissary within a quarter of a mile, and as we are fortunately well received, and welcomed everywhere, it does not signify. I feel quite at ease. We had a tiresome march here, as the third di- vision, the sixth, and the heavy Germans with the baggage of all the three, the whole of the pontoon train, the artillery of the two divisions, head- quarters baggage, and eight thousand Spaniards all went the same road, over our newly made ROADS BROKEN UP. 67 bridge across the Leis, a small stream which comes into the Adour^ near Barcelonne. The French in destroying this bridge, had not blown up or burnt the main centre pier, so that about twenty-five elm trees, about twenty-five feet long, and bundles of fascines, about twelve feet long, paced cross- ways, and then covered wnth dirt, in two days' time made us a famous bridge. Some time hence, when the fascines get rotten, some luckless car or horseman will, I have no doubt, go through into the water, which is deep and about twenty feet below. Our high roads are excellent, and the country, though not a rich soil, very pretty and loveable. Almost every drain under the road, or a small arch for streams to pass under, had been broken down ; some left so from neglect of late, some I believe just made on purpose to delay us ; faggots, and a little mould, with a few small trees at bottom, soon made a passage, but created delays. 19/^, 7 o'clock. — To-day we move to ^lau- bourguet, nearly in the Tarbcs road. This looks as if Soult was making for Tarbes, and not Tou- louse. I can scarcely believe this. If he places his rear on the mountains, he gives up Ton- 68 A FRENCH FARMER. louse, and the richest country, and if beaten when up there, will I think escape with difficulty. He may expect some reinforcements from Suchet that way, but I think still must go to Toulouse. We, however, have now a chance of seeing the latter, whereas I thought we should have crossed nearer Agen, lower down the river. My patron here is very friendly. The French plundered him terribly, and all his neighbours. They call them brigands, &c., and dread them more than our army. My man let five Portuguese dragoons through his premises, and saved them, as he says. He is of a class of men that existed in former days in England ; the owner and cultivator of eighty acres of land, partly corn, partly wood, partly vineyards, and partly meadow — thus he has all within himself. He has a wife and four children, two women servants, two pair of oxen, of which he has been obliged to sell one pair to pay the French contributions. He has two labourers, both de- serters, for keeping whom he knows he is liable to a fine of from five hundred to three thousand francs, and to be confined five years, but he can get no other servants, and of course these are faithful. RESPECT ENTERTAINED FOR WELLINGTON. 69 His land, he says, is worth about 50*. an acre. It requires much labour, but when left alone he says is good enough to make them very happy. In spite of all he has suffered, and his earnest desire for peace, he is certainly no friend to the Bourbons. He curses Bonaparte for his ambition, has a tolerably just notion of all his losses in the North, and in Spain, from the soldiers, &c. ; but still I think, would rather have Bonaparte still, and peace, than the Bourbons. I can never get him to say a word as to the latter, good or bad. At the same time, like all the rest of the French, he would just now submit to anything for peace. All have the highest respect for Lord Wellington, which they say they learn from the French army, high and low. Maubourguet, 5 o'clock. — "We left Viella at nine, and after a tiresome ride through baggage the whole way, arrived here about four, though it is only about fifteen miles. The bridges were all broken down, and every gutter nearly across the road, but this only caused delays and was quite ineffectual. The troops and artillery waggons, &c., all found some way round or through. When about twelve miles on our road we found the last 70 GALLANTRY OF GERMAN CAVALRY. three miles quite choked with all the baggage of head-quarters and the troops. At first I conceived it was a broken bridge repairing, and was patient ; but a sliarp firing and cannonade soon commenced in front of Maubourguet, near Vic, and then, guess- ing that it was an intentional halt, I made my way through it here, and found every one in front, and a sharp firing about four miles in advance, near Vic Bigorre. I also met a party of the fine German cavalry wounded going to the rear ; they had had an affair the day before yesterday in advance of Madiran, half-way between that place and this, and with two squadrons upset instantly four squadrons of French chasseurs, took many horses, and cut up many men, but the French ran too fast to leave any prisoners. This tempted the Germans to attack yesterday a very superior force, I am told three times their number — three French regiments — and I hear they suffered much. In the first afiair they had about four killed and eighteen wounded. We were at first without orders as to staying here and unpacking, but a report soon came that the French would not stand and were ofi" ; so we all unpacked quietly before the firing CONFIDENCE OF THE ARMY. / i ceased and prepared for dinner in this town, where five hundred French cavahy had passed the night, and had only departed with the curses of the in- habitants about eight in the morning. Our Portu- guese were principally engaged, I hear, yesterday, and without much loss. The sixth division entered Vic last night. Maubourguet, 7 o'clock, 20lh, Sunday. — No orders last night. Lord Wellington very late home ; but I have just learned that we move to- day to Tarbes, taking it for granted the French will be out to make room for us. This is very strange, and so is the confidence of our men. When we were halted yesterday the batmen were saying when within three miles of this place, the head- quarters, " We must only wait a little, till the troops have cleared our quarters for us and made room." I now cannot understand Soult's plans. He seems to be making for the mountains, and to have suffered us in some measure to cut him off from Toulouse. Colonel Canning arrived last night from Bordeaux with an account of a grand defeat of Bonaparte^ s, and that he had fallen back on Orleans; this I expected, if he were not killed. 72 DEATH OF COLONEL STURGEON. as I concluded he would try and unite with the Lyons army and Soult's, and make one more stand in the heart of the kingdom. If this be true, Lord Wellington must be careful as to passing the Garonne : Soult^s junction will at any rate be doubtful nevertheless. Our men are in the highest spirits, and driving all before them : weather fine. Tournay, March 2\st. — At nine left Maubour- guet; about four miles further I stopped at Vic Bigorre, to see poor Colonel Sturgeon^s body — a vei-y clever man and officer, and particularly skilful as a bridge engineer, and in all languages, &c. He went too close to the skirmishers, to reconnoitre, and was shot in the head just under the eye. I also went over the hospital, to assist Dr. IM^Gregor in giving directions to the French as to arrange- ments, to talk to, and satisfy some wounded French officers, and to get from the maire bedding, straw, and help by requisition instantly. We had about two hundred wounded there of all nations, many Portuguese, one of whom was undergoing the operation of having his leg and thigh cut oJBF, veiy high up, and seemed in great agony. The French surgeon thought Dr. McGregor was finding fault, and stopped, and turned to us to explain. I un- TARBES. 73 derstanci he was doing it in a clumsy way, but Dr. McGregor begged I would praise him highly, or he would be alarmed, and do it still worse. Close to Vic, by the road side, were about a dozen bodies, killed by cannon-shot and terribly mauled. Having loaded a mule with oats from a French store at Vic, I proceeded towards Tournay. The road was crammed, and some sharp skirmishing going on about three miles beyond the town, which had commenced on the Vic side. The French only left the town about nine, and tried to blow up the bridge, but were stopped by two or three gun-shots. They stood their ground tole- rably, on a very strong ridge of hills, until night, and remained en bivouac on them last night. At three this morning they were off, and here we are after them again, about nine miles on the road to Toulouse, at this place, Tournay, which was last night Marshal Soult's head-quarters. Tarbes is a good town, and contains a number of good houses. From the houses being large, and having yards and gardens, and from there being one or two large open spaces or squares, it covers a good deal of ground, but docs not count, as I un- derstand, above ten or eleven thousand inhabitants. VOL. III. E 74 SKIRMISHES. The people received us in general very well, but were quite passive, taking no part in any way. They had been kept quite in ignorance of all that was going on in the north and at Bordeaux in par- ticular — at least a great part of them. I explained and harangued all I could to set them right. My own patron was, I suspect, a strong Bonapartist, and r took some pains to plague him a little ac- cordingly. We have had no sort of interruption to-day, but from the multitudes passing, which form a stream, lasting from five in the morning, along a wide road, until about four or five in the day. Our fine weather is unfortunately turned to rain, but I hope will return to us again. You will see by the map that Soult has taken to the Toulouse road at last. I hear he is at Mont St. Jean to-day, and that, as usual, when inclined to run, the French beat our people in marching, and we cannot cut him ofi'. He has run some risks by going this round-about road, and had we been strong enough to have pushed along the Auch road also, we should have puzzled him a little ; we shall now, I conclude, drive him gradually to the Garonne. I do not think he will make another stand. I have been turned out of my stable, and APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY. 75 had much trouble with the maire, Sec, so have only time to seal up, and to hope that I am not too late. P.S. The country, from Maubourguet to Vic, Tarbes, and part of the way here, was all a flat, of rich country, like the country between Bridgewater and across into Somersetshire, except that half the meadows at least were vineyards and orchards in one, and interlaced very prettily; the fruit-trees kept small, about ten feet high, and the vines trained off at about six, and all intertwined and furled together with withy-bands. This was famous cover, as no musket-ball could pass far through the trees; a few common shot had destroyed the quincuncx regularity in many places. The water meadows were very beautiful, and the system seemed to be understood and well managed; the streams beautifully clear. The back-ground of this large flat, was, all the way to the Haute Pyrenees, covered with snow, but the higher Pic du Midi was never visible, always in the clouds ; the lower one was. The Alps are far superior, as far as I can judge. Adieu. Nine o'clock at night, Isle en Dodon, March V •> 76 NEW QUARTERS, 24:th, 1814. — Our post and movements are now so uncertain and sudden, that I know not when or how to write to you, and I fear my last was sent too late, and may probably be received with this, by which means all the zest of late news from the army will be lost. I have just heard by accident that a mail goes to-night, and have only time to scribble a few hasty lines immediately after dinner. My last finished at Tournay ; from thence we proceeded the next day to Galan, a poor vil- lage and rather a wild mountain road, the short cut to Toulouse. Our second division and cavalry followed the enemy along the high road by Lan- nernezou, IVIont St. Jean, and St. Gaudens. One corps of their army went also through Galan. The maire of the latter was a fine old man of eighty- two, and a good friend. I was at a miserable half-furnished house, and my baggage being stopped by the Spanish troops, I did not get it until seven o'clock; but luckily got it in time to dress and get on my horse to go and dine with Lord Wellington, a mile ofi" in the rain. The maire had been an hour in the room with Lord Wellington before he found him out, talking by the fire in his quarter, until at last EXCELLENT ROADS. 77 Lord Wellington ha\'ing let him go on some time asked him to dinner. This staggered him and led to an explanation. The maire said that the night before he had had Generals Clausel and llarispe, and that they only ordered a dinner to be prepared, and did not ask him to eat part of his own, or thanked him, or took the least notice of him. He could not therefore believe that Lord Wellington was the enemy^s General, ha\"ing been so treated, as he said, " like a dog " by his friends. My own patron was a half-starved apothecary without medicines or drugs. He offered to dress a fowl for me, but was very willing instead to sell me one for twice its value, for dinner the next day. 2Zrd. — We moved again to Boulognes, a longish march, about sixteen miles, and in part bad road, though in general the roads all over this part of France disgrace us in England very much ; com- pared with our best roads, they are very superior to any in the distant counties, and to many of our main and best roads, even in the neighbourhood of London. The light, third, foui-th, and sixth divi- sions cavalry, and about eight thousand Spaniards, all move with this column, and wc reach of course by mid-day, when all is in motion, with the artillery 78 WELLINGTON AND THE and baggage, about ten miles. The second division and cavaliy follow the French. At St. Gaudens ovu* 13th Dragoons came up with the French rear cavalry, formed just outside the town, charged, broke them, drove them pell-mell through the town on their reverse beyond it. There they re-formed ; the 13th charged again ; then the French ran, with the 13th after them, for two miles. The result is said to be a hundred and twenty prisoners and horses, besides killed. From Boulogues we to-day marched to this place — Isle en Dodon. The majority of the people here seem to be friends of Bonaparte, and the assistant maire in particular, with whom I had much conversation, as he gave Doctor Hume and me a joint billet at the empty house where he gave out the billets, and no stable at all, and as I was obliged to have him in the room so long, I deter- mined to work him a little for treating us so ill. The maire of Boulognes ran away at first. At night he came back and went to Lord "Wellington. He showed him his proclamations and regulations, &c. The maire said he had taken the oath to Bonaparte, and would not act. " Very well," said Lord Wellington, " then the people must MAIRE OF BOULOGNES. 79 choose another; but now you have taken your line, I must take mine, and send you over the Garonne into the Fi'ench lines." He gave orders accordingly to Colonel S . The maire ran away and could not be found. Colonel S took up the father to march him off until the son appeared. This brought him out ; he remonstrated with Lord Wellington, said he was one of the first men of the country, &c., and should be ruined by this. Lord Wellington said, " He should have thought of that sooner, and he must go," and" to this place he came to-day a prisoner. We have just received orders to march to Samatan to-morrow; all here have a notion that Suchet's forces join Soult near here — that is, have done so, or are to do so ; but we are a little in the dark, and the ignorance of the French about every- thing is astonishing; they seem quite stupified. But Bonaparte has many friends still, and the reports in the French papers, though upon the whole good, are not decisive. The armistice seems to have gone off from the arrangements about Italy. We are hving like the rest of the armies and the French by requisitions; but we as yet 80 ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION AT BAGNIERES. pay in money, which others do not; we consume everything, however, like locusts. Lord Wellington popped between Colonel G and me as we were discussing the allied battles this morning, and suddenly took a part, to my great astonishment, in our conversation. On leaving Tarbes a party of civilians went round by Bagnieres to see the baths, the rooms, &c., a sort of Spa, about twelve miles roimd, and where no troops had been ; not an Englishman there, but they were told they would be well received, and so they were indeed. The maire made them an address, the people were in crowds, so that it required force to enable them to pass. The National Guard turned out and presented arms to them ; it was like Lord Wellington's entry into Zamora (as they say), such an outcry ! such a display ! A ball was proposed, but as there was a French garrison about six miles oflf and no allied troops near, the party declined staying and went off, highly pleased with their excursion. This is very odd, for on the road we go, all is stupefaction and indifference. I should have enjoyed this, but am obliged to be very prudent now after my late escape. Adieu again. THE schoolmaster's POEM. 81 The schoolmaster, or prttre, at Boulognes had written a long poem entitled '' Mon Reve," a pro- phecy nearly of all taking place, and containing much in honour of Lord Welhngton. He said he had long had it concealed, and volunteered spout- ing it out to us to his own great satisfaction, and it really was not bad. E 3 82 NEWS FROM TOULOUSE. CHAPTER IV. DIFFICULTIES OF THE MARCH — FAILURE OF THE BRIDGE OF BOATS — THE GARONNE EXCESSES OF MURILLO's CORPS — BAD NEWS EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS ARRIVAL BEFORE TOULOUSE — A PRISONER OF WAR ANECDOTE OF WEL- LINGTON. Head-Quarters, Saniatan, March 25, 1814. My dear M At eight this morning we left L^Isle en Dodon for this place, about eight miles nearer to Toulouse, from which we (the head-quarters) are now only distant about twenty-six miles. Our troops at St. Lys, and St. Foy, and that vicinity, are ^vithin eleven miles ; our right is still a little more in the rear on the St. Gaudens' road, near Martres, under General Hill. I have just met with a corn factor who left Toulouse this morning. He says Marshal Soult arrived there with about eight thousand men last night; the same number were expected to-day, NEWS FROM TOULOUSE. 83 and a force of twelve thousand men from Suchet's army expected to join^ or rather, I beUeve, the twelve thousand men were to be principally a reinforcement of conscripts, collected by the Im- perial Commissioner Cafarelli. A small bridge called St. Antoiue, near St. Martin, about a mile from Toulouse, was destroyed on the road from Isle Jourdain to Toulouse, and some works were forming, and appearance of defence making, near to St. Martin, at a place where three roads branch off a mile from Toulouse, and called La Pate d'Ore. The narrator, though no judge, thought the works could not be completed in time, and that if we pressed on we should pass them without much difficulty. The bridge he said also was mined, a very noble bridge, but it was I'eported that there was a ford passable so near, that it was thought the mine would not be made use of. The news from Paris had ceased for some days, and this gave rise to many stories of Paris having been taken, &c. I am lodged here with some very civil good people, and who, I believe, really wish us well, and are very different from the maire adjoint at the last place, who seemed a good 13onapartist, as are many of the pco])le at L'lslc en Dodon. 84 MAIRE OF BOULOGNES. About six miles from that place, and ten from this, we passed through a very good old-fashioned town, larger than this, called Lombez, where the people, in spite of having had a division of troops quartered in their houses and in the chui-ch, seemed to wish us very well. The country about here is a wide flat near the river, with a gently rising boundary of hill and good corn land, the soil heavy, and the roads very deep in consequence. I always expected my horses' shoes to be sucked off eveiy ten minutes by the strong clay. The maire of Boulognes continues his route with us, looking very forlorn, and with three staff corps men round him, oui- gens-d'armes. He began to repent to-day, and offered to act as maire^ but Lord Wellington said it was too late. He then wrote to his wife, saying, " He was a martjT to his principles,^' &c., when his offer had been re- fused. So much for the principles of this good friend of Napoleon. Had his offer been accepted, he would have gone on as maire. His friend Bona- parte was, however, I really and truly think, never greater than he has been in his adversity during the last three mouths. The manner in which he BOLDNESS OF BONAPARTE. 85 has fought against all his difficulties is very as- tonishing, and I should not even now be surprised at his fighting himself into a tolerable peace. His boldness in finding fault with his generals, &c., and having them disgraced and tried at this moment, is very striking. In short, I am almost inclined to believe his own spirit, the bad conduct of the Cossacks, and the wavering policy of some of our Allies will enable him to keep his place amongst the list of sovereigns, though never to triumph over them all, as he intended, and very nearly managed to do. There are several good chateaux near here, as I am told; one of these is occupied by Major M , in our service, who was a prisoner of war, and thought it the best way to pass his captivity in double chains, or rather to cast off one chain by taking another, and by marrying an heiress enjoy himself whilst here. I understand he has served as maire of the place ; General Pakenham and Colonel Campbell know him. The army is now almost entirely fed on the country, and the rations paid for in bills or ready money. Our transports, such as they were, are quite outrun by our continual marches and dis- 86 GOOD DISPOSITION OF THE PEOPLE. tance from the depots. We do not even resort to our grand prize magazine at Mont de Marsan. We are also boldly isolated in the country, with scarcely five hundi'ed men the whole way between this and Bayonne ; and between this and Tarbes I believe none at all. Were not the general dis- position of the people so good, at least so submis- sive, the stragglers and parties joining the army, &c., would be all destroyed ; as it is, we have had few accidents. An affair is expected in a day or two near Toulouse, but I doubt it. In the mean- time King Ferdinand must be in Spain, as he long since passed through Toulouse on his way there. 9 o'clock at night. — Later accounts from the front say the French are leaving Toulouse, but I think they will make a show of resistance at least. Lord Wellington said at dinner to-day he feared they would blow up the bridge, but that he had his pontoons with hira, and by showing the enemy that he could pass either above or below the bridge, he would try and save it. To-morrow will determine much, as head-quarters move four leagues to St. Lys, within about three leagues of Toulouse, and the troops are to move down into the plain in Avhich the town stands. This is hard HALT OF THE ARMY. 87 work for the men and baggage animals^ as the roads are excessively deep, and I understand will be worse to-morrow than to day. We pass through St. Foy. We cannot learn where Marshal Suchet is ; Lord Wellington does not know\ He received de- spatches by a courier from Catalonia after dinner to-day, dated the 16th of March. It was not known there for a certain that he had quitted Catalonia ; several here say positively that he is gone towards Lyons. I hear the post goes to- morrow early. You will probably get two or three of my letters together, as we have now no regular post-day, and I am often quartered at a distance. I do not know when the mail leaves head-quarters, and by wishing to send you the last news, I fear I may miss the post altogether. Head-Quarters, St. Lys, March, 27th, 1814. — To-day, Sunday, we make a halt here (which most of the army is very much in need of), for Lord Wellington to make arrangements and recon- noitre, &e. Four divisions are in our front, and General Hill on our right. Nothing has been done to-day but the driving in of some French pickets on this side of a little stream about two leagues from hence, and half-way to Toulouse, and we 88 DIFFICULTIES OF are now placed on that stream. There seemed to be but little firing. I saw it from the top of the tower of the church here, but it was soon over. From the same place the view all around was very extensive and magnificent ; Toulouse was plainly visible, and much of the country beyond, together with a number of villages, chateaux, &c., in the large plain through which the Garonne takes its circular course from the Pyrenees. The snowy summits of the latter closed the prospect with their heads in the clouds. Having had some trouble to mount to this gal- leiy round the church, by means of the bells and their scaffolding, as there was no ladder, I was up there for two hours with my glass, in a tolerably clear and fine day. Of the importance of the latter you have no idea. Yesterday was entirely rainy, and om- road was, I might almost say, as bad as any we have ever passed with artillery, and that is saying much. The troops were splashed up to their caps, and hundreds were walking bare- foot in the clay up to the calves of their legs for about five miles, whilst the best of the road was like that to Hounslow in the worst season after a thaw. Lord Wellington said the French, after THE MARCH. 89 consultation, had determined that this road was not passable for their artillery, but by means of lighter carriages and better horses, five brigades of our guns have got over this difficulty. To give you a notion of it I may mention that Lord Wellington's barouche was three hours fast in it at one place ; one hind wheel up to the axle, the other in the air. No one was in it except General Alava, who was unwell. I left them en- deavouring to move it by means of four artillery horses, in addition to his own six mules, in vain ; six oxen in addition got it clear at last. Lord "Wellington is gone to-day round by Plaisance to the right, to General Hill on the Saint Gaadens' road, as that division is now approaching near us. I am always afraid of some accident in these par- ties in an enemy's country, as there is generally no escort — only a few officers and two or three orderlies at the most. Li a Toulouse paper of the 22nd, which I saw yesterday, I was amused with seeing, among other articles — "Bordeaux, 12th March. By accounts from this place troops without number are pouring through to join the grand army under the Duke of 90 FRENCH SIMPLICITY. Dalmatia. The disposition of the people is excel- lent/' Then again, "March 15th. The prefect is taking measures for a number of improvements in the different communes." These lies and frauds are curious. AVe also see, that in publishing Soult's proclamations in the Paris papers, in which he calls Lord Wellington the commander of bri- gands, &c., the introductory part relating to the battle of Orthes is omitted altogether. It does not appear that any battle has taken place at all. We hope the silence as to Schwartzenburg means as much, and that the truth will be a set-off to any check given to St. Priest, &c. Bonaparte's movements to Rheims and Chalons we cannot here comprehend. The people here many of them talk such bad French that I am often taken for a Frenchman, and my patron here told me I need not be afraid to own it, as he was a royalist, and always had been so. His simplicity yesterday provoked me excessively. I gave him some of my old silver spoons to take care of. Thinkuig all soldiers and followers of an army virtuous and honest, he left the spoons, with a loaf, in his kitchen, and left his door open, to let FAILURE OF THE BRIDGE OF BOATS. 