State of Feeling in France—Rocket-Practice—The Prince Regent’s
Hobby—The Mayor’s Ball—The Flag-of-Truce.
Head Quarters, St. Jean de Luz,
January 18th, 1814.
MY DEAR M——,
After two or three days’ continual rain, we have at last a clear
beautiful day; thermometer in my room at 63°.
In the midst of a terrible storm the day before yesterday a little
cockle shell of a sloop arrived in the open bay here, with the Count
de Grammont on board and Colonel Abercrombie, with despatches and a
paper of the 10th. This told us the principal news. We have thus heard
that the Danes are with us; ideas of peace thrown aside, and the Allies
across the Rhine. This is popular news here; for almost all are against
a peace with Bonaparte, partly from public feelings that such a peace
would be injurious to England and the world, partly the fact that any
peace would not be desirable to our military men, especially to those
on the staff, whose splendour would be much shorn by it. The civilians
and regimental officers, who are not on the eve of a step, are alone
inclined to a peace; to many it will be ruinous.
We again hear of refractory conscripts, and men refusing to march, in
the right of the department de Landes and elsewhere, and I believe
it in some degree. But this alone will not do without a more general
feeling and even then scarcely, unless a portion of the army takes a
part and declares its views against the common enemy Bonaparte, whom
all Europe are now hunting like a mad dog.
The Count de Grammont has made a most expeditious trip. He had had
communications with the persons on his former property here, and I
suppose his visit home was connected with this, to know what line to
pursue, &c. The feelings of this part of France seem, as yet, to be
still the same: all desire peace, and for that purpose are eager to
get rid of Bonaparte; but there is no feeling manifested towards the
Bourbons, not hitherto, at least; and I really believe the military
men, and even many civilians, would rather have Bonaparte if they could
be sure of a peace with him. He has done much for them, and on a great
scale. The Code Napoleon has been a great work, and from what I hear
is much liked. Instead of being governed, and oppressed in fact, by
the rich, as they were before, they are now governed by the law, and
that a good law; and as the mayor here and several others say, well
administered, when the state was not concerned. The only defect seemed
to be that the magistrates having been latterly ill-paid, a temptation
to corruption on their part existed; and this was a change from
anarchy, and therefore the more felt, as then the strongest (I mean
in means and territory) was everything and the poor man nothing. In
short, the only really great grievance felt at this distance from the
court of the tyrant seems to have been the horrid conscription and its
tremendous increase of late, and the want of commerce. Nor would the
French feel either of these so much as any other nation in Europe. The
first she would not feel so much, on account of the natural tendency of
the inhabitants to a military life and habits; the last, from the great
internal resources of France in other respects, making loss of commerce
of much less importance to her than to almost any other power which
had been accustomed to enjoy them. I do not mean less than Austria,
which has been so generally shut out from commerce to any extent, but
compared with England, Holland, or Sweden.
_Thursday, 20th._—Another change again in the weather. Yesterday it
was quite a fine, sunny, warm day, till one or two o’clock, like our
May, and we were all out, witnessing some experiments made with the
rockets, about two miles off, when a storm gathered, and soon the rain
and wind came, and has continued to this time. The night has been very
boisterous, and one of our Commissariat transports has been on shore
in the bay here, stranded, and it is feared that five or six lives are
lost: all hands are now at work moving the stores—corn and hay.
All the military men in the vicinity were here with Lord Wellington,
including General Frere, the Spanish General. The ground-rockets,
intended against cavalry, did not seem to answer very well. They
certainly made a most tremendous noise, and were formidable spitfires;
no cavalry could stand if they came near them, but in that seemed the
difficulty, for none went within half a mile of the intended object,
and the direction seemed extremely uncertain. The ground was very bad,
and on a flat, or along a road, where they would ricochet or bound
along straight they might do very well, but in the present experiment
they went bang into the ground, sometimes within two hundred yards, and
sometimes one way and sometimes another. Some of them, instead of going
fourteen hundred yards, as intended, were off in a hundred, and some
pieces of the shell came back even amongst us spectators, one very near
Dr. N—— and me, whilst we were standing on one side, out of the way as
we thought. The fire, however, seemed very strong, as one got into a
green hedge, and set it in a blaze directly; the furze and heath were
on fire, and only put out by the rain. Those which were let off at an
elevation supposed for burning towns, &c., were much more successful,
and some went very near the spot, compared with others; that is, I
think they would have hit Bayonne, for instance, somewhere or other,
and no doubt have set fire to the town; but the part of the town you
could not very well choose, for their power seemed very different, and
the wind at times carried them three hundred or four hundred yards away
from the direction intended.
