party to the last. This, being made known to the Portuguese, had either the effect of a reproof or of intimidation, and the embarkation was not interrupted.

The main body of the French army embarked for France at Lisbon, under the same treaty, with their arms and baggage. Great complaints, however, were made by the Portuguese, that a quantity of effects which had been forcibly taken possession of in the country, during the French occupation, was being removed among the baggage.

One fine conscientious old French General, touched, it is believed, by the justice of these complaints, which were mentioned to him by the British officer who was about to succeed him in his billet in a private house, called up the proprietor, and said to him, "Monsieur, I think you will bear me witness that when I entered your house on my arrival in Lisbon, I brought with me two portmanteaus." This being acknowledged, he turned to the British officer and said, "You will now bear me witness, sir, that I am retiring with but one!"

At the battle of Talavera, the French had been repulsed in their first attack. The weather was hot, and there was a partial cessation of fire in parts of the field for an hour or two about the middle of the day. During this time, the soldiers of each army went down to get water at the same little stream, and were near enough to hold amicable intercourse together, renewing the battle again immediately afterwards.

The French finally retired, but returned after some days with an increased force, before which the Allies found it necessary to abandon Talavera, and to leave their sick and wounded at the mercy of the enemy. So far from these unfortunate men suffering by the change, the French marshal, Mortier, immediately or ganised a good hospital for them, by beds and other conveniences demanded from the inhabitants, and placed them in a very superior position to that in which they had been under our own arrangements. One very fine young officer, who had lost a leg, seemed particularly to attract Mortier's sympathy. He supplied

him with money for his drafts and other conveniences; and, when he was well enough, gave him leave and credentials to enable him to return home through Paris, where he was present at the fêtes for the marriage of Napoleon I. to Maria Louisa of Austria.

No unnecessary harassing warfare was carried on between the outposts of the two armies; on the contrary, there were frequently amicable understandings between them. Sometimes in changes of position or circumstances, partial alterations would be required, or one party have to retire more or less; this would be frequently settled by a polite message, or, if in movement, by a wave of the hand, when, if the party appealed to saw that it was reasonable, they would give way.

Thus, after the close of the battle of Busaco, a French outpost remained in a village nearer to our lines than was justifiable in our relative positions. Instead of attacking them, General Crawford sent a message to request them to remove to a greater distance. The officer commanding the post said that he had been placed there by superior authority, and could not retire, unless obliged by force; upon which the general ordered out one of his field-pieces, and fired a round or two into the village. This satisfied the honour and responsibility of the officer, who made a bow and withdrew his party, which, in fact, we could have annihilated.

In the retreat to Corunna, our cavalry halted one evening at Benavente, and took measures for destroying the bridge. Napoleon in person followed us as far as this spot. During the night, the French patrols came several times on their end of the bridge, to ascertain whether we still held on; but on being challenged by our sentinels, retired. One dragoon advanced farther than the rest, and one of our sentinels, of an Irish regiment, called out, "Will I shoot that fellow ?" "By no means," replied his officer, and the dragoon, hearing the hubbub, speedily withdrew.

At the battle of Corunna, our wounded were carried off the field,

and we retired at nightfall and embarked. A French drummer, with others, the next day, was wandering about the field, in hopes of picking up something of a little value, and, in fumbling over the body of a British officer, discovered that he was not dead. Upon giving that information, the officer was removed, taken great care of, and finally recovered. He was one of the heroic Napiers.

After the action of Fuentes d'Onor, the village was between the two armies. Men from each were scattered over it, somewhat mixed, in search of chairs, or utensils, or conveniences, to take out to their respective bivouacs. To prevent confusion, or perhaps quarrels, they drew a line of demarcation along one street, which neither party was to pass; and this amicable arrangement was respected by both.

