May 4th, Tuesday.—Lord Wellington has just got eight of the Prince Regent’s grey stallions up from Lisbon to draw his carriage on the march: they are small, but showy, little, prancing, round-carcassed animals. They have the same mark as is on my black horse from Machacha; but mine beats them in beauty. To-day they were tried, and not having been for some time, or ever, in harness, or not liking the country so well as Lisbon, they would not for a long time go at all. One reared up and fell backwards twice, clean over, and one got astride the pole. They got on better, however, at last, and did not break the carriage as I expected. Lord Wellington’s six old large mules would do the work much better, though they are not so showy for Spain.
I saw Lord Wellington to-day, he said he was much better; but has apparently a heavy, bad cold.
May 5th.—Here we are, still mum, as I expected; and the reason for it is now said to be that the pontoons are not yet arrived. They left Castello Branco May the 1st only, and, it is said, cannot reach this place before the 9th. Monday the 10th is now talked of; I think, however, it may be still Thursday next, the day after the post-day again, before we stir; most people say, however, Tuesday the 11th; much may depend on news. Of course, Lord Wellington must be very anxious to know the true state of the North of Europe before we start; and the present strong south-west gales are much against our hearing soon; he also wishes to know the exact effect of the fight at Alicant. I dined yesterday at head-quarters, and Lord F. Somerset told me that they had more irregular accounts of the latter business, and that they became less and less satisfactory. It was understood that the Spaniards, when first attacked alone, were charged and quite cut up by the French—muy mal tratado, is the Spanish private account; and one whole regiment, I am told, surrendered. Three regiments are considered to be mis hors de combat. Our army, it appears, did certainly afterwards at last beat back a French partial attack with loss; but our vanguard had been beaten back before, and the loss in our army, English and Sicilians, without Spaniards, was nine hundred. This will not do; still it is to be hoped that Whittingham’s people behaved better.
Lord Wellington dined at table again yesterday, and was much better. I sat next to him on one side and the Prince of Orange on the other, as there happened to be no other grandees there; and we had much conversation. This has happened two or three times lately, when I have been there, and there are few besides his own establishment present. He always calls the two who are on his right and left, and Campbell settles the rest. Lord F. Somerset sent me yesterday a little pamphlet of Lord Wellington’s, containing the account of the Russian retreat—rather a catchpenny, I think; and, though not exceeding the Russian gazettes in the number of French prisoners, adding several rather incredible details, such as the French crawling into the fires like gnats into a candle, without being sensible of their danger, &c.
The French, who had quitted Toledo altogether, have again advanced, and occupied it with much the same force as before, to the great discomfiture of the junta there, who thought the “Esclaves” (as they call them in the account of the Alicant battle) were gone for good and for ever. To-day Lord Wellington keeps the anniversary of the battle of Fuentes d’Onore, and all present at that battle are to dine with him.
5th (Later).—Since writing the above, I have received a case of a deserter from the Isla de Leon. Two years since he deserted to the French, and persuaded others to go with him. As no time is now to be lost, I have drawn the charge and sent the whole off to Lamego for trial directly. My only Court which has as yet moved, or had orders to move, is that at Coimbra, who are cavalry, and are now at Oporto. I have sent Mr. Commissary D——, from Coimbra, there to be tried, for a breach of orders; and a number of witnesses are all gone with him on both sides to Oporto: I only hope they may not, by any sudden order, have all their march for nothing. We have now, since Christmas, tried eighty cases, and there are still ten in hand, besides about thirty which have come to nothing.
FOOTNOTES:
[3] If the letters of Vetus were written, as was supposed, by Lord Wellesley, it is quite clear that Lord Wellington was ignorant of the fact.—Ed.
CHAPTER VI.
Newspaper Complaints—Wellington’s Comments—Review of the Portuguese—Gatherings at Head-quarters—Reviews—Recommencement of the March—The Route.