91 every one in who chose. When I returned^ his loaf and my spoons were gone. I was excessively vexed, but redress was in vain. Seisses, 2Wi March. — At daybreak this morning head-quarters moved to this place, most of us, I be- lieve, fully expecting to be in Toulouse before night. We arrived here, within a league of the Garonne, by eight o^clock, when, to our great mortification, the part of the second division which had left this village at ten last night was just returning here again after daylight, owing to the bridge of boats having been too short, and the troops, therefore, unable to pass the river. This is a most vexatious thing, as the imme- diate passage of the Garonne without a halt, and triumphant entry into Toulouse would have been an exploit worthy of our General. With five more pontoons the whole would have been effected, and, I believe, with little loss. In front of Toulouse the enemy had been left quiet, and pressed but little; the grand movement was to have been on the right to the banks of the river near Portet. Just below where the Amge and the Garonne i\nitc, a league above Toulouse, the bridge was to have been laid in the night, and half the army 92 THE GARONNE. over or ready to pass by daylight. The width of tlie river was supposed to be about one hun- dred and forty yards, or four hundred and fifty feet, the stream strong ; for this we were prepared. The boats were in the river, the cables, I believe, fixed, and every precaution taken for secresy, when the discovery was made that five more pon- toons would be necessary, as the river was twenty yards, or about eighty feet wnder. The boats were all withdrawn, and the troops all in their way to head-quarters again before daylight ; but it was a grand coup manque. Apparently there must have been great inadvertence somewhere, though it may have been that no measurement was allowed, or even close observations, for fear of exciting suspicion. I think it will be a triumph to E , though I am sure he will not feel it as such. He told Lord Wellington at St. Jean de Luz that, in conse- quence of some order of his, I know not exactly what, the pontoon train would be rendered imper- fect, and that if the army met with a wide river it would be stopped ; and thus it has happened, and Lord Wellington, though in general so much a gainer by his decision and resources in getting rid NEIGHBOURHOOD OF TOULOUSE. 93 of difficulties, has for once suffered for not attend- ing to the counsel of his more steady and regularly bred scientific advisers. As the troops were not yet ordered out of the town and were in possession of the houses, we re- mained for some hours with our baggage standing loaded, until our billets were settled ; most part of which time I spent in surveying the immense plain covered with farms, villas, villages, towns, and chateaux, in the neighbourhood of Toulouse, as well as the town itself. The number of appa- rently splendid mansions was considerable, some belonging to merchants of Toulouse ; some to the nobles of old, who had not emigrated ; some to the nouveaux riches of the Revolution and Bonaparte. The latter were much abused, the fournisscurs of the army, the intendents or tax-gatherers, &c., I believe there was much fraud in the manage- ment of the collection of contributions, &c. ; and of late, particularly, much more was collected under the pretence of the necessities of the army, and to provision Bayonne, than ever reached its destination ; and being but ill paid regularly, the managers took the liberty of paying themselves well irregularly. 94 EXCESSES OF MURILLO's CORPS. Murillo's corps has plundered again of late, and was guilty of some excesses last night ; the man was caught in the fact, stealing wine, and brought for- ward. Lord Wellington had him shot in the most impressive manner this morning, before all the corps, after a solemn admonition, and much parade. I am told the man appeared absolutely dead from fear before a musket was fired. He was unluckily one of the least culpable, for he had only taken away a bottle of wine by force. But he was caught in the fact, and suffered for the sake of example, as the least guilty in reality often do, from the most guilty being also the most knowing. Lord Wellington is not yet returned ; he must now exert his wits, to cure this mishap, which will not, I should think, put him in the best of hu- mours. The Pyrenees were to-day perfectly clear, and very striking. An immense snowy barrier almost entirely white, with scarcely any bare rock visible. They are not by any means as picturesque as the Alps. They form a large mass, without much variety of form and character ; and have not that contrast of pointed, craggy fancifully shaped rocks, rounded lower hills covered with ESCAPE OF PRISONERS OF WAR. 95 verdure, and fine forest scenery, which is seen in Switzerland. Two of the medical ofl&cers and one of the 42nd of the sixth division, taken at Hagenau, have escaped and come in to us, but completely pillaged, and plundered of everything. The French marched them seven or eight leagues a-day, nearly thirty miles ; and the one I spoke to had been concealed four days after his escape with scarcely anything to eat, until he had an opportunity of joining our corps under General Hill. Head-Quarters, Seisses, March, Slst, 1814. — Our disappointment in crossing the river on the 28th has kept us here ever since; and the halt here has given me employment, which prevented my writing to you. As soon as we are quiet, I am set to work to prevent all arrears, and to let punishment follow the offence as fast as possible. Our General has spent his mornings in riding all over the country to reconnoitre; and he dis- patches all his other multitude of business at odd hours and times. The new plan was at last re- solved upon, and last night the execution of it commenced. The divisions on this side Toulouse are pushed in close to the suburbs of St. Cyprian, 96 CROSSING THE GARONNE. near which the French have been, for some days, most busily at work fortifying themselves to defend the bridge. Finding the river so wide below the junction with the Arrige at Portet, General Hill (with great difficulty from the rapidity of the Ga- ronne, owing to our last two days' continual rain) succeeded at last, in pursuance of his orders, in fix- ing his pontoons across that river above the junc- tion with the Arrige, and having been nearly all night at work, began to cross about four this morning, and has sent word that he is over. A ridge of high land forms a sort of tongue between the two rivers. This he is to take post upon im- mediately, and march off a corps as rapidly as possible, about three leagues, to a bridge over the Arrige, which he is to surprise and preserve if pos- sible, and defend, thus fixing himself securely be- tween the two rivers, pi'cparatory to fm.'ther move- ments of the rest of the army. The Spaniards under Murillo crossed with General Hill, General Frere's Spaniards move into General Hill's ground which he leaves. I was upon the church tower the first thing this morning, and saw the Spanish column moving all along the plain, headed by some of our heavy BAD NEWS. 97 dragoons ; the fog on the river prevented my see- ing more. When I descended I found Lord Wel- lington and all his suite, just about to be off, when the arrival of an English mail to the 16th, stopped him. By this we have youi" very bad news from Holland, and many private letters accounting for the failure. All here are open mouthed at the re- ported consequences; namely, that the reinforce- ments intended for Lord Wellington are going to Holland. This is worse than the defeat. Very little was ever expected here from that army from various causes; it was always considered as so many men quite thrown away, as to the main cause. I always thought them latterly worse than inef- ficient, after they had once given the Dutch an opportunity of arming, by clearing their country, as they have the effect of preventing exertion on the part of the Dutch. The moment they had cleared Holland they should, I think, have been sent to us, and should thus by a sense of pressing danger, have roused the sleepy heavy Dutchmen to do something for themselves when once well in the scrape, getting only arms and artillery and stores from England. By the exchange of prisoners, the officers so VOL. III. V 98 EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS. much wanted by the French, whom Lord Welhng- ton has taken here, will get back again by these losses in Holland, another way in which that army has done more harm than good. It would have been better to have left our people prisoners than to release French regular officers at this moment, as their value in the newly-raised corps is immense, and considerably beyond that of ours to England. Besides the numbers in the town would have has- tened its sm-render, or compelled the governor to send them out without exchange. This is, however, reasoning upon general princi- ples and not upon personal feelings as to the officers, taken ; I do think, however, this exchange was letting humanity have more weight than policy. Thei*e seem to have been much blunder- ing and confusion in the execution of our attack, and from what I can hear the plan was allowed to fail just when the difficulties were nearly all over. I am always sorry when our people are ordered to run their heads against stone walls and heavy guns, and that even here, as I think the French seem to understand that work best, and we lose more in one of these affairs than we do in gaining a great battle in the fair field, where the French BLUNDERS OF THE DUG d'aNGOULEME. 99 cannot be brought now to stand against us. On this ground, I feel a little anxious, even as to Tou- louse, supposing the French remain firm, of which I doubt, and still more as to Bayonne. Mr. C and a commissariat officer arrived here yesterday from Bordeaux; the accounts they bring are bad enough. The National Guard are disarmed, no arming of any consequence going on, no efficient English naval force has aiTived, and the people though they shout for the King at the opera, &c., are all in a terrible fright lest the French should return, as we have so small a force there, and from what I hear, many repent of what they have done. I fear the Due d'Angouleme is not made of stuff to gain a kingdom, though he would have kept one and been popular, from his amiable qualities. He has committed many blunders, as I am told, and the white cockade gentry like the emigres of old, amuse themselves with inventing lies concerning Bonaparte and his armies, which the maire of Bordeaux publishes in a bulletin, which Bonaparte's bulletins, lying as they are, eflfectually and satisfactorily contradict the next day. F 2 100 FEELING OF THE COUNTRY The maire is becoming daily more unpopular. An account we have of Augereau having been de- feated, I hope rests upon better foundations, as well as private accounts from Paris of the great reduction of Bonaparte's forces by his various rapid marches, continual fighting, and desertion. The only town almost in this country, excepting Bor- deaux, which has been active in the Royal cause is Bagnieres, which has proclaimed the king; no troops of either army have passed that way. The rest of the population in our rear are in general only quietly waiting the event, and are now with a very few exceptions only on our side, because they think they see an end to the war quicker that way; but, I am sure from what I have seen, that let Bonaparte be successful a little and Lord Wellington be compelled to retreat, and let them only see the same prospect of peace by Bonaparte's means, and three-fourths of the popu- lation w^ould all be against us again. The sulky maires, and other public functionaries, now all submission, would then become active ene- mies, and all the pensionnaires and douaniers and national landholders who are now really frightened to death, would be roused into activity. This is RESPECTING THE BOURBONS. 101 a picture however, I never hope to see realized, and if Toulouse and Lyons can be induced to enter into a common cause with Bordeaux, the events will I trust be far different. Had I the Due d'An- gouleme^s stake to play for, I think I should somehow have raised a force before this at Bor- deaux, and should certainly have been over here post to enter Toulouse, and have paraded through Pau, Tarbes, &c., in the way and tried to do something. The only great hit he has made as yet, is to get the new prefect of the department des Landes to publish and circulate his proclamations, and sign them ; this is a beginning certainly, and I hear some have found their way into Toulouse. The maire of Galan who was really I believe a royalist, pointing to his head, asked me, speaking of the Due dWngouleme, whether " il y avoit quelque chose la?" of which he seemed to have doubts. The lower, and older population in the villages certainly, though knowing nothing of the Bourbons, have a sort of vague wish for old times again, and therefore were friendly. The middling classes are not by any means the same. You have no conception of the obligation I have to you for sending the newspapers, &c., so regularly. 102 ARRIVAL BEFORE TOULOUSE. and getting them forwarded in Lord AVellington's bag. On the march and in our present state, I by this means have my letters and papers sometimes a week almost before any one else ; for the public bag has been lately obliged to come up, for want of transport, in a bullock car, with one weak soldier of the guides as a guard. When we are stationary I sometimes suffer by this plan, as single papers are got a day or two later than my letter, but now I am a great gainer, and my newspapers in the greatest request. Head-Quarters, Seisses, April Isf, 1814. — Here we are still in front of " the great big town where the French are,^^ as the Irishmen call Toulouse. The French yesterday moved about four divisions out of Toulouse after General Hill's movement, and in the evening went back again into the town. This I believe made Lord Wellington suspect that Soult intended to try an attack upon the columns of the British remaining in front of the town on this side, and he would have wished, I believe, for nothing- better, as we had a rising ground commanding the roads where they must make their debouches, and caimon ready placed to give them a warm reception instantly. In consequence of this expectation Lord ARRIVAL BEFORE TOULOUSE. 103 Welliugton and his staff were off early to the front ; about eleven o'clock finding all quiet they returned here again, and we remain in statu quo for the day. I must own I never expected that anything would be done if it depended on the French, as their game seems to be, only to endeavour to keep us on this side the river, and to leave us to get over the difficulties as we can, and not to run any hazards by molesting us, or giving us even a fail' chance by an attack on their posts. I am told that after all, it is found that General Hill's road would lead us so much round, and that the roads round that way to Toulouse would be so bad, that the plan I mentioned (under date of the 31st) is aban- doned; that in consequence General Hill will be ordered to return across the river to-night, and that the pontoons will be taken up afterwards, and an attempt made to place them lower down the river at last, and below Toulouse, which if it succeeds will place us at once upon the main good road to Bordeaux. Time will show whether this information of mine is correct. If this plan be practicable it will be far better than the other. In truth the 104 DISAPPOINTED EXPECTATIONS. Garonne is a formidable barrier just now, when there are no fords. The disappointment of not having Graham's army here is very great, much more so if the rein- forcements intended for us go that way. So much did Lord Dalhousie with his weak divisions at Bordeaux expect General Graham's army, &c., that I am told he has twice sent to the coast in expectation of their arrival, together with a naval expedition, on a report of some distant sails being seen. This last gazette is a woeful contrast ! The importance of that ten thousand men at Bordeaux is immense, and all agree that the countiy north- wards would be ready to come forward to join us if we were stronger and dared advance. The weak state of our force at Bordeaux alarms them all, and keeps everything back; a naval force to co- operate and to assist against the Castle [of Blaye, &c., was also expected to be ready the moment the news of our arrival at Bordeaux was received, as it must have been such a probable event. As it is, Lord Dalhousie was about to make some attempt (I understand) to take a position across the Garonne, between the Dordogne and the Garonne. THE MAIRE OF ST. SEVER. 105 I have just been told another awkward piece of news, if true. It is said the Due d'Angouleme's new Prefet des Landes ordered the maire of St. Sever to proclaim Louis XVIII., that the old maire, a prudent, sly fellow, who has made much money in the Revolution, declined unless by Lord Wellington's orders, and wrote to Lord Wellington to know if he was obliged to do what he was de- sired. It is said Lord Wellington replied " No," and suspended the new prefet for giving the order. This is a most awkward state of things ; each town, each niaire, is allowed thus to take this strong step if they please, but there is to be no authority used, so that, naturally enough, all prudent people will be quiet and do nothing, and the desperately zealous alone will act ; yet as long as the conferences remain in existence, this cannot be otherw se. Some more Spaniards are ordered up whom we are to feed also ; how far they will come I know not. The siege of Bayonne is, I understand, at last determined upon in earnest ; as yet only pre- paration of fascines, &c., have been made. I am told now, the horses of the brigades of artillery of General Hope's column, arc sent down to F 3 106 CHANGE OF PLAN AS TO Renteria to bring up the heavy battery train and siege stores, &c. The Guards begin to talk of more " bloody work," but I sincerely hope not another Bergen-op-Zoom ! That left column once released would set us quite at ease here. Just now, our necessarily-divided army cannot be as efficient as from its numbers compared with the French it might be presumed to be. For fear of being too late for the post, I shall now seal up my three letters in one packet and send it off. In appearance, the size of Toulouse is very con- siderable, its length particularly; it seems larger much than Bristol ; whether really so or not, we have not just now conveniently the means of ascer- taining. All who come from Bordeaux are in ecstacies with the place and the life there. It seems everything a bachelor officer with a little money could wish for, everything to be had, and everj^hing (except maps now) very cheap. Head-Quarters, Grenade, April 5th, 1814. — In pursuance of the change of plans as to the passage of this formidable river, the Garonne, in the face of thirty thousand men, under the command of THE PASSAGE OF THE GARONNE. 107 Marshal Soult, we very suddenly moved on Sunday morning, the 3rd, to Colomiers, a poor dirty village on the high road from Auch to Toulouse. The pontoons had been previously moved in the night from near Carbonne, where they had been pre- viously fixed, and where General Hill had passed over to the vicinity of Grenade. On the night of the 4th, about eight or nine o'clock, the whole army, excepting General HilFs columns, were put in motion towards Grenade, the pontoons were launched in the river, the bridge successfully formed during the night, and about ten thousand men passed over without resistance by daybreak. It rained furiously almost all the night, and a failm-e was in consequence much apprehended by many^ from the increased rapidity, and breadth of the cm-rent of the river. As yet all has gone on well. General Hill's corps remained in front of the suburbs and bridge of St. Cyprien near Toulouse. Lord Wellington and his staff were all off about two or three o'clock in the morning, or rathci- night, for the river side near the bridge, and passed over early in the morning. Lord Wellington re- connoitred yesterday on the right bank to within 108 DIFFICULT ROADS. about five or six miles of Toulouse, and did not return here until after dark : civil departments and baggage were ordered to move across the country to Corn Barieu, a poor dirty place on the cross road to Grenade, at daylight, and there to remain loaded till further orders. It was only four miles of bad road, and we were there aboiit half- past six. I conclude we were kept at that point so that we might be secure, and away from the high road, out of Toulouse, in case of accidents, and at the same time ready to go into Toulouse, in case the French abandoned the town and bridge on hearing of our passage of the river, whilst on the other hand, if they remained fast, we were ready to come on here. The poor mules remained loaded until nearly two o'clock before they were ordered on, and after- wards fell in with such columns of baggage, cavalry, and troops, particularly Spaniards, all converging to the bridge, that they did not arrive here until about seven or eight o'clock at night, having had to pass a deep cross countiy, by a clayey unformed road, in places sinking up to the middle, for the night's rain and quantity of animals passing had quite cut it up. I left the printing-press and Mr. S 's GOOD QUARTERS. 109 carriage fast in the mudj and many a load upset; at last I believe all arrived safe. Whilst we were waiting in suspense, as I dare not again go much to the front, Dr. JM'Gregor and several other civilians and I passed our time plea- santly enough. There was a chateau on a hill near, which commanded all the country, and Toulouse in particular. To that we bent our steps, and finding a young lad, son of the owner, in the house, we got our horses into the stable, bought corn for them, and from the Doctor's canteen made a good breakfast, and then posted ourselves with oui' glasses to see what was going on. Had there been any fight we should have commanded the whole scene beautifully. As it was, we only traced our columns of baggage, Spaniards, and cavalry across the country, in two lines of about six or seven miles' length, all moving gradually to the bridge; we also saw some large fires in Toulouse, but have not as yet learnt whether they were any- thing in particular or not. About half-past one we set out again, and fought our way through mud and clay and baggage and Spaniards for about ten miles, and I am now again in a civilized home, but with rather a forward tradesman, who gave me a 110 APPEARANCE OF COUNTRY. roast fowl for supper, but took his place and had his full share with rae. It is odd enough that a man of his description, in a large good house, sta- bles, and three or four horses, should rather boast, as he docs, that he can talk French, and that his daughter of eight years old has learnt to talk French, and can speak and understand it a little when she chooses. Their patois I can scarcely make out at all, not so well as Spanish or Portu- guese. The country is all very rich and populous, and covered with \-illages and chateaux. The former are mostly in an evident state of decay ; the latter are large and showy on the outside, but in general old, dirty, out of repair, and nearly unfurnished inside, with none of the comforts even of a cit's \alla, and still less of a great man's house in England. At the same time one cannot but feel now how much of what we in England think necessaries are mere su- perfluity. One cause of theii* present appearance in part may be, that the owners generally live from seven to ten months in the year in the great towns, Toulouse in particular, and only spend September and October in their chateaux to see to the har- vests, so that they, in some measure, like the Per- MORE RAIN. 1 1 1 tuguese lords, when they do come, bring nearly all their furniture and comforts with them. By this means, luckily, we have not done these chateaux much damage. The young man whom we found in our chateau near Corn Barieu, had been sent out just before we arrived, to see what was going on, and to protect the place. He had not been able to have any communication with his friends in Toulouse since, and I dare say, as I told him, they were in a terrible flight, and thought the S})aniards had roasted and eaten him up. Last night it unfortmiately rained again all night. This has swelled the river, and alarmed us a little, as there are at times such floods here that our bridge would not stand them, and we are now half on each side. This was also very unlucky for the troops, who must many of them have bi- vouacked without their tents and baggage. I have heard as yet of no ill consequences, and it is thought the French must either come out and fight us immediately, or be off and leave us at our ease for a short time to try and refit and get shoes for our poor barefooted soldiers, &c. In the mean time we arc here with no other orders than to be ready packed to march from ten o'clock, but not 112 STORY OF A CI-DEVANT loaded. It is now half-past ten, and I have been quietly writing this, and four letters on business, since breakfast. The last day I was at Seisses I met at Lord Wellington's Major M , of the 53rd, the ci- devant prisoner and French squire, whom I men- tioned before in my letters. He was at Toulouse when we came by his former house, and he took the opportunity of our bridge (of pontoons) at Car bonne to come out, and over to us, or rather to come over ; for to go out he was compelled. I do not quite understand his own story, so as to make his conduct correct. He was alwavs on a sort of parole in Languedoc and Gascony. On our coming near Toulouse he was told he must retire towards IMontpelier ; he asked delay, on the plea of health, got a day, was then ordered to move post by Carcassonne. He went two stages, then turned to the right, came over to us, and now rides about, a strange figure, in a new handsome 53rd imiform, and a great French cocked-hat, with his English loop and button. He is, moreover, a round broken-backed country-squire volunteer sort of gentleman, on a high white tumble-down French nag. He was of course full of informa- PRISONER OF WAR. 1 1 3 tion and conversation, but I rather doubted the accuracy of the former. He told us Bonaparte was making for Metz, giving up Paris, and that he intended to relieve his garrisons in that direction even as far as Wesel, and then to try and bring the war to the frontier again. This would be giving up nearly all France, and putting himself between the Crown Prince at Liege and the Allies near Paris, whereas, I think, if compelled to leave Paris, his line must be to fall back towards Lyons, and to try and unite in that direction with Augereau, and even with Soult, who will, I think, fall back that way also. If Bonaparte were to go to Metz, Lord Wellington said he thought then the Allies, on entering Paris, would probably let the King be proclaimed, and that he should not then despair of seeing Bonaparte a grand Guerilla chief on a large scale, fighting about for his existence, which he had never ex- pected to happen in his life-time. Major M also said that Soult's plan was, if obliged to give 11}) Toulouse, to go towards the Black Mountains, and retreat by way of Carcassonne, making his stand there in a country where our superior cavalry could not act. If he does this, I think half his men will 114 NEWS FROM SUCHET. desert, and the remainder be in jeopardy, unless Suchet brings him more assistance than is thought possible. Suchet is said to be withdrawing every- thing, and to be mustering all he can. Oh that we had your English reinforcements, and General Graham's army ! as our own real English army dmndles away very fast in this active service, and ten thousand men may make all the difference in the event. The 53rd regiment and the eighteen- pounders are, I hear, hutted at Tarbes, to go and try to reduce a small garrison at Lourdes. The Householders are also arrived, I believe, as far as Tarbes. On the 23rd of March, Caffarelli sent his orders to all the communes round Toulouse, for a con- siderable distance, about fifty communes, to send men to work at the fortifications in front of Toulouse. The numbers to be sent by requisition were very considerable, but we have rather disturbed the march of the larger half. He also called upon all the inhabitants to arm and to make the town a second Saragoza. Major M says he was told there was not the same motive. I understand they have been obliged to arm by compulsion, but it is supposed ATTEMPT TO RAISE GUERILLA CORPS. 