Sunday being a halting day, I had a pair of boots that wanted soleing and heeling; I took them to the shoemaker belonging to the company, but he said he would work for nobody on the Sabbath day. As our route was for Dublin, I knew my boots would not carry me there, and I was determined to get them mended by Monday. I tied them up in my handkerchief, went down through the town with them to see if I could get them done there; I was informed by a man where I could; he directed me to a back lane, and knocked at the door of a house; I asked the person who opened it if he was a shoemaker; he replied, “I am;” I said, “I have a pair of boots to mend;” he replied that he did not work on the Sabbath, but, as I was a soldier on the line of march, he would do them for me; so I went in; he set to work to mend them at once, and was not long before he had them repaired. I asked what he charged; he said, “As you are a soldier I will only charge you tenpence,” for which I said I was very thankful, and asked him if he would take a glass of whisky, at which he agreed, and we went out at once to a whisky shop; I called for half a pint, and totted out a good bumper to the old man, which he kindly accepted, and wished me all prosperity. We agreed very well, and both got pretty “top heavy;” I then wished him good bye.
I went back to my residence, and lay down to have a sleep; when I woke up I found I was all right. On the morning following the bugle sounded “Turn out the whole;” I went down and fell in with my company; the roll was called; after we had all answered to our names, we marched off in two divisions; the right wing to which I belonged was to go through Kilkenny, and from that to Dublin. When we arrived there we took our up residence in the Palatine Square, convenient to the Royal Square; we did duty for two years in Dublin; our parade and duties were very severe—every other night upon guard, and field days very hard. After the two years were up we were ordered to King’s County, sixty-three miles from Dublin and forty-one from Talamore, there to do duty until further orders. Shortly after the arrival the colonel had an order to break up the battalion, so we gave in our arms and our accoutrements—one company each day. Previous to our being dismissed the colonel formed square, and told us he was going in as colonel of the first battalion, and if any of us would wish to join him we could. A great many did, but I did not. I took a blank discharge, as a soldier of good conduct; I had all my regimental pay given to me, and so much a mile to the place of my enlistment. We then were sent to Dublin, sixty-three miles; we marched from Barr to Talamore, and arrived in the evening, having walked forty-two miles in one day; we put up at a public-house, and in the course of the evening two men came in at about nine o’clock, and asked if there were any passengers for Dublin; we asked what sort of a conveyance they had; they said, “Canal boats;” we asked what they would charge each; they replied, “Two tenpenny pieces each;” so we got a drop more to drink, and all departed at ten o’clock.
In getting into the canal boats there was great amusement, and during the night we had fiddling and dancing, and we kept it up till the morning, when we arrived on the quay in Dublin; we then had to proceed to the recruiting depot, on the Kings-end road, leading toward the Pigeon house, and there we lay till further orders on board of the Edward, barque, troopship; we lay there two days, and on the third day we weighed anchor at nightfall, and proceeded on our way.
