"AN ARDENT ADMIRER."

ENGRAVED BY J. WESTLEY, FROM A PAINTING BY G. ARMFIELD.

O Happiness! sage, sweet content!
Can poet e'er your charms indite?
On what could mortal man be bent,
On such a theme to dare to write?

Hope might have cheered the wanderer on,
His path with flowers might sprinkle love;
His aim but gained, he mounts his throne,
His-sword of Damocles above.

Anxious and cautious, striving still
With vizard up, he meets the fight,
Prepared to share that good and ill

He knows his birth has made his right!

1

He yet is safe! while yet insate,

While onward still he seeks to move;
"Tis but when reached his easy "state"
The horse-hair shakes the sword above.

And, as with men, with ducks the same,
Cross-purposed Fortune holds her sway;
True, tyrant-like, most apt to blame
Those who must honour and obey.

Dependent on her smile, they fall

Self-cared, from Loch to Loch they rove ;
Safe while they deem none safe at all,
Nor stay to fix the sword above!

Oh! full-fed, fine-plumed, luckless trio!
And is it thus your hour is spent?
Think ye how soon ye'll sing "a-dio"
To this same sleepy, blind content!

Think! may not danger haunt each bush
That shades your quiet cosy cove-

Too late, Old Foxy wags his brush,
Look out the sword is just above!

G G

Battle of Toulouse-Termination of the Campaign-" For England ho!"-A Smuggling Adventure-Arrival in London.

Our last chapter terminated with the battle of Orthes, in which, after a hard contested struggle, Wellington's army proved itself victorious. The enemy under Soult were now retiring, determined to dispute every foot of ground, as was proved by the affair at Aire on the second of March, which after a gallant struggle ended in favour of the allied army. On the following day the French marshal collected his army at Plaisance, Maderan, and Maubourget, where he halted with a view of ascertaining his antagonist's plans. This step gave Wellington an advantage which he was not slow to avail himself of, namely, that of possessing himself of Bordeaux, where the inhabitants had shewed themselves in favour of the Bourbons. This operation was accomplished by Beresford on the 12th, without resistance. To return to the main armies, on the 13th Soult made a bold movement, as if about to engage Wellington's force, but it ended in his taking up a strong position without coming to an action. On the 14th he remained inactive, but anticipating an attack retired at night towards Lambège. On the 16th and 17th the allies halted to admit of the junction of some reserve cavalry and artillery, which being effected they marched at daylight on the morning of the 18th. From this day to the 10th of April was a period of great excitement, in which the affairs of Vic Bigorre, Tarbes, and the gallant charge of Vivian with the 18th Hussars at Croix D'Aurade, took place. Already had the division to which I was attached crossed the Garonne, and we were in daily expectaion of a recontre with the enemy, but Soult was determined to concentrate his force, amounting to 36,000 combatants at the wellfortified town of Toulouse, and there to try the fate of his arms, rather than risk any minor affair by a detached body. I pass over the battle

which was fought on Easter Sunday, and which terminated in the defeat of the brave and undaunted defenders.* Soult, still undismayed, was ready on the following morning to renew the combat, but Wellington had repaired to St. Cyprien to ascertain the movements of Hill's position, and to give further orders to that general. Meanwhile the light cavalry were sent up the canal to prevent all communication with Suchet, and to menace Soult's retreat, who had now abandoned the town; but it was not until the 17th that the unyielding chief consented to follow Suchet's example, and yield to the new order of affairs brought about by the restoration of the Bourbons to the throne of France. In the mean time Wellington had entered Toulouse in triumph; the white flag had replaced the blood-stained tricolour; every where was the hero received

To prove that authors as well as doctors often disagree, we quote the following account of the battle from the pen of M, De Jouy, whose writings as L'Hermite de la Chaussée d'Antin, are so well known to English and foreign literati :— "J'ai parcouru le champ de bataille oû dans la mémorable journée du 10 Avril, 1814, vingt-cinq mille Français, sous les ordres du Maréchal Soult, disputèrent la victoire, pendant quatorze heures, à une armeé de cent mille hommes, Anglais, Portugais, et Espagnols, commandés par le Duc de Wellington. Si le gain d'une bataille doit être assigné à celui qui en retira les avantages, l'armée française, obligée d'évacuer la ville, vingt-quatre heures après la bataille de Toulouse, doit savoúner vaincue ; il appartient à celui qui enlèv eles positions de son ennemi et reste maître du champ de bataille, aucune des deux armées n'a obtenu cet hou neur; mais si le nombre des blessés et des morts décide de la victoire, si les succèss, balancés dans une lutte si inégale, s'estiment en raison des efforts de courage qu'ils ont dû coûter à l'un des deux partis, la bataille de Toulouse sera inscrite dans les fastes militaires de la nation française au nombre des victoires les plus glorieuses."

