Our loss has been heavy

furnish you with the particulars better than I can. enough, but the action has finished the war here I conceive, as the enemy are flying at all points, followed by our cavalry and the light infantry. I should think they will never stop in Spain; all Joseph's baggage, and indeed all the enemy's baggage is taken: our men are loaded with dollars, and drunk with burgundy, but I will write again soon. It was the best planned and best executed operation ever attempted, and reflects glory from the Lord W. to the drum-boy. We had a fine day, not hot, but the sun peeped out now and then to see all was right, and egad, he was so satisfied, that he is in his full glory this day.

Copy of a Letter from a Field Officer, who was deservedly promoted for his gallantry in the Battle of Vittoria, to his Brother, a Lieutenant-General. VICTORIA, at Vittoria, 22d June, 1813.-You see I have all my limbs safe and sound; but I do think I never was under such a hot fire any where: all our army attacked the French yesterday; they were in a strong position, a river in their front, and bristled with cannon: it was the finest and most pleasing sight I ever saw-it was all carried by a cool, regular, determined advance.-We have taken all their Cannon, about fifty pieces, all the King's plunder, and loads of baggage, mules, horses, in short, I never saw any thing equal to it; our men have bags of doubloons and dollars: it lasted from ten o'clock till dark, sometimes devilish hot work; but the cannon was tremendous: my little regiment behaved like heroes, but chiefly in standing to be tumbled over by shot and shell: we luckily only lost one officer, Lieut. Percy. Our Adjutant was wounded.-The men are loaded with dollars and drunk with Burgundy, literally.-We have been starved for a few days, and now, thanks to the good taste of the French, we shall live like gentlemen when we halt.-Hill turned their right, Graham their left, and we forced in their centre; it was delightful.-Lord Dalhousie said something civil and very kind to me.-We have got lots of mules and horses, and are at this moment laying amongst lots of dead heroes; for in truth the enemy did their best. My dear General, it was a glorious battle, and altogether so smoothly done, that it was like a field-day; the only difficulty was to keep our men back, the devil was in them. The papers will tell you more than I can.—I am in body, mind, and in heart, as sound as a roach, and affectionately yours.

His Majesty's ship off Toulon, 28 June, 1813.-IT is with real distress that I have to observe the late expedition to Catalonia has very much injured us both in the eyes of our allies and enemies. The army lately commanded by Lieut.General Sir John Murray, is in a state of disorganization from its recent failures. The French are in possession of two-thirds of Catalonia. Little effect is produced by the Spanish armies, who, together with the French, continue to exhaust the country of its resources. We are now cruizing off Toulon, watching the enemy's fleet; but there is no probability of their coming out.

Copy of a Letter from Lieut.-Colonel Bunbury, commanding 1st Batt. of the 3d Regt. to the father of the gallant Lieut. Annesly, murdered by a soldier in the Peninsula.

SIR,

Placentia, Spain, 11th April, 1813. I AM unfortunately called upon to perform a most painful, but necessary part of my duty as a friend and Commanding Officer,

To address you, Sir, an aged father, on the loss of a beloved child, requires more fortitude than I possess: however, the deed must be told, and I trust you will pardon the incoherency of the stile, when you know it flows from a heart rent with sorrow for your situation; nor can I find words to relate my feelings on the melancholy end of your respected son, Lieut. Annesly of the Buffs. A soldier, disturbed in mind by former misfortune, and irritated by drink, in a moment of desperation, fired his musket from a window close to where your son was parading his company; the unlucky ball passed through his body near the hip, at the same time wounding a Serjeant of the regiment in the hip, who stood near him. He lived seven hours, perfectly sensible to the last, and died in my arms at 5 o'clock in the evening of the 9th instant, amidst the tears of all his brother officers and soldiers, and after having requested of me to perform the melancholy office of making his fate known to you. The distressing end of this zealous young man, shortened by the hands of a Maniac, was, though untimely, yet enviable, and I shewed every possible mark of respect to his remains that I could have done were he even my own brother. He was interred this day in the Cathedral Church, with military honours, attended by every officer of the brigade, the General not excepted, as a mark of their esteem.

Your profession, Sir, points out better than I can explain, the necessity of bearing this affliction with manly fortitude and pious resignation ;-calmly submitting to the will of Heaven. My feelings prevent my proceeding further; excuse me, therefore, from entering more fully into the particulars of this dreadful catastrophe; in the mean time, rest assured every care will be taken as to the arrangement of your late son's effects.

With sentiments of respect and sorrow,

I remain very faithfully yours,

W. H. BUNBURY, Lt.-Col. Commanding Buffs.

To the Rev. Doctor Annesly, 90, Grafton-Street, Dublin.

Extracts from Army Regulations, General Orders, and Courts-Martial.

[Continued from p. 377.]

General Order issued by Lord Wellington to his Army.

"THE Commander of the Forces has received frequent complaints relative to the behaviour of Officers and Soldiers of the army towards the Magistrates of the country, notwithstanding the repeated orders which he has issued on this head; and it appears the more extraordinary, that Soldiers and Officers of the British

army should give cause for such complaints, since it is well known, that in their own country, not one of them would dare to insult or maltreat Civil Magistrates. "Circumstances have, however, augmented the inconveniences which result from such conduct; and the Commander of the Forces requests Officers of the army to recollect that the operations of the army are carried on within the territories of friendly powers, whose laws for the protection of persons clothed with authority are as rigorous as those of Great-Britain, and that every injury that is done, or insult practised towards the civil authorities of the government, will be followed by the same consequences as similar behaviour would produce in England.