115 will do nothing. Some old French officers also came to Soult to offer to raise Guerillas corps in our rear. Major M said their offers were to be accepted, but, except a few for plunder, I do not think, as yet, they will find many followers. Lord Wellington makes the maires responsible for any disturbances in the rear, and threatens garrisons, as on the French plan, garnissaires, in case of a breach of order. To execute this duty the maires are allowed to arm guards in their com- munes. All the communes around here were to have garnissaires in case the workmen did not arrive — that is soldiers to keep in their houses gratis. One o'clock same day. — Here we are still, and I hope shall not move to-day, unless to go into Toulouse, as there is a report that the French are moving off now, and that we have taken two cars of money. This, I will not vouch for. What is more certain, I believe, is, that our pontoon bridge is on its legs again by land, and moving towards Toulouse, to be laid down nearer the town, to make our communications shorter between our two parts of the army, on the right and left bank. I fear this may draw head-quarters into some little 116 CAPTURE OF A FRENCH MESSENGER. dirty village near the bridge, and I should like to enjoy a tolerable clean brick room which I have to myself, and a little stable with some hay for my horses, for one day, if it suits our plans. At first I was surprised at Major M 's bold- ness, and I thought folly, in going about in his imiform, in a way to do no good to anybody, and possible harm to himself. I have now heard that he has been* divorced from his lady, and of course, by the French law, from his chateau and terre also, and that now he has nothing whatever to lose. He may as well make a merit of his love of England and the Bourbons. His daughter, about sixteen, is married, and the property goes with her. A party of five dragoons took yesterday a messenger from Montauban to Soult. It was known by eleven o^clock at Montauban, that we had cut off the communications on the main road. The messenger was sent round a bye road, but was caught, I am told his despatches were principally complaints that the people would not arm for the fight, and were not veiy material. I pitied the man. He was a respectable man of business in Montauban, but being told that unless he became a civic soldier he must be a regular, he put on his ACCIDENT TO THE PONTOON BRIDGE. 117 sword^ &c.^ "by compulsion/^ was sent to carry these letters, and thus fell into our hands. He says it will be his ruin to send him to England as a prisoner, and I hope, though he is threatened with this, that Lord Wellington will soon release him. — I hope this, believing from what I have heard, his story to be true, as the Prefet of IMontauban is reported to be a most furious Bonapartist, and that he arms the people in the cause, even by threatening their lives, till they wear them. All here profess great friendship for us, and I believe, at present, are sincere. Six o'clock. — About two o^clock I saw Lord Wel- lington come in, and the real news was, that all was quiet on both sides the river, but that the floods had carried away or sunk one pontoon, and that the bridge was impassable. It was just on the point of being moved higher, when this happened. Just now, it is not safe to place it anywhere. We have only three divisions and three brigades of artillery across, and two or three, I believe, of cavalry. The Spaniards are not over, as I sup- posed, but were to have gone over this morning. Unless Soult is an arrant coward, he now must attack these men, and I fear we shall have sharp 118 RISE OF THE RIVER. work. A position, however, may be taken near the river, so as to enable our artillery on this side to assist. The river has fallen above a foot since morning, as it has hitherto been fine to-day, but I am sorry to say it has now begun to rain again, and looks very much like another bad night. Rain upon the present river would be tremendous. A quarter of an hour after Lord Wellington came home from Toulouse, I met him going ofif again to cross the river; I therefore conclude something important had happened. Qth of April, 9 o'clock at niffht. Head- Quarters at Grenade. — IMy principal occupation to-day, when not engaged by business, has been to watch the river. It continued to fall many hours after our last rain had ceased, and began to rise at ten to-day, about fifteen hours after the last rain commenced, and five after it ceased ; at this rate it will continue to rise until six or eight to- night, and then fall again; and if the weather relent a little, I think to-morrow our bridge will be restored. Marshal Soult has left our three divisions quite quiet on the other site. If he knows their numbers, this is playing the game of a coward. At present RECOVERY OF THE LOST PONTOON. 119 he seems to think of nothing but fortifying Toulouse with ditches and works, and his men are hard at work. This makes the delay veiy unfortunate for us. It has, indeed, been so on every account, as we have to-day received accounts which appear to be believed, that twelve hundred French cui- rassian cavalry, from Suchet^s army, joined yes- terday, and that time is what he is endeavouring to gain, and what the elements favour his ob- taining. The only two events here to-day have been first the arrival of the pontoon which was lost and floated away. Lieutenant Reid, of the Engineers, galloped to Verdan, two leagues down the river, off'ered a reward of cent francs, or five pounds, to any inhabitants who would get boats and stop the ])ontoon and bring it ashore. The deserter was thus secured, and to-day brought back in triumph by a party of soldiers. The other arrival astonished us all. A troop of the Royal Horse Guards Blue arrived with drawn swords and a Captain's guard escorting a carriage. Some said it was the Due d'Angoulemc, some one great person, some another. One officer asked the Captain if it was King Ferdi- 120 ROYAL HORSE GUARDS. nand ? This was a hoax. At last it was discovered to be a maire of a small commune near Tarbes, and his wife. The maire is supposed to have been endeavouring to favour a guerilla system, and exciting the people to arm. He was in consequence ordered to be sent to head-quarters ; and the manner of putting the order in execution it is con- cluded was entirely the act of General and his Householders, who supposed, I conclude, they were escorting Sir Francis Burdett to the Tower of London. It has been a good joke, but the Blues were in high condition ; and Lord Wel- lington, when he was told of the French cuirassiers, said, " Well, then, we must have the Householders for these gentlemen, and see what they can make of them." I must tell you two little anecdotes as to the pontoon bridge. The French were very jealous of any attempt of the kind, and had cavaliy videttes, &c., all along their banks of the river. The engineer wished to measure the breadth of the river at the spot intended; he got into conversa- tion with the French vidette a long time, but had no opportunity. At last he pretended that the ANECDOTE OF WELLINGTON. 121 calls of nature were imperative. The Freuchman, out of decency, withdrew. The engineer popped out his sextant^ took the angle, &c., and was off. Lord Wellington himself with two other officers went to the spot also to reconnoitre with his own eyes. Concealing his General's hat with an oil- skin, he got into conversation with the French vidcttc, dismounted, got down to the water-side, looked all about him, saw all he wished, and came away. I think this was risking too much ; but no French soldier would have any idea of the com- mander of the allied forces going about thus with two attendants. Lord Wellington was yesterday over alone on foot, and went on upon a horse of General Cole's, as horses could not pass. Even General P was a little uneasy, and sent about eight o'clock to know if he had come back safe. He returned about seven o'clock, when it was dusk. To-day he has a great dinner in honour of Badajoz. 7th April, Grenade. — We have at last a fine clear day, and warm. The river is falling rapidly. By this evening I think our bridge may be re- established, and to-morrow I conclude we shall pass more troops and advance against Toulouse and the VOL. III. G 122 ATTEMPTS TO DESTROY THE BRIDGE. French marshal, who is digging and working away as usual. The French made several attempts to destroy our bridge before the floods did the busi- ness for them. They sent us down all their dead horses, several trees, &c., and a large old boat, which struck a pontoon and went down itself instead of the pontoon. They sent down also a sort of armed log stuck round with swords, and rolling round and round in the stream as it went along, like a great fish, in hopes that the swords would strike and cut the cable which holds the boats. Major M. M has just told me he has had news from the interior of another defeat of Bona- parte at Arcis sur Aube, and of his having lost one hundi-ed guns, &c., and being then manoeuvring in the rear of the Allies. This seems probable. He has also an account of the departments in the west of France, having all sent in to the Due d^Angou- leme at Bordeaux for orders — this is also probable and that the Royalists gain ground fast. His accounts add in the postscript, — " The Allies en- tered Paris April 1st." This ought to be, I think, from former accounts, and I hope it is so. The last Moniteur we have of the 30th talks of Bona- NEWS FROM PARIS. 123 parte's return to Paris to cover the city. How he could then get there seems the difficulty. Lord Wellington also had yesterday a private letter from the interior^ in which it is said, " un evenement bien imprevu est arrive a Paris,'' and no comment. He guesses it to be the flight of the Empress. You see what confused accounts we get of all late events ? 7th (6 o'clock.) — Tn addition to the above we have now the news that the Bourbons have been proclaimed at Paris, and that in the name of the Emperor of Austria the house of Napoleon has been declared to cease to reign. I must now seal up, as Lord Wellington has written his English letters to-day, Thursday, although Saturday is the usual day. In addition to this, I think we shall move to-morrow, from many symptoms. P.S. — The maire brought in with such a mag- nificent escort is now quietly walking about here with his wife and no guard. The bridge is to be fixed nearly in the same place again to-night. G 2 124 BRIDGE RE-ESTABLISHED. CHAPTER V. UNCERTAIN INTELLIGENCE CAPTURE OF TOULOUSE WELLING- TON AT THE THEATRE THE " LIBERATOR" BALL AT THE PREFECTURE THE FEELINGS OF THE FRENCH SOULT AND SUCHET BALL AT THE CAPITOLE. Head-Quarters, Grenade, April 10, 1814, 1 o'clock. My dear M Here we are still, away from all that is going on, but expecting every moment an order to enter Touloase. The clay before yesterday the bridge was re-established (the 8th), and by one o'clock the Spaniards had all passed over. The order then came for a brigade of Portuguese artil- lery to do the same ; they were passing when I went there, soon after one o'clock, and just as a gun was quitting the last boat to ascend the bank, down went the boat ; the gun, however, run off safe, but two of the Portuguese pontoon train sailors got BRILLIANT AFFAIR. 125 a ducking, which was all the mischief except a delay of about two hours to fish up the pontoon, drag it on shore, turn it upside down, to clear out the water, and then launch it again, and refit the board, &c. By four o'clock I left the remainder of the guns going over. The head-quarters of Lord "Wellington remained at St. Jouy that night, and last night Lord Wellington has only pushed the troops on a little to reconnoitre, and in the evening the 18th Hussars, under Colonel Vivian, had a brilliant afi'air. They charged the French cavalry on the high-road, broke them, sabred several, and took about seventy prisoners, with the loss of a few ofl&cers wounded, and, I believe, only about six or eight men ; unluckily. Colonel Vivian received a ball in the arm, which, it is feared, will render amputation necessary. Yesterday (the 9th), the bridge was taken up very early, and ordered to be fixed immediately about four miles nearer the town of Toulouse, at a little place called Assaic. The light divisions were close to that point on this side of the river, as a security in case of any attack on the second division, near St. Cyprien and the 126 UNCERTAIN INTELLIGENCE. bridge of Toulouse. They were ordered to cross the river as soon as our pontoons were ready, and a movement was intended, and ordered yesterday. From some difficulties or bad management, the bridge of boats was not ready until nearly three o'clock, when it was thought too late. Lord Wel- lington was more vexed, and in a greater state of anger, than he usually is, when things go wrong, even without any good cause. He said his whole plans for the day were frustrated and nothing could be done; and the light divisions were counter- ordered to remain where they were on this side the river, and head-quarters remained at St. Jouy. The French it appeared (still keeping a force to defend the bridge of Toulouse), had, before this, taken a strong position, on the hills beyond the town, and had made there some strong works, upon which they were constantly busy. The last two days and nights their main body rested on the hills bivouacking in this position, and in an uncomfort- able state, hourly expecting an attack. This morn- ing about seven it commenced ; the firing was heavy for about two hours, until nine, and has con- tinued partially since. As I dare not cross the river UNCERTAIN INTELLIGENCE. 12? and go to the front I went with my glass to the highest look out here, and saw the French redoubt very plainly, firing away briskly ; since that all has been silent here, and free from smoke. The stories here from the people are that, with the loss of six thousand men, we have taken the redoubt and thirty-six pieces of ordnance. The former, from the direction of the fire, I am sure is a lie, and perhaps the latter. As, however, we have now some sort of official news that the Allies are in Paris, and the Imperial Court at Orleans, and as there is no account of Bonaparte, I think the French here will not fight much ; and if beaten I am sure many, nay thousands, will run home, and the army be much diminished. I sus- pect Bonaparte will try to miite his corps and all the remains of corps near Paris, and Augereau^s from Lyons, and Marshal Soult's and Suchet's from Provence, towards Montpelier; but I am in hopes even regiments, and perhaps INIarshals, will begin to desert when it is found Paris is taken, and the royal party proclaimed and gaining ground. Wc certainly are in a very odd state just now m France. Our military chest, Paymaster, Doctors, Commissaries, &c., and nearly all our money arc in 128 UNCERTAIN INTELLIGENCE. this place, altogether without troops ; only about a dozen staff corps men, and about ten of the pay- master's ordinary marching guard. The army all in front, nearly four leagues, our only protection the good-will of the people, and the river, and yet we are told there are French troops at Montauban, about four leagues off, and nothing between us ex- cept the river. All feel, notwithstanding, quite secure, and have no anxiety but to enter Tou- louse. In the mean-time Lord Dalhousie with a part of the seventh division has crossed, not only the Gironde, but the Dordogne, and, we are told, is to take Fort Blaze by storm ; I suppose his whole force is not above three thousand five hundred men. Bayonne has not yet been seriously attacked, nor do we hear of any very great distress in the town, which I am surprised at, from the length of the blockade. I am told, in the attack to-day the third and sixth divisions were to fonn the right of the attack on the river, the fourth the centre, and the light and large body of Spaniards to make the flank move- ment on the left, to get on the hills and turn the French position, whilst the cavalry advance also in UNCERTAIN INTELLIGENCE. 129 that direction, to be ready to take advantage of the enemy's retreat. 5 o'clock, same day. — No one returned, and no news; and yet no firing heard, and no orders. I fear the resistance has been greater than was ex- pected, and I begin to be fidgety and uneasy. The reports are now eight thousand Eughsh wounded, and fighting in the streets now going on. If such complete ignorance of the truth exists within ten miles of what is passing, you may judge how false reports circulate ; we receive contradic- toi'y ones eveiy hour. All we know for certain is, that two hours ago Lord Wellington's baggage re- mained at St. Jouy without orders; I despair, therefore, of seeing Toulouse to-day, and am going to dinner instead. Grenade, April Wth, 8 o'clock, morning. — The firing continued all day yesterday, and until past eight at night, and began again at four this morn- ing, and has continued to this time, but has now lessened. Several of our civilians returned home here last night. I understand our loss is very considerable. We drove the enemy from all the heights, but with difficulty. The Spaniards failed in the attack of a redoubt, were put to the rout 3 130 BATTLE OF TOULOUSE. completely, and, I understand, would have lost their guns, which the French were within two or three hundred yards of, had not the Portuguese stepped in to their support, and enabled them to rally again. This is really too bad — my friend says the ground was covered with dead Spaniards, and he saw but few French ; this is generally the result of alarm and flight. The redoubt was taken, but not by the Spaniards, as I hear ; the fire close to Lord Wellington was most severe. Near the town the French fought very hard in the houses, particularly at some houses near the lock of the canal close to the river. We each occupied some of the houses, and fired continually ; the French houses were loop-holed, and they had the best. We were obliged to bring guns, &c. ; and, unfortunately, the most successful shell fell into one of our own houses, and burnt out our own people. Among the killed, &c., I hear, is Colonel Coghlan of the 61st — an excellent officer, Lieutenant-colonel Forbes, Captain Gordon, 10th Hussars. Colonel Fitzclarence is wounded in the thigh; he charged with his troops two French squadrons (as he says himseK) up a hill, beat them, but, on the top, was DESPERATE DEFENCE OF THE FRENCH. 131 received by infantry : the first shot carried away part of his sword, the second hit him on the thigh, and they fell back. We were close to the town and to the bridge last night on all sides, and had moved our bridge up within two miles of the town. The French have barricaded the houses and streets, fixed swivels on the tops, lined the roofs with men, &c., and seem determined to defend the town with desperation. An officer deserted yesterday, and says he will serve no longer under a man who acts like a madman, as Soult now does in defending a town like Toulouse in such a manner. — It is madness. Four Spanish officers came in here yesterday, who had escaped from Italy through Switzerland, and had walked here. They seemed in great dis- tress. We had no Commissary here : I therefore gave them eight pounds of bread and a dozen eggs, got them a quarter for the night, and advised them to stay here until this morning, and then proceed to head-quarters. One had served in Colonel Rochets corps in Catalonia, and spoke English tole- rably. Our delay here, and in taking the town, has alarmed the people very much. All who have relations and friends in Toulouse are terribly 132 PROGRESS OF THE ROYAL CAUSE. friglitencd. The officer who deserted says many will do the same as soon as the business is over, and occasions arise. Captain 0. K , the French-English officer from Toulouse, who came over to the Due d'Angouleme, at St. Jean de Luz, arrived here yesterday from Bordeaux. He says things are going on well, especially since the Paris business ; that the Duke has now eighteen hundred men formed ; and that French officers come in every day with fleurs-de-lys embroidered on their Napoleon uniforms, and thus tender their sei-vices. 0. K was here on his road to Au- rillac, to Auvergue, &c., where, he says, a party is formed and ready to rise. He must take care of his head, as he goes about talking very impru- dently. Head-Quarters, Toulouse, April 13, 1814, Sec- tion 3, No. 676. — To give you any notion of what we have all felt from the changes which the last thirty-six hours have produced, I must take you back to my first sheet, and I am sure you will feel more as I did, by reading in succession what has occurred, than by anything I can non^ write. I was about to destroy the first sheet, as much of it is now not worth the trouble of reading ; but I SPANISH PLUNDERERS. 133 thought it would give you a better idea of our daily feelings with the army. An order came for civil departments to march, to cross the pontoons, and to proceed on the high road to Toalouse to a church only three miles from the town, and there halt and wait for orders. We were off in ecstacics, expecting all to dine in Toulouse, and that the French were off, and our men after them. Judge of our vexation, when, on arriving at the church, we were all turned back off the road to a miserable village of about ten houses, called St. Albaius ; and were there to find quarters for the night, in places just quitted by the plunder- ing Spaniards, and left nearly in the state the French left the houses in Spain as they passed. When we arrived, we found many of the Spaniards still in possession, and four of us dis- armed and seized three of them in the act of plundering. The people were screaming in every direction, the houses abandoned, and the inha- bitants just beginning to return to witness the mischief done — everything had been ransacked — all the closets, &c., broken open — the rags and remnants on the floor, mixed with hundreds of egg-shells, and the feathers of the plundered 134 DISTRESSING SCENE. fowls, &c. Much linen was carried off, the sheets, and heavy articles in the yard ; the tables were covered with broken dishes, bottles, bones, and twine ; and the cellars with the wine casks running. In about two hours we got possession of the quarters, and got the inhabitants in to clean them, &c., and, by five, had divided the places among us. My whole baggage lost its road, and did not arrive at all — five mules and a horse loaded. Luckily, Mr. and Mrs. D , (for she was in one poor farmhouse) gave me some dinner ; and, after a melancholy conversation with Dr. McGregor, the principal medical officer, I went to bed. You may conceive the disappointment and the vexation. Dr. M'Gregor said our loss was terrible ! He was just returned from collecting all the wounded in villages, and, by Lord AVellington^s desire, was hurrying every one possible instantly to the rear. They were passing all night in cars. The Spaniards were moaning and crying most des- perately, to reach Fenoullet that night, Sole Jour- dain the next, and then to be sent on further if necessary. The accommodations were very bad. The accounts from the town were that the French were continuing to barricade every house and WELCOME NEWS. 135 loophole, arming to defend themselves to the last. The army was said to be now much weakened ; the Spaniards could not be depended upon; the reinforcements were not come up from England, and a story was going about and believed by many who ought to have known better, that we were out of our ammunition, and could not use our artil- lery. You ma}'' conceive that I went (without my baggage and comforts), with this news, sorrowfully to bed, ordering my servant to be off at five in the morning in search of my stragglers. On the 12th, at six o^clock, I was up and wan- dering about alone, listening to an occasional heavy gun, seeing wounded men pass, and waiting for the return of my man, without the means of getting shaved or breakfast. About eight I saw Henry returning alone, and was expecting more bad news, when he told me the French were off, that we were to march for Toulouse directly, and that my baggage was all safe at a house a league off on the road ; and that, therefore, he had ordered them to pack, and be off with the rest. Think of our sensations on hearing of this welcome change ! The last twenty-four hours had been 136 ENTRY INTO TOULOUSE. among the most critical of the war, and now all was safe and right again. I found out the clergy- man, Mr. B , got a razor and a cup of tea, whilst my horse was getting ready, and was then off, to go round by head-quarters and to enter Toulouse with Lord Wellington. About eleven I arrived at the fortified entrance, and found, instead of the enemy behind the new works, the maire of the town, all the officers almost of the guarde urbaine, a considerable number of national guard officers, deserters, &c., and about two hundred smart but awkward men of the city guard, and a band of music, all with the white cockade, and a great crowd of citizens besides, all waiting with anxiety to receive Lord AYellingtou, and carry him in form to the mayoralty. Unluckily, from some mismanagement and mistake, he went in at another entrance, and passed on, almost unknown. I heard this, and went to the mayoralty with General Pakenham's aide- de-camp, found it was so ; and, therefore, we went back to inform the mayor officially, and to beg he would return to the niaison commune. He did so, though an immense crowd entered the mayor- alty in form, and an introduction then took place, and Lord Wellington showed himself at the ENTRY INTO TOULOUSE. 