Upon the whole I do not think they were much admired, though in
certain cases they might be useful, especially when the enemy are in a
mountainous track, like at the battle of Pamplona, and near us. Where
guns could not be got up without great difficulty, these rockets could
be carried by hand, or on mules, and being let off near, would have
tremendous effect even upon infantry when in column. General ——, who
is very wise and knowing in the secret views and springs of everything
(or at least would be thought so), says that all that fuse of the Crown
Prince and Sir Charles Stewart, as to the effect of the rockets in the
North, was to please the Prince Regent in England, the great patron of
the rockets.
The stranded ship was, I hear, driven out of the harbour of Sacoa by
the gale. This is quite extraordinary, for the vessels are there quite
shut up. The place is, however, too full by far, for no transport likes
to move again when once safe there. The packet lost in the harbour of
Passages last week shows you the sort of gales and seas we have here.
This morning, a French picquet of about thirty men were marched off
from hence, prisoners; they were surprised by us two nights ago. We got
close, and when challenged, an old Highlander called out “deserter,” so
the sentinel did not fire, and our men got in among them and carried
off the picquet. I am not very glad of this, for I fear it will lead
the French to try and return the compliment, and make the outpost duty
much more dangerous and troublesome than it has been. If it only leads
to their shooting our next deserter, so much the better. Deserters
continue to come in and tell strange stories. They say that Marshal
Soult has issued orders, that whenever a foreigner is to be on outpost
duty, all his necessaries, knapsack, &c., are to be taken from him,
and he is besides to be watched and placed with others. They even say
that a German posted on sentry has his shoes taken away from him. This,
barring exaggeration, no doubt is nearly true.
It is reported that last week three hundred young conscripts belonging
to one regiment were employed to carry bread to the brigade, and that
when near one of the French sentinels, they were challenged by him, but
from not understanding matters, they made no answer, and advanced; upon
which he fired at them, when the whole three hundred threw down their
bread and ran into camp, crying, that the enemy were coming.
But the best story of all, if true, was told by the mayor of Biaritz,
who states that he understands three French divisions are under orders
to proceed direct to Lyons, whether to meet Schwartzenburg or on
account of disturbances does not seem clear, even if the story be true.
_Friday, January 21st._—In spite of the wet yesterday, Lord Wellington
having heard of the surprised picquet, set off to the front to inquire
about it, or, as he said last night, to know if it was worth while to
surprise it again, as it has been renewed by the French; but he thought
not, and was back here to dinner, and in the evening at a ball at the
mayoralty. This ball was an attempt to ascertain how far anything
of the sort would answer. The mayor was to manage it, and ask all
the ladies, and a list of the officers to be asked was given to him,
and tickets sent out, and he was to provide the best entertainment
he could for a dollar-a-head from the gentlemen only, which will be
collected accordingly. It went off, however, but ill, and will not in
my opinion be renewed. There were about a dozen or fifteen elderly
women, French, who have remained here, and who seemed of the better
order, but who came in our country town fashion, with the cloak, the
woman servant, and the large lantern, only many of them brought the
maid in with them to sit behind and look on. Then there were about
sixteen or eighteen younger ladies, French, but who seemed to be nearly
all the tradesmen’s families in the place, none of the better sort,
but from behind the counter in the morning. They were, however, well
dressed, and danced tolerably for French—for English very finely. About
half a dozen old Frenchmen, some respectable; and about eight young
beaux of the place, who had escaped the conscription, and who had
remained here, made up the French party. There were six English ladies
altogether, but who, excepting one, declined dancing French dances or
waltzes, and there was nothing else but one country dance, which went
off ill. I have no doubt the French either thought them excessively
fine, or that they could not dance. There might be quite as much of the
latter as the former. Then to complete the assembly, came about two
hundred officers, all in their best, and forming a very smart squeeze.
What would your fine ladies in London have not given for such a display
of gentlemen? All the field officers of six battalions of the Guards,
and about fifty other guards’ officers, and all the head-quarters’
staff, generals, aides-de-camp, were there.
I think Cobbett would have admitted that, with so many fine young men
there, the whole Peninsula squad could not be quite so despicable in
the eyes of the English fair. Three sets of cotillions were formed, and
some waltzes, but the whole went off but indifferently. A Frenchman
of about forty or fifty, one of the police of the town, volunteered a
hornpipe, which was tolerably good. About 12 or 1 o’clock a long table
was opened for the ladies, covered with pastry of different shapes:
no meat—the wine, claret. At half-past one I came away, leaving the
dancers rather beginning to romp. This will not do, because the belles
are not good enough to please in a sober way, and if liberties are
taken they would be offended, or at least their male relations would be
for them. Lord Wellington was soon off, and whilst there seemed to be
principally occupied with little military arrangements. He, however,
seemed pleased with the thing, and asked me as I passed, if I thought
Gazan ever had a better ball? I only said, “I am sure there never
were so many gentlemen in the mayor’s house before.” Better dancing,
however, there may have been.