"The Commander of the Forces requests, that care be taken to communicate these orders to the Portuguese Officers and troops, as well as to the British; and he trusts, that the Portuguese will pay the same attention to the civil authorities of Spain that all classes of persons are bound by the Portuguese laws to pay to the civil authorities of Portugal."-13th May, 1813,

Respecting Field-Officers investigating the Accompts of Paymasters of

Recruiting Districts.

War-Office, 31st of May, 1813.-S18, It having lately appeared that, in several instances, the Paymasters of Recruiting Districts have drawn for sums much exceeding what the public service required, and that they have been enabled to do so, in consequence of the Inspecting Field-Officers not seeming to be fully sensible that they are expected to examine and check the estimates of the Paymasters, I have thought it my duty to bring the subject under the consideration of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, and I have in consequence thereof received His Royal Highness's commands to intimate to Inspecting Field-Officers his expectation that they will in future enter into a particular investigation of the estimates of the Paymasters before they confirm them by their signature, and that they will not sanction any bill of a Paymaster exceeding the amount of the estimates so examined and confirmed. I am at the same time to explain, that although His Royal Highness does not desire that the Inspecting Field-Officers should be held responsible for the arithemetical accuracy of the estimates, yet His Royal Highness cannot but consider it to be their duty to see that the number of men in the district is correctly stated; and that the number expected to be raised, is not calculated upon too large a scale; and you will always bear in mind that it will be competent for the Paymaster to prepare a supplementary estimate, if the number should afterwards be found to exceed what had in the first instance been reckoned upon. (Signed) PALMERSTON.

Relative to the Allowance finally paid on the approval of Recruits. Recruiting Department, Horse-Guards, 1st June, 1813.-SIR, THERE being reason to suppose that the individuals employed on the Recruiting Service, occasionally assist men offering themselves as Recruits to impose on the Surgeons by an untrue statement of their case, or to conceal from them altogether certain infirmities with which they are afflicted, with a view to obtain the allowances paid on approval, I have received the Commander-in-Chief's commands to call your particular attention, and that of the Staff under your orders, to this circumstance, and to desire your best exertions may be used to detect frauds of this nature, in order that individuals so offending may be brought to punishment; and I am to observe that, in order to counteract, as far as may be practicable, such imposition on the service, His Royal Highness has been pleased to direct, that the allowance usually paid on final approval shall not in future be issued, in the case of any Recruits who may be transferred to a Garrison Battalion, unless it shall clearly

appear that the cause of his unfitness for active service has occurred since his enlistment. R. DARLING, D. A. G.

(Signed)

Recruits raised at the head-quarters of Battalions or Regimental Depôts. ONE shilling to be allowed for attesting recruits so raised, and the reward to the bringer of the recruit is to be paid at the time the recruit receives the final part of bounties.

Allowances to Officers employed in superintending subdivisions under the New System of Recruiting.

FOR KEEPING THE ACCOMPTS OF THE PARTIES.

In the case of the parties not exceeding four
When above four, and not exceeding six
Any number above six ...

The above allowances are granted for the 25th of March last inclusive, and may be paid to the officers at the end of each military month, the charge being vouched by a certificate from the Inspecting Field-Officer, that their accompts had been properly made up, and, that the Superintending Officers had visited the detached parties as frequently as was necessary.-War-Office, June 18, 1813.

Statement of the Rates of Allowance made to the General and Staff Officers in the several districts in Great-Britain, in lieu of forage for their horses for the half year, ending the 24th of June, 1813.

Regulation respecting a commuted Allowance to Recruiting Parties in lieu of

Bread and Meat.

FROM the 25th of June, 1813, a commuted daily allowance is to be granted to the Non-commissioned Officers and Privates on the Recruiting Service, in lieu of both bread and meat; the same is to be fixed for the parties employed in South Britain, at the rate of threepence a day, per man, viz. twopence in lieu of bread and meat, and one penny in lieu of beer; and for those in North Britain at twopence a day per man, viz. one penny in lieu of bread and meat, and one penry in lieu of beer.

The undermentioned Transfers of Regiments from Great-Britain to Ireland, and vice versa, have taken place since the 24th Dec. last. TO THE IRISH ESTABLISHMENT. TO THE BRITISH ESTABLISHMENT

Office for Military Accompts, 6th July, 1813.-SIR, In transmitting for your information and guidance the annexed copy of a circular letter from the Recruiting Department, dated 1st of June 1813, we have to acquaint you that, in cases wherein a Recruit shall be transferred to a Garrison Battalion, it will be necessary that a certificate from the proper officer should be obtained, to shew that the cause of his unfitness for active service had occurred since his enlistment, previously to the insertion of any charges for the final approval allowances in the accompts.

We take this opportunity of acquainting you that the following rule has been established by the Secretary at War, in regard to the charge of necessaries for Recruits who forfeit their final bounty by desertion. When a Recruit is recovered to the service, and necessaries are furnished to him at the discretion of the Commanding Officer, under the General Order of the 29th September, 1802, (page 302 of the Collection of Regulations,) the amount of charge under that head to be inserted in your accompts, is, in no case, to exceed Three Guineas for each man.

We have also to add, with reference to a memorandum of the Adjutant-General, dated 10th March, 1818, relative to the bounty and rewards for Recruits raised at head-quarters, which was communicated to you from this department for your information and guidance, that it was not intended to preclude the usual charge of one shilling for attesting. It is also to be understood that the "Bringing Money" therein mentioned is payable at the time the Recruit receives Final Approval, and is therefore to be charged with the Final Bounty.

VOL. II.

Signed by the Superintendents of Military Accompts.

Hh