137 window, amidst the shouts and waving hand- kerchiefs and hats of every one. The procession then went with Lord Wellington to his quarters, the Prefet's palace, amidst the applause of the inhabitants all the way. Nothing could be more gratifying than his reception, and that, indeed, of all the English ; the most respect- able inhabitants, many of them, not only anxiously showing us the way to our billets, but offering their homes without any billeis, or receiving us with a sincere welcome as soon as the paper was delivered. Lord Wellington announced a ball m the evening at the Prefcctui'c, and left Marshal Beresford with three divisions and cavalry to follow Marshal Soult for the day. We thought nothing could make us happier, when at five o'clock in came Colonel Ponsonby from Bordeaux with the Paris news, which you know. He told us that the official accounts would arrive in an hour or two. Ponsonby came through Montauban ; the French officer commanding there taking his word, and letting him pass. I had been, at Colonel Campbell's request, examining General St. Hilaire and his sei-vant. St. Ililaire 138 "THE LIBERATOR." was found, under suspicious circumstances, in the town, and was just put under arrest, and Campbell luckily asked me to dine with Lord Wellington, which I should have been very sorry to have missed. Just as we were sitting down to dinner — about forty of us — General Frere, and several Spaniards, General Picton, and Baron Alten, the principal French, &c., in came Cooke with the despatches. The whole was out directly, champagne went round, and after dinner Lord Wellington gave " Louis XVIII.," which was very cordially received with three times three, and white cockades were sent for to wear at the theatre in the evening. In the interim, however. General Alava got up, and with great warmth gave Lord Wellington's health, as the Liberador del' Espagna ! Every one jumped up, and there was a sort of general exclamation from all the foreigners, French, Spanish, Portu- guese, Germans, and all — El Liberador d' Es- pagna I Liberador de Portugal ! Le Liberateur de la France ! Le Liberateur de V Europe ! And this was followed, not by a regular three times three, but a cheering all in confusion for nearly ten WELLINGTON AT THE THEATRE. 139 minutes ! Lord Wellington bowed^ confused, and immediately called for coffee. He must have been not a little gratified with what had passed. We then all went to the play. The public were quite in the dark as to what had just arrived, but Lord Wellington was received in the stage-box (where he sat supported by Generals Picton, Frere, and Alava, &c., and also the maire), with no little applause, I can assure you. At the door the people would scarcely take the money from us; and in the opposite stage-box the French left the box themselves, and made room for us. We had our white cockades on the breast. The English officers in the house stared, and did not know what to make of it. Some thought it a foolish, giddy trick. In about ten minutes Lord Wellington turned his hat outwards to the front of the box : it was seen, and a shout ensued immediately. The play was " Richard, oh mon Roi," — fixed upon really before the news came. The " Henri IV." was played, and then the new French Constitution was read aloud from one of the boxes. The people most anxious, — in general, pleased; in some things not I own I think most of it very good, if the French can enjoy anything so like our own constitution, 140 BALL AT THE PREFECTURE. as it is, under other names ; but I am doubtful of this. The article worst received was that leaving all the sales of emigrant lands to stand good ; and I certainly think, when, by means of paper, an estate had been bought for the price of a team of horses, an equitable arrangement would have been better, to be settled by Government Commis- sioners. This was followed by " God save the King,^^ which was received with great applause. When the play was over, we adjourned to the ball at Lord Wellington's. The only drawback was our meeting, on the way, the cars of the wounded in the streets, now moving to the excellent hos- pitals here. This, on consideration, was also a satisfaction, as many lives will be saved, by the wounded being here, instead of being sent to the rear. You will now, I think, guess what we felt, and what a species of trance we were in. Here we are halted, whilst the news is sent on to Soult, with whom Marshal Beresford could not come up. The arrival of the news was at the moment we should have selected, except for the loss of life. For Lord Wellington's character, how- ever, even that was good, and eight hours sooner it would have been said our late battle was no LOSSES IN THE BATTLE. 141 victory, and that we should never have entered Toulouse, nor would the real sentiments of the town have been known. On inquiry, I find the French loss has been great. General Tausen, one of my friends on La Rune, killed ; General D^Armagnac, who took me, wounded ; Harispe wounded, and here a prisoner ; two other Generals wounded, &c. Our loss fell principally, you will see, on the sixth division, and the Scotch Brigade in particular, and on the Spaniards. With regard to the latter, I am told, upon the whole the men for a long time behaved well, and that if General Frere had been as skilful as brave, and the officers better, they probably would have succeeded in their object, which certainly happened to be the most arduous duty of the day. They arrived on a sort of smooth glacis under the French works, subject to a fire admitted to be more severe than almost any since Albuera. Decision and skill and rapidity were then required. The men were kept too long in this fire — they broke — and then ran like sheep. One French regiment, I understand, drove four thousand of them and more, and in such a manner that they almost upset a Cafadore Portuguese regiment by 142 CONVERSATION OF THE OFFICERS. main force. Three companies of the latter stood firm, beat back the Spaniards with their firelocks, laughed at them, enjoyed it, and checked the French completely. The redoubt was afterwards taken by our people, with great loss, as you will see. General Frere was in despair; he exerted himself to the utmost to rally his men ; at last, by the exertions he made, assisted by Lord Wellington in person, one or two Spanish companies were formed, and became steady. Upon these the rest soon followed, and formed up also. The Spaniards had a less arduous post assigned them, all went on well again, and I believe they behaved fairly enough. Their loss is considerable. This morning the whole conversation of the officers turns upon half-pay and starvation. With some, want of preferment ; with others, promotion ; and with those who have promotion, a determina- tion to enjoy themselves now all is over, and their dangers and sufferings past. As to my own pros- pects, they are so completely in the air; that as I never was much of an architect for building in that element, I go quietly on with my work, and trust to the future. I shall defer any account of this place, &c., for SOULT AND SUCHET. 143 fear of being too late for the despatches, and now say adieu. Pray forward the enclosed two letters, which are from Madame de Baudre, my hostess at Mont de Marsan, who desired me to take care of them, and enclosed them in a letter of great professions of kindness for me, only exceeded by the most ro- mantic ones for the Bourbons, and stating the great losses her family and connexions have lately sustained. Head-Quarters, Toulouse, April loth, 1814. — Here we are quietly waiting the result of the com- munication of the late news to Marshal Soult, &c. Cooke has come back from his head-quarters. The Marshal hesitates at present, a little. He objects that he has no authentic documents from Bona- parte, or the authorities whom he represents, and seems to have some doubts of the extent of the late news — or pretends this. In short, as yet he takes no decided line, but I believe has applied for an armistice, I suppose wishing to gain time, to consult Suchet, &c., and learn more of the state of things. Colonel Gordon was sent to him yesterday by Lord Wellington with a flag-of-truce j and it is 144 BALL AT THE PREFECTURE. understood a positive answer and determination was required, and the armistice refused. Lord Wellington and all the officers yesterday attended Colonel Coghlan's funeral in the morning, at the Temple, and went from thence in procession to the Protestant burial-ground out of the town. In the evening Lord Wellington gave another more magnificent ball at the Prefecture. It was too crowded to dance much, or well, but went off with great glee and general satisfaction. The ladies were very prettily dressed, in general, with the exception of a few of the high ugly bonnets, and there were several very pleasing looking girls, and good dancers ; but I do not think that in general the women are handsome here. I met with one very good humoured chatty lady, about eighteen I should suppose, who said she had only left her " Maman," with whom she had always lived near Carcassonne, one month, and that, in that time she had witnessed many strange things : — the ravages of the French army, the passage of our army over the Garonne, a great battle (which was all visible quite plainly from the churches here, and even from the houses), the preparations for a siege, the retreat of the French, our triumphal entry, the VOLATILITY OF THE FRENCH. 145 change of the national government and her own marriage Captain Tovey of the 20th, taken at Oithes, has escaped, and came in here yesterday; he would not give his parole, and made several attempts to be off; in consequence, he has been hardly treated, but is now safe. He met with every assistance from the French inhabitants : and at the last house he was in, the owner made him leave all his pea- sant's dress, and equipped him in a new suit, boots and all, French cut, to pass our lines and go to head- quarters in. The villages he nassed were proclaiming the King ; and he was told that Soult's house, near Carcassonne, had been destroyed by the mob. The French here show the volatile character as much as ever. Vive le Roi is shouted as vigo- rously as Vive V Empereur was, I am told, a few years since, when Bonaparte made his then really popular entry, and gave his fetes here, of which the most fulsome jjroces verbal still exists, signed by a maire-adjoint of the same name as the one who now signs the King's proclamation, and I be- lieve he is the same man — Lameluc. The inhabitants arc all at work as usual, and VOL. III. H 146 THE CAPITOLIUM. very active. Fleurs de lis are now upon the skirts of the coats instead of eagles^ and last night, on the theatre drop-scene. The busts of Bonaparte are smashed. The Capitolium ornaments are all un- dergoing a change. All the N.'s and B.'s, &c., are effaced; and the workmen are now busily em- ployed working round the cornice of the great staircase at the Capitol, in changing all the alter- nate ornaments of a handsome cornice, every other one having been a hee. The English are every- thing and in general estimation. To return the compliment of our wearing their white cockade on our black one, they now wear a black one on their white. The Spaniards are considered much as the Cossacks. The Capitolium is a very fine building, and as the splendid velvet and gold canopy and the throne of Bonaparte at one end had no decided emblems except that of authority generally, it has, after some doubts, been allowed to remain, and is not destroyed. We are to have a grand ball there, I am told, given on Sunday by the inhabit- ants, if approved of, and we stay. The theatre is about the size of the Hay market Theatre in width, rather larger, but much deeper, and something in the improved shape of Covent BRIDGE AND CATHEDRAL. 147 Garden. The actors are tolerable. It is, however, inferior I believe to the Bordeaux Theatre, and certainly to that of Lyons. The stone bridge over the Garonne, of seven arches, is very solid and substantial, vi^ide, and upon the whole, a splendid work, but not very graceful in its architecture. It is like Kew bridge in gene- ral shape, but in much heavier and substantial pro- portions. Several improvements have been some time since, commenced in the city, but most of them are now at a stand, and have been so for some time. The cathedral St. Etienne is an unfinished Gothic building, the great aisle being wanting of the new building; and instead of it, a large sort of West- minster Hall of more ancient date, which joins it on one side, crooked, and was intended originally to be pulled down or altered. There is some good tapestry and fine painted glass, which has escaped here, as in several other churches, the revolutionary destruction. The streets here are like the old parts of Paris, in general narrow, with a gutter in the middle : and the houses very good, but high shops below, and three stories of good rooms above. Several 148 ANECDOTE OF SOULT's ARMY. handsome hotels, with their great gates and small gardens. I am in a dirty place, but tolerably well off. The hotel I am in is to let, and therefore in bad order, and I have in consequence no respect- able owner. The people in it are civil ; I have good stabling, and one comfortable room, now it is cleaned. C gives rather a strange account of our allies, but seems to think from their numbers, and the general feeling, the business has at last been well- blundered through. There is a good stoiy told of an incident w^hich happened at the interview with Soult the other day. The substance of the news somehow got wind, and the army, whilst the Marshal was closeted with C , gave a loud shout. The aide-de-camp went to inquire the cause, and returned saying, " Ce n'est qu'un lievre, Monseigneur." You ought to know that nothing causes a louder shout amongst troops than a hare crossing them. General M said the aide-de- camp should have been asked whether it was a Leipsic hare ? If Soult does not declare himself, his army will, I think, desert him. I have now but just received a letter from you, of the 22nd March, and papers. RIDE OVER THE BATTLE-FIELD. 149 The French works at the entrance of the town, by the bridge (the tete de pont), were very strong, and cost much in labour and materials, for no use. They were formed by close piles of timber like the caissons for the foundation of a bridge, filled up with earth, and the tops lined by barrels of earth, with a ditch and guns, &c., placed, and the walls of the buildings round all loopholed. I also rode all over the position of the battle yesterday, on the hills, and examined all the forts and the monuments of French industry and British courage : they were most formidable places to approach, as the hills formed a regular smooth glacis from the works at the top to the valley below, and half way down were long low heaps of sod, or turf, made up to protect the advanced sharpshooters, who were lying safe on the ground behind them protected, though the barrier was not above two feet high. A church and a house loop- holed, formed the sort of citadel to two of the forts or redoubts for musketry, with the guns around the outside. The ditches were not as deep, nor the works as complete as those near Vera, where the French had more time, nor were the roads or mountains so difficult to ascend ; but there was less 150 REPLY OF SOULT. shelter to approach from the greater smoothness of the ground. The only chance of safety almost was following up some hollow roads, and a ride or two on the hills. 16th (4 o'clock.) — I have just heard the mail goes in half an hour. I have, therefore, little time to add to this. Colonel G is come back : Soult very civil, but high and proud in his manner, not yet satisfied, and so cii'cumstanced, does not yet join the royal cause ; the consequence is, I hear, that the troops move to-morrow morning, and I fear we Will do the same then or soon after. This is very provoking, as the general result seems clear, and all bloodshed now useless. I suspect the truth of the hare story, as it is said that Soult's army is still ignorant of what has happened, at least nearly so. Pains are now taking to circulate the pro- clamations, news, &c. &c., in all directions round him, that the troops may learn the real state of things. I have to-day received the parcel from you, letter to 29th, newspapers, &c. Many thanks, but I have no time to answer the contents. The Museum here contains but a bad second- rate set of pictures. About a hundred have been carried away dmiug the month of March, no one MARSHAL SOULT's SUBMISSION. 151 knows where ; but I presume they were the best of those which were portable from their size. There has been some difference of opinion, and confusion, we hear, at Montauban, about royalty. Bayonne, I fear, will abide by Soult, and do no- thing yet. Head- Quarters, Toulouse, April 18M, 1814, 5 o'clock. — The troops moved as I told you yester- day, and the order was actually out for head- quarters moving to-day, when Count Gazan came in yesterday about mid-day, to announce Marshal Soult's submission (I believe) to the new order of things, and to arrange cantonments, &c., for the two armies. He was closeted with General Murray a long time, and arrangements were made. He returned this morning to have the articles ratified, and to-night Lord G. Lenox has orders to be in readiness to go to England through Paris with the news. This last fact you will perhaps have heard, and probably before you get this. We had yesterday our grand Te Deum, a most strange noisy military and religious ceremony attended with all the drums and military band; French civic soldiers, with their hats on, hallooing, shouting, singing, organs, &c., an immense crowd, 152 BAD NEWS FROM 13AY0NNE. and great cordiality. Unluckily, Gazan passed the door as the crowd was coming out ; he was hooted, and saluted with " A has Soult," kc. This was a pity, but these changeable gentlemen are all in extremes. The troops are all going into cantonments immediately, and we shall for some time, I conclude, be quiet. The bad news from Bayonne is very unlucky. General Hope is, I hear, not dangerously wounded, and his aide-de-camp is gone to Bayonne to comfort him in his confinement, which I trust will now be soon over. His affair seems to have been a surprise in a great measure, and the chief loss was in re- gaining the church, &c., of St. Etienne, which had been easily lost at first. Lord Dalhousie, on the other hand, seems to have gone on well alone, across the Dordogne. The arsenal is here on a very large scale, and would have been a very great acquisition, were the war to have gone on. The French carried aw^ay almost everything but materials, of which there is abundance of wheels, carriages, &c., and all the forges, &c., in order. Head- Quarters, Toulouse, April2^rd, 1814. — Om* life now has fallen into the old routine way again. ARMISTICE SETTLED. 153 and not only without daily events and little inci- dents to excite the mind as has hitherto been the case^ but also with the additional flatness and in- difiei'ence, which cannot but be felt so immediately after a succession of such occurrences as have taken place within the last month. You will now have only the tittle-tattle of a country town (a French one certainly, and therefore somewhat novel), and you must be satisfied. When Count Gazan came over here, to settle the terms of armistice and line of demarkation, &c., with Generals Murray and Wimpfen, he was so much engaged that T could not see him as I wished to do, and he went very suddenly back again. The terms I conclude you will see in the papers. When the Spanish garrisons are collected in France, this southern French army will again be respectable. Our troops are all moving into their cantonments along the Garonne on the left bank, excepting a few on this right bank, within the de- partment of the Haute Garonne, which remains nearly all ours for the present. We have had a variety of strangers — the two Sir Charles Stewarts in the first place. The Lisbon minister only stopped here one day on his way to Holland, the other Sir H 3 154 SIR CHARLES STEWART. Charles from Paris came, as it is whispered here, to signify a wish on the part of the Allies that Lord Wellington would be the English commissioner at the general Congress ; if so, and it seems very probable, I think he does well to refuse, as he can- not stand higher than he does. Were he to go the other diplomatists would be surprised at his method of getting through business. We should certainly have a general peace many weeks sooner, if not months, than we are likely to have otherwise. I was walking with C in Lord Wellington's garden about eight o'clock in the morning, three days since, when we saw a queer-looking figure approach, of whom we could make out nothing from the complete mixture of undress and magnificence — a pair of not clean overalls on, a common short pelisse, and a foraging cap, but the whole breast covered with stars and little crosses, and swords and orders of all sorts. I was not a little surprised at being introduced to Sir C Stewart. He had arrived at two in the morning and had gone to bed, without sending word to Lord Wellington, depending upon finding him at home at eight o'clock, when to his mortifi- cation he found Lord Wellington had been since suchet's aide-de-camp. 155 five in the morning out hunting; and when Sir C. asked where he could go to meet him, the best information he could get was, that it was in a forest somewhere about eighteen miles distant, but no one knew exactly where, as the only persons who knew, about four in number, were out with him. Patience, therefore, was his only remedy, and instead of being off again in two hours as he said he had intended, he was obliged to stay long enough to give us a few anecdotes from the Allies. Two of Marshal Suchet^s aides-de-camp, and two or three French colonels from his army and Soult^s, have also been here. One of Suchet's I had much conversation with — a gentleman-like young man. He told me Suchet was at Perpignan when he heard of Soult's affair here ; but, that he then thought it prudent to hasten to Narbonnc, and there he was when the Paris news arrived. Had the war gone on there- fore, we should evidently have had a dance as I expected, to the Mediterranean on the road to Montpelier after these united marshals, and shoukl have required your utmost exertions and reinforce- ments from England ; as it is, all is well. Suchet's aide-de-camp said he found very different fechngs 156 suchet's aide-de-camp. towards Soult iu this country, from what there were towards his master in the districts where he had commanded, that he feared Soult had conducted himself very badly. The two marshals are, I understand very jealous of each other. I asked him if Suchet had the least notion, or expectation previously of what has happened, he said, " No ; who could expect such a change iu the minds of every one, and such a revolution in seven days' time V Then he laughed and said, " At present we were a la mode ;" and as I met him at the grand ball at the Capitole here again, he said, " There, you have nothing to do now but to make the most of your advantages, and amuse yourselves ; all the beauties have now declared for you.'' 1 rather pitied him, when at that meeting a number of pert apprentices with immense white cockades on, and some still with Napoleon buttons, and smart civic uniforms, were continually coming up to him and reaching about up to his chin, ask- ing him pertly, " Oh ! are you Soult's aide-de-camp, or Suchet's ? well how do you like what is going on ?" — fellows that a month ago would have almost cleaned his shoes had they been asked. Some of them even thought he was English, and in bad patois BALL AT THE CAPITOLE. 157 French, complimented him on the progress he had made in the French language. His military pride was much put to the trial, and he could hardly smother his feelings. He then asked me, to show him his new King, of whom there was an old picture hung up, as he said it was now time to make ac- quaintance with his new sovereign, as well as with this new state of society. The grand ball given by the town at the Capitole on Thursday went off w^ell, except that it was just such a crowd as an Easter Monday ball at the Mansion House. The rooms were very handsome, and the five hundred English, Spanish, and Portu- guese officers added not a little to the appearance of the scene. Nearly the w'hole were generals, aidc-de-camps, staff officers, or at least field officers, and eveiy order and ornament of every nation was worn. Lord Wellington was most splendid. The amusement commenced by leading him into the Salle de Trone ci-devant Bonaparte, where, over the vacant chair, in the centre, was the picture of King Louis XVIIL, and on each side that of the Uuc d'Angouleme, and one of Lord Wellington himself — the latter a hasty caricature likeness taken by a painter here at the play from memory. He was 158 "god save the king." then entertained with a short concert^ principally consisting of La chasse d'Henri IV.