We proceeded on our way, and were driven by a squall into Milford Haven, at which place we had to lie during the time the ship was undergoing a thorough repair, ready for sea again. We had about 300 soldiers of different regiments—all discharged men—a greater portion of us were single men. The captain of the ship asked us, as the ship would be a long time under repairs, whether any of us would be willing to travel overland—150 miles down to Newport. We all expressed our willingness. He said he would write to the Mayor of the town to forward us through the country, so that we could get billeted on our way in the different towns as invalid soldiers. As the snow was very severe, it prevented us from travelling any more than thirty miles per day. In various parts of the country the snow lay knee deep on the ground. When we could not reach a town we were obliged to put up with the inconveniences of staying at some farm house for the night. It took us fifteen days to reach Newport. We went from there to Bristol in fishing smacks. We went to the recruiting depot and remained there for about three days. We were paid up all our back pay and marching pay through Wales, and two pence per mile to the place of attestment on joining the British army. I was attested at Hythe, in Kent—186 miles from Bristol. After receiving all money due to me, I was at liberty to go where I pleased, being once more my own master. I went home to Frome, in Somersetshire—twenty-four miles from Bristol—and there I remained with my friends during the greater part of the winter. In the Spring following I left my friends and proceeded to London. I got employment there as a bricklayers’ laborer, and at various times as a stonemasons’ laborer. I engaged with a gentleman of the name of Broadhead, who resided in Cadogan Place, Sloane Street, Chelsea, with whom I stayed for some considerable time. Buckingham Palace, where his royal highness the Duke of York resided, I assisted in making the alterations—in taking down a wall, and putting up iron palisadings, which extended from the gate of St. James’s Park up to the Duke of Leinster’s. After that work was completed I went to Windsor Castle—twenty-one miles from London—and also worked at the Castle, which, at that time, was undergoing repairs. During the winter season, his majesty would reside in the Park. He used to drive into the Castle at various times, generally before our dinner-time, to inspect the works going on the Castle. Our employment was not very severe; our wages were very low, being only thirteen shillings per week for laboring men; tradesmen of different descriptions at twenty-four shillings per week. After the alterations, which lasted about twelve months, I returned to London, and got into employment with my old employer. I proceeded to St. Catherine’s docks, and was working there as a navvy; I was one of the first six employed in taking in the leaden gutters from the roof of St. Catherine’s Church; where the church formerly stood is, now, as near as I can say, the centre part of the Company’s docks. Mr. Burgess was the first contractor, and after his failure, Mr. Robert Banks, of Blackwall, took up the contract. At various times I used to leave the work in order to attain better employment, if possible. I went to the London Bridge pile-driving before a stone was laid; we worked shifts six hours per day, and six hours per night; the night-work was very severe, and we had to be very careful not to touch any drink, on account of the danger of the work, especially in the lower dams. We generally used to drive one pile every six hours, each pile being twenty-three feet long, for which we got paid at the rate of one shilling and three half-pennies per foot; that had to be divided amongst four of us, who worked at the crane. It was very dangerous working in the lower dams, as we had only two nine-inch planks to walk upon, and about every ten feet there was an upright, with a rope attached to it, to enable us to descend to the bottom in safety. During the time of my working there I saw many men meet with their deaths by falling over.
I began to grow tired owing to the disagreeable employment. I went one hundred and fifty miles from London to Stonehouse, near Plymouth, were there was a new reservoir to be excavated. I got employment there. I worked at it until it was completed, which was in about six months. I then returned to London, where I got employed by Mr. Grundy, stonemason, Horseferry-road, he having a contract under Government for some stone work at the New Parliament Houses. I worked for him up to the year 1826. His Royal Highness the Duke of York died in the month of December in that year, and lay in state for three weeks at Buckingham Palace. The public were admitted to see the remains. He was taken in January, 1827, to Windsor Castle to be interred with the rest of the Royal Family. The funeral cortege extended 10 miles from Hyde Park corner to Hounslow. The corpse was moved on as follows to Stanford Bridge, three miles from Hounslow. I witnessed the Life Guards, cloaked up, standing holding their horses under the bridge, waiting for orders to take possession of the corpse from the Oxford Blues. The corpse remained two hours owing to the severity of the weather, it snowing heavily all the time they were proceeding from London. After the two hours had elapsed they pushed forward eight miles further to Windsor. I did not witness anything more, but returned to London; during that day going and returning in all 26 miles.