Still rain, without ceasing. I have been skipping with one of my mule
ropes, instead of my walk to-day with my umbrella. I got to the wrecked
ship yesterday. The best account seems to be that she pulled up the
post to which she was fastened in Sacoa harbour, and drifted out; the
captain was on shore; the missing are three men and a woman, and they
are supposed to be lost, and it is believed that the men were in the
rigging trying to make things right, when the mast broke. The Guards
were set to work as fatigue-parties at low water, and the cargo removed
on shore, consisting of hay and biscuit, not much damaged by the wreck.
The hay, however, of which one truss fell to my share, was previously
almost mouldy with wet, perhaps a little taste of salt may give it a
relish, and any how it is as good as coarse straw and furze, and better
than nothing, which is my mules’ long forage at present. The muleteer
is so popular, the Portuguese give him so much drink to make him dance
and amuse them, that he is very ill with it, and lying below with a
blister and emetic; and the mules therefore get no grass, as I cannot
turn them out; and straw I cannot afford them.
Another ingenious trick has just been told me of the French here. They
advanced towards Murillo’s Spaniards,—the latter fired at them; they
sent in to say they were very much surprised, for they understood they
were at peace with the Spaniards now, as a treaty was signed. Murillo
sent back for answer, that he knew of no peace, and that, if the Cortes
or Regency had signed such a peace, still he should continue to do as
the English did, and fire at the French until orders came to him to the
contrary, and that regularly through the Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo. This
is all as it should be, but the trick is a curious one.
_Saturday, 22nd._—The weather is now more like winter than it has yet
been. At St. Jean de Luz we have a raw, cold air, no sun, a damp fog.
La Rhüne and all the hills round are covered with snow; nothing but a
little sleet has fallen here.
_Sunday, Post-day._—A fine day, but really like winter; the coldest we
have had, and a north-east wind, which will, I think, before it arrived
here, have frozen you all up stiff in England and in Holland. We were
all yesterday surprised by the news that the French picquets were all
withdrawn near Bayonne on our front on this side, and that we might
proceed close in to the works round Bayonne. What this exactly means
we none of us know; Lord Wellington, however, was over immediately, to
have a peep into the town on that side. Careless about himself, he got
so close, that I understand there were some French in a house within
about forty yards of him; nor did he move until he thought a French
frigate lying in the harbour seemed to be making preparations to fire
at the party. I mentioned to you it was on the 10th of December, in
front here, that he got quite in the midst of the broken Portuguese,
where there were cross fires on all sides, and was fearful on moving
off quickly back, even though he wanted to go and order up fresh
troops, lest the bad example might increase the disorder, and throw
the men in greater confusion; so he went leisurely back, until out of
sight, and then cantered off to the unbroken part of the column.
We have more reports of insurrections in France, and the French have
been circulating the story, that the preliminaries of peace (a general
peace) are already signed, and have sent the report in here. I suspect
that it is all a trick, for all shifts and schemes are now resorted
to; amongst others, Bonaparte has sent back Palafox to Spain—it is
concluded, to intrigue, for he is well known now, and the Cortes
have, I am told, refused to receive him or take any notice of him.
The promotion of O’Donoghue as Lieutenant-general, and his quitting
the situation of War Minister in consequence, is considered a sort of
triumph on our part, for he was suspected of being inimical to Lord
Wellington and the British interests. Of his successor, Moreno, I know
nothing, except that he has generally been of the War Council, and in
civil-military employments, and has not seen much service.
_Head-Quarters, St. Jean de Luz, January 26th, 1814._—I have now
another letter to thank you for, of the date of the 11th instant, and
papers to the same period, for which my best thanks are also due. These
arrived by the sloop of war, with Colonel Bunbury, and are particularly
acceptable, for (except Lord Wellington), no one has letters by the
packet, or papers later than the 5th. Colonel Bunbury brought one of
the 13th for Lord Wellington. In some degree, however, all your papers
now lose their interest, for we have a sort of information through
Paris very much quicker, and though not very much to be depended
upon, and not very full or accurate, yet it gives us, making all due
allowances, a tolerable insight into what is passing. We have thus now
papers of the 17th from Paris, from which it appears the Allies have
been at Besançon, Dijon, and even Langres, whilst your accounts only
carry them to the frontiers of Switzerland.
