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and of the two centre redoubts, and marched forward several hundred yards, over a ploughed field, exposed to the whole fire of the lines, redoubts, and entrenchments, without returning a shot, and with a steadiness that surprised the enemy. "My God! how firm these sans culottes are!" exclaimed a French officer who saw them advance, (distinguishing the 42d and 79th by their dress.) When they reached the redoubts, they leaped into the trenches, and carried them with the bayonet. Three of the redoubts, and two-thirds of the lines which defended the heights, were thus in possession of the British.

The 42d occupied two redoubts on the left, the 79th that on the right, and the 91st was stationed in rear of the farm-house. The outward redoubt on the left was on the edge of the declivity towards the plain at the bottom of the hill. One of the deep roads already mentioned ran close to this redoubt, and, by some oversight, had not been properly occupied, the men being stationed in the inner entrenchment. With an intention of regaining, if possible, these positions, the enemy availing themselves of this kind of covered way, marched up a column of great force, and with such cautious silence, that the head of the column had nearly passed the unoccupied redoubt before they were perceived. Having reached the proper point, they instantly made a desperate rush forward, in such numbers, that they nearly overpowered the 42d, who were forced to retire to the farm-house. Here they were promptly supported by the 91st, and the enemy were again driven down the hill with heavy loss. The Highlanders also suffered very severely. The enemy had scarce reached the plain below

A highly distinguished officer, whose judgment and professional talents have been proved by the uniform success which attended his enterprises, exemplified on this occasion how an eye, originally correct, may be improved by practice. The troops under his command had not erossed the Garonne, and were stationed beyond Toulouse, at the distance of more than two miles from the field of action, but in full view of the whole. I had gone to France at this period; and, talking over the

when a fresh body advanced to retake the redoubts, which were now fully occupied ; the 42d in the outward, the 79th in the centre redoubt, and the 91st in the farm-yard. This was a most desperate attack; and the enemy, as if sensible that this was the last effort of that bravery and impetuosity which had made the French armies so often irresistible, persevered with a gallantry that would have secured success had their opponents been less resolute and firm.

This firmness prevailed, and the enemy were soon forced to give up the attempt; their retreat being perhaps hasten

battle of Toulouse with this officer, a few days after it happened, he observed, in allusion to the attempt of the enemy to retake the redoubt, "I saw your old friends the Highlanders in a most perilous situation; and had I not known their firmness, I should have trembled for the result. As it was, they could not have resisted the force brought against them if they had not been so instantaneously supported." I asked him what was the amount at which he calculated the strength of the enemy's column of attack. He replied, "Not less than 6000 men."

I was soon afterwards travelling through Languedoc, and, in a field close to the road in the neighbourhood of Carcasson, I saw a brigade of French infantry exercising. Stepping out of the carriage, I walked into the field to view the troops; and, being in uniform, I was observed by the general officer commanding. He immediately rode up, and, after the usual salutations, invited me, with great politeness, to look at his brigade; and, opening the ranks, we walked through each rank together. In the course of conversation, the recent battles were noticed; and, after discussing various points, "Well," said the French general, “we are quite satisfied, if the English army think we fought bravely, and did our duty well." The Highland corps were mentioned. "Ah!" said he," these are brave soldiers. If they had good officers, I should not like to meet them unless I was well supported. I put them to the proof on that day." I asked him, in what manner? He answered, that he led the division which attempted to retake the redoubt; and, on a farther question as to the strength of that division, " More than 5000 men," was the answer. Here we see that the English general, at the distance of more than two miles, calculated the number at not much less than 6000 men, and the French general who commanded it at more than 5000. The closeness of the estimate shows great accuracy of eye, and judgment of numbers at a distance, a talent of the last importance to a military commander, and which must contribute in a very eminent degree to secure success in a complicated and extended campaign.

ed by the advance of the other brigades of General Clinton's division on their right, and by the movement of the Spaniards, who were now well advanced on their left. The whole retired, leaving the heights in full possession of the Allies, who now overlooked the venerable city of Toulouse, within full reach of their guns.

