The Sun.
London, England, 1837-08-12 00:00:00

SACKING OF BADAJOZ.

(From Mr. Maxwell's New Novel, The Bivouac.)
When our division entered the town, all opposition VAS
at an end ; for the French, fearing that a dreadful retalia-
tion would ensue, precipitately abandoned the city, and
secured themselves in Fort Christoval until they effected a
capitulation, and were permitted to retire to Elves. In
the morning I obtained a few hours' repose, notwithstanding
the deafening yells of the excited soldiery and their inces-
sant discharge of musketry, as they went firing through
the streets, or blew open the doors of the wine-houses, and
indeed of all other dwellings, which were vainly closed
against them. I had seen the breaches in all their horrors ;
I had again crossed them in daylight, and I turned my
steps towards the castle and bastion of San Vincent, to view
the places where my more fortunate comrades had forced
their way.
It was nearly dusk, and the few hours while I slept lied
made a frightful change in the condition and temper of the
soldiery. In the morning they were obedient to their officers,
and preserved the semblance of subordination ; now they
were in a state of furious intoxication, discipline was for-
gotten, and the splendid troops of yesterday had become a
fierce and sanguinary rabble, dead to every touch of human
feeling, and filled with every demoniac passion that can bru-
talize the man. The town was in horrible confusion, and
on every side frightful tokens of military license met the
eye. One street, as I approaehed the castle, was almost
choked up with broken furniture ; for the houses had been
gutted from the cellar to the garret, the partitions torn
down, and even the beds ripped and scattered to the winds,
in the hope that gold migliY be found Concealed; A convent
at the end of the strada of St. John was in flames ; and I
saw more than one wretched nun in the arms of a drunken
soldier.

Further on the confusion seemed greater. Brandy and
wine ct:sks were rolled out before the stores ; some were
full, some half drunk, but more staved in mere wantonness,
and the liquo.-s running through the kennel. Many a har-
rowing scream saluted the ear of the passer-by ; many a
female supplication was heard in vain asking for mercy.
How could it be otho,rwise, when it is remembered that
twenty thousand furious aod licentious madmen were loosed
upon an immense population, among whom many of the
loveliest women upon earth might be found ? All within
that devoted city was at the disposal of an infuriated army,
over whom, for the time, control was lost, aided by an in-
famous collection of camp followers, who were, if possible,
more sanguinary and pitiless even than those who survived
flee storm.

It is useless to dwell upon a scene from which the
heart revolts. I verily believe that few females in this
beautiful town were saved that night from insult. The
noblest and the beggar, the nun and the wife and daughter
of the artisan, youth and age, all were involved in general
ruin. None were respected, and few consequently escaped.
The madness of those desperate brigands was variously
exhibited ; some fired through doors and windows, others
at the church bells ; many at the wretched inhabitants, as
they fled into the streets to escape the bayonets of the
savages who were demolishing their property within doors ;
while some wretches, as if blood had not flowed in sufficient
torrents already, shot from the windows their own compa-
nions as they staggered on below. What chances had the
miserable inhabitants of escaping death, when more than one
officer perished by the btt.ilete and bayonets of the very men
whom a few hours before h,.! had led to the assault.

As evening advanced the st:eets became more dangerlous ;
and, after I had examined the spot from which the escalade
of the castle had been effected, 1 !letermined to leave the
fortress by the first sallyport, and return for the night to
our half-deserted camp ; for every one N7ho could frame an
excuse had flocked into the luckless town for plunder, and
the tents were in many places left withomi an occupant.
Having been for a week quartered in the city after the last
year's siege, I fancied that I could find my way to the flying
bridge ; but the attempt was not an easy one. A swarm
of drunken rioters infested the road ; and at last I resolved
to leave the more frequented streets, and endeavour to free
myself from this infernal scene of tumult and villany by a
safer but more devious path.
I turned down an unfrequented lane. I remembered that
a lamp before an image of the Virgin had formerly burned
at the corner, but of course it had been unattended to dur-
ing the horrors of the past night. Not fifty paces from the
entrance a dead man lay upon his face. _ I looked at the

body carelessly ; life was scarcely extinct, for the blood was
oozing from an imiiiense wound in the *back ; and, as the
jacket was still smoking, the musket of the assassin had

probably been touching the wretched man when the mur-
derer discharged it. It was the corpse of a dragoon : he,
of course had stolen into the toviD for plunder, and the un-

happy delinquent paid a deep pena!ty for his crime. He
held a loaded pistol in his hand : I vorenched it from his
grasp with difficulty, for even in death iot clutched it. I
was now better armed, and I hurried down the lane, in the
direction of the sallyport.