The deficiency of my Spanish maps does not signify, for I merely sent
them home as a sort of memorial of Vittoria. All I had were only about
the tenth part of Lopez, and nearly one-half of what I had are gone to
the bottom in the little Catherine, in which I sent two parcels.
General G—— was always famous here for hospitality and very large
parties. The only objection to them was the too great crowd at dinner.
From what I saw, however, I liked him extremely. There was a wide
distance between him and Lord Wellington in material points for a
Commander-in-Chief, though I believe he was more popular with those
under him, and particularly with his staff.
You need never apologize for forwarding a letter by any officer sent
out express in a ship of war, and direct to head-quarters, for that is
the best of all conveyances when available. They are sure to use the
greatest expedition, and to have the best sailing-vessel. An officer
coming out with convoy in a transport to join his regiment is quite
_une autre chose_, and to be as much avoided.
We have for the last three days had a touch of your late weather, and
have had snow on the ground to the sea’s edge every night fresh, and
remaining all day on the ground. It is still not very cold in reality,
and indeed less so than could be wished, for if colder, we should feel
it less. This seems paradoxical, but the truth is, that the ground here
is not hard, and the snow, when trodden upon in the streets, melts, and
forms a most chilling mud, and there is a cold evaporation going on
worse than a hard frost. It is here every day like the first beginning
of a cold thaw.
Yesterday one of my deputies, passing through here, dined with me. He
is a very gentleman-like, quiet, and most diligent character, and I
only hope my mention of him, in particular to General Pakenham, the
Adjutant-general, coupled with that of Colonel Royals, whose Adjutant
he has been, may do him some service. He has been down at Coimbra,
and elsewhere. His name is Arden, and he is a lieutenant in the 61st.
He was last from St. Andero, and told me a curious story about a late
flag-of-truce there.
Much of our clothing was, you may have heard, carried to Santona,
near there, as a prize. Many of our men were, consequently, in
absolute tatters. Lord Wellington proposed to Soult to buy it at a
valuation, and let the Governor of Santona have the money to pay his
garrison. Soult agreed, and gave an order, with a pass. Mr. Drake, the
Commissary, was ordered to go into Santona, in consequence, with a
flag to treat. Instead of one trumpeter, five persons improperly went
with him. The French officer on the post came out, told him he did
not understand a flag-of-truce with five persons, and the Spaniards
drawn up so near, that he might suspect treachery, and must do his
duty, though Soult’s orders and pass might be all regular. In short,
said he, “I return in, and in one minute I fire a gun at you; so make
the best of your way off.” Though the party offered to be taken in as
prisoners, the Frenchman went in; so off they ran, and just as they
turned the corner of a house, a twenty-four pounder was after them.
The Governor was angry with the officer. A new flag with one person
advanced: Drake was admitted, but was blinded for nearly a league; and
yet the person near him and another, let in afterwards, were permitted
to see all. When the mission was understood, and the party discovered
to be civilians, the Governor was very polite. He gave them good wine,
but bad bread and meat, which the power of fancy made Drake think
was horseflesh. He then said that the shoes, gaiters, pantaloons, and
some of the caps, his men then wore, so that as to those the mission
was too late; but the jackets they were welcome to purchase, with some
other things, and a bargain was soon made. The Governor then said,
“I know your road home is infamous to St. Andero—you shall return in
our privateer row-barge.” This they did in a very short time, and the
finale was a formal complaint from the Spanish authorities at St.
Andero, against Drake, for having dared to let a French row-boat enter
St. Andero without their leave and their pass. When in the town all the
children, &c., crowded round Drake and his party to see an Englishman.
This made the Governor very angry, and he had them dispersed, asking
them “what there was to look at in an Englishman?” at which they
shouted under his nose—“_Viva los Ingleses! Viva! Viva!_” I wish the
higher class of Spaniards were as staunch as the peasantry and rabble.
_Saturday._—Our regular mail has not yet arrived; so your papers up
to the 11th have been in most constant request; for, though there
was one here up to the 13th, there was no regular set to the 11th.
The snow has ended in torrents of cold rain again; the roads, almost
more impassable, if that be possible, than they were before, of
course impede all movement, even if intended. Nothing but a rising or
commotions, would tempt us out, and that must be without cannon in a
great measure, and dependant for provisions principally on the country,
as our transport diminishes daily in the army, from the death of mules,
or desertion of muleteers.