But Lord Wellington was spared the cruel necessity of bombarding the town, which contained many loyal and sincere friends, who must unavoidably have suffered in the general confusion; and Marshal Soult, conscious that the city was not defensible, evacuated it the same evening, under the guns of the British army, but undisturbed by his oppo nent, who wished to avoid all hostilities against the inhabitants, who must have suffered had a cannonade been opened on the retreating enemy. And, indeed, the French army had no other alternative; for the Garonne, the canal, and the heights which had formed their principal defences, were now turned to a different purpose, and assisted the views of the Allies, who had only one side to guard against the entrance of supplies, and that entrance commanded by their guns. If Soult had not evacuated the town, he must soon have surrendered for want of provisions necessary for the support of a population of 60,000 inhabitants, and of his own army of 36,000 men. To this number it was now reduced by the casualties of war and the recent numerous desertions. And thus, as a wary and experienced fox, (to use a familiar illustration,) who, after a long and intricate chace, and in spite of his numberless doublings and manœuvres, is at length earthed under some bank,—so the Field Marshal of France was now cooped up within the small circle of a city, the capital of the second province of France, into which an army which had conquered two kingdoms had been driven for shelter, after a series of retrograde movements and manoeuvres from Seville to Toulouse. In the course of these operations the army of Great Britain and her Allies had liberated and given independence to two kingdoms, and had fought eight pitched bat

tles against the bravest soldiers and the ablest and most experienced generals of France, who had been foiled by the British general in their boasted tactics, and out-manœuvred, out-marched, out-flanked, and overturned. That army had been also successful in many arduous sieges and assaults, and had at length established themselves in the two principal cities of the south of France. Such are a few of the glorious results of these campaigns: Quatre Bras and Waterloo completed a series of victories the more honourable, as they were gained over an enemy remarkable for transcendent military talents and genius.

On the following morning the army made a kind of triumphal entrance into the town, and were received by the inhabitants with an enthusiasm more like that which they might have been expected to show to their deliverers than to conquerors. In the course of the same day, official accounts, which it is said had been kept back on the road, were received of the abdication of Buonaparte, and the restoration of Louis XVIII.

In this manner ended the last battle in that series of difficult operations which contributed so materially to the fortunate conclusion of twenty-one years' warfare. As the principal aim of my present undertaking is to show the importance to the state of preserving a warlike, moral, and hardy population, and likewise how far the natives of the north of Scotland possessed these qualifications,—and to point out the influence exerted by the recent statistical changes and improvements, as they are called, on their moral and military character, as well as to prove how easily battles may be gained by brave soldiers, in so far as regards actual loss from an enemy,-1 may now be permitted to draw a comparison between the amount of the loss of useful subjects to the state sustained in a cause where its honour, and even its very existence as an independent nation, were concerned, and that drain on the population by compulsory emigrations, such as have taken place in the North, and which have removed from this country as many valua

ble members of society as were killed by the enemy in the whole of the Peninsular campaigns; and this in a much shorter period than the duration of these apparently destructive and deadly operations. It will be seen, that from the first shot fired under General Sir Arthur Wellesley at Brilos, after the landing in Portugal in 1808, till the last battle under the Marquis of Wellington at Toulouse, in 1814, the number killed was 7 general officers, 45 field officers, 142 captains, 263 subalterns, 41 staff officers, 391 serjeants, 33 drummers, and 7449 soldiers. Of these 1064 were of the German Legion and other foreign corps in the pay of Great Britain, leaving the loss sustained by the United Kingdom 6385 soldiers killed in battle.

Adverting also to the loss sustained at Waterloo, which may be said to have decided the fate of nations, we find that the number of soldiers in British pay killed amounted to 1536; and, deducting 311 for the German Legion, there remains of the killed of British soldiers at Waterloo 1225 men, When it is remembered that, by the operations of one or two individuals, more Highlanders have been forced to abandon their native country, many of these enlisting themselves under the protection of a foreign state, and who may therefore become, at some future period, the enemies of their native country; the blood spilt in battle to maintain its honour and independence, if not its existence, may be matter of less regret, in so far as regards the loss of subjects, which, in the instances above alluded to, is considered of so little importance, that, instead of reprobation, some of those who act upon the system which is so rapidly changing the character and the best principles of the people, call for applause as promoters of patriotic measures, and improvers of their country.

The objects of twenty-one years' warfare being now in a great measure accomplished, the troops were removed, without delay, to their appointed destinations, and the three

• See Appendix, page 63.

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