^ and " God save the King/^ sung by the public singers from a gal- lery, amidst the clouds, goddesses and cupids painted above them. I had got Mr. K , the famous English officer singer, to go with me to the leader of the band, and to give him the catch-club harmony of " God save the King," and we wrote them down full instructions, and all the words for the song, solo, trio, chorus, &c. &c., the words spelt also in the French pronunciation, while the musician caught by the ear and scribbled down all the parts, one by one, from K 's singing. It was an entertain- ing scene. They had a rehearsal, and Mr. K gave the prima donna a few private lessons, and the whole, in consequence, went off really sur- prisingly well. The supper-tables were filled by about four sets successively, the English having the preference, sentinels letting us in, and keeping out the French until the last. This went on until there was not even bread and water remaining. The press, now, is at work here, printing Cevallo's old history of the conduct of the French in Spain, and a variety of things, which, to the FEELINGS OF THE FRENCH. 159 nativeSj are news. There seems to be a disposition to buy the books and read ; nothing, however, will make the Frencb what Cobbett calls us, " a think- ing people.^^ They seem to be as frivolous as ever. The next thing wished for here and at Bordeaux, is, now, to get rid of this new constitution, and have the Bourbons as before : at least the party is strong for this line, and, unless something decisive is done soon, and the old military dispersed about, and gens-d'armes, I think they will even yet have a squabble about several things, among themselves, which makes me wish that we should be off as soon as possible, and have nothing to do with them. As soon as all the foreign garrisons are with- drawn, and the line of the French empire settled, the faster we withdraw from within it the better. I always expected the royal cause would gain ground as it has, when once fairly tried. It was the only source of peace, and that was what all wanted, on any terms. Of course the acceptance of the Bourbons made it all easy ; but, I believe, all the southern departments w^ould gladly have been English, to secure peace, and get sugar, sell their wines, and get rid of conscriptions and acquisitions. Lord WcllinKtou jrivcs another grand ball at the 1 60 ANTICIPATED DEPARTURE OF WELLINGTON. ^i-devant Prefecture, now Palais Royal, on Monday next. On Tuesday, he resigns his place there to the Due d'Angouleme, and as there is an old adage about two kings of Brentford, I suspect he will soon afterwards take a trip somewhere else, at least for a time. I doubt, however, his leaving the armies altogether, while they remain in force, and the French marshals likewise. Bordeaux must be very proud of the example they have given to France. They must take especial care to conceal their subsequent alarms, and half repentance of what they have done. PROTESTANT SERVICE. 161 CHAPTER VI. TOULOUSE ITS CHURCHES PROTESTANT SERVICE LIBRARIES RECEPTION OF THE DUKE d'aNGOULEME THE FRENCH GENERALS — POPULARITY OF WELLINGTON. Head-Quarters, Toulouse, AprU 27, 18 14. My dear M Though I have nothing now to amuse you with, but the result of my morning walks and inquiries in this town, I shall proceed as usual, more with a wish to preserve my own crude observ- ations, than hoping to interest you much by the perusal. My last was finished on Saturday. On Sunday, about half-past eleven, I attended the service at the Protestant Chapel, established under the sanction and patronage of Bonaparte, as a sort of church-wardenish gold-lettered record informed me. The service began with a prayer by the clerk ; 162 PROTESTANT SERVICE. he then gave out a psahu, more noisy tlian musical, and without the accompaniment of the organ. I was only astonished that such a small congregation could make so much noise and discord. One greasy-headed, methodistical-looking man, near me, continued in an unceasing roar, bearing much more resemblance to a well-known noise, with which our mules so frequently indulge us, than any known harmony. A short prayer, and a long chapter from the New Testament, with the Commentary, as printed in the book, was then delivered from the pulpit or reading-desk (as there was but one) by a clergyman, who then entered. Another Psalm ensued. The organ then played to introduce a young preacher, who took the reader's place, and gave us a prayer and the Ten Commandments, and another psalm, partly to the oi'gan ; but before half a stave was finished, the organist found that his notes and the vocal ones were so different, that he ceased playing, and though he made two or three attempts at a single note afterwards, he found it would not do, and gave it up. The young preacher then read a text from the Bible, and gave us a very good extempore dis- course about half-an-hour long. The subject was PROTESTANT SERVICE. 163 the vanity of this world, and the danger of tempta- tion and evil communication. The language and delivery were clear and distinct; there was no rant, but much propriety of manner. A psalm followed, and the organ was not so much dis- tanced ; then the Lord's Prayer and Belief, and a prayer for all descriptions of persons and de- nominations, like that of our own Church praying for dignitaries, &c. And then another psalm, at last, in tolerable harmony, but very noisy. A blessing concluded the whole. At first, there were only about forty-five persons ; some half-dozen old gentlemen were in the seats near the altar. These had backs. About twenty-five women were in the right-hand seats; and about fifteen men in the left. The side seats were chairs placed in rows, and all fastened to each other. In the course of the service, the numbers increased to about sixty or seventy. The congregation appeared to be all (nearly) of the middling class of trades- men ; only about three of our poor men took their allotted seats quite at the back. As no one ever knelt down, there was no occasion for either room or cushions for that purpose. The men sat with their hats occasionally on and off, and legs crossed. 164 CHURCH OF ST. SATURNIN. at their ease, in the style of the House of Commons ; but were attentive to the sermon. The three poor men all fell asleep, snoring so loud, that a sort of beadle was obliged to awaken them. I was not much surprised on the whole, comparing this scene with that in the Roman Catholic churches, that the proselytes amongst the highest and lower classes were not numerous. This service suits neither. It is most adapted to an inde- pendent tradesman, who thinks a little for him- self, and can see the errors of the Catholics,. and likes the economy of the chapel. It might be accident, but I saw scarcely any white cockades, — only one or two of the elder, and I suppose richer members of the community wear them in their hats. On Monday I looked into nearly all the churches, present and ci-devant, of Toulouse. The cathedral St. Etienne I have already mentioned. The next in size and consequence is St. Saturnin, or more commonly called St. Surnin. This is a curious building, in the dark heavy Saxon style (reminding one of the early attempts at Grecian revival, and the introduction of the Gothic), all circular except the angular main pillars of the centre of the cross. CHURCH OF ST. SATURNIN. 1 65 which were heavy octagons ; the roof circular, and upper wdndows double circles. Except the pillars nearly the whole is made of the flat tile or brick, which is curious. It was built in the present form about the year IIGO to 1190. There are monu- ments of the Earls of Toulouse, &c., of founders, and in a dai*k vaulted chapel under the grand altar, are relics innumerable — of the thorns in the crown placed on the head of Christ ; the heads of Barnabas, of Simon, and of Jude ; parts of their bodies also ; parts of Peter ; besides bishops, &c. ; the body and figure of Thomas Aquinas ; and an English saint, a king, whose name I could not make out. We heard much of the riches with which all these relics were formerly surrounded. It is said the revolutionists carried off four hun- dredweight of gold, besides silver. All the most valuable part, however, as the good Catholics are bound to think, were fortunately spared, and still remain in excellent preservation, and tolerably fine with gilding. The general effect of the building is gloomy and superstitious, and a strange unpleasant smell, which some say proceeds from large vaults under- neath, which are filled with bodies which do not 166 CHURCH OF THE JACOBINS. corrupt, makes one glad to get out of the building as soon as curiosity is satisfied. They do not buvy their dead in the church now, and the vaults I men- tioned are walled up. In the remaining churches now in use there is little worthy of notice, but there are two very large ci-devant convent churches. That of the Jacobins is curious ; one long- building only, like King's College Chapel (not a cross), and with one lofty row of circular pillars all down the centre. This forms as it were two equal main aisles, and no side aisles. On the sides are rows of chapels and a large cloister. The whole almost is in brick, except the centre pillars. It is now regularly fitted up as cavalry barrack stables, and they are excellent, easily containing in the whole, I should think, about seven hundred horses. There is an octagon building adjoining, with a slender pillar, fitted up the same. Near this is another large, long, similar building, formerly a chapel, but without the centre pillars, and the scale somewhat smaller, of course. This is the forage store for the cavalry barrack. We have them now both in use as the French had. I must now be ofi" in my best to meet the Due d'Angou- leme. RECEPTION OF THE DUG d'aNGOULEME. 167 Friday, the 29th. — Abotit two o'clock on Wed- nesday the most interesting scene since that of the first day, and a more splendid one, commenced. Lord Wellington, surrounded by about three hun- dred horsemen, composed of general oflBcers, aides- de-camp, and staff officers of all descriptions, and of the four nations, Spanish, English, French, and Portuguese, went out to meet the Due d'Angou- leme, all in the best uniforms, on the best chargers, and covered with white cockades. The only French general of our opposing army who came in time for this was Clausel, and he was for some time side by side with Lord Wellington. When we had gone about six miles, and arrived at a sort of triumphal arch on a hill, the Duke appeared, escorted by a guard of our heavy di'agoons and a double French guard of honour from Bordeaux and Toulouse. We drew up at each side, after the interview with Lord Wellington, to let them pass, and then all joined in the procession to the town. The sides of the road were crowded with car- riages and people, and the enthusiasm of the lower classes, and of the women in particular, was exces- sive. The Duke and Lord Wellington, after being 168 RECEPTION OF THE DUC d'aNGOULEME. joined by more guards of honour and more suite, as we approached the town, entered the streets over the grand bridge, amidst the shouts and ac- clamations of a multidude crowding every window. The scene reminded me of the London streets at Lord Nelson's funeral. From the tete de pont, which still in part exists, over the bridge, up to the cathedral through all the principal streets, was a double line of English troops, between which the procession passed. Several of the regiments had got their clothing, and they looked admirably, especially the Scotch 91st. A sort of moveable garde urbaine de Vinfan- terie on each side kept also with us all the way. "V^Tiite flags, exhibiting French ingenuity to the utmost, Avere hanging from every window. Sheets, table-cloths, towels, &c., covered with green paper fleurs-de-lys, formed excellent standards, and paper flags were innumerable. The women, and some of the old men, were quite mad with joy, and screamed, Vive le Hoi et vivent les Anglais ! till they were stopped by absolute exhaustion, or some by tears of joy. Every house was hung with laurel mixed with the white, and the lower storj' covered entirely with old tapestry, old carpets or ENTRY OF THE DUG d'aNGOULEME. 1 69 sheets, and paper fleurs-de-lys. In the morning this made the streets look something like Broker's-alley certainly, but the eJScct, when mixed with the rest of the scene, was not bad. After passing under another triumphal arch of table-cloths, laurel, fleurs-de-lys, &c., we reached the cathedral, and a Te Deum succeeded. This was much like the last, only rather more in order, and the public bodies were more numerous and in their costume. The ten Judges and the President, in their red robes, like our aldermen, with small black-and-gold caps. The Judges de Premier In- stance, in black Master-of-Arts gowns, with sky- blue sashes ; the Avocats in black gowns alone ; the professors of sciences and arts in their crimson- coloured Master-of-Arts gowns, and those of belles- lettres in orange; the Archbishop and clergy in full costume, &c. The music was not very striking, but many of the old people cried with joy. About six o'clock the Duke dined with Lord Wellington, and went to the ])lay in the evening, where the acclamations were renewed with fresh vigour ; the women in the streets caught hold of his coat to kiss it. Yesterday the Duke bad a grande messe, and then a full-dress drawing-room — VOL. III. 1 170 AFFABILITY OF THE DUKE. this in the morning. In the evening the great rooms of the Capitolium were opened again for music and dancing. The Duke came in there too soon, when scarcely five hundred people were ar- rived, but in another hour the crowd was immense. The dresses of the women were very splendid, and the variety of orders and uniforms made the scene very gay. General Villette was there, as well as Clausel, and a number of French officers. The Duke was just the same as at St. Jean de Luz, and remembered all his old acquaintance there, myself among the rest. He not only gave me a gracious nod during the first procession, but surprised me by coming round behind the chairs of the ladies, where I was stand- ing, in the music-room, and gave me his hand, and reminded me of the King Joseph^s saddle-cloth, which I had given the Duke, and which was on his horse, as I observed, when he entered the towTi. His affability and good nature are striking ; but he must acquire more dignity and self-possession, as his figure is against him in appearance, and he seems shy ; in short, he must learn the trade of Kingcraft, like any other, and a quiet rational man is just now the best King the French can have. CONDUCT OF THE AUTHORITIES. l7l The great rock to avoid is the probability of being misled by indiscreet emigrants. I was, I must own, rather at a loss myself what to say to the Duke, but when he talked of the saddle-cloth, I replied, " Its only merit, which was as a trophy, now was at an end, as the family of the Bonapartes had ceased to be objects to triumph over." This, and a lame congratulation on what had happened, completed my speech ; as, however, it was as new to me to address royalty as it was to him to act it, I hope if occasion offers I may improve by practice as well as his Highness. One thing has amused me much in all this scene ; the good city of Toulouse covered its streets with sand, and made the air resound with its cries, and every house had two paper lanterns in every window at night J and they were in general, I am convinced, sincere in this, although one might have been in- duced to think otherwise from the acts of the authorities and public officers. A set of garde ur- bain officers (the new gens-d'armes), ran all the way at the head of the processions, prompting the cries, and setting them going all the way we went, and the illuminations were by special order of the mayor from the Bureau d'llluminations, as usual I 2 172 NEGLECT OF TOULOUSE AUTHORITIES. in the time of Bonaparte's system. My intended observation is this — the city loyalty vented itself in cries, in Te Deums, in music, and in farthing can- dles, and dancing, shouting, draperies, &c., but the Eoyal Duke was placed in the Palais Royal [ci- devant Prefecture), and no provision made for his table or for his establisment or Bordeaux guard of honour, and our head-quarters Commissary was called upon to feed the animals, &c., of the guard and followers, and Lord Wellington to entertain the Prince and invite the principal citizens to meet him. The old notion of the sign of the Pour Alls — "John Bull pays for all," seems to be as well known here as elsewhere in the world. There seems no principle now-a-days more generally dif- fused or adopted more readily in every quarter. Our rations are all procured, you must be aware, by requisitions, through the mayors of the countrj^, &c., to be provided by the districts, and you would naturally think the same authority could provide for all French deserters, and for the Boyal troops of guards and establishment ; but then who would pay for all these requisitions ? All we have is paid for, and it is bien plus commode to come to our WELLINGTON AND GENERAL CLAUSEL. 173 store ready collected than to form one for these purposes. An odd incident occurred to me just before the procession on Wednesday. I was at Lord Wel- lington's new hotel, the great inn, the Hotel de France, endeavouring to find his room, to leave a Court-martial, when I stumbled on my friend the Dutch aide-de-camp of General Clausel, who told me he was looking for one of our MarshaPs aides- de-camp in waiting, to introduce his General, who was behind him, and who, on my turning round, recognized me, as he and his division took me pri- soner. To their great surprise, I told them there was no chance of finding an aide-de-camp, but perhaps we might find a sergeant, and I was on the search. It so happened there was no one but an ignorant sentinel. In trying a door or two, we all blun- dered upon Lord Wellington, who came himself to the door, so I introduced the astonished Clausel and walked ofi". My Dutch friend told me that Soult and Suchet would have had about six aides-de-camp, &c., in the first room, and a General officer in waiting in the second. I own I think our great man is in the opposite extreme, but he does not 174 RIDICULOUS ACCIDENT. like being watched and plagued. Just after the state levee yesterday, I saw him cross the crowded square in his blue coat and round hat, almost un- noticed and unknown even to the veiy people who half an hour before had been cheering him. In one angle of Lord Wellington's hotel lives Madame C , a Spanish beauty, married into a French family of rank, who are the proprietors of the hotel, but who have been obliged to let nearly the whole, reserving this angle. I do not mean to be scandalous, but this perhaps may have decided the choice of the house. Lord "Wellington to-day had intelligence that Marshal Suchet was on his way here, and has been with his staff about a dozen miles to meet him in form. The French Marshal, from some confusion, did not appear, and Lord Wellington would wait no longer, but returned alone. In our grand pro- cession to meet the royal Duke on Wednesday a ridiculous accident happened. A French post carriage with three horses abreast ran away and came full drive down upon us, the Frenchmen all bawling, the horses pulling all ways and clear- ing all before them. Our three hundred warriors were all broken in an instant and dispersed over MARSHAL SUCHET. l75 the ditches^ and in all directions, until at last one unfortunate horseman ran foul of the French horses, and the whole came down together. For- tunately, nobody was materially hurt. Saturday, Post-day. — As I returned home last night by the Palais Royal from dinner, I found every one going without regular invitation into the Palais Royal to the Prince, who held a soiree ; so I entered likewise, and found him surrounded by dancing as usual, and by Marshals and Generals only to be outdone at Paris. Suchet had arrived with his staflf. Colonel Canning, who was left behind for him, brought him in about two hours after Lord Wellington returned. General La- marque and several other officers came with him, two Generals as aides-de-camp, besides Colonels, &c. The Marshal himself was a strange figure. His head and cheeks and chin all overgrown with hair, like a wild man of the woods ; and his dress more splendid than the drum-major of one of our Guards' bands on a birthday. The contrast had a singular effect. The uniform was blue, but almost concealed, and could have stood alone with gold embroidery. Every seam, edge, and button, before and behind, above and 176 THE FRENCH GENERALS. below, was gallone with a sort of oak-leaf pattern, about three inches wide, and on his breast were two gold and silver stars, as large as our Garter star, and several small orders of different kinds. He would have been rather a good-looking man if dressed in a more moderate style. Lord Welling- ton and several of his Generals, being in their plain uniform, made the French General's extravagance the more striking. Soult's aide-de-camp also came in, and a guard was readj^, and an hotel for him, but he did not appear. Generals Lamarque, Clausel, Villette, and three or four more, and a number of em- broidered Payeurs and Commissaires Ge.ne.raux, Prefets, &c., increased the general glitter ; but nothing looked better than our scarlet. The Prince and Suchet had much conversation, and seemed more easy and gay, than I had seen the former before with any of his new friends. Scarcely any Frenchman has worn the Spanish or Portuguese cockade, and amidst all the cries you never hear a viva for either Spaniards or Por- tuguese. They are in consequence very angry and sulky, and I think a little jealous of us. This you may well imagine, when you learn that they POPULARITY OF WELLINGTON. 177 all along consider that they have accomplished all that has happened, and that we have assisted a little certainly, but that they could have done without us. Except those about Lord Wellington, who do it more out of compliment to him, the Spaniards in general, and a great number of the Portuguese, will not in consequence wear the white cockade. I see no harm in this, for as we fought a whole century to prevent the two kingdoms of France and Spain from being both under the Bourbons, it is quite as well now^ that it happens to be our interest to fight for the contrary doctrine, that there should be as little cordiality between them as possible. A Spanish soldier was told the other day in the street to cry " Vive le Roi ! Vivent les Bourbons." He made no answer. The request w'as repeated, and he was asked why he made a difficulty. He w^as still silent at first, but then rapped out a favourite Spanish oath, then " Viva Fernando VII. ! Viva Lord Wellington ! Los Espanioles care for nothing more ;" and nothing more would he say. It is remarkable enough, but the fact is, that Lord Wellington is very popular with the common I 3 178 LORD WELLINGTON SECOND FIDDLE. Spanish soldiers, I am told, and with the country people; but with the generality of officers, regi- mental in particular, and with the highest classes in Spain, it is rather the reverse. It is curious now to see Lord Wellington play the second fiddle, having been so long established leader. It will serve to break him in by degrees for England and peace. He carries it off very well. Most of our Lieutenant-Generals are gone to Paris, or going, and many other officers. I suppose I shall do best by remaining with the army to the last, or at least as long as Lord Wellington remains, and then going straight to London and reporting my arrival. At the Capitolium on Thursday, young B , with whom I was talking, as we were very hot and tired, persuaded me to sit down with him on the bottom step of the vacant throne. The Prince and all the grandees were then in another room, but we were soon routed up by the garde ur- baine sentinel, to the mortification and vexation of my young honourable companion at not being allowed at Toulouse what he was entitled to in the House of Lords in England. He is well — dancing away cotillions, waltzes, &c. TOULOUSE CANNON-FOUNDRY. 1 79 Later. — We have just had an arrival, and Lord Wellington quits this for Paris immediately ; I hope, however, that he will return shortly, as he now intends to do. We all here said that matters would never be well arranged at Paris without him, and that he would go at last. Head-Quarters, Toulouse, May 2nd, 1814. — Having thanked you for your letter of the 12th of April, and papers to the same date, I must pro- ceed on my old subject, Toulouse, and its sights and curiosities, regretting, on your account, as well as my own, that they are not more interesting. The great cannon-foundry was formerly one of the most prominent, but it has now ceased to work for nearly three or four years. How or why this could happen, when military works and manu- factures seemed alone to flourish in France during that period, I cannot say. The fact is, everything remains in a state as if the workmen were only all gone away to dinner, but in silent desola- tion, like a scene in Herculaneum, or Southey's town under water. Unfinished moulds, guns, &c., and tools are lying about in all directions. To show how much the whole has been neglected, even Egalite has been suffered to remain on one entrance 180 PUBLIC LIBRARIES. pillar, Liberie on the other, and the word Impe- riale in the middle. The fleui'-de-lys will, I sup- pose, find its way there soon by some accident. Suchet now commands both armies here. He told the Due d^Angouleme he had sixteen thousand men of his own army at his service. This hero, to whom the day of the month, yesterday (May-day), reminded me of a much nearer resemblance than the drum-major, has left us, and is off to his troops. There are two public libraries here, in which I have spent the better part of a morning each, one containing about thirty thousand volumes, the other about twenty-five thousand. The former has too large a proportion of ecclesiastical learning ; but they both contain some good editions of classics and good historians, annals, &c., particularly the smaller library. They are old episcopal and private foundations, and have neither gained nor lost much by the Revolution, which is rather curious. There seems to have been no very valuable early editions or manuscripts — nothing very much worth plundering ; and they say they were too conscien- tious to take advantage of the times, and enrich themselves by plunder. The arrangement of the PUBLIC LIBRARIES. 