One of the Aldermen of Bath under the reformed
regime signed the requisition asking Sir Francis Burdett
to offer himself for North Wilts, and gave a plumper for
Methuen! The requisition pledged those who signed it to
give their votes and use their influence in favour of Sir
Francis ; but this part of the business, we conclude, the
impartial Alderman overlooked.—Bath Chronicle.

SIERRA LEONE.—It must be with mingled feel-
ings of pride and deep regret, that a Briton looks on this
celebrated colony for the first time. Of pride, for here is
countrymen have set a bright and glorious example to the
rest of the world, in founding a settlement having for its ob-
jects the civilization of a benighted land, and a free dis-
charge for the living cargoes of vessels engaged in the
inta,2ous and inhuman slave-trade. But his exultation is
mingled. I'ith sorrow when he reflects on the many errors
in govern/Tim, and the misfortunes, which, since 1787, the
date of its establis'inent, have checked the prosperity of
.'
tions of its black population ; the
this colony : the insurrt.:
French invasion of 1694 ; and, above all, the constant
change of governors and white n..lmbitants, owing to their
falling a sacrifice to their own imprut;:nce, and the bane-
ful influence of the climate.—Aiexanat:'s Colonies If
Western Africa.

TURTLE.--The best way to send home Wait: from
Ascension, is " to head them up" in a sealed cask, and have
the water changed daily by the bunghole and a cock.
Turtle, though the extremes of heat and cold are equally
injurious to them, should always arrive in hot weather in
England. Thus, an unfortunate captain, on one occasion,
took from Ascension two hundred turtle ; and timing his
arrival badly, brought only four alive to Bristol I—Alexan-
der's Colonies of Ireslern Africa.

THE BALLOT.--011 Monday a number of the
trades of Edinburgh walked in procession through some of
the principal streets, accompanied by several bands of music,
and carrying about fifty banners and flags, inscribed " In
favour of household suffrage and vote by ballot." They
met at three o'clock in front of the High School, where
they were marshalled in order, from whence they marched
round the Regent Terrace and Blenheim Place, to Leith
Walk, where they were joined by several of the Leith
Trades. They then moved up Leith Walk and Leith.
street, along Prince's-street, Lothian Road, to Burntsfield
Links, where hustings were erected, from which the meet-
ing was addressed by Messrs. Gunn, Fraser, Reid, and
others, in favour of the two measures above mentioned,
without which they described themselves. as utter slaves.
A series of resolutions, expressive of their views, were put
and carried. Dr. John Taylor of Glasgow then addressed
the meeting, in explanation of his late equivocal conduct at
Glasgow, which he attempted to justify by saying he would
never have proposed standing for Glasgow, had he not been
importuned to do so by some of Lord William Bentinck's
Committee ; but on being asked to name them, he refused
to do so. He at the same time admitted having got money
from a Tory "to show up the tricks of the Wings;" and
he ascribed the late defeats of Messrs. Hume, Roebuck,
and Bowring, to the secret efforts of the Whigs against
Hume. Such is a specimen of the absurdities sported by
this political charlatan, who, however, we were glad to see,
was in no great repute among the crowd. The procession
having marched, by a different route, back to the High
School, the trades dispersed, and the proceedings closed
with a soiree in the Waterloo Rooms.—Scotsman.
LIVERPOOL COTTON-MARKET, AUGUST 10.
There has been a brisk demand for Cotton to-day, chiefly
from the trade ; prices are, upon the whole, again rather
dearer, but no decided change from yesterday's rates ; the
sales amount to from 6,000 to 7,000 bags, consisting of
800 Egyptian, 7id. to 9d. ; 500 Pernams, 81-d. to 9d. ; 400
Maranhams, Bd. to tild. ; 100 Bahias, 6.4c1. to 71d. ; 80
Madras, 4d. ; 550 Surats, 30. to sd. ; and the rest Ame-
rican, from .sd. to Bd. per lb. A few hundreds are taken on
peculation and for export.