At the Lines of Lisbon, as they were called-but, in fact, some twelve or fifteen miles in advance of that city-the two armies lay in front of one another quiescent for some months; their advanced posts in some parts so near, that friendly communications frequently took place between them. The British had the fine city of Lisbon in their rear, where every sort of comfort could be obtained; the French had no such resource within reach. It happened, on more than one occasion, that the French officers at the outpost would ask of ours to obtain for them some little luxury from Lisbon,-a box of cigars, coffee, stationery, or other object, which requests were always readily complied with.

Perhaps one of the most interesting anecdotes of the courtesies of war is that beautiful trait of the French dragoon, who came across Felton Harvey of the 14th Light Dragoons, in a cavalry skirmish. Harvey had lost an arm, and, as they approached each other, instinctively raised the stump to endeavour to save his head from the coming blow; but the Frenchman, perceiving the disabled condition of his opponent, instead of cutting at him, dropped his sword to the salute, and galloped past.

An exchange of prisoners was

sometimes made by agreement between the two generals. Where both parties were so far from their own countries, the transmission of prisoners was embarrassing, and might well be spared where each was content with an exchange. Sometimes an officer, who was a favourite of one, would fall into the hands of the other, and a request to have him back for another of equal rank, to be named by the opposite party, would always be acceded to. At times, when an officer was taken, his baggage, a little money, &c., would be sent in to the enemy's outposts for him by a flag of truce.

On one occasion an attaché to the army, of no defined rank, was taken, and when questioned by the enemy as to his position in the army, with reference to a more general exchange than usual, put so high a value on himself, that Lord Wellington would not confirm it, and he suffered a continued imprisonment in consequence.

Several private gentlemen came out to the army, during short periods of excitement, as pleasure excursionists, such as Mr Edwin James was a short time ago with Garibaldi. One of them was made prisoner in some affair; and being questioned as to his position, as he bore no uniform, declared himself to be an amateur! The French general turned up his eyes, and said that he had heard of amateurs in painting, amateurs in music, &c., but he never heard before of an amateur in war!

The British had greatly the advantage of the French in the position of prisoners; so many of them found means to escape by connivance of the natives. The feeling of the Spanish nation was so absolute and universal against the French, and so chivalrously honourable, that there was not an instance, during the whole war, of a British soldier, officer or man, having been betrayed by them, or not obtaining every possible assistance from them; that is, when in a state of absolute dependence on their aid; for when the English army marched into a town, in all their force and glory, none could show a higher tone and bearing of independence, or a greater determination to resist oppression or insult, than the Spaniards.

In their routes through the country, if the prisoner could by any contrivance get from under the eye of his escort, and among the inhabitants, he was invariably concealed and harboured till an opportunity offered of forwarding him to the army, during which time all his wants were scrupulously attended to.

When Colonel Waters, a fine old soldier, and noted for understanding how to make the best of any circumstances, was caught during a reconnoitring excursion, the Duke of Wellington was asked whether they should send his things in for him by a flag of truce; but he said, "By no means; Waters will soon find his way out;" and in he came, sure enough, in a very few days. He was a great man for field sports; and being allowed by the French to ride his own horse, which, though not showy, was a capital jumper, in passing through a somewhat close country, he put spurs to him, cleared, in foxhunting style, a stiff stone-wall fence, and galloped across the country, bidding adieu to his escort, who could only follow him with their eyes, an oath, and a flying pistol-shot or two.

At the siege of Burgos, the Engineers were in very small number; so much so, that the same few individuals were as much in the trenches as the necessity for refreshment would possibly admit. One, in particular, who had a more general superintendence than the others, commenced early to try and take a few liberties, by crossing the open from one part of the trenches to another, of course very charily at first, till by degrees the enemy became accustomed to him, and would allow him to do what they would not permit to others. Of course, he received the compliment with respect, and did not attempt to take impertinent or obtrusive advantage of his privilege. Among his comrades, the peculiarity was in joke thought to arise from a very particular kind of coat, down to his ankles, which he wore, being a new and outrageous fashion just arrived from England.