181 books is not bad. Firstly, good polyglot and other Bibles of all kinds; then commentaries on sacred history, &c. ; then history in general ; then laws of nations, &c. ; then laws in general, essays, &c. ; then French voyages, arts, sciences, classics, and belles-lettres. There is an atlas of the Grand Canal and its vicinity on an immense scale, which might have been important had we proceeded, though I think no other stand would have been made until after we had gone beyond the limits of the canal, and after a junction of Soult with Suchet at Narbonne. Amongst the books pointed out as of the most interest, were Racine's Greek editions of Euripides and iEschylus, containing his name and several notes in his own handwriting, — a remarkably neat hand. The edi- tions were Stephens^ and Stanley's. The notes were either short free translations of passages and sentiments, or memoranda to call attention to par- ticular passages for future use and application, or they were short remarks of approbation or disap- probation of scenes, passages, &c. I copied out nearly the whole, not being very long, and I enclose them. I shall thank you to put them into my Euripides or somewhere, to be preserved. 182 DESCRIPTION OF TOULOUSE. Several of the private houses here of the mer- chants and nobles are on a very large scale, and contain very spacious suites of rooms round the court-yard. The architecture is, in general, very moderate. Most of the mansions have only the merit of extent, and one or two of which have an attempt at more are in bad taste. The one most remarkable is particularly so. It has an immense heavy stone cornice, out of all proportion, and the capitals of all the pillars are a species of false Corinthian, or rather, Composite, with the upper ornaments, spread eagles, in most barbarous taste, and in the place of the most beautiful part of the true pillars of the Composite order. Toulouse appears, in size, to have been for a very considerable time, nearly stationary. There is not, as in some of our country towns, and some in France, the new town as well as the old. The old brick walls, with occasional towers, remain entire nearly all round, and still form nearly the city boundary, as there is scarcely any suburbs without the walls ; at several of the entrances within there seems to have been some vacant spaces, and in two or three places an ornamental sort of crescent or square has been commenced, — FACADE OF THE CAPITOLIUM. 183 one lately, but the others before the Revolution. They are all unfinished. In general, however, all within the city walls is covered with building of some sort or another. The splendid fafade of the Capitolium was raised before the Revolution. Ileni-y IV. com- menced the work, it is said, and his statue re- mains there. A very small beginning has been made towards stone fa9ades on one of the other sides of the Grande Place of the Capitol, but in general the old shabby buildings still remain, and seem likely to do so, for some time to come. May Srd. — Our prince is gone to review his new army under Sachet, and leaves us quiet. Every day carries off some of our higher officers, and we all expect to move the instant Lord Wellington returns, if not before. To-morrow, if possible, I go with a party and passport to see the great basin De Feriol, the main feeder of the Grand Canal. It is the sight of this country, and therefore, though I expect to be disappointed, I have agreed to join Dr. Macgregor and a party to-morrow, and return the next day. It is about thirty-two miles off, near Revel. I yesterday attended the Court of Appeal here 184 VISIT TO THE COURT OF APPEAL. for the four departments around — Aude, Tarn, Lot and Garonne^ and Arriegc. There were ten judges present : there exist, and may be present as many as sixteen, and a quorum of seven is necessary to form a Court. There were, besides the Pro- cur eur- General and Avocat-General, about twenty- five barristers in gowns, nearly like ours, but with bonnets instead of wigs. They were dirty, and mostly old, and looked precisely like a set of provincial barristers in England. The same habits make the manners and appearance so similar in nations nearly equally civilized, that, until the lan- guage betrayed the difference, I could have fancied myself in England again. The subject in dispute was half an acre of vine- yard, and it turned on the construction of a confused legacy in a will of an old gentleman. The eagerness with which the contest was maintained reminded me of a Court of Quarter Sessions in England, — all talking at once and with abundance of noise and action, especially just as the ten judges, like our juries, had laid their heads together to consider, and whilst le Procureur- Genei'al was summing up the law and argument previously to the Court. Either the lawyers and EXPENSIVE GOVERNMENT. 185 judges must be starving, or the judicial establish- ment must be very expensive in France now. There are, besides this Court, others of Premier Instance in each department, and in four depart- ments you have more judges than in England. Unless some changes are made, I think the French will find their whole government, which is calcu- lated for a larger empire, in every way much too expensive. This will prevent any great reduction of ordinary taxation. The King and his court to be paid ; the senate ; all the marshals and grand dignitaries, the prefets, &c. Each depart- ment now has a salary to pay its prefet, nearly as large as that of an intendant of a whole province before the Revolution. The King will find abun- dance of patronage if this goes on; but a great part of the national income will be consumed in the management and support of the different spe- cies of rulers. One advantage in this, I hope, will be to keep France more quiet in future, as I have otherwise little faith in the present temper of this changeable race. May 7, 1814. Post-day. — At five o'clock on Wednesday morning I went to Dr. Macgrcgor's to breakfast, preparatory to our expedition to St. 186 VISIT TO ST. FERIOL. Feriol, as we had obtained our leave and a pass- port for that purpose. Our party consisted of Dr. H , Colonel G , and P , General H , and Mr. J , and Mrs. J . On account of the latter, who was in an interesting condition, we set out on the canal road towards Castelnaudary, that she might go in the boat. We rode along the towing path very pleasantly for about twenty miles. Finding that Castelnaudary would be so much out of the way, we then left the canal and rode across through Villefranche and St. Felix to Revel, about twenty-two miles further. This water scheme delayed us much, so that we did not reach Revel until seven or eight at night, and it also lengthened our ride considerably. The ordinary dinner at twelve, at the lock-house, was, however, entertaining, and made up for this in part, but, in truth, ladies should learn on these occasions, w^hen in such a state, to stay at home. We expected a malheur every hour, she was so fatigued. On Thursday morning, after breakfast, we went three miles to Sorege, to see the great college or school establishment there, which is about three miles from Revel. It was formerly attached to a COLLEGE AT SOREGE. 187 convent, and a sort of government military esta- blishment. At the Revolution the buildings were sold, and the present director and his brother, who was one of the professors of the old establishment, bought the whole, and undertook to continue, and, as they say, to improve the plan as a private spe- culation. There are now about three hundred boys, from eight to nineteen, or even twenty-one years old. On the present arrangement, four hundred and forty is the limit. I am told the number once amounted to nearly six or seven hun- dred. There are now about thirty Protestant boys, the rest are Catholics. Most of the Spanish boys, once very numerous, left the school during the late war. This peace, it is supposed, will bring them back, even in greater numbers. English boys are also expected to come again, as formerly. The building is very spacious, and is prettily situated, under the side of a mountainous tract of country, at the head of a valley. The accommo- dation is very ample, and the order and arrange- ment very great, though, I think, it is less cleanly than the college at Aire. The studies are more varied, and the whole is complete in itself, as there is a priest, a doctor, an Italian professor of mine- 188 COLLEGE AT SOREGE. ralogy, anatomy, a riding-master, and teachers of all kinds. The regular studies for all the boys are French, Latin, a little Greek, mathematics to some extent, dancing, swimming, drawing from models and casts, perspective, drawing from anatomical study, fortification, &c. ; and for the upper boys riding — for which purpose about sixteen horses are at the disposal of the riding-master. In addition to this every boy has his own bedstead of iron, and all the two upper classes, of the three into which the whole school is divided, have separate places to sleep in. Every boy, at a certain time, either follows in his studies the choice of his parents, or his own inclination, and may learn Italian, German, English, Spanish, or any musical instrument ; even the pianoforte. The drawing- school is hung round with the approved productions of the boys, and is spacious, and so is the riding-school. There is also a theatre, regularly fitted up, in which the boys recite, and act plays and perform concerts ; asking the neighbours to come and form an audi- ence. The establishment also contains a small botanical garden, a tolerable collection of mine- ralogy, and a piece of water for the purpose of swimming. The boys were all in uniform, and COLLEGE AT SOREGE. 189 looked healthy and well. As they come from all quarters, it is usual to leave them there all the year round, and this is rather expected and desired. They come clothed at first, but afterwards every- thing is found them, and the parents have nothing to do but to pay niille francs, about 45/. or 50/., annually, and no bills or extras of any kind are ever sent or charged, whatever may be learnt by the boys : this is rather dearer than at Aire or St_ Sever, I believe, but not much, when all circum- stances are considered. We found the schoolmasters consequential and prosy, as they usually are with us. The Italian, who was more particularly so, was formerly the professor who managed the Grand Duke of Tus- cany's collection. This education would, I think, suit many an orphan or natural son destined for the English army, and with small means. He would join his regiment at eighteen, with much more useful knowledge than could be obtained for the same money in England, as to languages, &c., and much information useful to a military man. He would also come away with, at least, one or two accomplishments probably, by which he might amuse liimself in country quarters, and be kept 190 COPPER FOUNDRIES. out of mischief. It might also answer for mercan- tile men, merchants, clerks, &c., though perhaps some of these pvirsuits would only make them idle. Most of the boys are destined for merchants or soldiers, as I understood. For other professions I think we have as good, or better, and as cheap an education in Yorkshire, and other places in England. This sort of education accounts for the general distribu- tion of a certain extent of acquirement which we see amongst the French officers, and for the advantages they possess as to the power of self-amusement. When prisoners of war, they have a smattering of drawing, dancing, singing, music, acting, &c. We then went to the basin of St. Feriol. On our way I rode up a valley to see some foundries of copper, which were much talked of; only one of a number was at w^ork, as times were so bad. I found the copper was Swedish, and only worked there on account of the facilities of wood and water to work the bellows and anvil. The work in which the men were then engaged, was making saucepans and pots, and stewing-pans, for the Toulouse ships, and on a very small scale. I always like to ascertain that there is nothing to see when a sight is talked of. We went then over the hill to the basin. BASIN OF ST. FERIOL. 191 I must own I was rather surprised with the ex- tent of this, and though it was almost exactly what I expected to find it, I was very glad I had come over to see it. The shape of the ground, and course of the stream, were particularly fortunate and well adapted to the plan, and the great dam or dike, which pens back the water, so as to form a small lake, in depth near the wall from fifty to sixty feet, is a noble w^ork. It consists of three main walls, well terrassed or puddled between each, and with two large arched vaults, one quite at the bottom, covering the natural bed of the river ; the other higher up, and leading to the robinets or great cocks, which let out the water as required. The river coming down the valley fills the basin, not being able to find its vent, and therefore spreading over the ground, and filling all the hollows up to the dam wall, which is about sixty feet high. The banks, except the natural dam, are the natural shape of the ground, and there is no excavation at all ; when full the water, as required, is let out by a hatch, and so runs by into the stream, which conducts it, after about ten miles circuit, to the highest point of the canal, from whence the locks descend both ways to Toulouse, and to the MediteiTanean. It then sup- 192 BASIN OF ST. FERIOL. plies both. When the basin is low, the next open- ing is a sort of hatch or floodgate, lower down in the wall; when lower still the water is let off by* three great robinets or cocks at the end of the voiite, about thirty feet or so below the surface. When these are opened, the rushing of the water makes a tremendous noise, at a distance like thunder. When it is required to empty or clean the basin, &c., the river is turned off, and the con- tents of the basin empty themselves in the original bed of the stream : the contents of the basin are, I think, six millions of tons of water. There is another smaller basin, about ten miles higher up, in the mountains, and another near the canal, whence the stream enters it. The whole seems well managed. The canal it- self is kept in great order, like our New River, the banks trimmed, &c., and in width it exceeds even our Royal Canal in Ireland, by several yards, I should think. With much delay and difficulty, we got Mrs. J — through these sights, after much unnecessary alarm and fright in the vaults. We returned about five to dinner at Revel, where we slept again yesterday : we had a hot ride home through Caraman and RIDE BACK TO TOULOUSE. 193 Lentar, about tliirty-tvvo miles. The country round the canal;, and in the bottoms, is rich and fertile, but contains little wood. It is like some of our Somersetshire and Dorsetshire valleys, but more covered with villas and chateaux, and villages. The road back, by Caraman, is through a much poorer country, but also like the higher bad parts of Somersetshire, and that neighbourhood — such as near Chard and the hills round Bath. The villages seem in a decaying state, and the inhabitants poor, but the country, upon the whole, is in much better condition, in point of cultivation and appearance, than one could suppose, after what has passed in the last twenty years. In one or two out-of-the-way places we were stared at, and followed like monsters, or sights, but were every- where well received by the people. At Sorege, some French cavalry was quartered, but they were nearly all gone to the grand review before the Due d'Angouleme. I should like to have been there also, but we understood it would not be liked, and that the Duke was to go without English altogether; this was quite right. I am told that the review went off well, and that Soult himself set a good example. VOL. III. K 194 A FRENCH LADY. It is strange to think of our carrying off Bona- parte in a frigate, and his conversation with Augereau is curious after the address of the latter to his men. King Joseph is gone off and escaped, but no one need be much afraid of him now. The style of nearly all the French chateaux is similar ; all front and appearance. On my return yesterday I dined with Mr. B and his French hosts, for I scarcely know whose dinner it was ; I believe a joint effort. The wines were the patron^s and very good. He is a man of fortune, a Monsieur de T , and speaks English tolerably. The wife is a pleasing woman, and rather good-looking and young. They were very civil, and she sang and played in the evening very fairly. At least she had much execution and dash, if not feeling, in her playing. Like most of our young female players, she left out all the andantes and slow passages. The furniture of the two or three rooms in which she lived was very splendid. Handsome carpets were alone wanting to make her own room in particular an elegant fine lady's drawing-room in England. In some respects, particularly as to the gilding, there was both more show and taste INDICATIONS OF CHANGE. 195 than generally are seen with us. The pianoforte was particularly handsome ; it was by Erard of PariSj and though only a small one, cost a hundred Louis-d'or. The whole contents of her room cost, it is said, a thousand Louis- d' or. In the variety and materials of the ladies' dresses here, there seems to be also a very considerable degree of luxury — more perhaps than with us. • We are now very dull, and as the Prince is still absent, do not even hear the " Vive le Roi," or " Vivent les Bourbons," &c., as usual. I was much amused yesterday at seeing pasted up at a country inn, a halfpenny print of the royal Due d'Angouleme in his best, on horseback, and sur- rounded by a copy of most loyal verses singing his praises and those of the Bourbons and the English, in the measure and going to the music of the famous Marseillais hymn; in short, a sort of pai'ody of that song, beginning " Allans enfans de la Garonne" &c. WTiat changes ! K 'Z 196 TOULOUSE. CHAPTER VII. TOULOUSE MR. MACARTHY's LIBRARY THE MARaUESS OF BUCKINGHAM GENERAL HOPE WELLINGTON'S DUKEDOM THE THEATRE A. ROMANTIC STORY FEELING TOWARDS THE ENGLISH THE DUKE ON THE RUSSIAN CAVALRY. Head-Quarters, Toulouse, May 11, 1814. My dear M , The very small number of sights which this town affords being exhausted, and Lord Wel- lington being still absent, we are in truth more dull than we should be in a country town in England. The only interesting subject of con- versation now is, who goes to America, and who does not ? Some of the regiments move to-day towards Bordeaux from hence for the purpose of embarking upon this new expedition, which I should think would all end in a mere demonstra- tion. Lord Wellington is expected here to-morrow, and we shall then know what is to happen ; and head-quarters will, I conclude, move immediately. MR. macarthy's library. 197 I have heard nothing since my last, and seen but one thing worth mentioning, and that is, Mr. Macarthy's library, which the old father and grandfather have been sixty years collecting, and which is now to be sold on the father's death for the benefit of the widow and nine children. This is the librai-y for which the Duke of Devonshire offered 25,000/. sterling as it stands ; but the bar- gain was never closed, as he wished the whole to be embarked at the risk of the owner, and they wanted to have the money for it as it stands here, to be moved by the purchaser. The owners now talk of sending it to Paris, and having a public sale there by auction, thinking that emperors and kings will then bid against the Duke of Devon- shire, Earl Spencer, and others of our book-loving nobles. It contains a considerable number of fine copies of " Principes editiones," filling one side of a large room, all upon vellum. There is also Cardinal Ximenes' polyglot edition of the Bible; his own copy — the only one on vellum ; a number of valu- able books and some fine MSS. Amongst the rest is the first printed edition of the Psalms in 1457, of which we are told the only other perfect copy is in 198 THE MARQUESS OF BUCKINGHAM. our king's library ; that Lord Spencer had only an imperfect copy, and that twelve thousand francs had been already offered for this one volume ! So the world goes ! This sum would furnish a hand- some set of all the best French authors, and amusement for life; but many you find prefer a single black-letter volume, which one must go to school again to learn to read, and w^hich indeed looks like a child's great black-letter spelling book, or the books among the giant friends of Gulliver. A single page as a specimen would, to me, be as good as the whole, and thus five hundred curiosos would be gratified for a few guineas a-head ; or a lottery would be still better — fifty pages the highest prize, and a few lines for every one ; no blanks ! There would be another advantage in this, that it would be employment for some w'orthy collector for half his life to reassemble all the parts and put the book together again. The Marquess of Buckingham has been here, and is now going to Tarbes and Barege, and then returns to see our great man. We hear the latter was at the review at Paris in his blue coat and round hat. This is quite like him, and upon a good principle; the marshals, the public func- REVIEW OF MONTAURAN. 199 tionaries, the kings and the emperors, would have outdone anything he could have put on except this. I am sorry I did not return from Revel through Castelnaudary. Some of the officers did so, and by that means fell in with a division of the French army. The French officers were very civil, but told the same story — " If the Emperor had not de- serted us we never would have deserted him ; and the men are of the same opinion, but as it was there was nothing else to be done." Colonels B and C went over to the second review at Montauban, where the Due d'Angouleme re- viewed Count Reille^s corps — two divisions. If I had known this had been permitted I should have been very curious to be of the party. I am told the men were well equipped and in high order. The officers in general looked very shabby and unlike gentlemen. Suchet was smiling and in high good humour, and very fine, as he was here. Soult was only to be distinguished by a most enormous hat, and by a surly look, which is described as unpleasantly penetrating, and more bespeaking talent than amiability. He took little notice of the Enghsh 200 GENERAL HOPE. officers, but the aides-de-camp and staff officers, both belonging to Soult and to the other Generals, did so when they learnt who they were, and ap- peared very earnest in their attentions and civili- ties. They went there in a carriage, but were splendidly mounted immediately — Colonel on Count Erlar^s led and caparisoned charger. Thursday, 12th. — Lord Wellington not ha\'ing yet returned, and of course nothing positive being known as to our destination, we have only those pass- ing reports which the military men call " shaves.'^ General Hope is, I fear, likely to suffer long from his wounds. He has astonished the Generals at Bayonne by making three of them presents each of an English horse out of his stud. It is an odd circumstance, but I believe true, that the sort of notice we had of an intended sortie by the enemy at Bayonne, which was given by a deserter just before it took place, only did us mischief. The out pickets were doubled, and as no pickets could stand the rush of four or five thousand men, we only lost so many more prisoners by this. The men were alarmed with the expectation of such an attack. The only fault I hear spoken of in this business was the abandonment of the GENERAL HOPE. 201 church of St. Etienne, which might, and ought to have been maintained. The fifth division were but just on duty there, and scarcely knew their posts. General Hay met the men running back from it, and was stopping and leading them on again, saying he would show them how to defend the church, when he was killed. Some of the muskets of our men were found there, broken by the French, and thrown away unhred. An Englisli officer, with about twenty men, maintained him- self in a house near the church the whole time, though it was much less defensible than the church. I am told our position there, close under the works, was liable to such a sortie every night, and some well informed, wonder it did not take place sooner. General Hope's eager courage led him to be in a situation where, as I am told, no one could, under ordinary circumstances, remain the shortest time without almost a certainty of destruction. Even as it was, it is said a party of Guards ought to have carried him off, as at first only four French- men were near him when his horse fell, and the Guards then were close by. The French had made the outworks of the citadel very strong ; K 3 202 SORTIE AT BAYONNE. they must have been stormed first, which would have cost us about twelve or fifteen thousand men. It w^ould then have taken sixteen days to establish batteries on the crest of the glacis, the only possi- ble way of breaching the citadel. The garrison, who are now excessively bold, and who have de- manded rations for nineteen thousand two hun- dred men, say they should have even then stood a storming twice — in the citadel, and again in the town at last. Making all due allowance for this gasconading, it is quite as well to have been saved the necessity of taking Bayonne. It would have taken all our transports about sixteen days to bring up mate- rials for four days open trenches from Passages by land, and we must then, for the remainder of the time, have trusted to the uncertainty of the water communication. The object of the Fi*ench sortie was supposed to be the destruction of our three stores of fascines and gabions, &c., which we had been six weeks and more cutting, collecting, and forming, and for which purpose we had stripped the environs for near five miles round the town. In that respect we were quite prepared for the whole siege, and it is remarkable enough that we re- SORTIE AT BAYONNE. 