Honourable Lieutenant-General Sir John Hope, now ap pointed second in command.

On the 31st of October Pampluna surrendered after a blockade of four months. This acquisition rendered the whole of the allied force disposable ; and as the weather had now become very severe on the high ridges of the Pyrenees, Lord Wellington lost no time in commencing operations, and carrying the war into France. After the battle of the Pyrenees, the French had occupied a position, with their right upon the sea, at a short distance from St Jean de Luz, their centre on a village in Sare, and on the heights behind it, with their left resting on a strong height in the rear of Ainhoe.

The whole of this naturally strong position, especially their right, they had fortified with the greatest care. Heavy falls of snow and rain obliged Lord Wellington to defer, till the 10th of November, his attempt to force the enemy's centre, and establish the allied army in rear of their right. The attack was to be made in columns of divisions. Sir Rowland Hill, with Sir William Stewart's, Sir Henry Clinton's, Sir John Hamilton's Portuguese, and General Morilla's Spanish divisions, formed the right; the centre, under Marshal Beresford, consisted of Sir Thomas Picton's, (in his absence, commanded by General Colville,) Sir L. Cole's and Lord Dalhousie's divisions, (commanded in his absence by General Le Cor,) Baron Alten's light division, and the Spanish reserve under Generals Giron and Freyre; the left, commanded by Sir John Hope, consisted of MajorGenerals Howard's and Oswald's, Brigadier-Generals Wilson's and Bradford's Portuguese brigades, and Lord Aylmer's independent British brigade; the whole amounting to more than 85,000 men.

On the morning of the 10th, the Allies moved forward to the enemy's lines. General Hill marched against the left, while Marshal Beresford was to attack the centre, supported on his left by the Spanish division of General Giron ; and, in the mean time, the light division and General

Longa's were to attack La Petite Rhune. General Hope was directed to move against all the lines from the centre to the sea.

General Cole's division commenced the operations; and after a short but hot cannonade against the principal redoubt in front of Sare, the troops advanced with such expedition, that several of the enemy were taken in the redoubt before it could be evacuated. That on the left being also evacuated in the same haste on the approach of General Le Cor, General Cole's division then attacked and took possession of the village, which had already been turned on the right by Generals Colville's and Le Cor's divisions, and on the left by General Giron. General Alten, with the light division, was equally successful against La Petite Rhune. The whole then united, and formed a joint attack on the enemy's principal position behind the village. Generals Colville's and Le Cor's divisions carried the redoubt on the left of the enemy's centre. The light division, at the same time, advanced from La Petite Rhune to attack the works in their front. In this duty they met with some difficulties, which were quickly overcome by a spirited advance of the 52d, headed by Colonel Colborne. This point could only be attacked in front, over a low neck of land, exposed to the fire of two flanking batteries. This neck the regiment crossed by a very rapid movement; and, when they had passed the defile, rushed up the hill with such impetuosity, that the enemy did not wait the shock, but retired with great expedition.

General Hill attacked, in divisions, the heights of Ainhoe; General Clinton's division leading, and marching on the left of five redoubts, forded the Nivelle, the banks of which were steep and difficult, and attacked the troops in front of the works. These were quickly driven back with loss; and, General Hamilton joining in the attack on the other redoubt, the enemy could not withstand this combined force, and hastily retired. The picquets in front of Ainhoe were driven in by General Pringle's brigade of General

Stewart's division, while General Byng's brigade attacked and drove the enemy from the entrenchments, and a redoubt farther to the left.

Every movement was thus completely successful, and firmly established the Allies on the right bank of the Nivelle. Farther efforts, however, were still necessary, as the troops driven from the enemy's centre were concentrating above the heights of Saint Pé. But Generals Colville's and Le Cor's divisions, improving the advantages already acquired, crossed the river below the village, dislodged the enemy from the heights, and established themselves on the position beyond them. The day was, however, too far advanced to make any farther movements; and the enemy, taking advantage of the night, abandoned all their positions and works in front of St Jean de Luz, and retired upon Bidart, destroying all the bridges on the Lower Nivelle. These measures of the Allies were to have been followed up next morning; but the excessive rains, and the destruction of the bridges, rendering a rapid progress impossible, the enemy gained the entrenched camp at Bayonne, leaving in the hands of the victors 51 pieces of artillery and 1500 prisoners, with a proportional number of killed and wounded. And thus was concluded a second and successful series of complicated movements, in opposition to so masterly and experienced a tactician as Marshal Soult, stationed on ground certainly much inferior in natural strength to the stupendous and intricate passes and mountains of the Pyrenees, but still possessing many natural advantages, chosen by himself, and carefully strengthened and fortified by his army, during a space of more than three months.

