Star.
London, England, 1809-04-01 00:00:00

TI-1E ARMY.

A NEW EXPEDITION,

It will, we are assured, give the greatest pleasure
to the country, as well as to the army, to hear that
Sir ARTHUR WELLESLEY is to be at the head of this,
and will carry out with him Generals CRAWFORD,
Dyorr, and other popular leaders. The 3d Dra-
goon Guards, 4th and 16th Dragoons, are now em-
barking. Many other corps, the 4th Dragoon Guards,
the 9th and 13th Dragoons, the Scots Royals, the
42d or Royal Highlanders, 43d Rifle Corps, 68th
and 77th Regiments go.

Sir JOHN CRADDOCK and some of the other Gene-
rals in Portugal are expected home.

WEST INDIES.

The Journal of our intelligent Correspondent in the
West Indies has been anxiously expected by us, and
unaccountably delayed for some days. The conclu-
ding part is dated at Martinique, 10th February.—
Aftev much detail of the starting of the Expedition
from Barbadoes, and of the preparations, our Corres-
pondent tells us, that the Expedition sailed on the
30th January, in two divisions. The first Division
was under Lieutenant General Sir GEORGE PREVOST,
Bart. It consisted of
The FIRST BRIGADE,
Commanded by Brigadier-General HOUGHTO N ; and included,
The Royal Fuzileers,
The Welch Fuzileers, and of
The Ist West India Regiment, five Companies.
The SECOND BRIGADE,

Commanded by the Hon. Brigadier-General Coxvixxx; including,
The Sth, or King's Regiment,
The 13th Regiment, and of
The Ist West India Regiment, four Companies.
The UGHT BRIGADE,
Commanded by Major CAMPBELL; consisted of,
The Light Companies of six Regiments.
The RESERVE of Sir GEORGE Pa svorr's Division,
Commanded by Brigadier-General NICUOLSON ; consistedl of,
The 60th Regiment (700 strong),
The 25th Regiment, and of
The 4th West India Regiment, flank Companies.
Major-General MAITLAND got the second Grand
Division of the Army, which consisted of