203 mained nearly all that time sufficiently near the French works to form the first parallel^ and that without making works to protect ourselves, because doing so would only have drawn down a fire which no works could have enabled us to live under, and there was nothing to be done but to remain as quiet as possible until the siege began. Had we withdrawn at all, the French having seen the im- portance of the ground, which we got as it were almost by accident, would have made it necessary to begin the siege by the storming of the works they would soon have made there. Thus we were obliged to keep what we had got, unless resolved to turn the whole into blockade. The French engineers admire our bridge very much, and say it will figure in military history ; but their officers in general in Bayonne have hitherto been very sulky, and we are by no means friends as yet. Very little accommodation is afibrded us in any way. We are infinitely obliged to Bonaparte for having lost his head, and blundered as he did latterly, and sufi'ered the Allies to enter Paris, and put an end to the war. Had he succeeded at Paris, or had Soult and Sucliet united succeeded 204 Wellington's dukedom. against us here, near the shores of the Mediterra- nean, where our next conflict would have been, you would have found, when a retreat became necessary, and that the French saw that way out of their difficulties, instead of a return to loyalty, that we should have had the other party, and that a strong one, uppermost, and a cry the other w'ay, with parties in our rear, &c. Thinking, as we do, the French army, and a great part of the French nation, quite as much responsible and to blame as Bonaparte, for a considerable portion of the misery caused by France (to effect which they were, as long as it was out of France, his willing agents, and they only deserted him, when he was in dis- tress, because his fortunes had left him, and by no means from principle) thinking this, their excess of loyalty only disgusts us. Of course we are glad to promote it, but must despise the majority of the Bourbon shouters — a few honourable indi- viduals, and a small party, of course, excepted. Friday, \2>th May. — Lord Wellington not yet returned, and our late very warm weather turned to a steady rain. The Paris papers of the 8th, received this morning, make Lord A¥ellington am- bassador in France and a Duke. THE THEATRE. 205 I was last night at the play to see La Reine de Golconde, an opera, with some pretty music. I mention this merely on account of a curious cir- cumstance attending. A French General, ac- cording to the story, fights for the deposed Queen, and restores her. The troops of this French General and liberator were a part of the Grenadier company of our Scotch sans culottes here in their own costume ; and as they marched past, com- manded and headed by the French General in the full costume of a general officer of Bonaparte^s army, the house immediately applauded the English heroes. The sensations of the French officers present must have been strange, and not very agreeable. These Scotchmen are considered by all the inhabitants (of the town in particular) as having had the principal share in their defeats in sight of the town. The mutes, bearers, and others in the procession, were all English soldiers. We have had no disturbances or quarrels here, and our officers seem all to have behaved with con- siderable pro])riety. In short, the inhabitants dread our departure, and the return of their own people. They say that all order ceases, and all security, 206 DEPARTURE OF WELLINGTON. the moment our side of the line of demarcation is passed. One furious old gentleman at the cafe, this morning, said publicly, that he thought the only regret was, that the war had not lasted three months longer, to destroy the remainder of the French brigands ; and that, as for Soult, he should have been sent in here, that the women might cut pieces out of his flesh with their scissors, and that he might afterwards have been executed publicly for his conduct to this city. Saturday, Post-day. — Lord Wellington returned in the middle of the night, and, having had a cold, that and his journey make him look rather thin. He has been so taken up with business that 1 only saw him for a moment. Report says he leaves us again in a day or two. I shall, if I can, ask leave, on our arrival at Bordeaux, to be independent, and find my own way home : yet I believe it would be best to go home with the army. Head-Quartei'S, Toulouse, 31 ay 21, 1814. — Im- mediately after my last, Lord Wellington left us for ]\Iadrid. Nearly every one has quitted the army ; I mean the great men, generals, &c. We are reduced to a few quiet parties, and have no events to observe upon, and see no strangers to BALL AT THE PREFECTURE. 207 write about; everything is tame and stupid, and the weather, growing hot, makes us languid and idle. Lord Wellington, on his return here, was abso- lutely overwhelmed with business, and every department was at work in a sort of confusion and hurry that has never happened before. On Sunday, the Duke gave a splendid ball and supper at the Prefet's or Palais Royal, where every- thing went off much as usual. The ladies dressed well, and danced admirably; and the supper was not a matter of mere form with them. Their early dinners, and their greater exertion in dancing, made them certainly more voracious than our fair ones. On Monday, the Marquess of Buckingham re- turned, and was introduced to his new cousin of Wellington. The latter seemed, I understand, not a little surprised at being embraced and saluted on the cheek by his new relative. lie had not been in the habit of receiving those embraces a la mode Franqaise, and, I take it, prefers very much the kind attentions of the fair ones here, with whom he is an universal favourite. On Monday the Marquess of Buckingham dined 208 AMERICAN EXPEDITION. with hinij as well as a large party of French and English. I was of the number, and we all went to a concert of very moderate music in the evening at the Capitolium. The Duke at eight the next morning was off for Madrid. He intends to rejoin us at Bordeaux, and then to return through Paris, and to be in London about the 10th of June. This is a great deal too much, and I think almost impos- sible. These exertions make him look thin and rather worn ; but he was very gay, and in excel- lent spirits whilst here. The American party was all settled by him finally, and is all on the road to Bordeaux, or now there. It will be of about nine or ten thousand men, I should think, and strong in artillery. Our faithful six eighteen-pouuders, which have marched all the way from Lisbon since this day twelvemonth on roads which never have, I think, or will see such animals again, were embarked yesterday on the Garonne, for Bordeaux, to be of the party ; and their little grandchildren, the mountain guns, go also. At first the expedition was by no means popular, but is now tolerably so ; and the staff appointments have been of course much in request. Lord Fitzroy Somerset, who is the great manager of all this, MILITARY ARRANGEMENTS. 209 and prime-minister^ has been very busy, and we have all the intrigues of a little court in miniature. Those who have been long here on the staff, and with high brevet rank, will feel much a return to their regimental duty and rank, and still more if their fate be half-pay ! I hear of nothing except all this, and the schemes to get provided for. The regimental officers are those who like this new job the least. The last time I saw the Duke of Wellington I said, I concluded he would wish me to go down to Bordeaux with the army. He answered, " Oh, yes, you had better." We are already almost without Generals. I am told we shall remain here some days yet. The orders, however, are all given for our movement as soon after we receive official news of the garrison of Figueras having marched for France, as possible. In the mean time all wounded, &c., are moving now. The cavalry also are to set out on their way overland to England as soon as the French Government have finally agreed to that arrangement. I should not at all dislike to march with this party. The Portuguese troops remain with the British until the Commissaries can part with the mule transport entirely. They 210 MILITARY ARRANGEMENTS. then separate^ taking all the mules, muleteers, &c., with them attached to different regiments for ra- tions, &c., and set out through Spain for Portugal, a good three months' trip, growing warmer and warmer all the way, to the great enjoyment, I conclude, of the natives. At Almeyda the mule- teers are promised to be paid all their arrears. The British from hence are to encamp near Bordeaux, ready to be off as transports arrive. The Spaniards move out of France the first of all, at the signal of Figueras, to the joy of all parties. The Guards and troops at Bayonne are likely to be the last, as they are to remain until all stores, wounded, &c., are clear out of the Adour and St. Jean de Luz, &c. The people here will be very sorry to lose us, partly from the loss of the money spent here, and partly from their dread of those who will succeed us — their own countiymen. I understand General Clausel was the only one of the French here who admitted the truth that they were fairly beaten into taking their King. The others feel it, but will not own it, and are very sulky in consequence ; and in general not civil to our officers. Some of the French gens- d'armes are exnected on Monday in this town to ROMANTIC STORY. 211 do duty, I believe, to levy taxes, &c. I only hope this vi^ill not lead to quarrels with our men. The continuance of the Droits reunies is very unpopular, and I think the effervescence of loyalty is rather going off already. We all expect dis- turbances also in Spain. I only hope the Duke will resign his command, and have nothing to do with either party. It is said the armies even are divided, and ours here (Frere^s) is for the Cortes. What with Spain, Ireland, Norway, America, and perhaps the interior of France, the world will after all, it is feared, not be in that state of profound peace which was generally expected. Yesterday and to-day I have received letters from you of the 3rd and 10th of May, and papers to the latter date, which contain precisely the same, as to news, as those from London through Paris. There seems to be nothing very important either way. I have just got the papers relating to a most extraordinary story of a murder at Lisbon. It is a most complete novel, and would be incredibly romantic as such. A Commissary named R liad an English girl (a lady) who lived with him. Another Commissary named S , his friend, had 212 ROMANTIC STORY. long been living in the same house with him. After a time Mr. R conceived that Mr. S was undermining the aflFections of the lady. He taxes her with it, she confesses, and says she had promised to live with S , but swears nothing improper had ever passed. Mr. R persuades her to give up this scheme, stating how dishonour- ably S had betrayed him, his friend. He then tells this friend his discovery, and upbraids him. S ■ says the lady has been faithless to R , and is the betrayer. R , in despair, is going to quit the house, , the lady, and the whole connexion ; bvit he previously repeats to her what Mr. S told him. She solemnly denies it, and then goes out with S . I should have men- tioned that the three had just before this conver- sation ridden out together without speaking, and sat together at dinner without speaking or eating. The explanation between R and the lady then took place, immediately after which S and the lady went out of the house. Three pistol- shots are heard. R goes into the garden, finds his mistress shot dead. S ran by him into the house apparently wounded, his handker- chief to his head. He forced his way to a table- ROMANTIC STORY. 213 drawer, took out a razor and cut his throat quite across. He still survived both wounds when the account came away, and confesses, in writing, deliberately, that by the lady's desire, by their joint consent and agreement, he was to kill both ; her first, and then himself. This he endeavoured to accomplish, but in vain as to himself. Mr. R declines telling who the lady is, except in a court of justice, in order to prevent unnecessary pain to her friends in England. I have been asked, " What is to be done V and whether, if the delinquent is mad, I thought that he must be tried for the murder ? It surely was very unfortunate that the poor man had not been left in the hands of the Portuguese surgeons and doctors, who pronounced him a dead man, and his wounds incurable. The skill of an English surgeon has unluckily enabled this unhappy being to stand the chance of either being hung or confined for life as a madman for the rest of his days. The 22nd, Post-day. — I send you, being dull myself, a part of a Gazette de France, which paper I take in regularly. Some part of the Franc parleur is well done. The same feelings exist 214 RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES. here in the army. Were I a French officer I should feel in the same way. We have now rain, and the weather cooler again, as yet it has not been ever very unpleasantly hot, though at times above our summer heat, and with rain and without sun at 69°. You ask me in your last letter about religion and manners here? The former seems again much what it was before the Revolution. The churches are in general well attended, but prin- cipally (as the case is all over the world, I believe,) by your sex in particular of all ages, by the very old of both sexes, who go there to make their peace ; and the very young who are taken there by their older friends and relations. With regard to manners, the old French memoires would still I think apply very tolerably to the description of their present state, excepting that the same things are done and said with rather more coarseness perhaps now than in old times. Our cavalry have not moved yet, as the approval of the French government has not arrived. They are intended to move in two columns, one up the Paris road, nearly through Cahors, &c. ; the other TOULOUSE GAZETTE. 215 more to the left, through Angouleme, Poietiers, and to unite at a town on the Seine. Head-Quarters, Toulouse, May 27th, 1814. — I now eat good dinners, go to the play in the even- ing, do my business, and take my ride in the morning, and live much such a life as that of all other towns, excepting that my new friends and acquaintance fall off daily around me, and our party at head-quarters is continually on the de- cUne. I am not a little amused with the Toulouse paper of yesterday. We, the English, have been for these last six weeks praised to the skies, and treated as, and called the deliverers of Toulouse — city and its inhabitants. Soult's troops are now expected in here in a few days, and the gcns-d^armes have actually arrived. The Toulouse Gazette, therefore, exhorts the inhabitants to receive with open arms and to feast, and entertain those brave troops, whose courage and noble conduct they witnessed on the hills, above this city, when fighting for the defence of the inhabitants, &c. They also assure the public, the statement in an early number of the Gazette, that Marshal Soult 216 MONSIEUR CATELLAN. owed the safety of his retreat to the clemency of Lord Wellington, under whose guns the French troops filed off, was all an error and mistake (as it certainly was), and that the i-etreat was in fact as secure as the defence of the heights was noble and courageous. Had we had but about five thousand more men up, to cross the canal at once, this might have been another story. The Gazette should have waited until we were off. I dined yesterday with a Monsieur Catellan, a gentleman of very good fortune, and who, I under- stand, has a good house, pictures, library, &c., at Paris, and lands in Normandy and elsewhere. He was formerly, at the commencement of the Revolution, Attorney-general to the Parliament of Toulouse, and on that account desired to be intro- duced to me, and gave us an excellent dinner. In 1781, he was a man who figured much here, and also in the English papers, on account of his early resistance to the orders of the Court, and being im- prisoned in consequence. He was followed by all the inhabitants to his prison, and released in a short time by the triumph of his own party. He seems to be a good constitutionalist. INSTANCES OF BONAPARTE's TYRANNY. 217 He mentioned several curious facts of Bonaparte's tyranny, such as his putting persons to death with- out trial, and without inquiry. Two persons he knew in particular. They were La Vendee chiefs. When all the hopes of that party were gone, tenns were offered to these two men. One came in to sign them, when he was instantly shot. The other, in consequence, remained con- cealed three years in Normandy. At last he was told privately that, that if he would retire from the country quietly, a passport should be given to him. He agreed, received his pass, and made for the coast; but when he had arrived near the sea side, two gens-d'armes shot him. This made a noise; the Juge de Paix began a proces verbal, and the Prefet was active in endea- vouring to apprehend the soldiers. The Judge and Prefet were not in the secret. Suddenly a senator came from Paris. The Prefet was suspended from his office, and the Juge de Paix enjoined at his peril not to stir a step in the business. Monsieur Catellan's servants acted as clerk in the proces verbal which had commenced, and the nmrdcr took place close to his estate in Normandy, lie therefore, as he said, knew the facts. VOL. m. L 218 ORIGINAL LETTERS FROM Another story, for the truth of which he vouched, and which, from the circumstances, appeared to be true, shows a little the state of Napoleon's court and their morals. A young cousin of Monsieur de Catellan was the Emperor's page — a very good- looking boy. At the carnival he was dressed as a girl at the play, and one of the grand chamberlains fell in love with him. The page continued the dis- guise and the joke every night during the carnival, and was courted and feted with presents by the lover. At last the discovery was made, and the mortified chamberlain stopped the boy's promotion in consequence, under the pretence that the page was ordered not to go to the play. I wished very much to have had time dming my iisit to Monsieur Catellan to look over a very curious collection of original letters which he had in portfolios, and of which I looked at one or two only. The most valuable were of the Valois family, and were numerous and confidential, com- ing to Monsieur Catellan through a great-uncle, and derived from an ambassador of the family in Spain. There were several from Catherine de Medicis, mostly about the marriage of her daughters with the Spanish royal family, and which (as she CATHERINE DE MEDICIS, ETC. 219 had good occasion to do) she always finished by desiring might be burnt as soon as read. The eldest daughter was first sent, being intended for the son, Don Carlos, but Philip the Second took a fancy to her, and though the son was in love, married her. An intrigue was suspected with the son, as the daughter was also in love with Don Carlos; the finale was, as history records and ro- mance writers have improved upon, that Don Carlos and the lady suffered death. After this, and knowing, as she must have done, the cause, or at least the reports of all siispected, Catherine writes, saying she must forget the mother in the Queen, and proposing to make up a match between King Philip and her youngest daughter. The letter is a curious one. The w^riter desires the person addressed to get at the King's mistress and his confessor, and to secure them both as friends to her plans. The remaining letters were only those of eminent men, some from Rousseau, Vol- taire, &c., and appeared to contain nothing par- ticularly interesting. A few days since I think I half made a convert of a fat silversmith's lady here, of whom I was purchasing some articles. She asked me if we had L 2 220 ANECDOTE. a religion in England at all like theirs. I said, "Yes; very like/' "But/^ said she (and that weighed very much with her), " you do not use these great silver cups, &c., in your country ?" To this 1 replied, ''Indeed we do, and want them much larger than you do in France, as, with us, we let every one taste that pleases of the wine, and you only let the priests/^ This rather staggered her, when the sale of the cups and sacramental plate came into her head. She then asked what other difference there was ? To which I said, "We found a difficulty in being quite convinced that the wine we received and di'ank at the Com- munion was actually blood, and though we took it with all due respect as a memorial of the event which was celebrated, yet, after all, we somehow thought the wine was wine — not blood ;" to which she could only say that they were bound to beheve the contrary, but in her heart I believe she felt much as we do, though she did not dare say so. May 28, Saturday, Post-day. — Om* cavaliy have at last got their leave to pass through France, and commence their route on the 1st of June. I should imagine we shall move soon after. I have this moment received a packet from you, with papers QUARREL BETWEEN TWO FRENCHMEN. 221 and enclosures to the 16th, and having your letter now before me, will go through it in answer. The alarms you mention about the quarrels between the Allies, and the French, and the army, and the National Guards, seem to have been principally of English invention. We have heard little of this matter here, though I have no doubt that the French officers and soldiers are vexed and morti- fied, and as the Irish say sometimes, they would easily " pick a quarrel" just now, when they meet with any occasion. There is the same feeling here, only as yet scarcely any officers of the army have arrived. I witnessed last Sunday a quarrel between a gen-d^arme and a guarde urbaine, about cutting off some acacia blossoms in the public walk. The latter was disarmed at last, after a scuffle and fight, in which, from the noise and confusion, you would have supposed several limbs and lives would have been lost (as would have been the case in half the time in England), but in whicli, in reality, no one seemed to come out the worse. The gen-d'arme, however, was very neatly beaten at last, as two of the guarde urbaine overtook him again, and whilst one tried to wrest the conquered sword back again, 222 WELLINGTON ON THE the other cut the belt of the gen-d'arme, by which his own sword fell, and in recovering that he lost the trophy, with which the two lads made off in triumph. An officer of the French regular army who was here by accident a few days since, saw the carica- ture of Bonaparte in a window, the face made up of " victimes," with the cobweb, &c., introduced, which I conclude you have seen. He entered the shop in a rage, and desired the shopman to take it from the window, threatening to cut him down if he refused. It has not appeared in the window since, and the man when now asked for the print by an Englishman or Royalist, says " They are all sold." The Duke of Wellington's misfortune from the Cossack charge I have not heard of here. He came back most highly admiring and praising the Russian cavalry as in appearance the best in Europe, and saying there was scarcely a private horse in the regiment he saw, for which a short time ago we should not willingly have given a hundred and fifty or two hundred guineas in Spain. The draught and artillery horses, also, though vei*y small, and unlike those of the cavalry, he thought RUSSIAN CAVALRY. 223 had great appearance of hardiness and activity. Some of your other stories concerning us here are really, I believe, mere inventions. By-the-bye, what inventions and scandal we shall have now to fill the newspapers and afford conversation for all our idlers ! As soon as peace is signed, they will have little less but that to live upon ; whilst the politician must pore over all the debates of the multiplied popular assemblies in modern Europe, which will all be aping our House of Commons. Our clergy here were ten days ago praying for rain, and they have not sued in vain, as wc have had it for this week in showers only, and in the English fashion, not like our mountain and St. Jean de Luz rain. We have also had tremendous storms of wind, which were not prayed for ; and more than that, a bit of an earthquake, felt princi- pally at Pau and in that vicinity, but, as I am told, by some perceived here. I do not wonder at old Mother Earth just at first shaking a little at all that has passed lately ; but I hope she will take it quietly, and be as peaceably inclined as her inhabitants now are. The rccov^cry of the balance of Europe will he a fine subject for an essay. This 224 RECOVERY OF THE BALANCE OF POWER. superiority over the ancient associated states of Greece, which when once upset never could right themselves again, is a matter of considerable triumph for the moderns, and promises to check for some time another age of barbarism. I should say that one great cause of this has been the more ge- neral diffusion of knowledge amongst the middling classes. Public opinion and more j&xed principles of the advantages of independence, have got the better at last of a system of universal tyranny of the most ingenious and complicated nature, and extending to every individual, and every hole and corner within its clutches. I must now seal up for the post. PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE. 225 CHAPTER VIII. PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE — BORDEAUX — IMPOSITION ON THE ENGLISH GREETINGS FROM THE WOMEN MAUSOLEUM OF LOUIS XVI. Wednesday, June 1, 1814, Toulouse. My dear M Here we are stilly but on the point of moving. The orders were actually out, and our route fixed. AVe start on Satui'day, the 4th of June, I suspect on purpose to avoid festivities on that day. On the 10th we hope to be at Bor- deaux ; 4th, Isle en Jordain ; 5th, Auch ; 6th, Condom ; 7th, halt ; 8th, Castel Jelous ; 9th, Langon; 10th, Bordeaux. This will be sharp work for loaded mules, and warm for us all, as the weather is now clearing up and promises to be hot again. I am tired of Toulouse, and not sorry to be off, though the inhabitants continue to be civil and L 3 226 RUDE CONDUCT TOWARDS friendly. So indeed they ought, as they have made no httle money out of us, and have been continually entertained by balls, &c. Since the Duke has been away we have had three balls given by the Adjutant-general, Genei-al Byng, and by the aides-de-camp. At the last I was, by accident, introduced to a Madame de Vaudreuil. She was, I find, wife to the son of the old admiral, our emigre Marquis in England, and your cousin. I was then introduced to the husband, and we had some family conversation. He mentioned his nephew, the aide-de-camp in Ireland. He inquired much after the Hochepieds, &c. To-morrow I am to breakfast with them, and you shall hear more. He is a little man, but high, and in repute here. We have had no events of any consequence. The only thing at all worth mentioning which I can recollect, is a trait of the conduct of the French lower officers of Soult's army. Two of our officers of the 43rd rode towards Montauban a few days since, out of their ovm limits, without a passport. This, though foolish just now, was a venial offence, and committed by many French who came in here within our line of demarcation. On a bridge near the town our two gentlemen were met by about TWO BRITISH OFFICERS. 