I went a few miles from London, as I heard that there were men wanted at Old Forge-cut, Stratford, to form a basis for barges to come in and unload from the Thames. I worked in and there about as a general laborer at anything I could turn my hand to up to the year 1830, when I heard there were men wanted at Chatham to go out to the Brazils; but when I reached Chatham, I went to the parties who were enquiring for men. When I entered the room, I asked particulars as to what we might be required for. They told me that I was to go out to the Brazils or elsewhere. I told them it was to fight for Donna Maria, the young Queen of Portugal. They observed that I had been in the British army, and they told me that it was correct what I had stated; they said they would allow me more pay, but I was to keep my own counsel; they also told me that if I could obtain any men for them they would make me an allowance of so much for each man. The men whom I engaged I used to tell that they would all be made officers and gentlemen of. After we had mustered about 200 men, we were despatched off to London, in which place we took our residence on the Isle of Dogs, opposite to the Greenwich Hospital, where we lay for further orders. We understood there was a troop barque ship fitting up in the river in order to take us out to Portugal. We had first rate rations served out to us daily, and the balance of our pay paid to us every afternoon. We amused ourselves daily by walking up and down the river side like half-pay officers. After laying there for about a month, the Government learned that we were there for the purpose of going out to Portugal, we were given to understand that we had a good many deserters from the British Army who had deserted on purpose to join us, as our pay was more than they were getting in the British service by sixpence a day. We were not attested men, as we were going out as volunteers. The Government sent the police down to despatch us from the Isle of Dogs, so we were all sent about our business. I was going about London some few weeks; as the winter was approaching I could not get any employment. I was several nights that I had no shelter, having to walk the streets all night, and sometimes nothing whatever in the shape of food. Sometimes I heard there was a place erected for the poor to shelter themselves from the inclemency of the weather. I went to one of these places, where I obtained shelter as well as some food, consisting of a bit of bread and cheese, with a half-pint of cold ale to drink with it. It reminded me something of a rendezvous, with a bit of straw to lay on, and an old covering to keep you warm. I had several times a mind to return back again to Frome to my friends, but I took a second consideration on the subject as the winter was approaching I thought I would take pot luck for it to remain in London till something might turn up. One day I was going over Westminster Bridge to go to some of my old employers in Westminster to see if I could get any work. In passing over the bridge I met with two gentlemen; they made hold to stop me. They asked me if I was not one of the men that was going out to Portugal. I told them that I was one of them, he gave me a half-crown, and told me to meet him at the same place on the following day. Accordingly I proceeded on after wishing them good bye. I went into a leg of beef soup shop to get a feed, and I took a famous good tightener. I had enough left out of my half-crown to pay for my bed and my breakfast in the morning. I thought I was once more all right. According to the orders I had received from the two gentlemen I met them on the bridge according to appointment. They told me that they were going to erect another establishment in Great Windmill street, at the top of the Haymarket, and would I come to get my name enrolled. I told them I would. Accordingly they gave me another half-crown, so I then considered I was a made up gentleman. All at once I went at the time appointed to Great Windmill street. There I found that I had been correctly informed by the gentlemen. I went into the apartment where several gentlemen were. They took my name down, and told me they were very glad to see me as I was a Waterloo man. I had my pay given out to me at the rate of 1s. 6d. per day, and to attend each day at eleven o’clock in the forenoon. In the course of a fortnight we collected about 200 men. On going there the last day to receive our pay as usual, when we had orders to attend all hands at 4 o’clock in the evening. About dusk after we all mustered we were drafted off in different parties under the care of a steady man to each party to convey us down to Vauxhall. There we were put in different barges to float down during the night to Gravesend. On our way down there was bread and cheese served out, but as I had taken a good feed throughout, I thought I did not require any as I had a comfortable seat on the starboard side of the boat I thought if I got up to look after bread and cheese I should not find my seat again. We arrived off Gravesend at 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning, when we were all put on board of a troop barque. We had orders to all keep below in the day time and to come up at night when we could walk about all night if we chose. We lay there 2 days and part of 2 nights, when we weighed anchor and made for the downs.
