servation the preceeding day. His calm and resigned smile was delightful; though it smote me to the heart to reflect on the struggle he made to assume the semblance of that cheerfulness to which his own was a stranger.

THE morning was intensely severe; a cold drizzling sleet added to its rigours; yet my duty required me to go on the water to superintend the embarkation of the general's household stock, baggage, and cattle, on board the Ajax transport, in which Lieutenant Simpson, R. N., the agent, had his pendant hoisted. I had the great satisfaction in finding the most ample accommodation allotted for my personal convenience and comfort.

She was a large Liverpool-built ship, of about three hundred and sixty tons' burden, with a poop, mounting twelve carronades, a capital crew, and having on the whole, inside and out, a very sloop-of-war like appearance: there was only one cabin passenger, a staff surgeon, besides myself; but two assistant store-keepers of the ordnance department were passengers in the mate's cabin. However disappointed I at first had felt, at not being honoured with a passage in the same ship with my general, a favour conferred on the brigade-major, who could not speak ten words of distinct or intelligible English, I perceived at the first glance, what a happy exchange I had made, and how much more comfortable and independent I should find myself during the voyage in this favoured ship which bore the agent's pendant.

The shipments having been made without the slightest accident or disorder, and the horses stalled under the care of the German sweigger and an English groom, I returned to report proceedings to the general; and that day did I receive my dining order, but with it, another order still more acceptable in every point of view-that for my hat, baggage, and embarkation allowance, which I soon cashed at the bank. Being already so well stocked, I had little to provide in the way of wearing apparel except flannels, of which I laid in an ample

store; also a few articles of sadlery, a sabre, pair of pistols, West India hammock, my bedding, a couple of white beaver and one straw hat, with some light-soled boots, and my equipment was complete. My mess I had already arranged for with the lieutenant our agent. I had ultimately no reason to complain, as his charge against me, after five weeks of the best living I ever enjoyed on board ship, amounted to only twelve guineas, "drinks" of all sorts included.*

I found my general as taciturn over his wine as at his tea. His assent was generally expressed by his eternal "Surely, surely;" his dissent by a significant shake of the head. He was a rigid disciplinarian; most guardsmen are so ;—but he was as much the gallant soldier in heart as in outward bearing. He was once the pupil, now the master, of the German school of tactics, and appeared to possess all the phlegmatic coldness of our northern neighbours; but it was appearance only. His heart was kind, his manners amiable as they were elegant, when he did unbend; but there was a deadly demon gnawing at his noble heart.

When stating to him my satisfactory arrangements with the agent for my mess, he begged of me to send across the street to his merchant's for a stock of wines and liquors, which his kindness had provided for my use; a favour of which, from my previous arrangements, I could not think of availing myself.

The embarkation of the foreign brigade was to take place the next morning at Stokes Bay. These troops had arrived in two divisions at Gosport, and the adjacents the day before.

As the daylight broke I was on duty; the sun's rays at first pierced through the dingy clouds in coppery streaks, but before nine the golden god of day appeared in all his splendour. Crowds were collected to witness the embarkation. The morning, though cold, was one of those short lovely winter days our climate can sometimes boast of; the surface of the sea was as smooth as that of a sheltered lake; not a ripple disturbed its treacherous tranquillity.

Never did any troops embark for a distant and fearful ser vice with more perfect sang froid. They marched down to the beach in column of companies, chanting their national hymn in exquisite harmony, (the Germans are surely the sons of song,) and took their place in the flat-bottomed launches with as much quietness and regularity as if seating them

*During my stay at Portsmouth, the officer who had for a few years held the command of a station on the pestilential coast of Africa having arrived at Portsmouth, Motley, the editor of the newspaper of that town, a wag in his way, pompously announced, "This day arrived his excellency Major Mac donald Crighton, late governor at Cape Coast Castle, with his suite!-his sUITE consisted of a Little Black Boy, and a Big Black Dog!!!"

selves in the aisle of a church. The convenience, and absence of all bustle with which they were embarked, reflected great credit on the naval officers to whom that duty had been consigned.

When twelve of these monstrous launches (each containing ninety-six men with their officers) had put off, the crews lay upon their oars, in strict line, when about fifty yards from the shore; and on the signal of the officers the "hurra! hurra! hurra!" was given with the most delightful effect, not bawled out with a waving of hats, but SUNG in regular parts; striking on the ears of the astonished islanders as a splendid, but affecting novelty. The music of a thousand harmonious voices died away, as it stole along the glassy bosom of the stilly main, giving rise to many a painful reflection in the breasts of those who witnessed this departure. Alas! the perils of the battle-field were but the least of those which this fine body of men were doomed to encounter. The eyes of my general seemed to glow with delight as he cast them over his brave four thousand warriors. What hopes of future glory did not his ardent mind at that moment indulge in!