227 eight or ten not gentlemen but officers of the French garrison there. The latter immediately attacked the two British officers rudely, told them they ought to know better their own limits, and added at last that if they intended to come again they advised them to come with their coats off, sleeves turned up, and swords drawn. One man actually went so far as to come behind one of our officers to knock his hat off, that he might get out the white cockade; in short, the two Englishmen were obliged to yield and return back. An apology was, I hear, sent in to our General, from the commanding officer at Montauban, saying he was sorry for what had happened, and hoping we would consider it as the act of some mauvais sujets in the lower commissioned ranks of the army, and not the act of, or sanctioned by, the garrison in general. I believe, however, we are still to make some remonstrance on the subject. Dr. ]Macgregor has returned here, delighted with his trip to Montpelier, Avignon, Nismes, Valence, &c. He was received most cordially everywhere, and at some places quite enthusiastically ; almost at every place, he fell in with fetes and entertainments in consequence of the late changes, and the whole 228 PREPARATION FOR country was covered with conscripts and deserters going home ; he thinks he must have seen from ten to fifteen thousand. Everywhere, as here, he found much jealousy between the military, the national guards, and the civilians. There were several quarrels in consequence. At the playhouse, at Montpelier, the applause was so violent at a new popular piece called " The Conscript," that a French General, who was there with his suite, con- ceived it a marked insult to himself, and rose to leave the house, but was persuaded to remain. The Society of Medicine at Montpelier, made the Doctor a member, with such fine speeches, that, even though he only half understood them, they raised his blushes. Friday, June 3rd. — In the midst of my bustle and confusion, preparing for my march to-morrow, I received this day your letter and papers to the 24th of May. I had just been reading in to-day^s French paper, London news of the same date, so that, even this late mail, of only nine or ten days from London, brought us nothing new, politically, from England. The details, however, and private news are always interesting, and I shall carry the papers with me to study on my journey. I shall THE MARCH HOMEWARDS. 229 have more occasion for them as I am going the road on this (the Toulouse) side of the Garonne, in- stead of our military route, and shall be nearly, if not quite, alone, as almost every other person who goes this way intends to travel post, or ride faster than would suit me this warm weather. I am told the road I have chosen is by far the most pic- turesque, rich, and amusing ; and, having a pass- port ready, I mean to start at five to-morrow ; I am to pass through Grisolles, Castel Sarazin, Monteil, Moissac, Agen, Port St. IMarie (where I shall try and see our emigre friend, the Baron de Trenqueleon), Tomeirs, EeoUe; then, if necessary, cross the river to Langon, but if not, keep the right bank, opposite Bordeaux. I have sent my baggage and Henrv' on in the line of march, and only take a Portuguese ci-devant servant to the Prince of Orange, and now mine, on a poncy, with a small valise, and intend to trust to the inns for every- thing. I shall thus avoid troops, and nearly all places through which they have passed. The last detachment of cavalry leaves this to- morrow, to start to Grisolles and Montauban on Sunday. The Hussars in advance leave IMoiitauban to-day. The last infantry move from hence on 230 FAREWELL PARTY. Sunday; and the whole infantry from hence will be assembled at Bordeaux (excepting what may be embarked) by the 17th of June. The last Portu- guese will pass Bayonne about the 23rd ; and then the Guards and troops there will be at liberty to move — not before. The Spaniards are nearly all out of the country already ! Sir W. W. Wynne has been here these last five or six days, to succeed the Marquess of Buckingham ; they are specimens of our supposed greatest peers and commoners. The people here stare at them, and look strange. The inhabitants are seriously sorry for our departure, I really believe. We had a sort of farewell -party at the Duke's house yesterday, given by Colonel C. Campbell — all the great men here — we dined, then went to the play, then to the ball. Some of our Generals are so pleased that they talk seriously of returning again here after peace is signed, and they have laid by their laurels in England. I have so many things to do, that I must now end this, and leave it to go by the post, as I shall be away from head-quarters, and the regular post, perhaps, next mail. Do not be surprised if you do not hear again very soon. I shall try and write the moment I arrive at Bor- APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY. 231 deauXj and let yoa know my plans as soon as I can fix them. Head-Quarters, Bordeaux, June 13//*, 1814. — On Saturday (11th), I sent you a few hasty lines, I will now try and fill up the interval from Toulouse here, with an account of my proceedings during that time. After a tremendous thunder storm, at six in the morning of the 4th of June, I started along the rich plain in which Toulouse stands, and proceeded through Grisolles, and a number of small places, to Castel Sarazin, and not liking the appeai-ancc of the latter, I went on to Moissac, which is just across the Tarn, and at which place the plain ceases, and the road becomes hilly. It was about forty-five miles to Moissac, all rich and fertile, but the country much too bare of wood, and the uniform level road is tiresome from the sameness. The river ran the whole way, about half a mile from the road, and the opposite bank being high, bounded the view on that side, and formed the prettiest object, though not the most profitable, as the soil seemed less rich. The flat lands must be subject to great losses and damage from floods, as there is no fall for the sudden torrents which 232 GOOD CONDUCT OF THE PORTUGUESE. descend. The corn in many places had suffered much this year. I passed at Grisolles, the last of the cavalry (the Blues) on their way home. The Life Guards entered Montauban with laurels. The Prefet im- mediately told the commanding officer, that he understood his men were come into the town in a triumphant manner, and seemed much vexed, until reminded that it was the 4th of June, when he was civil, and admitted the validity of the reason. At the village of Fignan, where I stopped to give my horses some corn, I was very glad to find the inhabitants regretting the departure of the Portuguese regiment which had been quartered there, they had behaved so well. They told me the people cried when they crossed the water, and the next day so many soldiers came back to take another farewell of their new friends, that the officers were compelled to place a guard to pre- vent it. The Tarn, at Moissac, was wide, and the current very strong. The passage by the ferry, a trouble- some one, backwards and forwards, through the remains of the ruined buttresses of an old bridge. On landing, I asked for the Commandant or MoissAC. 233 rrench General. There had been unpleasant alter- cations of late, near that place and neighbourhood. The officer of whom I inquired, pointed to General Rey, the late governor of St. Sebastian, who hap- pened to be near. I announced myself to him. He was civil ; and I went to the inn immediately. The only sights in the town are a great water- mill in the river, with about twenty-four pair of mill-stones, and a number of establishments for purifying wheat and preparing flour. These last were on a large scale, but without machinery of any ingenuity, and one steam-engine would have saved them nearly all their labour, which was great. The countiy round is famous as a corn country, and Moissac was once a great place of export for flour and wheat by the canal, &c., of Toulouse, to jMontpelier, and by the Tarn and Garonne to Bordeaux, and thence to the French islands and foreign settlements, &c. The inha- bitants wished much to begin dealing with the English; but I told them our parliament was about to prevent that taking place. There is a curious old church at Moissac with many carved figures, grotesque enough at the en- trance. The style is nearly the old English, but 234 IMPOSITION OF THE INNKEEPERS. in some places, the early Gothic. The accommoda- tion at the inns is very good ; hut the joke of Milord Anglais has commenced, and is increasing fast. We were all mon Commandant and mon General; and we paid accordingly. The next day, on lea^dng Moissac, I ascended a long hill, and continued on rich high ground above the river, in a country of cultivated, undulating scenery, with more wood, somewhat resembling Devonshire or Somersetshire, with the exception of the want of hedges. This continued about seven miles, when I came down again, having a fine view of the river, and continued my way along the banks over a rich flat through several villages and small towns to Agen, about thirty-four miles from Moissac. The valley was here much nan'ower and varied than that at Toulouse, bounded on both sides by gentle hills, cultivated and rich, as well as apparently populous, along the whole way. The French troops were in cantonments in every village, and looked veiy sulky in general. A few touched their caps to me, as I was in my scarlet uniform ; but most looked sulky and took no notice. I was, however, never insulted. The cries of the children all the way, and often of the country-women, and THEATRE AT AGEN. 235 sometimes of the men, of vivent les Anglais ! cer- tainly did not contribute to put their soldiers and officers in better humour. If so disposed, I could easily have as the Irish say, " picked a quarrel." At Agen, all was gaiety and bustle. It was the Sunday before their great fair. All was preparing for that, as well as for the service which was to take place in the great church the next day for Louis XVI., the Queen, &c. I immediately went to the Commandant of the town. He was civil, but the numerous officers looked very much dis- posed to be impertinent, if occasion should offer. The eager curiosity of the towns-people to see the English, and to be civil, was very pleasing ; every one anxious to show some attention. I here fell in with Dr. M and Mr. and Mrs. J , and after dining together, we went to the play. It was a little narrow theatre, but almost new, and very clean and neat. The performances were not despicable. Thei'e was a good-looking singer, with no bad voice, from Bordeaux. In her character, much happened to be said of her innocence and inexperience. From the constant joking this gave rise to in the audience, and from some very promi- nent feature in her person, I conclude she had 236 MAUSOLEUM OF LOUIS XVL lately been under the necessity of retiring from Bordeaux, from some little faux pas. And this, as I was told afterwards, was the case. Agen is an old and rather shabby town of about ten or eleven thousand inhabitants ; the walks around it, and country, are pretty. The next morn- ing I staid until after the ceremony had commenced in the church, and peeped in, to see what was going on, and if the military attended. Many of the latter did so, with crapes round their arms. I was admitted instanter, without a ticket, and the old priests, several of whom had been emigres, and spoke a little English, were very civil. About twenty milliners had made really a veiy elegant linen and crape mausoleum for the occasion, nearly twenty feet high. Four fluted pillars, one at each corner, were made of fine white linen, the festoons round the base were of black and white crape, m'ns on the pillars, and other ornaments of the same. About a hundred and fifty wax candles were up the steps on every side of the tomb, and above it were lilies springing fresh from the centre, and the crown, in elegant crape, suspended above the whole. About ten o'clock I started again to find out the TRENQUELEON CHATEAU. 237 Baron de Tranqueleon at Port St. Marie^ which was about twelve miles from Agen. On inquiry at the inn, I found there a friend of his son's, who had left him only a few hours before. I, therefore, determined to cross the river again, go and see him, and to stay there the night. Trenqueleon Chateau is about five miles from Port St. Marie, on the road from thence to Nerae, on the side of the hills which enclose the valley in which the Garoune descends. It is old-fashioned, in the Tuilcries style, and in appearance large. In reality, it does not contain much room, but is a comfortable place. Excepting two higher wings, it is, in fact, only a ground-floor house. The rooms are lofty, spacious, and decently-furnished for a French house in the country. There is a great square garden in front, like a wilderness full of weeds, with a square plantation and straight walks. The roads run about two hundred yards from it on one side, and a small river navigable for boats on the other, and running into the Garonne about four miles below. This would be convenient to export the produce, if there were a market, which of late had not been the case. 238 BARON DE trenquel:6on. I found the old Baron feeble^ without the use of his limbs, in a great chair penned in like a child. He was surrounded by a large party — his wife, his son, and his son's wife, daughter to the maire of Agen ; an old lady, I took for the Baron's sister ; and five young ones, who called him "Papa." One of these was in weeds, and one about twenty- five or thirty ; the rest young. One was a fresh, ruddy, English-looking girl. All were most atten- tive and civil. The old Baron made me repeatedly kiss him, and cried several times as he conversed with me. He remembered all our old friends in England during his emigration. He was very anxious to know all I could tell him of my brothers. He asked much after your sister and brother, and the T family. His table was bad, but there was quantity, and a hearty welcome. I was put into his uncle's room, our old friend the Bishop of Montpelier's. His family seemed atten- tive to him, and, excepting at meal times, seemed to live around him, some at work, some reading the papers to him, and some sitting ready to talk, and with no other occupation. The poor girls must lead a very dull life in the Chateau de Tren- queleon, as, from the state of the Baron's health GREETINGS FROxM THE WOMEN. 239 they do not go out to balls or amusements even at Agen. On the following morning, I left Trenqueleon about twelve o'clock, and crossed the river again at a ferry near Aiguillon, which is a pretty town, small, but well situated. I got on to Tomeins that night. The country continues to be the same rich valley the whole way and very populous. Tomeins is a small ill-built town of perhaps about five thousand inhabitants. There is nothing to see there, excepting a fine sort of Richmond-terrace view from the public walk overhanging the river. The women struck us as very pretty, and they were peculiarly eager about " les Anglais," one or two calling out in English, as we passed near the windows where they were, " How you do ? how you do V &c., and then running away to hide themselves. And this came from well- dressed girls in good houses. On the 8th I proceeded through Marmande de la Reolle, to breakfast ; and then crossing the river again near Langon, I intended to stop at the pretty village of Barsac, about five miles on this side Langon, and where the good wine of that name comes from. Finding all this part 240 FEELING OF THE FRENCH SOLDIERS. full of our sixth division, just arrived, I was obliged to push on to Ceron, a mere post stage and a poor inn. On the 9th I proceeded to this place (Bor- deaux), and arrived by one o'clock, when my order to proceed to Tarragona (for the trial of Sir J. Murray) was put into my hands. I found every one in the same hurry and confusion as when the Duke paid us his last visit at Toulouse. The country continued nearly the same until we got some w^ay beyond Barsac ; we then began to skirt the Landes, and had only sand and firs, a sort of Bagshot Heath, but still broken by frequent \Tllages and chateaux, which round Bordeaux are very numerous. During my journey I always stopped at some small inn for a feed of corn in the course of the way, and also dm'ing rain, which was frequent and heavy. I gave the chance passengers their wine to make them talk. A drimken Frenchman seemed much like an English one, and was some- times very entertaining ; but the feeling of the soldiers was the most curious. At one place I found two discharged soldiers going home with their leave; they said they had been betrayed by their FEELING OF THE FRENCH SOLDIERY. 241 Generals, &c., and the game was up, so they had applied for their discharges, as they would not fight for the King. They had served seven or eight years, and would now be quiet, though their wounds would not have prevented their fighting for the Emperor. One had lost a finger only, the other had received a knock in the leg, which rather made him halt a little ; they had both above six- teen months^ pay due to them, but said they con- cluded of course the King would never pay the Emperor's debts, and they were satisfied to be dis- charged without pensions. They said that nine- tenths of the soldiers of the army would have remained firm to the Emperor if their Generals had been faithful, and had agreed in oj)inion with them; " mais n'importe, c'est fi7ii." The Trenqueleon party told me, they were for some time in great uneasiness, as we had no troops near them on their left bank of the river, and on the right bank only came down to the river Lot. Thus Agen was the centre of the formation of parti- san corps who were to cross the river near them, and scour the country to annoy us. In three or four instances they succeeded in this ; and the Commissioner was issuing most violent VOL. III. M 242 DISPLAY OF ILL-FEELING. orders to compel all persons to form their corps immediately (these if caught by us would be hung) and to teach the women also, to entice into their houses our soldiers by wine, &c., to make them prisoners and kill them, and even to instruct their children to cut the back sinews of the horses in the stables at night, saying they must do as the Spaniards did by them in Spain. The Baron^s family said they had different feelings, but would have been compelled to do much of this, had things gone on. They also talked with much horror of the state of terror they had been kept in by Bonaparte's agents. One deputy Prefet, some time since, alarmed them by quietly telling some of their neighbours (who told them again) that they were in a terrible scrape, and had been detected corresponding with the English. They went instantly to the Prefet to know what this meant, and found it was one of my father's letters about the Bishop of Montpelier's affairs, (as his executor in England), which had been stopped by the police. The Prefet afterwards told him to be easy " ce n'etait rien." The Baron seems to have been a popular character in the neighbourhood. I2th, later. — A mail goes to-day, and I have a HEAT OF THE WEATHER. 243 pile of papers a foot high to arrange by to-morrow, The Duke goes away and leaves the army the day after, Wednesday the l4th, consequently all is a bustle of business, balls, dinners, operas, plays, all proceeding at once. My next will give you an account of this handsome town. I am in quarters at Monsieur Emerigon's a barrister now at Paris, but daily expected to return. The Duke has written strongly home to put off this intended Court-martial at Tarragona; all here detest it, and grumble. The worst is, that we are to remain here in suspense until an answer arrives. 1 am writing without my coat, and so are all the Duke^s Secretaries, &c.. from the heat. The thermo- meter shut up in my writing-desk is at 76°. The sun most ardent when out. 244 BORDEAUX. CHAPTER IX. THE OPERA-HOUSE — THE CATHEDRAL — THE SYNAGOGUE A JEWISH WEDDING STRANGE SHOW-HOUSE WELLINGTON AND KING FERDINAND. Head-Quarters, Bordeaux, June 16, 1814. My dear M As I have no news to communicate, you must be satisfied with the best account of Bordeaux which the excessive heat permits me to give you. The Duke is gone for good, and we are left here in a state of dull, and I may say feverish uncertainty. Time slips away fast, and my fate will soon be decided. Before breakfast I take an hour's ride to look about the town and suburbs, and see what I could not do otherwise. I have commenced a new plan, early dinner solo, and another ride in the evening, or the opera; this is my life. The restam'ateurs are so hot ! I prefer my own society and a mutton BORDEAUX. 245 chop with abundance of vegetables and fruit, and my bottle of claret or Sauterne to the incessant dinners going on in public. My wine I get from the housekeeper of my landlord, Monsieur Emerigon the counsellor, as she in his absence sells his pro- duce for him — his wine, namely Sauterne Emerigon, which is really very good, his pigeons, his ortolans, his poultry, his cherries, his vegetables, &c. As he is not yet returned from Paris, I have also taken possession of his salle a manger, and drawing-room, in addition to my bed-room. I only now want to get into his library. He is a royalist, and one of the commissioners sent from Bordeaux to Paris. Bordeaux is a very handsome town, and very superior to Toulouse — as a city indeed there is no comparison ; but still I think there was more ton and fashion at Toulouse. This place was stopped by the Revolution, when in a state of splendid commercial prosperity ; it was then rapidly increas- ing in magnificence. Toulouse on the contrary, I take it, was even then on the decline. Another advantage Bordeaux has in addition to its having been laid out like Bath with modern improvement as to the width of the streets, namely the con- venience of stone quarries close at hand, instead of 246 THE GRAND THEATRE. bricks to form the buildings, and this with water carriage. It has besides a stone somewhat similar to Portland stone, a complete Bath stone cut by the saw and adze like that at Bath ; and of course these advantages have not been neglected by Frenchmen. The river is a noble one, not very much wider than the Thames at London Bridge, but it appears deeper, and of more importance ; the tide occa- sionally reaches up as high as near Langon. I should suppose the quays extend nearly two miles, and, in general, are well-built and handsome, and the river just now is full of shipping. The quays are inferior to those at Lyons, and the few half- rotten ships on the stocks in the spacious yard, show strongly the urgent necessity of what the people did on the late occasion. The Grand Theatre is a very handsome building, with a colonnade of twelve pillars in front. The whole height of the building, and with its con- nections of taverns, Exeter Change, &c., iims back to the river. In its front is a square, with two handsome streets branching off right and left. One has the double row of trees, in the foreign fashion, in the centre, with paved carriage-roads THE OPERA HOUSE. 247 outside, and is spacious, ornamental, and useful. At the end of this is the other Theatre de la Gaiete, and that leads into a sort of wide avenue street planted all the way, and nearly a mile long. On one side again of this is the ci-devant Champ de Mars, or Jardin Publique, a spacious public planted walk. The town contains several other planted wide streets, and a handsome Palais-Royal, ci-devant Du Prefet. There is not any one very handsome square, and upon the whole I prefer Brussels — a town, I should think, nearly of the same size. The Opera House is in the inside handsome, but dirty, and not well contrived as to holding num- bers. It consists of twelve large Corinthian pillars, which occupy much of the room, and all the upper boxes are like baskets projecting between them, and only tw^o deep. The shape of the house a flat horse-shoe, and Avell proportioned. The singing tolerably good; the dancing by no means des- picable. Excepting, perhaps, one or two of our best, it is better than at our London theatres. The dresses are rich and expensive. The reception of our Duke was very gracious ; and it was not a little curious to hear " God save the King" sung constantly with 248 MUS^E. " Vive Henri IV. !" A V Anglais, a V Anglais, was also a popular cry, and produced a hornpipe tune, always attended with great acclamation, but what the connection was I cannot say. Some impudent sailors always cried out for " Rule Bri- tannia," but French politesse could not go so far. Two Americans would not pull oflF their hats one night to " God save the King," and were shoul- dered out in consequence. The upper boxes are entirely filled with very smartly-dressed ladies of a certain class, whose wardrobes have improved in the last two months, I have no doubt, as much as that of the similar class of ladies at Toulouse, — and the last was very visible. The Theatre de la Gaiete is a sort of Sadler's Wells, neither more elegant, nor more chaste. The rope-dancing is decidedly good. There is also a Musee here, as well as at Toulouse, but much inferior. There are not half a dozen original pictures of any tolerable master. The antique inscriptions are very uninteresting, to me at least, and there were no antiques affording pleasure to an artist or amateur. The collection of birds, serpents, butterflies, minerals, &c., tolerable, but only of the second order. I think the library also THE CATHEDRAL. 249 appeared smaller and inferior to that at Toulouse, but there were many more readers, which >y Schulze and Co , 13 Poland Street. •"J I' ■''^Qimvhip '^Ammv^^' "^(Jmmm ^mmm//^ ^losANctifj LliTiliifrs i^^% toP University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 305 De Neve Drive - Parking Lot 17 • Box 951388 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90095-1388 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. rnrn)^' ^mrnm^ %mm\^ ^^mmu^^ ^ J^. ,^^M•LIBRARYQ^ . -oAtLIBRARYfi*/ ^■', ^^^ 3 1158 01134 4487 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY '■■""■ " |!||i||i l|iiii[ii I" I'l; ||||!|[[|||| AA 000 867 095 2 ^lOSANCElfx^ ^lUBRARYQc^ ^5^11IBRARY^ %oi\m-:i^'^ '^^ojiiydjo^ 'Or I ^lOSANCElfj> o %a3AiNn-3yiv ^OFCAIIFO/?,^ >&Anv8an# ^OFCAllFOMij^ ARYQ/r ^^^^l•llBRARYQ^ ^•J0>^ %OJI1VOJO>^ ^WEUNIVER5/^ ^lOSANCElf/^ MIIBK' •