We passed through the Downs with the whole of his Majesty (George IV.’s) fleet present that day in the Deal Downs, in two nights and one day. Owing to the weather being very severe, we came in sight of Spithead. We dropped anchor, and lay till further orders. After lying there two days, we weighed anchor and proceeded on our destination. On the 20th November we set sail, and arrived off Flushing on the 23rd December. We lay in Brest, part of the township of Flushing; took Christmas dinner on the 25th; and, on the 26th, we had a grand “spree”—“Sheevo,” we call it; we had lots of fiddling and dancing. On the 27th we weighed anchor to depart from that place. As we were about making our way, there were two Dutch gunboats placed alongside of us to prevent our landing or moving without leave, as they believed we were spies. The Belgians were at war at this time (1830). There was a letter sent from the captain of the ship to the commandant of the town, to inform him that we were British subjects going out to fight for the young Queen Donna Maria, Queen of Portugal. An answer came from the commandant to the captain of the said Edward, barque, troop-ship, that we might go out of the river, which we did, and put round to the bay of Belle Isle, in the South of France, where the whole of the squadron lay at anchorage. The admiral, on the quarter-deck, called out, “Ship a-hoy;” on the third day after our coming out of the river he wished to know what ship it was; the reply was given that it was the Edward, barque, troop-ship. He asked how many men on board; the reply was, 199. He said, “Why not bring another man to make up 200?” We shortly afterwards heaved up alongside the Reine de Portugal, which was the Admiral’s ship. We went on board, fifty of us, to do duty as marines; fifty went on board of the Congress, man-of-war; fifty on board of the Donna Maria, and forty-nine on the Juno. We lay at anchor in the Bay of Belle Isle, as did the whole of the squadron, brigs, schooners and corvettes, all sorts of twenty-gun brigs, &c. Our paymaster came out from home to pay us some back money due to us, and, when we got our two months’ pay, all our British subjects of blue jackets and marines had leave for forty-eight hours to go on shore. Five of my mess-mates and myself went into a brandy shop to “wet our whistles,” where we drank half-a-dozen bottles of brandy; and then proceeded up the town to see what was going on. We called in to take a little drop more, as we fancied we stood very much in need of it, when the gens d’armes, discovering us rolling about, rolled up towards us; thought of taking us into custody, but, as we were not so easily frightened, we set on them and knocked them both up and down; and down it was with many a one. They called a French regiment out of barracks to quiet us, but we set to and beat them back into the barracks. The Commandant of the town sent a letter to the Admiral of the ship for them to bring the marines and seamen on board; but the Admiral would not hear of any such thing; he said he had given them leave for forty-eight hours to spend their money, and they were not to be molested either by the soldiers or the gens d’armes, unless they were outrageous to the inhabitants of the town; and, if he did not like that, he would call them all in and pour a broadside on the town. After that they let us alone, and we were masters of the town. When our leave was up we went to the different boats to put off to our respective ships. Major Lanson was on the gangway, looking over into the boats, when I was coming up the side; he called out, “What kind of a spree, soldier, had you on shore?” I said, “A pretty gone one, sir. We should have had a better one if we had not been molested by the gens d’armes and the soldiers.” He said, “It was all fair to get rid of your money; you will have another one by-and-bye.” I replied, “Yes, sir; and you along with me on the field of battle.” After a few days we cruised off the Island of Madeira. We fell in company one day with a man-of-war up to the starboard side of the vessel, and a twenty-gun brig on the larboard. The Admiral called out to the gunner, “Get the Salamanders ready.” They were accordingly put into the blacksmith’s hands to put them into the fire, and get them ready for action. Accordingly we sailed in midships, the twenty gun brig on the larboard and a man-of-war on the starboard. The drum beat to arms. For my own part I was not fond of going aloft; I got into the long boat over the main hatch, and there I remained till further orders. The Admiral called out to the gunner to fire No. 6 gun on the starboard side of the man-of-war, but she never returned a shot. A shot from No. 6 gun was fired at the brig from the larboard quarter, but she did not return the compliment. The two boats were lowered, the pinnace and the long boat, and a portion of blue jackets and marines jumped into it, under the instructions of an officer of each boat, and went off to the man-of-war and to the gun brig. The man-of-war on the starboard was a French vessel, and, we were not at war with France at this time; so we let her go, as we were bound down to keep the peace twenty-one years after the battle of Waterloo, and only fifteen years had elapsed. But the brig on the larboard was a prize, loaded with arms and ammunition going out to Don Miguel’s party; she was brought in and towed aft of the Admiral’s ship; the men were brought on board and put into irons, and also the captain of the ship, whom I witnessed on his knees on the quarter-deck, praying forgiveness; he agreed to do duty on board the Reine de Portugal, the Admiral’s ship; the seamen were allowed to work on board the Reine, according to their respective abilities. They were well contented to go into the Queen’s service under the control of Admiral Sartonis. Some time after, while cruising off the Island of Madeira, we fell in company with a privateer, and gave chase to her: for part of two nights and a day we just kept in sight of her, until the sea rose, and in the storm, on the evening of the third day, we lost sight of her. At this time I was mixing the grog with my brother, who was a non-commissioned officer. As the grog was issued out a very heavy squall came over, and, the ports being all open, we shipped water very fast. Before the guns could be got in and the ports shut we were shipping water at the rate of a ton per minute. The carpenter being down in the hold, called out that the water was gaining on us; the Portuguese pilot on board told the Admiral that he had better lighten the ship by throwing over some of the guns, as there was every probability of the ship sinking before morning. The Admiral was very angry with the pilot for saying so, and told him that we were all British subjects on board, and in no way frightened.
