The Sun.
London, England, 1837-04-14 00:00:00

THE BRITISH LEGION.

Antigua, near St. Sebastian, March, 25, 1837.
My Dear Brother—After a long period of inaction, we
at last commenced active operations on the 10th inst. On
the Bth and 9th I was an out-lying piquet ; at twelve
o'clock on the 9th I heard we were to move at twelve at
night ; and of course looked, anxiously forward to the time
I would be relieved, in order to make the necessary arrange-
ments for a move ; but from some cause or other I was not
relieved until eight o'clock at night ; I then speedily packed
up my few things, and took them to my billet in town, where
I found several young ladies laudably employed in making
making bandages and lint for the wounded. After chatting
for a few moments with them, I went to the French Cafe,
and had a capital dinner, which I washed down with a bottle
of claret, and then went to the reginient, which I found
just falling in. We marched off across the bridge, to
the left side of our lines, and at five o'clock in the morn-
ning drew up in strong force opposite the enemy. The
Ametza hill was carried in splendid style at the point
of the bayonet, with trifling loss. Still more to our
left the Spaniards were moving on in force, keeping up
a tremendous fire, our artillery and rockets were speedily
brought up, and did terrible execution among the enemy.
The day was beautifully fine, and you can form no idea of
the grandeur of the scene—the whole extent of mountains
were in one blaze with the fire of musketry, and every now
and then the shot, shell, and rockets fell in the midst
of the ranks of the enemy, scattering death and dismay
among them. I could see them scudding away in all
directions, about 30 and 40 at a time. Our old friends the
Chapelchurries with their white caps, who are always opposed
to us, after a desperate resistance, and being fearfully cut up,
were obliged to run for it. During the day we carried position
after position, and a: night remained masters of a large ex-
tent of ground ; our regiment slept that night upon the
Ametza. The loss on our side amounted to nearly 800
killed and wounded, and the enemy, according to their
Gazette, lost about 1,100. On the 11th and 12th the
weather was very unfavourable—on the 13th it was still
very bad, but we threw pontoons over the Uramea, crossed
it, and took up a position on the other side. On the 14th
And 15th, the weather was still bad, but our troops con-
tinued to advance, and at mid-day, on the 15th, our whole
force was turned out. British naval officers and jack tars
—indeed every Englishman here was on the ground, giving
every assistance in his power. We carried every thing
before us, when we came to the Font of Oriamendi, com-
monly called the Yenta Hill, an immense fortified moun-
tain, which overlooks and command the town of Hernani,
on the top of which the enemy had three pieces of cannon.
Oar shell was soon rattling among them, when three
of our regiments charged up the hill and took it. At
this moment there was a yell of victory from one end
of the line to the other, when all rushed on, carrying
every thing before us. Night was now fast closing
upon us, and we took up our respective positions,
and bivouacked on the sides of the mountains oppo-
site Hernani. Next morning, at day-break, we were
again under arms, and moving ; we advanced close to
the town, and threw some rockets into it. The enemy had
two small pieces before the town, from which they sent
sonic round shots at us ; the resistance appeared trifling,
end it was evident we should soon be in pos,ession of the
town. At this time some Carlist Lancers made a charge
upon us from the town , when a Lieutenant and several of
the men were shot dead, and the Colonel taken prisoner.
When he was taken there was one of our Lancer officers
present, and the Colonel sung out to him that ha would
give him 200 dollars if he would save his life. At the mi.)
ment a Spanish soldier made a thrust at him with
bayonet. It being a critical moment, be exclaimed fifty
snore ; his life, however, was saved without the reward
being claimed of course. Just after this the enemy re-
ceived large reinforcements under the direction of Doi,
Sebastian and Villareal ; in fact, it was evident that the
f 1 aver of the Carlist force was brought against us, and as I
looked through the glass at battalion after battalion forming
into one dense mass, I anticipated that the hardships and
elaiizers to which I had been exposed for the last twenty
mrintii3 were on the eve of being brought to splendid ter-
mination. I was disappointed. After taking a survey I
sat down upon the grass, tired and hungry, when a French-
man came up to me with a basket containing bread, cheese,
and beer. I got from him a bottle of beer and some cheese
an.] bread, which I consumed with a great deal of gusto.
notwithstanding the cannon-balls were passing over my head,
and knocking the trees about. As I finished my repast, the
General's Aide-de-camp rode up and ordered the Colonel to
take his regiment up a hill, to support some regiments &*
Spaniards who were giving way ; he said he had only four
companies present, the others being sent to cover some of our
guns. N'inzpo:-te, we had to take what we had ; we accord-
intr.ly went up and found this Spaniards retreating. Our
officers tir),.ed and drove the Sr aliards back to their posts,
striking them with the fiats of their swords. One of our
majors got a wound through his shoulder at this work.
When we got to the top we found about five battalions of
Carl:sts coming with fixed bayonets, at a slapping pace upon
us ; our men were then brought up, but just as they arrived
all the Spaniards, about 3,000 men, took to their heels,
except such as got a bayonet in their guts, and two com•
panics who were takel prisoners. As it was quite clear a few
hundred men could not stand against against five battalions,
aye fell back upon our supports. Such as were wounded
were tenderly disposed of by the Carlists, as it was much too
hot for a man to look after his neighbour ; and I can assure
you, that as I retreated down that hill, the balls fell around
the like hail-stones. We then formed at the foot of La Yenta,
where the Marines were stationed, and opened such a
fire upon them as seemed to astonish them a little. The
enemy then got upon the top of a hill, and fired down upon
us The firing here was hotly kept up for a considerable
time, when our Colonel sounded the advance, and we charged
end carried the hill, and trampled over their dead bodies
which crowded the top of it. One of the Carlists was only
badly worn led, when a Spaniard who came up with u;
shook him, called him some names, and then sent his
bayonet through his heart. A Carlist officer, laying dead
upon his back, presented such a spectacle as I never before
saw on the field—his skull was completely carried away, and
his brains dropping on the ground, smoking hot ; his face
was perfectly calm, and his mustaches were knowingly
twisted up, and seemed to have been well oiled. One of our
lads observed that he had on a pair of good gaiters, and saying
they were useful articles in this country, whipped them off
l.im, and placed them on his own legs in half a second. We
took up our position on this hill, which we could have kept
to all eternity, as long as the other troops maintained their
ground; but the left wing, from some indescribable cause
for which their gallant Lacers cannot account, gave way
in terrible disorder, which the General perceiving, and'
always choosing to act upon the safe side, thought pro-
per to
order
in us to retire and fall on our old lines, and
accordingly in a very short space of time I found my-
self our old position. The retreat was effected with-
out any loss, which was extraordinary, considering the
disorderly way in which it was made. The Carlists
acknowledge to have lost in the last days' operations
2,200 men, while our own loss has been close upon
2,000. So much for the grand combined movement.
Saarsfield, I suppose, was amusing himself at Pampeluna,
and Espartero at Durango or Bilboa ; however, without the
assistance of either we ought to have floored the Don on
the 16th, when the credit would have been all our own.
With kind regard to every body, believe me,
My deer fellow, your affectionate Brother,

