Country Fêtes—Brawls with the French—The Duke d’Angoulême—Mademoiselle Georges—The Actress and the Emperor—French Acting and French Audiences—Presentation of a Sword to Lord Dalhousie—Georges’ Benefit—Departure.
Head-quarters, Bordeaux, July 4, 1814,
Post-day.
My dear M——,
We have still had no instruction how to proceed, and are waiting the determination in England. In the mean time I am being gradually stewed, for the heat has again commenced, and is in full operation. My life is quite retired and monotonous, and affords no incidents. The only variety that has arisen is, that yesterday I dined at three o’clock with my patron’s sister, a West Indian elderly single lady, and a female party. I was the only beau, the brother was engaged; and in the evening I rode over about three miles to Briges, a village, where they were keeping an annual fête.
The crowd of country-people dancing and singing was very considerable, and the road was covered with the lower class, going and returning. The difference between this and our country fêtes seems to be, that there was nothing to buy or sell, and but little eating and drinking going on, the principal occupation being dancing and talking, laughing, and parading about. It seems impossible to make such a people as the French very unhappy in any way, however bad their government, except by the conscription.
Those who are satisfied with salads, sour wine, dancing, and other amusements entirety depending upon themselves and the meeting of the two sexes, can only be disappointed and deprived of their happiness by the removal of one sex altogether. Leave them alone, and they have nearly all they wish. John Bull, on the contrary, wants many things more to put him into the same state of joy and satisfaction.
Several of Marshal Soult’s officers have got into Bordeaux of late; disputes and quarrels have been the consequence, but hitherto they have been of no great moment. Every opportunity of seeking a row was eagerly laid hold of by the French—a jostle on the stairs at the theatre was sufficient. Lord Dalhousie, who is in command here now, has been obliged to forbid any officer going to the Theatre de la Gaieté where this was most likely to arise, and to order off every officer not on duty here to camp. We have here now only the Guards and staff officers. The inhabitants are all with us, particularly a set of very fine-looking young men, but a little hot-headed, who compose the Duke d’Angoulême’s guard of honour. They have been also insulted, and a few days since paraded with bludgeons to see if this would be repeated either against themselves or the English, and they determined to resist either on the spot. No great harm has yet happened. As far as I can learn, there have been about three fights, but none fatal.
A young Tyrolean, in the pay-office department, having been insulted, watched and followed the offender home. He then went for his sword, which we never wear (but the French always do), returned, and insisted upon instant satisfaction. Upon this the Frenchman’s zeal began to cool, but it was too late; the Tyrolean insisted upon his going out into a backyard and fighting directly. He cut him across the face, and was just about running his sword into his body, when a friend interfered, and stopped him, saying that “he had done enough.”
Another Frenchman has been horsewhipped by an English officer, who, when insulted, returned with his sword and whip, and offered the Frenchman his choice, and as the latter persisted in asking for time, he chose for him and gave him the whip. All this makes Lord Dalhousie anxious to get the troops off, and as I hear Lord Keith has promised plenty of transports, in answer to his pressing letters on the subject, we expect to be all away in ten days’ time, and some immediately. There are nearly eighteen thousand men still in France, including the fifth division at Bayonne, where, by-the-by, the disposition on the part of the French to be uncivil, sulky, and quarrelsome has been much greater. On the contrary, the generals and superior officers are very civil, particularly Marshal Suchet, to the few English officers remaining at Toulouse, and General Villette, who is here, is also very civil.
Later.—A ship is just arrived in sixty-four hours from Plymouth, telling us that fifteen sail of the line, and as many frigates are close at hand, but no news of our destination.