During the watch from eight to twelve I could scarcely keep my legs to go round and put the men on sentry. There was one man who gave me a great deal of trouble to put him into the nettings to keep a look-out for ships for one hour. I was keenly running after him on the main deck, when my foot struck against a ring bolt, which had the effect of precipitating me into the gun-deck, a distance of nearly ten feet. I was very much hurt; I was taken up, and had sixteen ounces of blood let from me. But I was not fit for duty for three or four days. However, as soon as I was on my first night watch, I caught the man who caused my misfortune, and had the satisfaction of giving him four hours in the nettings. At twelve o’clock the watch accompanied me round the decks again, when we released the man in the nettings, and the watch went below. Shortly after I got below there was an order for Corporal Knight to appear on deck, to which I immediately responded. The officer of the watch asked me why I kept the man for four hours in the nettings. I replied that I preferred that way of punishing him to reporting him and perhaps getting him flogged; also that I considered him the cause of my getting hurt by falling down the hatchway. He objected, and said that I ought at once to have reported the disobedience. He asked me how I came to put him there for four hours. I told him I had put him there for my own pleasure, as he was the cause of my having the fall. I said, “Sir, I did not wish to make a report to the Admiral, to cause him to be brought on the gratings. I would not have the ill-will of the ship’s company to say I was the cause of a man’s being flogged.” “Put him four hours more for my pleasure,” said he; “and give him the early watch from 12 p.m. till 4 a.m.”
After we had cruised for some time about the Island of Terceira, we put in at Nangaros, a seaport town, and landed the marines on shore. We marched to Prior, three leagues (nine miles), and took up our position in a convent, and did duty till further orders. We usually turned out at half-past four in the morning, before the great heat of the day came on, and marched on to the common, where we used to go through our discipline. We drilled the awkward hands of the recruits about two hours each morning, and generally returned about seven for breakfast. We had nothing to do until the following morning. Our parading duty was very moderate.
Our rations were “Buckelow salt fish,” and cob corn bread. But we did not understand this kind of food; so the men lifted up the windows and threw the provisions in the road: they had got into a rebellious state. The colonel, being informed of it, came down to the Convent, and ordered the bugler of the guard to sound, “Turn out the whole.” We formed companies; the colonel ordered the captains of companies to form a solid square, the colonel being inside. He said that owing to our rude character he would punish us. As soon as the word had passed by him, the men called out, one and all, that “they were not men sworn in like British subjects, but that they came out as volunteers to fight for the Queen of Portugal, and expected they should be treated like soldiers.” All through the battalion, one and all shouted, “Hear, hear.” The colonel replied, “Well, my men, I consider you are loyal subjects;” and intimated that it was no wish of his that the men should live in that way; and if we would put up with it for a few days he would write to the Admiral to send us ship rations, as there was nothing on the island that we could discover. In a short time, beef, pork, and biscuits were sent from the squadron, so then we lived very well. There was plenty of wine on the island, of which each man had a pint a day, and a gill of aquadent. We used to follow on then with a good heart to parade, as usual, and go through our discipline. We carried that on for two months, when Don Pedro came on the island, with a portion of his staff, to view the British battalion. When we went through our movements on a field-day he was quite delighted. Soon after, we had orders to march back to the respective Convents where we lay. The colonel ordered the battalion to get an extra allowance that day.