The Sun.
London, England, 1835-01-28 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

SERVIC.ES OF THE TWENTY-EIGHTH
REGIMENT.
Whittaker. London, 1835.

Colonel Cadell is the author of this book, which
gives an animated account of the services of one of our
most gallant regiments, from the period of their first
campaign in the Peninsula, down to their crowning
glory at Waterloo ; where as the Colonel observes,
they behaved with such signal coolness and intrepidity,
as to call forth the following short and soldier-like
speech from Sir Thomas Picton, who was in the
centre :—" Twenty-eighth, if I live to see the Prince
Regent, I shall lay before him your bravery this day."
In the expedition to Copenhagen in 1807, the gal-
lant conduct of the 28th procured for the regiment the
name of " Slashers"—an appellation by which they
were honourably distinguished to the termination of the
War. The book is written in a soldierly spirit through-
out, as free from bombast and braggadocio, as the
gallant author appears to be from every tinge of per-
sonal vanity, other than what he derives from serving
his King and Country in the fellowship of a band of
heroes. There is likewise a minuteness of military
detail about the work which must recommend it to
officers of the United Service, while the hair-breadth
escapes which it recounts, and the instances of per-
sonal bravery which it enumerates, will not fail to pro-
cure for it the patronage of the peaceful public. The
following shocking instance of the tenacity of human
life is, we believe, without a parallel in the annals of
the medical art
" Hearing that we were to march to the Isla de Leon in the
evening, I, accompanied by the late Lieutenant and Adjutant
Bridgeland (then sergeant-major), went to that part of the
field where Colonel Brown's flank battalion had so nobly
fought, to look for the body of Lieutenant Bennet. After a
short search we found it. The spectacle was truly horrible.
musket-ball had entered his forehead, and had carried away
the whole of the back of the head : a portion of the brain
was lying in his cap ; still he breathed I The sergeant-major
said he would never leave him as long as he had breath in his
body; lend perceiving the army moving down to the beach, on
their way to the Isla, a force being left to cover the removal of
the wounded, he tied up the shattered head, and placing the
•hody on his shoulder, carried it four miles to the Bermuga
heights, where the army halted. The surgeon coming up,
examined the body, and said that it was perfectly ridiculous to
think of conveying it a yard further, for although breath re-
mained, all feeling was past. We therefore procured two
Feat coats, and in the most retired place we could find, placed
one under and the other over our poor comrade, and with sore
hearts left him. About twelve at night we crossed over to the
Isla, and were glad to get under any sort of cover. Some of
us found our way into a Spanish hospital, where we were for-
ttunate enough to get some clean straw on which we could lie
sown, and repose our weary limbs.
" About nine next morning I was aroused from a sound
sleep by a soldier of the regiment. He told me that a corpse
had been brought in by some Spaniards, who said it was that
of an English officer; upon which I instantly got up, and
limped 07,,1wn stairs as well as I could (for I had been wounded
°Y a spent grape-shot about the middle of the action), when,
.shocking to I‘.late, I saw the body of poor Bennet brought in
bread-bag, He was still breathing. The dust from the
bread, which had almost filled his nostrils, mouth, and eyes, I
quickly removed with a sponge and water. His usual placid
!Alile was still upon his countenance ; but no sooner had this
last friendly office bees performed, than our lamented comrade,
with adeep sigh, expired."

A 3 alight be expected, Colonel Cadell relates some
curious c,-istances of escapes, which in less enlightened
times would be numbered, wish the miracles of saints

