"Outward bound "—The Middy's Adventures-Land at Passages-Proceed to join the Army-Head Quarters-Wellington, his Personal Staff-Battle of Orthes.

Our last chapter brought the reader to that evening when taking leave of my fatherland I embarked on board the Vixen frigate for foreign service. The bustle and excitement of the journey, the spirit-stirring scene of a maritime port in war time, the rapidity with which we had been transported from mother earth to the trackless ocean, and the busy life that there presented itself, all combined to keep my mind in such a state of distraction and bewilderment that for a moment Mary Wilmot's image was banished from my thoughts. It was not until the middle watch, when none save those on duty trod the deck, that I left my "cabinn'd crib" to seek the fresh air of a bright moonlight night. The captain had given his orders to the officer in charge to carry all possible sail with discretion, and the gallant frigate was going at the rate of twelve knots an hour under all plain sail, except royals and flying jib.

I

The Scilly light had now receded from my view, and

"Bending o'er the vessel's laving side,

To gaze on Dian's wave-reflected sphere."

gave myself up to meditation. The morning watch was set before I roused myself from my reverie; I then descended into my cabin, threw myself into my hammock, and after a few hours' rest awoke refreshed and invigorated. Upon going on deck I was introduced to some half-dozen brother-officers who, like myself, were proceeding, for the first time, to join the army in the south of France. The captain of the frigate, albeit a strict disciplinarian, was a thorough-bred gentleman, and did all in his power to make our passage agreeable; Colonel Marsland and myself were daily guests at his table, and the time passed delightfully.

Among my fellow-passengers was a young subaltern, lately gazetted to a crack Light Dragroon regiment, who had passed the earlier period of his life at sea; his anecdotes of the naval service interested me not a little, and two adventures that befel him amused me so much that I cannot refrain from laying them before my readers. As no phraseology of mine could improve the simple recital of his doings, I give them, as far as my memory serves, in his own words.

THE MIDDY'S STORY.

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For

"I was about fourteen years of age when I was appointed midshipman on board His Majesty's ship 'Donegal.' The discipline of those days was very different from what it is at the present day, and the life of a reefer was anything but agreeable. I pass over the mast-heading, not forgetting that upon one occasion I was ordered to the fore top-gallant mast-head for the serious offence of skylarking with a favourite animal over the captain's cabin, and should probably have fallen a victim to hunger and cold had not my messmates stealthily handed me up a cold pumpkin pie, and the first lieutenant being informed that I was perched up aloft,' a circumstance which for more than twelve hours had completely escaped his memory. I dwell not upon our doghole of a berth, from which the sun and air of heaven were carefully excluded, nor enlarge upon the fragrance of the bilge water, the brilliancy of the purser's 'dips,' and the delicacies of our table-weavilly biscuits, not alone the staff of life, but life itself, rancid butter; and the salt junk: I descant not upon the tricks of the mischievous urchins of our mess, but proceed to narrate an adventure that occurred to me during the war. some days we had been upon the look out for a French Chasse Marée, we were cruising near off Ushant, and I was midshipman of the middle watch. Now if there was one thing in the world more than another that I detested, it was the middle watch. I cared not for any other duty to board an enemy under a sharp fire of musketry, to go aloft when the wind was blowing great guns, to lay out on the main-top-gallant yards to knot a reef point, or pass a gasket in a gale of wind, were all to me pastime compared with the horrors of being awoke at midnight from a sound sweet slumber, such as youths of fourteen, free from the cares of life, enjoy; and when, in addition to being thus disturbed, the torment of being cut down in your hammock, and perhaps fracturing your skull in the fall, rendered my misery almost insupportable. Upon the night in question I had tried to induce my messmates to sit up with me, knowing that if once I turned in, nothing short of the strongest means could eject me from my canvass cradle; but they all pleaded fatigue, and one by one dropped off. Left by myself, I soon undressed, and was shortly locked in the arms of nature's soft nurse.' My thoughts reverted to home; I dreamt that I dwelt in my father's halls '-I have stolen a line from Bunn's ballad, I fear. The scene flitted before me when decked out, for the first time, in my middy's dress, dirk by my side, I was the admiration of my sisters, the housekeeper, and the ladies' maids. In the midst of one of these rosy dreams I was suddenly awakened by the well-known voice of the captain exclaiming, Man the boats; where's the midshipman of the watch?' I started from my slumber, and hearing the question repeated I jumped from my hammock in search of my clothes. Knowing the disgrace that would cling to me through

life if even from uncontrollable circumstances I appeared to shun this active duty, I at once made up mind how to act, and without further consideration rushed upon deck, made the best of my way head foremost through one of the ports into the boat, in which I landed safely, alone breaking one of the oars at the expense of my own skull. 'Shove off,' cried the lieutenant, and in a few seconds we were at every stroke leaving our good ship in the distance.