The writer then goes on to say :

"Les Français perdirent trois mille hommes dans cette journée, ou l'enneme évalua lui-même la sienne à six mille morts et douze mille blessés.

Now although we would not willingly deprive the French nation of any glory due to their gallant deeds, we cannot refrain from pointing out that the abovementioned details of the battle of Toulouse are incorrect. The allied forces did not amount to anything like a hundred thousand men; and with respect to the number of killed and wounded, Maxwell writes as follows:

"In this sanguinary battle the allied loss exceeded 4,600 men, including four generals, Brisbane, Pack, Mendizabal, Ezpeleta, wounded. The French casualties might probably have been less by a thousand, but they lost a gun, and had five general officers placed hors de combat."

The following official document bears out the above siatement :

RETURN of the killed, wounded, and missing of the army under the command of Field-Marshal the Marquis of Wellington, K.B. at the battle of Toulouse, 10th April, 1814,

Napier estimates the loss of the French at 3,000, killed and wounded, and one piece of artillery captured from them, and gives 30,963 as the actual strength of the infantry divisious engaged on the 10th of April. To this may be added 1,500 artillery.

with acclamations, "Vive nôtre liberateur!" was shouted by the multitude. On the 18th of April the convention for the suspension of hostilities was signed by Sir George Murray and Don Louis Wimpffen on the part of the Marquis of Wellington, and by the General of Division, Count de Gazan, on that of the Dukes of Dalmatia and Albrefera, and approved and confirmed by the respective chiefs.

The campaign over, nothing could exceed the joy I felt at finding myself established in excellent quarters at Toulouse; all was mirth and gaiety Wellington kept an excellent table, to which I had the good fortune to be a constant guest; balls, plays, and dinners were the order of the evening, and with the exception of occasional rencontres with some of the disaffected French officers, which led to fatal results, our time passed most agreeably. The pack of English fox-hounds kept by the Commander-in-Chief was to me a great source of gratification; I got acquainted with the huntsman, who recounted his adventures during the Peninsular compaign, and described vividly the delight his master took in the chase, remarking, with respect to Soult's soubriquet, that Lord Wellington had unkennelled the "old fox" near Badajos, had had a smartish burst with him over the Pyrenees, had tallyhoed him on the banks of the Nivelle, nearly killed him at Orthes, and had run him to ground at Toulouse. "Old Reynard,' as the French call him in their parles-vous language," continued the Nimrod, "is as gallant an animal as ever I came across of, and it required our best English blood to who-whoop him." As in the course of this narrative I shall have occasion to allude to Wellington as a master of hounds, I shall briefly say that it was a grand stroke of policy to practise so manly a sport, so invigorating an amusement, so healthy a recreation, to enliven the leisure hours of himself and officers during the monotony of winter quarters.

"What!

Early in June I got two months' leave of absence to quit the army in France and proceed to England, where I was to join my regiment. Finding a brother staff-officer about to go home on account of the severe wounds he had received at Orthes, I made arrangements to accompany him, and as we were about to start for Bordeaux I was not a little surprised at hearing a familiar voice enquiring for me, and insisting upon seeing me. Monsieur le capitaine n'est pas chez lui," said the good lady of my house; for, undergoing the misery of packing, I had denied myself to every one. 'I must see him," said the visitor, who brushing rather hastily past mine hostess rushed into my room. H-, my dear fellow, is it you?" I exclaimed, holding out both my hands. Yes, Percy, the indentical; I only arrived this morning from Bayonne, where we had some smartish work at the sortie in which poor Sullivan fell at the head of his company. I am anxious to proceed to England on private business, as the governor has written to request my immediate presence; my application has gone in, and if the Beau grants it, I am at your orders, for they tell me at head quarters that you are to be off by the next boat." I need not say how delighted I was at the prospect of having my old Donnington chum, Lord H, as my companion to England. "I am going to see Lord Fitzroy," I said, "to know if I can be the bearer of any letters or despatches; you had better walk with me to the office, the boat does not leave until twelve o'clock." "Agreed," responded my youthful ally; and taking his arm