Looking to the number of troops engaged, and the length of the contest, the strength and extent of the enemy's position, the judgment with which it had been taken up, and the labour and expence with which it had been fortified,— the loss, though considerable, was less than could, with less spirited troops, have been expected, which may in some

• The loss was 21 officers, and 244 soldiers, killed.

measure be accounted for by the diminished spirit of the French, and by the increased ardour of the Allies, who saw themselves victorious in every rencounter, and whose confidence in their Commander afforded every hope of a continuance of the same victorious career.

The enemy, having been thus driven from all his posts on the Nivelle in a manner so honourable to his opponents, placed his army within an entrenched canıp, close to Bayonne. The allied troops were cantoned between the Nivelle and the sea, and occupied in preparations to dislodge Marshal Soult from his new position. Incessant rains, from the middle till the end of November, put a total stop, during their continuance, to all active movements. On the beginning of December Lord Wellington directed bridges to be constructed over the Nive, and on the 8th commenced his operations for the passage of that river, with a view to make a movement to the right, and thereby to threaten the enemy's rear, for the purpose of inducing his antagonist to abandon his present position, which was deemed too strong for any direct attack. These movements led to a series of desperate contests, the result of which fully realized the views of the Commander of the Allies. On the 9th the army moved forward. General Hope met with small opposition, and General Hill encountered as little in crossing the Nive by the ford of Cambo. The enemy retired in great haste to avoid being intercepted by General Clinton's division, which had crossed at Ustariz, and assembled in considerable force at Ville Franche, but were driven from thence by the light infantry and two Portuguese regiments, under Colonels Douglas and Browne. On the following day Sir Rowland Hill's division was established, with his left on this position, and his right on the Adour. The communication between Bayonne and St Jean Pied de Port being thus cut off, the troops at the latter place were compelled to fall back on St Palais. On the morning of the 10th, Soult, leaving a force to keep General Hill in check, quitted his entrenched camp, made a furious attack

on the light division of Sir John Hope's wing, and succeeded in forcing back the outposts. The enemy established themselves on a ridge between the corps of Baron Alten and Major-General Andrew Hay's fifth division; and turning upon the latter with a vigour that required no common firmness to resist, they were, after a severe struggle, repulsed by Brigadier-General Robinson's brigade of the fifth division and Brigadier-General Archibald Campbell's Portuguese brigade. All the troops engaged particularly distinguished themselves. The 9th regiment, under Colonel Cameron, already so often and so honourably mentioned, had now another opportunity of shewing how well they could use the bayonet, and what a powerful arm it was in their hands.

Undismayed by these repulses, the enemy renewed the attack about three o'clock, but were again unsuccessful. Thus passed the day, and in the course of the night Soult made dispositions to attack the light division at Arcangues. But Sir John Hope, perceiving his intention, and ready to meet every change of position, moved towards the threatened point. His opponent, equally on the alert, again changed his dispositions to the left, and here also he was as quickly met by General Hope. In this manner passed the first part of the night between two masters of their profession, each watching, with intense anxiety, the movements of the other, and possessing that acute discernment necessary to avail himself of any mistake committed by his opponent.

The following day passed in partial skirmishing with the outposts, and on the 12th the enemy renewed the attack on the left, but with equally bad success. During the night of the 12th, however, they determined on an entire change in the plan of their operations, drew their army through Bayonne, and on the morning of the 18th, made a powerful effort, with 30,000 men, to pierce through between the centre and right of the British position. Advancing with equal vigour and celerity, they would probably have succeeded in the attempt, had not General Hill, with that prompt deci