"After a long pull, and a strong pull, our boats came in sight of the wellarmed Chasse Marée; a bullet whizzed by my head, and entered that of my brother reefer in the next boat. Poor youth! so sudden was the fatal shot that even the boat's crew merely thought the victim had dropped his head from death's counterfeit sleep, not the grim tyrant himself. Before I had time to mourn over the loss of my companion we were actively engaged with the enemy, and as the modest Norval says in the play, We fought and conquered.' After an absence of four-and-twenty hours we were within hail of the Donegal ; I had been put on board one of the captured vessels, and triumphantly steered her under the stern of our two decker. When I got on board to report myself I was ordered into the captain's cabin; for my skipper, although a strict disciplinarian, did not wish to lecture me upon the quarter-deck, for the not very venial offence of oversleeping myself, when by my exertion I had attended to my duty in the boats. The reader will bear in mind my costume, which consisted of a long night dress, and which by the aid of a rope I had tied round my waist, giving it the appearance of a Roman tunic or Highland kilt. Of nether garments I had none, and when elated with my success I entered the presence of my captain, I for the first time remembered the state of nudity I was in. A burst of genuine laughter showed me that my offence would be pardoned. 'Be more circumspect in future,' said the worthy captain, now a distinguished admiral, attend a little more to the regulations, and,' with an additional titter he added, 'dress of the service.'

The other anecdote may be briefly told. The young middy was in due course of time promoted to the rank of lieutenant, and in that capacity was on duty one night, when a severe squall in the Mediterranean threatened damage to the frigate he was then on board of; the captain had been confined to his cabin, and had given orders to carry on, when owing to the fog and increasing gale of wind the ship struck upon a rock, the boats were lowered, and owing to the admirable arrangements made by the officers of the watch all hands were saved. The lieutenant was the last to quit the ship, and finding that she was fast filling, took the order book, which he placed between his teeth, and jumping into the foaming surge, swam on shore. A court-martial was afterwards held, and when called upon for his defence, the lieutenant merely produced the written order of his captain, which entirely exonerated him from every particle of blame, and which, owing to his forethought and self-possession, he had so gallantly saved from the wreck. The hero of these adventures afterwards became a distinguished officer in one of the smartest regiments of the time, and although no longer holding a commission in the army, is still flourishing in the sports of the field, in the hunting or racing saddle, with his gun and his dog, or at the helm of his cutter; the ex-lieutenant of the navy and army is as energetic as ever. To resume my narrative.

The talented author of the " Diary of an Invalid" remarks that "nothing can be less interesting than the dull uniformity of the sea scene. The view when out of sight of land is much less vast than I had expected; the panorama is limited to a little circle of water, seven miles all round us. Within the limits of this circle we move along day after day, without the least variety of prospect or incident." Now differing as we do from the above opinion, we will not pause to raise an argument upon it, but content ourselves with observing that, however monotonous a life at sea may be deemed during the piping times of peace, it is utterly impossible it can be so in war, when scarcely an hour passes that is not replete with spirit-stirring interest. Scudding under bare poles in a gale of wind; the sea calm and tranquil, not a breath of air to raise the drooping pennon; the boat launched, to convey to some homewardbound bark letters for England; a strange sail in sight, perhaps that of an enemy; the men beat to quarters; or a friendly vessel answering your signal to show her numbers-all are calculated to raise

"The exulting sense, the pulse's maddening play,

That thrills the wanderer on that trackless way."