At the first storming of San Sebastian, which was unsuccessful, an officer, a very young man, was very forward on the breach, wounded, and

taken prisoner. Among the first of the enemy who came up to him was a French grenadier, who, in admiration of his gallantry, which he had witnessed, ran up and kissed him. A day or two after that town was taken, the garrison having retired to the castle, and everything being still in confusion, one of our officers pressed on to the buildings at the foot of the steep hill, to ascertain and fix the limits occupied by the French. He walked into the open doors of a church which was backed against the hill, and so cautiously up the centre aisle, when he heard a voice from the arched ceiling calling out, "Retirez vous, retirez vous!" Looking up, he could see nothing, but became at once aware that the enemy had access to the ceiling from the hill, while they had abandoned the floor, and there were probably a musket or two directed on to the floor from some holes, from whence, of course, he might have been shot but for this courteous conduct. He of course took the hint, made a bow and retired.

The Duke of Wellington rode out one day, attended by some officers and a cavalry escort, from the front of Bayonne, to reconnoitre the river Adour, when it was proposed to force a passage across it. He had to pass round a portion of the fortress at a mile or two from it, and in going through a village, a number of French soldiers, stragglers from the garrison, and unarmed, rushed out of publichouses into the street, in confusion. We could have swept them all away into our lines, but scorned to take such a useless advantage; so, after a few polite cursory remarks and questions, we parted very good friends.

Such are specimens of amenities which may pass in war between the contending armies, and which, when kept within reasonable bounds, cannot be too much admired. They will be practised in proportion to the state of civilisation of the nations engaged, and to the length of the periods during which campaigns may last. We did not find the same refined spirit in the Crimea, among the Russians. They had a hard sense of irritation, and, to all appearance, of individual personal rancour, even to

the extent, it is confidently asserted, of bayoneting the wounded. This refers, however, more particularly to the soldiers; the officers, in general, were brave and courteous.

The French and English treat their opponents in a more chivalrous and civilised manner than other nations; and it was quite an exception to the usual French practice, when the first Napoleon suggested bringing up a dozen or more fieldpieces, slyly to open a volley on any assemblage of mounted officers, by which "quelque petit général" might be killed. In fact, it was in that way Moreau fell in 1812.

There is a wrong and somewhat delusive impression entertained, as to the feelings by which we should be actuated were the soil of England to be polluted by the foot of an enemy. It is frequently asserted that it should be then war to the knife, and no quarter; but why with regard to England more than to the attack of any other country, is not easily to be understood. Besides the barbarity of the feeling, we must recollect the reciprocity it produces, and that will be far more severe on the inhabitants of a country who venture on such a system, than on the army which invades it. Men, women, and children sacrificed, the innocent as well as the guiltyhouses burned, and property plundered and devastated-are all considered legitimate retribution for acts of aggression by an unorganised population.

It should be understood that the preceding remarks do not apply to an armed and organised system, under certain regulations, for the distinct

purpose of an irregular and harassing warfare, such as may probably be pursued by large bodies of our volunteers; and although desultory attacks on individuals or parties, on a small and uninfluential scale, are to be deprecated, yet if important effects to the final result can be anticipated, of course such advantage would not be foregone. Nor are individuals to be allowed to reconnoitre or perform other useful services to the enemy. This, however, can generally be prevented in the manner already pointed out, by warning off the parties concerned, and giving them at least the chance of retreat before proceeding to extremities.

The distinction, however, may be considered as clear between those cases and a state of constant annoyance and suffering, inflicted to no really good end. The slaughter of a solitary individual, merely because he forms one of the many thousands of an enemy's force, and by which no ultimate advantage can be gained, is a useless piece of barbarity. Aggressive measures should not be taken without a view to secure advantages which may hasten the final result; and if war be a necessary evil, everything should be done to mitigate that evil, so far as lies in our power. Let us fight in our country's cause with all our strength; but let us not be carried away by the bad passions engendered by warfare, to confound the murder (for it is little less) of helpless individuals, with the one object we ought to bear in view-that of using every effort to bring the war in which we may be engaged to a glorious termination.