The life of the subaltern officers just now is very arduous and
unpleasant; winter quarters they certainly have, but that is all; four
or five in a room, comforts very few, a great deal of duty with forage
parties, and going to Passages for corn, bread, &c., and always in the
wet, and up to the knees in mud. Matters, however, must, in my opinion,
end soon.
We have French papers to the 20th, and by them find the Allies at
Langres, Dijon, and Lyons; we are told that they are well received.
Upon this it must very much turn at last. The news from the French
camp and from Bayonne is of peace. Our mayor has had a letter from
his confidential friend at Bayonne. The basis was at last agreed
upon on both sides, and a congress to take place at Basle. This may
be fabricated, for the purpose of keeping the country and army here
quiet until the event be really so. The French must now or never get
rid of Bonaparte, if they wish it. It is not very flattering to the
Bourbons, that even the repeated sufferings and disasters the nation
has endured from Bonaparte scarcely seem to be able to rouse up the
least attachment to them; and that even the last necessity seems hardly
to make the people willing to run any risks for the old royal family.
Yet I am almost sure the feeling would rapidly spread, from the sort of
despair now prevailing as to _la pauvre France_, if a good beginning
could be but once made.
You must remember the article of capitulation as to the _Commissaire
de Guerre_ and his family, the brother’s wife, and two daughters, &c.,
at St. Sebastian. They have never yet returned to France, and are now
here. The exchange of the _Commissaire_ could never be arranged; and
the ladies, though offered to return without him, would not do so,
expecting that he would every day be able to accompany them. Lord
Wellington let them remain at Passages, until the matter was finally
settled; and there they have been all the time in the same house with
one of our Commissaries, Mr. M——. And now, when they were all to go
back, the latter has declared himself the admirer professed of the
youngest girl, and they are after all halted here at St. Jean de Luz
until he can marry her, and then the rest of the party pass into the
French lines. I met them at dinner yesterday; they are a pleasant
family. The girl pleasing and rather pretty, and in the English style;
the mother a clever woman; the other girl not pretty, but odd, and, I
think, clever.
Our new Admiral is arrived, having left England on the 21st. All our
mails are thus forestalled, as we have still only mail papers and
letters to the 5th. We are told that there is no news in particular,
but that all is warlike. Our story here is, however, of a still later
date, and may possibly still be true. The only other news we have
is from Catalonia; and that, it is to be feared, is bad. You will,
however, get it before you have this, I conclude, from the _Gazette_.
General Donkin told me his letters stated that we had made an attack
on Moulins del Rey on the Lobregat, near Barcelona; that the Spaniards
were to cross the river and turn the French: that they were too slow
and too late, and so the whole plan failed; but that we suffered but
little, and that the loss was nearly all Spanish, who lost two colonels
killed. I do not believe that all Spain would drive Suchet or his army
out, except by time, and wear and tear—never by force. The Government,
however, have behaved well, I believe, as to the late French attempts
through Ferdinand, and through our English hero—Palafox.
I am sorry not to be able still to admire the latter. It is mortifying
to strike out the name of one of the few Spanish heroes which this five
years’ war has produced. I am now, however, satisfied that the Spanish
insurrection, and all its good consequences, was owing to the thorough
ignorance and want of calculation, and of information and judgment of
the Spaniards. If they had had more common sense, and knowledge of the
true state of things, even their zeal and patriotism (which I admit
were considerable) would never have induced them to adopt a course
so devoid of all prospect of a favourable result, and which every
thinking, impartial, able man must have pronounced a desperate mad
scheme. We owe it principally, I am sure, to their excessive pride and
ignorance, their good opinion, yet want of knowledge of themselves. And
this accounts for the most able men at first all going the wrong way.
_Sunday, 30th, Post-day._—Nothing but wind and rain, wind and rain
for ever, and no more news. Some of the deserters say that the French
head-quarters are removed to my old place, Mont de Marsan; but I
should think that this can scarcely be yet. The new Admiral dined at
head-quarters yesterday, but I understand, has brought little news.
One ship under his orders, it is feared, has been lost already, as we
have a report of a sloop of war, _The Holly_, lost at Passages, and
several of the crew with it. This is certainly a terrible coast. There
is now a vessel riding in the bay here, very uneasy, and cannot enter;
and one was as nearly as possible lost yesterday morning close to
Sacoa; the surf broke over her. The exertions of the French pilots were
astonishing.
_Sunday, later, 5 o’clock, 30th._—We have two French officers come
out here from England to seek a better fate by a little _intrigo_, I
suppose. One is a Basque of this country on half-pay from our service,
and the other, a Monsieur La Fitte, I believe a clever man, and a La
Vendée hero.