and martyrs. Such matters are familiar to soldiers,
and so he recounts them as things of course—mere
anecdotes to be related over a glass of grog. The
following is perhaps as singular in its way as any in
the book:—
" The coolness displayed by General Pringle, who com-
manded at the hard fought action of Maya, with two Brirsla
Prigades against two French divisions, was admirable. Early
to the action, a fine young man, Ensign Dalmar, of the 28th,
while carrying the colours, was shot through the heart by a
French sharpshooter. Ensign Hill, seeing the colours fall,
instantly ran and took them up, exclaiming at the same time
that ' the colours of the ' slashers' should never want a person
it display them to the enemy.' He had scarcely spoke, when
Itte same Frenchman, having reloaded, hit him in the same
Place as poor Dalmar. Fortunately for Hill, he had a hand-
erehief in his breast, which saved hint: the ball passed
through his coat, waistcoat, thirteen folds of the handkerchief,
and fris shirt, giving him a severe contusion in the breast; he
uffere,i from spitting blood for a long time afterwards. This
grade fellow died, whilst Captain of Grenadiers of the 63d
agiment, in Portugal, in the year 1825. Two or three of
Markstven, having detected the Frenchman picking off our
chucers, he %vas soon tumbled down the rocks."
The doctrine of second sight gains credence nowhere
that we are aware of, save in the West Highlands of
Scotland, and in the more retired parts of the North
of Ireland. Yet an opinion prevails among many
P'oPle, and we have heard it ably advocated by men of
great mental powers, that there is a presentiment of
:evil which visits the more reflective members of_ society,
`before the coming of any great and unexpected misfor-
t4oe, by which its approach is rendered certain. It is
4erted that the 4‘ divinity which stirs within us" fore-
aees the evil which is about to happen to us, and coin-
trnriectes to us, or rather awakens in us, an appre-
hension of undefined sufferlDg, in order that we may
Prepare ourselves for its arrival in any form. We do
4°t offer any
he followingt tance, to which Colonel Cadell was
himself an eye-witvess, is worthy-of particular notice:--
" A singular instance of presentiment occuriCd on this
it —on. When the ;plying picquets turned out in the morn-
as, a soldier of my company, the grenadiers, named M'Kinlay,
krae up to me handing a gaper, and said, Captain, here is
will lamto be killed t6-.day, and I will all my arrears,
"44 d every thing I have, to my comrade Hugh Swift.' What
eisense, M'Kinlay, I replied to him; go into action, and
what you hare always done, behoe like a brave soldier.'
hee,answered, ' I will do that, Sir ; but I am certain I am to
,at.4illed to-day, and I request you to take my will.' To
ihr_l!fY him I took it, and the man fought with the picquets
thring the whole day with great coolness and gallantry. In
the afternoon, a little before the action was over, we rejoined
regiment,—we had suffered much, but M'Kinlay was
ending unhurt close to me ; upon which I observed to him,
ai M`Kinlay, I suspect you are wrong this time.' The
6il:t of the regiment being posted on the round end of a hill
cut_te into steps for the vines, a body of the enemy's sharpshooters
tore closo under us, and opened a fire to cover their retiring
M'Kinlay, seeing one of them taking aim over the
rase of a fig-tree in our direction, exclaimed, Look at that
hen ping to shoot our Captainadvancing one p
t‘lthe hill, presented at the Frenchman, who, however, was
poos.'lmazttely too quick for him, for in an instant afterwards
spot'. 10IKinlay was shot through the neck, and killed on the
breast, 711 e same ball gave me a severe contusion on the
arid I fell with the unfortunate man, and was actually
tf,,,ered With his blood. He was one of the best soldiers in
- grenadier company, and was much regretted."
We regret we cannot find space for more extracts,
of whi •
ch many better might be selected, but the few
be h'l-__
e_fore us is highiy
have given are sufficient to show that the book
interesting. The author has con-
f e_
'rad an obligation on the gallant Regiment in which
he served, and
set an example to other officers which
e shall be happy
to see followed. The author has
otar best wishes. •

n THREE YEARS in the PACIFIC;
...0,„1 •
"Letn4lng IVotices of Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, ?re., in

1831, 1832, 1833, 1834.
BY am qfilver of the United States Navy. 2 Vol..
_London. R. Bentley. 1835.
• ofA Ino3t instru,,:tive work, written in the happiest
olle of easy description, by a very intelligent observer
tociety in Smith America. It is hardly possible to
one's eve over five pages together, without being
Xtibly reminded of the writings of Captain Basil
411, and others of our most lively naval writers.
nt author appears quite a men of the world, and a
1* vd observer of whatever comes under his notice in
or 3 hr 'ray ; but at the same tithe, brimful of the milk
ut Ain kindness ; always disposed to be as happy
eirek imstancos will allow ; and consequently never
the‘ reader with his croaking over misfortunes
• More; momentous than damp sheets, and negligent
.4!°111g-int.‘n—a species of calamity of which most
`•,l:4*lers in strange lands are so fond of dwelling upon,
The r eadiro. public is rarely tempted to follow the
bevond Ole threshold of the first inn at which
wits his: horse, by which means it escapes a world
tI objurgation and sluttish impertinence.
•• ere is a ,Ilealthy tone about these volumes which is