Our voyage was not destitute of interest, and with a fine northerly breeze we made Passages on the fifth morning, No sooner had we landed than Colonel Marsland made immediate preparations for joining the army; it was then that the energetic powers of this gallant soldier broke forth; every difficulty, every obstacle was got over, and in three days we reached the head quarters of the army. Marsland, who was in great favour with the Beau, as Wellington was then called, had no sooner reported himself to the Adjutant-General than he was summoned to the Field Marshal's presence. "Remain at my quarters," said the Colonel, "and upon my return I will introduce you to some brother officers. Ten minutes had scarely elapsed, when a young officer in an undress aide-de-camp's uniform was announced, and introducing himself to me as one of Lord Wellington's personal staff, informed me that his chief desired to see me. "Colonel Marsland has told him of your arrival, and as he has received a letter from your father you will probably dine at head quarters to-day." I expressed my satisfaction, when Captain continued, "We shall have some sharp work in a day or two; Soult has concentrated his forces behind the Pau, and has taken up his quartier-general at Orthes. 'Le vieux renard,' as his comrades call him, will show us some sport before we run into him." This conversation took place upon our way to Lord Wellington's, where I was ushered into the waiting room to attend the summons of the hero of the age. Whilst looking out of the window, my attention was attracted to a detachment of the guards who were escorting a baggage waggon laden with men who had lately been wounded in an affair near Garris. What a contrast was the appearance of these brave men to those who, within ten days, I had seen in all their splendour on duty at Carlton House. Instead of the scarlet coat, the white lace, the well-polished bayonet, the neatly pipe-clayed cross belts, the cap with smart cockade and feather, and the brown-muzzled musket, the gallant warriors appeared dressed and equipped in costumes that few Monmouth-street dealers would have dealt for at any price: the faded, ragged, red coat, blackened with powder, and patched with cloth of every colour and hue; the torn and tar

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nished lace; the blood-stained bayonet; the dirt-soiled cross belts; the tattered hat and feather-all proved that they had not been mere holiday soldiers, but that they had taken their part in the most severe service in the fiercest fray. "Brown Bess" alone had been attended to with the greatest care; duty and self-preservation, two of the strongest feelings of the British soldier, had suggested this; and within eight-and-forty hours I had an opportunity of witnessing the preparation of the Peninsular veterans for the field of battle. The musket was first looked after, the touch-hole picked, the barrel cleaned, the ram-rod drawn, the locks rubbed up, the flint renewed; the cuffs of the coat were then turned back, to save them from the stain of the powder, the military stock unclasped and stowed away in the haversack, the pouch-belt brought well forward over the right rib, and its contents inspected. But I have digressed, and must bring my reader back to the moment when the aidede-camp in waiting took me into the presence of the immortal Wellington. "Glad to see you," said the great man, cordially shaking me by the hand. "I heard from your father by the last mail. Dine here today. Freemantle will show you your quarters. You'll be in orders tomorrow." I then took my leave, and was conducted by my cicerone into a room which was distinguished by the name of Military Secretary's Office, and here I found as goodly a number of the flower of English chivalry as could be assembled together. First upon the list may be mentioned the noble Plantagenet, Lord Fitz-Roy Somerset, whose exertions during the whole of the campaign had merited and still merit the warmest eulogiums of his chief; the personal staff of Wellington consisted principally of young men of birth and fortune, who instead of wasting their lives in inactivity at home, sought for honour in the battle field. Among these may be named the present Dukes of Richmond and Beaufort, Lord George Lennox, the late Lord William Russell, the late Honourable Henry Percy, Canning, the late Colonels Felton, Hervey, Freemantle and Colin Campbell.

The greatest surprise was always manifested by Napoleon himself, the field marshals, and general officers under his command, at the youth of the English aides-de-camp; in the French service officers of high rank in the army were alone appointed to such posts, whilst in ours, many scarce out of their teens held the same situations, and by their unwearied zeal and bodily activity completely made up for any deficiency of the more mature judgment attendant upon age. When the present high-minded and honourable representative of the Somersets, the then gay and gallant Worcester, was taken prisoner in passing a ford upon his return from Bordeaux to Toulouse, he was presented to Soult, who could scarcely bring himself to believe that so youthful a warrior could hold such a distinguished post as that of aide-de-camp to his great opponent, Wellington.

Whilst waiting in the Military Secretary's Office, a young man equipped in a handsome undress uniform, accompanied by an officer of about his own age, entered; there was something peculiarly distingué in his appearance, which, added to a most unaffected, affable manner, attracted my attention; the respectful deference paid him shewed that he was a person of consideration, and when for a few moments he retired to the window to hold a conversation with Lord Fitz-Roy Somerset, I had a favourable opportunity of scanning his features; his counte