- - .
RODERIC APLEOD.
6th Scotch Regiment of the Legion,
To John MALcod, Esq., Tulse Hill.
P.S. Send me some newspapers, containing accounts o
our last movements.

A railroad is projected between Frankfort, Wisba
,den, and Mayence, or at least to the borders of the Rhine op•
:posite that fortress.

PRIMITIVE SIMPLICITY.—Some years ago we
alluded to a cottage in Galloway, far among the hills, in
which tea had never been made, and where cups and saucers
were utensils unknown, as a sporting party of gentlemen dis-
covered to their cost. Much about the same time the Editor
of the Scotsman informed the public that there were persons
residing in the remoter Hebrides who had never heard of
.Buonaparte—a fact that will excite a sigh in the mind of
(Avery Carlist, on the double ground that his lot has been very
ditYerent, and that _ _

"Where ignorance is bliss,
'Tis folly to be wise."
But this state of things cannot possibly endure much longer,
now that we have an Orkney and Shetland newspaper printed
in London, and a John O'Groat's Journal printed at home.
It is of the nature of the vallies to get before the hills, and
hence alpine botbies, still exist, in which looking-glasses are
unknown and unheeded—the women-folks adjusting their
finery by " keeking into the draw-well, like my Joe Janet,"
and the men shaving as featly on Saturday nights as if they
.had a mirror before them worth twenty pounds. In such
places teeth-brushes and powder would be regarded as still
veaterfarlies, and hence the mistake which a simple country
gi,•l committed within our own county a few years ago. Du-
ring. .a snow-storm the stage coach stuck fast, and as there
was neither inn nor village at hand, the passengers had to
bivouack as they best could. A lean larder is even worse than
a chair or table bed, and as the snow had laid an embargo on
road, field, ald fell, the party, but for the never-failing pota-.
toes, might ks'e been storm-starved as well as stayed. While
this state of things lasted, one of the party, a foreign gentle.
man, retired to a tiny closet to wash his hands and rince his
mouth, and was making a good use of the brush when the ser-
vant girl leifnitsto tell.,bim dinner was ready. Still as he did
nslt appcaLitededilteUtZthe girl was questioned as to the
cau on which she replied with the greatest naivete—" I
left
ati thrang sharpening, his teeth, and I'se warrant he'll
no be ahint." A reply so unexpected, of course created a
hearty I. ling +, and it afterwards appeared that the lassie, having
never se, a
tooth-brush before, concluded that the foreigner
In
vast %in is ginders, as the eagle whets his beak, that he
ma lce fieter,a:irstaughton such viands as were placed
Lefore Courier.