Oh, God-inscrutable are thy ways!

BUT two days more remained to me, ere I took a long, and, as I sometimes painfully thought, a last farewell of England. On one of these I was ordered on board the Weymouth, a large transport from the Thames, built for the India Company's service, which had been purchased as a store-ship, and on board of which were at that time embarked one hundred OFFICERS, (only) belonging to all the regiments then in the West Indies, a general garrison delivery of many an ardent aspirant for military fame, and not a few of those reluctant lingerers, who, reduced to their last shift to avoid the much-dreaded WEST INDIES, (that word of terror of the times,) were now fairly committed to their fate.

I scrambled up this huge wall-sided ship, (which was upwards of eight hundred tons' burden,) in company with innumerable crates, hampers, and bags of provisions, amidst the baa-ing of passive sheep, the grunting of revolting pigs, the cackling of an army of noisy geese, and the low and subdued quackings of half-stifled ducks. Not less than a dozen boats of all sizes and burdens were alongside, laden with the stock, live and dead, of the anxious passengers. Stationed in the main-chains were some half dozen old soldiers, who, with selfish_anxiety, kept a keen eye on their own particular stock; and ever and anon sung out "hoist," or "lower," according to circumstances, until their own portion was safe on board, when they left the less bold and experienced to shift for themselves. On reaching the deck, almost the first figure that struck my eye was that of my Chatham friend, the bluff Jack Gun, who seemed to possess the undisputed command of the gangway. In the midst of his solicitude for the reception of a whole bargeload of provisions and stores alongside, to which his deepest attention appeared to be devoted, he seized my hand with his usual Hibernian warmth, and with all the air of a commanding-officer, in an instant directed a gentlemanly-looking youth, not more than sixteen, to order up a bottle of Madeira.

Madeira! thought I, times must have strangely altered with

honest Jack. In a few minutes the young officer appeared, attended by a servant in livery, carrying a bottle of Madeira in one hand, and in the other a common yellow delf plate, on which were placed three dumpy semi-spherical glasses, called "tumble-ups." The servant filled two bumpers, pouring into the third glass a mere drop, whispering something to his young master, which the youth kindly thanked him for.

My countryman introduced this interesting boy to me as the Honourable Frederick Leslie, lieutenant in the Scotch Fusiliers, and one whom Jack had taken under his special care and protection, together with the ample supply of stores which a fond mother's liberal hand had provided for the voyage. The same kind feeling induced Jack to extend his patronage to nearly a dozen more juveniles of a class which, if not equally high in point of rank, was at least in opulence, to judge by the profuse liberality with which their stock of all descriptions had been laid in.

The parents and friends of these young soldiers, who accompanied them to the ship to take their sad farewell, felt delighted at my old compatriot's voluntary kindness and attention: departing in comparative tranquillity of mind, at leaving a beloved son, nephew, or ward, in such safe and excellent hands.

Jack had been the first red-coat on board. He had embarked at Gravesend, and assumed the character of father of the ship on the score of his priority. He had originally (for the most obvious reasons) heroically determined to live on his rations during the voyage, as indeed he had done during the month he had already passed on board. But however praiseworthy the resolve, Jack, who loved good living like a bishop, could not resist the tempting display of provisions, which literally encumbered the deck of the Weymouth. He accordingly took pity on their inexperienced owners; and after a careful scrutiny of the labels and directions of every cask, case, coop, bag, and hamper of the aforesaid younkers, he proposed a select mess, of which he offered to become chief manager, comptroller and caterer! Such a generous offer was not to be rejected. He had just arranged his plans as I arrived on board; and taking advantage of his familiar acquaintance with the general's aidede-camp to give weight to his address, Jack summoned his squad together in a detached spot, and harangued them in the following disinterested strain:

"Gentlemen, here we are, all embarked in the same glorious cause! [Hear, hear.] Our troubles are all before us like a wheelbarrow; [a laugh] but never mind. We have all made the best provision in our power for our comfort on the voyage. [Hear, hear, from all sides.] But, it may so happen that many a good fellow omitted to supply himself with all the COMBUSTI