The THIRD BRIGADE,
Commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel BAR was: in it were,
The 63d Regiment,
The 15th Regiment (sank Companies),
The 46th Regiment (ditto),
The Bth West India Regiment (four Companies).
The FOURTH BRIGADE,
Under Lieutenant-Colossi Aux.: in It were,
The 15th Regiment of Foot,
The York Light Infantry Volunteers, and
The Royal York Rangers.
The FIFTH BRIGADE,
Under Lieutenant-Colonel M'Nota: in it were.
The 90th Regiment, or Perthshire Highlanders, and
The 3d West India Regiment.
It would appear, that the weather had proved very
unfavourable for operations, from the first landing in
Martinique. On the first night after a landing had
been effected, and Sir GEORGE PREVOST with his force,
had advanced five miles into the country,the night was
so very bad, and the roads so cut up, that they were
obliged to send back the guns, after having carried
them three miles with them. 'On the second day Sir
GEORGE pushed on a few miles, and without meeting
with an enemy. On the morning of the third day,
the enemy first made their appearance • they came out
and attacked our people in the middle of some very
narrow passes. It had rained the whole of the prece-
ding night, and our people had been expected on that
as well as the two former nights, and the roads were
in the very worst possible state. However, Colonel
PAKENHAId, at the head of the English Fuzileers,
most gallantly met the attack of the French : in this
he was most ably supported by Major ARCHIBALD
CAMPBELL, and his light battalion—between them
they not only received the attack of the enemy, and
repulsed him, but they pursued and pushed I,;m on
his redoubts, and advanced to the principal fort,
Bourbon. At this time various corps were coming
up to assist, but the business was decided long before
they arrived, by the corps under Lieutenant-Colonel
PAKENHANI and Major CAMPBELL ; and these Offi-
cers have gained the very highest credit by their gal-
lantry and conduct. Next morning there was some
skirmishing. At three o'clock, P. M. General BECK-
wa the Commander in Chief, on reconnoitring,
thought that some advantage might be gained by
throwing forward our advanced parties, and gave
orders accordingly to Lieutenant-General Sir GEORGE
PREVOST, who moved some of his brigades.
Oa Brigadier-General COLVILLE 'S brigade re-
ceiving the order, Major MAXWELL instantly pushed on
the King's Regiment ; this he did in the most hand-
some manner ; but to the regret of the army, was
unluckily wounded himself. At this moment, very
fortunately, Lieut. Colonel PAKENHAM, with the Fu-
zileers, came up in his usual gallant and able man-
ner, and it was very hotly contested, but Major
CAMPBELL again coring up with his light battalion
to support Colonel PAKENHAM, so furious an onset
was made, that the French gave way at all points.
Our people went far beyond where Generals HOUGH-I
TON and COLVILLE had directed them to go to. Our
people, under those gallant fellows Lieut.-Colonel
PAKENHAM and Major CAMPBELL, followed the enemy
to:their redoubts, would haveentered along with them,
and have carried them, but for the want of ammuni-
tion, which had been all expended. It was therefore
thought best that our people should return to their
old position, leaving the King's regiment under Ma-
jor ROBERTON, a good deal advanced on the right
flank. In this affair, the whole army grieved to find
those two fine fellows, Colonel PAKENHAM and Ma-
jor ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL, wounded, and a very fine
spirited fellow, Captain SINCLAIR, of the 25th Light
Infantry, killed. In the above battle our people had
been very fortunate, the total killed and wounded not
exceeding 400; it was ascertained that the enemy lost
more than double that number, 1000 was supposed.
At one time this expedition was nearly given up ;
the enemy had very correct information of this: on
hearing of it VILLARET dismissed all the Militia.—
The day after we landed he sent after them in all
directions. The enemy expected that we should have
made our appearance at a different part of the island,
and only heard of our approach when they met the
Fuzileers. The conclusion of our correspondent's
letteris not so pleasant; he said that from the seve-
rity of the season our troops began to suffer, and that
the Doctors foretold there would be much sickness
among them, when the campaign was over.

OBSERVATIONS
ON ?RE BARRACKS OF THIS COUNTRY, IN RESFECT TO
THE COMFORT OF THE ARMY ; WITH STRICTURES ON

THE DUTIES, &C. OF THE OFFICERS EMPLOYED 01

THAT DEPARTMENT.
" It is inconceivable what difficulties the meanest of our Sailors
and Soldiers endure without murmuring or regret."
GOLDSMITH.
The soldier is so much exposed to hardships and
privations on actual service, that, it may be fairly
presumed, his situation at home should be made as
comfortable as circumstances will allow. The pros-
pect of future ease and comfort to the soldier softens
the flinty and steel couch of war,' the rigour of
the seasons, shortens his marches, and bears him up
in his sufferings. Like the way-worn traveller he
pursues his weary journey with chearfulness, when
he knows that the close of the day will bring him to
his own snug dwelling, to enjoy the blessings of re-
pose.

Before the British Army had been so greatly aug-
mented as it now is, there were but few Barracks in
Great Britain, and those were almost all of a perma- I
nent nature. The troops were either billeted in towns,
or encamped during the summer. In the course of
the last fifteen years, the number of barracks and can-
tonments has been so much multiplied in this coun-
try, that there is now scarcely a town of any note,
near which there is not a soldier's barrack.
By far the greater number of barracks are of a
temporary construction, being principally built of
light wood, and consequently less comfortable than
those built of more substantial materials. Besides
the great apparent diminution in the expence of tem-
porary barracks, the principal object for preferring
temporary buildings, seems to have been the saving
of time in building them, which is an Am of some
consideration, for it would otherwise have been im-
practicable to have erected permanent barracks, suffi-
cient for the ready accommodation of so large and
sudden an encrease as was then made to the army, so
soon as could have been wished. It still, however,
remains to be acknowledged whether the erection
of temporary barracks, under the disadvantages at-
tending the troops who occupy them, and the great
expence of keeping them in repair, has ultimately
been an economical plan, or whether the building of
permanent barracks would not have been equally or
more saving in expence to the country in the end ?
The object of these remarks is more particularly to
enquire, whether the barracks of Great Britain an-
swer the purpose for which they were suppose, to have
been erected in every respect, that, is the comfort and
accommodation of the soldiers who occupy them, and
to point out what appears to be the remediable er-
rors, and defects attending them.
That barracks, if properly constructed, and pro-
vided, are in every respect better for the reception of
troops than private dwellings, or billets in public
houses, admits of no doubt : but we shall be able to
shew that many of the temporary barracks are infe-
rior in point of comfort, to the men, and that they
are very deficient in other respects.
The disadvantages attending barracks in general,
but more immediately attending those of a tempo-
rary description, seem to arise from a great and fun-
damental error in their construction. We allude
pat ticularly to the barracks for the soldiers, the build-
ings of which have been constructed according to
plans almost as various as their numbers. Some are
composed of a large pile of tottering structure, others
of low buildings, and others of separate or detached
rooms. Yet, however various the shape and size of
the buildings are, they almost invariably agree in two
points, viz. that, in almost every instance the soldiers
are not afforded a sufficient space to live and breathe,
consistently with the purposes of health, and gene-
ral convenience, and that they are scarcely proof
against the violence of the weather. This is, at least,
the case with the infantry barracks : add to this, that
they are not always situated on the most healthy or
proper spots, nor is the quantity of ground allotted
to them sufficient for the necessities and discipline of
the troops. In some barracks the space of ground
inclosed is so very scanty, that the buildings are
crowded on one another without order or regularity,
so that we sometimes see soldiers barracks, cooking-
houses, hospitals, officers rooms, privies, and tay-
lors shops, all within the distance of only a few yards;
at the same time the parade-ground is so very limited,
that there is often scarcely room for a third part of
the garrison to be fairly drawn out on ordinary occa-
sions, for inspecting the condition of the men. To
complete this picture, we shall take this occasion to
mention that many of them are unprovided with the
requisite out-buildings, and proper conveniences for
the troops. These we shall enumerate hereafter more
fully .
We shall next turn our attention to the interior di-
vision of barracks; and here it may be observed that
no rule appears to have been held in view in the dis-
tribution of the space for the sleeping apartments, for
we find these rooms in some barracks so small as to
contain only six or eight men, while in others they
are so large, as, with little difficulty, to accommo-
date a battalion of infantry. These remarkable
extremes cannot be both equally wise and proper,
particularly when it is recollected that the rmallest
rooms have, we believe, always fires ; and that the
largest description of sleeping-roops, calculated for
`2OO or 300 men, have none at all, but in place there-
of the walls and roofs of the buildings are perforated
with holes, wind-tubes, and other ingenious devices
for the free admission of cold air, rain, and snow,
into the sleeping-rooms, which are, in other words,
better adapted for the climate of the West Indies
than for that of an English winter. It cannot, how-
ever, be denied that this high degree of ventilation
has its peculiar uses. It preserves the rooms perfectly
sweet and cool in all seasons ; relieves the men from
a heat which would be otherwise oppressive from the
load of bedding allowed to them in the winter. Be-
sides, the sokHers have it in their power to ascertain
the state of the weather without rising from their
beds, an advantage not to be entirely overlooked, as
satisfying curiosity. (To Le cont. nod. )

Thursday a pitched battle was fought at Heyleld
Common, Hants, bvtween Davey and a n..tive of
Lansdowne, of the name of Hinton. It was a most
desperate contest, and lasted sixty minutes without
shifting. The men were both dreadfully beat ; Davey
was conquered by some hits not to be stopper', '.f a tre
mendous kind, which his adversary placed on the left
side of his lace, in almost every round. Davey
fought at the body, and succeeded in planting most
of his blows. The match was for 200 guineas.